Pennsylvania Taxidermist Association

     WOW, I am writing my first message as President of the P.T.A., the largest state taxidermy association in this great Country of ours. I didn’t think that it would be this exciting, but after the dust settled and I got started with the business of our P.T.A., it really is exciting! A number of past Presidents warned me that I will be busy and I better check my e-mail daily. Man, were they correct, not that I doubted them though. I wasn’t even the President for an hour, my meal was still heavy on my stomach from that great buffet banquet (especially the 2 desserts) and then there was business to attend to. About 12 hours later, and I needed to run my first Board of Directors meeting. I really wasn’t ready for that. We did have a good and productive meeting. We had newly elected members present, with only 1 Board member that couldn’t make it. With that being noted, we took the opportunity to take a picture of the crew; YOUR crew that is working for you. Get to know these faces, and tell us what you need. We would also like to tell you what we need. It takes more than just these individuals to run such a big organization as well as ours operate.
     The Convention and Competition is still fresh in our minds and hearts. I believe that it went well, with challenges kept to a minimum and even still, the challenges were dealt with quickly and smoothly. It was a very large show, with 328 competition entries, 336 members present, of which 70 were new members, 15 seminars, and gathering opportunities galore. We also had 20 different states represented and 1 foreign country (Greece) that were part of the 336 members present. That is almost half of the U.S. at OUR show! Now that is some bragging rights.
     I would like to welcome those new members to our association. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourselves to others. Take advantage of everything that we offer. Most importantly, use the tools available to you to better yourselves, your taxidermy art and your taxidermy business. The Convention and Competition is one of the best places to get a ton of new knowledge and advice. Get to know as many people that you can; and how to do that? Get involved and volunteer your time and talent to your P.T.A. We could always use the help and need new and fresh ideas. I can’t wait to meet you! But that should not stop with the new members; we can’t forget all of you that return each year. We are looking forward to working with all of you.
     Thanks to all that work so very hard for our P.T.A. Thanks to all the past Presidents for the big shoes that I will need to fill. You have all created something to be proud of. Let’s keep it going strong and set the limits higher to reach for. We are an organization that has been known to set the standards in the Taxidermy industry. We (the P.T.A.) are looked up to and admired; congratulations, be proud and keep this momentum going.