O.K. Lowry, go to your computer and repeat 5,000 times, "I WILL NOT use those dues notices again! " Sorry about that folks, and I'll try to make sure that you never receive such awkward notices again. Naturally I had to compound the problem by carefully sealing many of them in such a way that any attempt to open the envelope would cause the return label to selfdestruct!
Speaking of dues (what a segue!!), anyone who has not as yet paid their 1987 dues should get them in the mail as soon as possible. Newer members please remember that our fiscal year is the calendar year. Regardless of the date you join, you should receive all issues for that first year. If in doubt, write. Dues notices were mailed out to all 1986 members in early January. If all 1986 members will renew in 1987 we will have over 2,400 members from 40 countries. I hope all of you will continue to spread the word. Invite every double reed advocate to join the Society. Give a membership to your students for a birthday gift. There are thousands of double reed enthusiasts who have not yet joined us.
Students: Well-meaning parents sometimes try to "forward" your issue to you at school. In the vernacular, "It don't work!" because the U.S. of A. Post Office WILL NOT forward bulk mailed items. What happens is that the issue is returned to me with postage due, and I have to try to figure out your address. Tell your folks to use another envelope or to put new postage and label on the old one.
You folks out there who receive a "forwarded" issue from me may find a gentle reminder in with your issue. This consists of part of the original envelope with a big red circle around "postage due." Postage due can quickly increase the cost of your issue by 50 To. From a printing and mailing cost of about $4.00 PER ISSUE, this one issue can now cost $.98 to $1.08 for postage due; $.14 for a new envelope; and from $.98 to $1.75 for forwarding postage. Any reimbursement to the society will be appreciated.
Those members using the Swiss Account to pay dues should be careful about the transfer of funds. Please follow carefully the information on the application form.
Members outside the U.S.A. should use either an International Postal Money Order drawn in U.S. dollars or an International Cashiers Check drawn on a U.S. Bank in U.S. dollars. Make sure your name appears on the Money Order or Cashiers Check. Or for your further convenience, you may now pay your dues to the International Double Reed Society by a bank transfer to the account N4-155.380.0 in the Swiss Bank Corporation, Bahnhofstrasse Branch, 8023 Zurich, Switzerland. Kindly do not issue checks nor make cash transfers, because this will involve expenses to the debit of our account. Make the transfer in the name of the International Double Reed Society and account number. DO NOT mention my name or the Bank again imposes an additional debit to the account. In short, it must be a BANK transfer of funds to the International Double Reed Society account number N4-155.380.0.
I have an unidentified payment to the Swiss account paid December 3, 1986 from Helsinki. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can clarify this for me.
Thanks to all of you who have made use of the change-of-address form on the publication envelope. Please do let me know of any address change as quickly as possible. Keep remembering that the postal service WILL NOT forward our publications even if it's just a wrong apartment number. One member even changed addresses without moving!
My thanks to those of you who take time to include a note in with your dues. I hope you'll forgive me if I don't answer each one. I do answer your questions, but I frequently use a rather abrupt method such as scrawling an answer on your letter and returning it. Please remember that I am dealing with quite a few letters and this is the only way I can handle the volume.
There are many things I can NOT know unless you tell me. I am now mailing the membership cards via bulk mail whenever I have enough to do so. I hope these are arriving in good shape. I am also mailing the cards via air to overseas members. This cost $.33 versus the $.44 if I put the card in an envelope. Are they arriving O.K.?
This office will be closed from around the end of July until after the conference. Carolyn and I plan to make a vacation out of the trip to Las Vegas. We plan to visit and tour in West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. If some of you members in those states have suggestions for tourists, please let me know. We enjoy seeing the "real" country in addition to major tourist attractions such as the Grand Canyon.