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PAGE TWO, JUNE,
PRESIDENT'S PALAVER
MY YEAR HAS DRAWN TO A CLOSE, AND THIS IS
THE LAST TIME I WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO REPORT
TO YOU AS YOUR PRESIDENT. THE PAST YEAR HAS
BEEN ONE OF. MANY JOYS FOR THE FAMILY AND FOR ME
AND MOST OF THESE PLEASANT MEMORIES WERE MADE
POSSIBLE BY YOU, THE FIREMEN OF TEXAS. I SHALL
EVER BE GRATEFUL FOR HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY
OF BEING ABLE TO SERVE YOU FELLOWS AND HOPE THAT
IN SOME SMALL WAY I HAVE CONTRIBUTED TOTHE WEL-
FARE AND UP-BUILDING OF THE ASSOCIATION.
MCALLEN HAS PREPARED US A GOOD CONVENTION
AND I HOPE THAT EACH OF YOU ENJOY IT. CHIEF MYERS
HAS LEFT NO STONE UNTURNEDTO SEETHAT THIS IS
THE BEST CONVENTION YET. TOHIMI AM INDEED
GRATEFUL AND I KNOW THAT YOU FELLOWS WILL BE
THE SAME WAY WHEN THE CONVENTION IS OVER. OUR
HATS OFF TO CHIEF MYERS AND THE MC-
ALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THIS 86TH CONVENTION FINDS US MEETING WITH
THE LARGEST PAID UP MEMBERSHIP IN THE HISTORY OF
THE ASSOCIATION. THE MOST THAT HAVE EVER PAID
BEFORE ARE SOME 240 DEPARTMENTS, AND AS THIS
GOES TO PRESS THERE ARE ABOUT 310 PAID UP DEPART-
MENTS. I SAT AS MY GOAL, 350 PAID UP DEPART-
MENTS AND DISTRICTS FOR THE YEAR. I STILL HAVE
HOPES OF ATTAINING THIS GOAL, AS MANY WILL PAY
HERE AT THE CONVENTION.
YOU WILL FIND SEVERAL ADS IN THE NEWSLETTER
WHICH THE MCALLEN FIRE DEPARTMENT SECURED TO
HELP OUT THIS CONVENTION ISSUE. FELLOWS,
PATRONIZE THE ADVERTISERS DURING YOUR
STAY IN MCALLEN AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU HAVE
SEEN THEIR AD. I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE GLAD THAT
YOU CAME TO MCALLEN AND LETS MAKE THE CITI-
ZENS OF MCALLEN PROUD THAT THEY AND THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT ASKED US TO COME.
SINCE LAST REPORT, I ATTENDED THE EAST TEX-
AS CONVENTION AT NACOGDOCHES AND THE WEST TEXAS
CONVENTION AT KNOX CITY. ENJOYED BOTH VERY
MUCH. MET WITH THE GROUP OF PUMP OPERATOR IN-
STRUCTORS FROM A AND M AT KILLEEN AND PLANNED
OUR PROGRAM FOR THE SUMMER SCHOOL, AND ATTEN-
DED MY OWN CENTRAL TEXAS DISTRICT CONVENTION IN
TAYLOR.
I HOPE THAT MANY OF YOU WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE CHANCE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER AT
THIS CONVENTION. IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF EXISTENCE
IT HAS PROVED ITS WORTH. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.
AGAIN, MIGHT I SAY THAT THIS PAST YEAR HAS
BEEN TO ME ONE OF THE MOST FULL AND EXCITING
YEARS OF MY LIFE, AND TO YOU FELLOWS WHO HAVE
MADE IT POSSIBLE, MANY THANKS. IF THERE IS
ANY WAY THAT I CAN HELP YOU DURING THE CONVEN-
TION, KINDLY LET ME KNOW. WHEN THIS YEAR IS OV-
ER, I WILL STILL BE AROUND WORKING AND FIGHTING
FOR THE FIREMEN OF TEXAS.
-VERNON B. (BLONDY) RUCKER, PRESIDENT.
* * * * * *
FROM OUR NEXT PRESIDENT
AS THE YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE AND AS WE MEET
ONCE AGAIN FOR RENEWAL OF OLD FRIENDSHIPS AND
MAKE NEW ONES, I MUST LOOK BACK WITH A GREAT
DEAL OF GRATITUDE TO YOU, THE FINEST BUNCH OF
MEN IN THE STATE, FOR THE MANY HONORS AND HAPPY
HOURS YOU HAVE GIVEN HAZLE AND ME DURING THE
LAST FOUR YEARS. No ONE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE
ROYALLY ACCEPTED AND TREATED THAN YOU "BIRDS"
HAVE TREATED US AND WE LOVE YOU EACH AND EVERY
ONE.
BLONDY HAS BEEN A SLAVE-DRIVER BUT HIS EF-
FORTS AND ENTHUSIASM IS GOING TO PAY OFF SINCE
WE WILL HAVE THE LARGEST PAID MEMBERSHIP OF ANY
YEAR OF THE ASSOCIATION AND IT IS A FIT TRIBUTE TO
HIM, FOR NONE OF US HAS WORKED AS HARD AS HE. I
AM SURE I SPEAK FOR ALL OF US ON THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE WHEN I SAY WE WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE
JOINS THE RANKS OF THE GRAND OLD MEN, BUT WE
CAN ALWAYS CALL ON HIM TO HELP.
I AM SORRY IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE EVERY
MEETING OVER THE STATE, BUT CONFLICTS IN DATES
AND BOSSES WHO EXPECT ME TO WORK A LITTLE HAVE
TAKEN THEIR TOLL. I PROMISE TO TRY TO DO BETTER
NEXT YEAR, PROVIDED YOU WILL LET DAVID OR ME
HAVE THE DATES OF YOUR DISTRICT MEETINGS FAR EN-
OUGH IN ADVANCE SO AN ITINERARY CAN BE WORKEDOUT.
KEEP THE NEWS COMING IN TO THE NEWSLETTER
AND SEND IN YOUR PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS SO WE
CAN KEEP GETTING THE NEWS OF YOUR DOINGS.
LET'S HAVE A REAL BIG TIME IN MCALLEN AND
MAKE IT THE BEST CONVENTION YET !
-W. E. (BILL) ZORN, 1ST VICE PRESIDENT.
* * * * * *
FOR MEXICO INSURANCE
AND
INFORMATION -- CALL US
BYERS AND COMPANY
PHONE MU6-6381
MCALLEN, TEXAS
WE WILL DELIVER YOUR
POLICY TO YOUR ROOM
WE JOIN MCALLEN IN
WELCOMING
THE FIREMEN OF THE
STATE ASSOCIATION
H. L. DAVIS AND SON
SHERRILL KENDRICKS
MCALLEN, TEXAS
COMPLIMENTS OF
YOUR
3
FAULKNER REXALL
DRUG STORES
MCALLEN, TEXAS
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