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NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
Timothy E. O’Malley
435 North Webster Ave, Apt 2
Assistant
Director
CHAPTER
DEVELOPMENT
570.343.6130
17 November
2005
Mr.
Tom E. Reynolds
Dear
Mr. Reynolds:
I have received your request for information
concerning the formation of a new Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
(NRHS) in the Milltown, New Jersey
area. Your interest in the NRHS
is appreciated. It will be my pleasure
to assist you.
Obtaining a charter for a new NRHS Chapter
is not complicated. It does, however,
require some preparation, most of which is designed to maintain the Society’s
standards and, most importantly, to ensure the success of your new chapter.
Many steps in this preparation may already have been taken.
The NRHS Constitution and By-Laws require
only ten (10) members to form a new chapter.
However, experience has shown that a chapter will be more apt to succeed
if it starts with fifteen (15) or more members.
The most likely first step in the creation
of a new chapter would be to assemble the group of potential Charter Members
for the purpose of ironing out such details as where and how often the chapter
will meet as well as what it hopes to accomplish both long and short term.
Next, compose a brief but clearly stated set of
goals and objectives. This will enable
the members of your new organization to channel their efforts toward common
goals and will also provide a basis for a Statement of Purpose for your chapter
if you decide to incorporate at a later date.
The third step is to complete the enclosed
charter application in accordance with the instruction sheet and return it to
me along with completed membership applications and applicable NRHS dues from
non-NRHS persons who are interested in joining the proposed Chapter. Chapter dues should be retained by
your new organization. Checks for National
dues, submitted to me together with applications from new NRHS members, should
be made out to the National Railway
Historical Society. Obviously, no
dues need to be sent to this office for charter members of your new Chapter who
are already members of the National Railway Historical Society. However, their names should still be
indicated on your charter application so that they will receive their charter
member certificates.
Any group seeking a charter for a new NRHS
Chapter should submit with its application a set of proposed by-laws that are
consistent with those of the Society.
For your convenience, I have enclosed a sample set of such bylaws your
group may copy and use as a boilerplate for your chapter by-laws.
Prior to voting on the granting of a
chapter charter, the NRHS Board of Directors usually takes into consideration
any comments offered by existing Chapters in the geographical area surrounding
the proposed Chapter. So, upon receipt of your charter application, membership
applications, stated set of goals and objectives, and proposed Chapter by-laws,
I will have the application processed and presented to the NRHS Board of
Directors for its consideration.
A chapter in the Milltown, New Jersey area
would be assigned to the Metropolitan Region once a charter is granted. The Vice President of this region is Walter
E. Zullig, Jr., 77 Mystic Dr., Ossining, NY
10562-1965. Mr. Zullig will be a
valuable resource to you and can provide you with information concerning the
activities of other Chapters in the Metropolitan Region.
I want you to know that I am here to help
you. If you have any questions now or
during any part of the process, please feel free to write or call me. Thanks for your interest in forming a new
Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society!
Sincerely,
Tim
O'Malley
Assistant Director, Chapter Development
Enclosures:
Charter Application
Instruction Sheet
NRHS Membership Application (15)
NRHS Constitution and By-Laws
Typical Chapter By-Laws
NRHS Fact Sheet
cc: Mr. Gregory P. Molloy, President
Mr. Walter E. Zullig, Jr, Regional Vice
President, Metropolitan Region