Volume 19, Number 1 .... January 1997

President's Letter

Happy New Year! And congratulations to WAAC's newly elected Board members: Vice President John Griswold, and Members-at-Large Neil Cockerline, Cecily Grzywacz, and Linda Strauss. Many thanks to last year's outstanding Board which included Marc Harnly, Karen Zukor, Neil Cockerline, and John Griswold for the work they did on WAAC's behalf. I am delighted to report that Chris Stavroudis (Secretary/Treasurer and Membership Secretary) and Carolyn Tallent (WAAC Newsletter Editor) have agreed to continue in their respective positions. Chris and Carolyn work year-round for WAAC, and they cannot be thanked enough for the time and effort they contribute and for the high standards they maintain.

WAAC in Las Vegas. Our much-anticipated 1996 Annual Meeting opened with a lively reception at the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Movie Museum. interspersed with side trips to marvel at the Las Vegas architecture, lights, and decor, as well as to gamble, people-watch, and take in the town's fabulous shows. Many thanks to the 29 speakers who presented papers; their talks and WAAC's famous congeniality were the high points of the conference. As always, the 1996 WAAC meeting offered a stimulating occasion to hear about one another's work, meet new colleagues, and refresh old friendships. A special award was presented during the banquet: President Neil Cockerline surprised Chris Stavroudis with a lifetime WAAC membership, in gratitude for his exceptional contributions to our organization over the last 10 years.

Neil Cockerline did a superb job of planning and negotiating everything for the meeting to our maximum advantage. Thank you, Neil -- and Las Vegas resident Vicki Cassman -- for a perfectly arranged conference and for bringing us to one of the West's most distinctive and exciting cities.

WAAC's Bylaws Revised. I am pleased to report that the proposed revised WAAC Bylaws (published as a tan-colored center section in the 1996 WAAC Membership Directory, along with explanatory remarks) were passed by an overwhelming majority on October 8th, 1996, at the Business Meeting held in Las Vegas. The newly revised Bylaws have been filed with the State of California and are now our governing document.

AIC Focus Group for Western Private Practitioners. On March 18 in Los Angeles, Sarah Rosenberg (executive director of the AIC) would like to meet with a group of conservators who practice privately. Please see her announcement on page 2. Please note: To take advantage of this opportunity, you must contact the AIC and sign up as a participant the sooner, the better! You cannot participate on a drop-in basis. Sarah offered to meet with WAAC private practitioners earlier, but when too few people rsvp'd, she canceled her plans. If you are in private practice, I hope you will take advantage of this offer.

Phoenix in 1997. Next year's WAAC Annual Meeting will be held in October in Phoenix, Arizona. Details will appear in the May WAAC Newsletter or check WAAC's Web site, http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/, for information updates. Part of the meeting's program will focus on the conservation of rock art a fascinating subject itself, and one that offers many interesting crossovers to other specialities, including the conservation of outdoor artworks, artworks in public places, and artifacts subjected to scientific analyses. Most of the meeting's papers will, however, reflect the full range conservation and research topics.