The NOCSIA annual meeting was held on Sunday afternoon, December 7, 2008, in a meeting room of the Cleveland State University Library.
President Carol Poh called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. She welcomed everyone, and then thanked Bill Barrow for making meeting arrangements and Nan and Bill Hachtel for providing refreshments. President Poh then introduced outgoing Treasurer Nan Hachtel and thanked her for her many years of service.
Treasurer Hachtel reported a current balance of $1,145.44 and a year-end membership of 23 (this compares to 37 at the same time last year).
President Poh noted the upcoming annual conference (Pittsburgh, May 29-31) and fall tour (Rosendale, NY) of SIA national. She then reviewed the activities of NOCSIA in 2008:
March—tour of Master Products Company (custom stampings); May—NOCSIA member Dario Gasparini led a tour of Cleveland’s Main Avenue Bridge, followed by lunch at the Flat Iron Café; June—tour of the historic Rose Iron Works; September—tour of General Electric’s Euclid Lamp Plant (slated for closure later that month); October—a barn tour & picnic at Nan and Bill Hachtels’ home in Waite Hill, OH, an event that drew 37 members and their guests.
President Poh thanked NOCSIA member Don Petit for preparing handsome electronic fliers for each of these events, then introduced Nominations Chairman Bill Vermes to report on elections.
Nominations Chairman Vermes read the slate, as follows:
President—Bill Barrow (w.barrow@csuohio.edu)
Vice-President—Chris Dawson
Secretary—Steve Titchenal
Treasurer—Ron Petrie
The slate was unanimously approved.
Incumbent President Barrow then commented on prospective activities for 2009. He hopes the chapter can offer more tours, host lunch or dinner meetings with guest speakers, and find ways for the chapter to make a permanent contribution toward preserving the industrial archeology of northeast Ohio.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m., following which Thomas Leary introduced Rick Rowlands, president of the Tod Engine Foundation, who presented an illustrated talk titled “Preserving Youngstown’s Steel Industry Heritage.”