By Jeff Bernardis, Director

It’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of the club year.  It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating our 50^th anniversary over at the IAS.

We are now entering into my favorite part of the year – the public viewing season over at Washington Crossing.  Last year I think we had a fantastic year both in terms of very few rain/cloud days, and in the number of attendees.  I hope we have a repeat of all of that his year.

Even though this is a fun part of the year for me, I can’t overlook the fact that this ends my tenure as Director.  I have been honored to be the director to bring us into our 2^nd 50 years.  It has not been without its challenges, and there are still things that need to be resolved, but nevertheless it was a rewarding experience.

I look forward to what Rex will get done during his tenure.  When I first joined the club, Rex was the Director.  I liked the direction the club was moving in at the time, and I’m sure I will have the same feelings next year.

I cannot leave this post without thanking my board; as I said last year, one of the reasons I decided to accept the nomination for Director was because of the strong people on the slate with me.

• Michael Wright has been a steady influence in his secretary position. I always felt that the information provided by him was timely and accurate, and he represented the club well when dealing with others. Although he too is stepping down from his post, he will remain in a prominent position as co-editor of the Sidereal Times. He will also manage the word-press site. Mike also volunteered to coordinate Starquest this year.
• Michael Mitrano has become synonymous with Treasurer to me.       With him in his position, I have never had to worry about anything financial with the club. I’m glad to see him continue in this position; I know everything is in good hands.
• Kate Otto continues to fill our schedule with interesting speakers. It’s a job I don’t feel I’d be good at, but which she makes look easy.       Again, I think the club will be well-served as she returns in the same position.
• Larry Kane is a long-time member of the club who stepped up to the AD role this past year. Larry has taken the initiative to help improve our relationship with Washington Crossing Park by helping to form the “Friends of” group. This is extremely important to us since, of course, our observatory is housed there. He too is returning in the same role next year.

At the risk of overlooking someone, I should also thank those who are in other prominent roles in the club for their contributions:

• Dave Letcher continues to serve as our outreach coordinator,
• Gene Ramsey, and now Dave and Jen Skitt, for their roles in managing the observatory
• Surabhi Agarwal for her work as co-editor of the ST, and
• John Miller for his work as webmaster.