Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group

Past President’s Memories

from January 2002 Newsletter
by Dave Gerber

July 2000 was the month that I became the President of SPCUG and the Sarasota PC Monitor’s Cover Story was "How Fleeting Our History." I would never have thought that those words would become an appropriate description for the 18 months I served in that capacity.

If it weren’t for a dedicated supporting cast of volunteers, being the CEO of a Corporation that doesn’t offer a salary would be an impossible task.

• July 2000 was also the month that our Webmaster, Gary Schweinshaupt unveiled our Interactive Event Calendar. The Event Calendar offered members the opportunity to see what SIGs, Forums and other Special Events were scheduled. Not always an easy task, but Vinny La Bash, Hope Hertz and at times myself, would spend many hours entering data and keeping things up-to-date. Another benefit is that a member could register for a class right there making it easier then ever to get enrolled. While it would take some time to promote the calendar and get the bugs fixed the Event Calendar is one of the most frequently used features on www.spcug.org.
• One of the things that I had hoped to accomplish during my term as President was for SPCUG to have it’s own Computer Resource Center. Unfortunately we couldn’t seem to get the process of obtaining a Grant to fund that project out of the starting blocks. I do hope we can get the ball rolling in that direction once again.
• While the thinking of the Board of Directors was that our By-Laws were in need of some "tweaking," due to numerous debates, it would take almost 16 months for the Committee I asked Dr. Bob Thommes to chair to present the final approved version.
• During this period we were fortunate to establish relationships with Goodfriend Computer Training, New Horizons Computer Learning Center and Office Depot. Our relationship with Goodfriends enabled SPCUG to offer classes in the evening. New Horizons offered many free classes to our members as well as some at dramatic savings. Purchases of two new projectors and a laptop supported these multiple locations and the SIG leaders involved in the transfer of equipment was outstanding.
• Office Depot also served as a great promotional vehicle for SPCUG with the "Demo Day" events we co-sponsored with them. SPCUG SIG leaders offered classes to the general public in areas such as ‘How to buy a computer’, ‘Digital Cameras’ and ‘Scanning.’
• SPCUG’s "Computers & You" TV Show is something that I’m very proud to have created. One of the things I had hoped Computers & You would accomplish is to increase the visibility of SPCUG in the community. Many viewers have become members without having any prior knowledge of SPCUG’s existence.. While the initial goal was for me to play an important role in the background I found myself hosting the show and enjoying every moment of it. To help with the load, Vinny La Bash became my regular co-host and Executive Producer. As my term as President came to an end, C&Y was beginning its 5th season and I stepped down from my hosting responsibilities. Bob Toal has taken my place and is doing a great job. Don Guercio, the General Manger of BLAB-TV has been a continuous supporter of C&Y since we started. He believed in what we were trying to accomplish and stuck with us through thick and thin. Viewer participation has increased with our monthly Trivia Contest.
• In September 2000 we revisited the area of our dues structure and the Board deemed it necessary to increase the annual individual ($35) and family membership ($50) fees, but SIGs would remain free to all.
• I am very proud of the fact that during my term as President of SPCUG many of our volunteers became active participants at Florida Association of Computer User Groups (FACUG) Conferences of which I am Director and Moderator of the FACUG Yahoo Group.
• SPCUG would be the first winner of the Annual Community Service Award presented by the FACUG for our involvement and partnership with the Selby Library.
• During the last meeting that I presided over, I was proud to announce the names of the 73 volunteers that supported both SPCUG and myself
• For their valuable contributions over many years Lifetime Memberships were bestowed upon Gary Schweinshaupt, Dr. Herb Goldstein, Dr. Bob Thommes and Vinny La Bash.
• Dr. John Chait became a regular contributor to the "Monitor" with his "Computer Ergonomic" column.
• Taking a lead from APCUG we added a Web Board to our website which was a vehicle for communication between members seeking solutions and those who could provide them. When the Web Board became dysfunctional it was replaced with the SPCUG Yahoo Group, which I volunteered to be the Moderator of.
• I had been sending email to the membership periodically with SIG News and Announcements as well as Computing Tips but quite frankly, I was getting bored. I started to create "Tip" mail in an html Newsletter format for which I’ve received many complimentary comments. Of course, once I asked the subscribing members for a name suggestion, it was my wife who came up with Dave "Bytes" for which I’m still trying to determine if there was some sort of subliminal meaning to her entry.
• Digital Photography became extremely popular over the last two years and SPCUG was right there to assist its members with Forums on Camera’s, Adobe Photoshop & Scanners. Thanks to Mike McNaughton the name Medi@Show became very popular and I learned how to put a multimedia show together for my son’s wedding.
• New SIGs in special areas of interest were created such as Internet Investing. Greeting Cards, and Personal Digital Assistants
• Dozens of calls were received each month at our toll-free number (877-SPCUG-HI) with questions about membership and User Group activities
• SPCUG has participated in numerous Computer Shows in Sarasota and in the Community Expo at Gulf Gate Library
• Under the guidance and direction of Dr. Herb Goldstein, we established a program whereby SPCUG volunteers would become Computer Mentors for children in the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Sarasota

All of the accomplishments I’ve noted could have never been attained without those "73" volunteers who I could never thank enough. I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special "Thank You" to my friend Hope Hertz. Yes, the last 18 months have been both exciting and hectic but based on the feedback I’ve received from the membership very rewarding.

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