In Memoriam
We recognize and honor the following APPA member who has recently passed away.

Eastern Region
Rick Wareham
ERAPPA Newsletter Editor
Vermont in October is splendid. The beautiful colors of the fall foliage and snow- capped mountains provided a picturesque background for our 50th Annual ERAPPA Meeting and Educational Conference in Burlington. The meeting was held October 8-11, 2000 and was hosted by the Northern New England Chapter. The meeting accommodations at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington were very nice. Because of the fall foliage tourist season, the Host Committee had to book the hotel five years in advance! The conference theme was entitled Celebrate the Past, Create the Future.

The first day of the conference started early for some as they boarded a bus at 6:00 a.m. and headed to West Bolton Country Club for a round of golf. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative, but there were several dedicated golfers who stuck it out for the complete round. Others opted for the campus tours of Champlain College, St. Michael's College, and the University of Vermont. Instead of the traditional ribbon cutting, the opening ceremonies and opening of the exhibit hall were marked with a "log cutting" ceremony. President Thomas Stepnowski had the honor, and he took off his jacket and sawed through the log. Approximately 80 business partners took part in exhibiting during the conference. Willard Randell then treated the attendees to an interesting presentation on local history, particularly the role of Benedict Arnold in the Battle of Valcour Island.

The second day began with an inspiring welcome address by Lander Medlin, APPA's executive vice president. The multitrack educational sessions followed and are always informative and well attended. One, in particular, was the President's Forum in which four local college or university presidents described their vision of facilities management and answered questions from the audience. Session breaks and lunch were served in the exhibit hall to allow attendees time to visit the exhibit booths.

The third day of the conference began with the continuation of the concurrent educational sessions. The exhibit hall closed before lunch and many door prizes were given away. The annual business meeting and election of officers took place at lunchtime. There were various committee and chapter reports. Ron Dupuis was elected Director and Kevin Petersen was elected Second Vice President. The educational sessions continued in the afternoon, including a session by Past APPA Presidents Maggie Kinnaman and Doug Christensen on leadership. The third day ended with the annual banquet and passing of the gavel from Thomas Stepnowski of Rutgers University to the new ERAPPA President, Robert Carter of McMaster University.

The final day of the conference concluded with a special presentation by the Franklin Covey Leadership Program. This program was informative as the presenter discussed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This session was also well attended with many people expressing interest to continue this program at future meetings.

The 50th Annual Meeting was very successful, and the Host Committee from the Northern New England Chapter should be congratulated for its outstanding effort. Each morning the attendees found a copy of a daily newsletter that provided summaries and pictures of the preceding day's activities, articles by the ERAPPA board members, and a schedule for that day's activities. This was very helpful since the schedule kept attendees busy.

The 51st Annual Meeting and Educational Conference will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania on September 29 - October 3, 2001 and hosted by the Keystone Chapter. You can actually smell the scent of chocolate in the air in Hershey. The chapter is working hard to provide a quality conference.

Finally, the ERAPPA board adopted its 2000-2001 Operating Plan. The plan concentrates on membership service and improved collaborative relationships with others. From a membership standpoint, the board is going to investigate and recommend changes to the existing structure of ERAPPA to allow more flexibility and reduce the time commitment of those members wanting to serve as an officer to ERAPPA.

From a collaborative standpoint, the plan calls for maintaining a close relationship with APPA and sharing resources, encouraging more participation from chapter presidents in ERAPPA initiatives, and soliciting more participation from emeritus members. For more information about the Operating Plan and ERAPPA, see our newly designed website at www.erappa.org. * * *

Southeastern Region
David L. Anderson
SRAPPA President
SRAPPA members and friends enjoyed a great meeting, which was hosted by Dr. Sam Polk and Tennessee State University. The theme of the meeting was Facilities Management: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium. Educational sessions covered the spectrum of facilities management from: Defining Quality in the Cleaning Operations to Commissioning New Construction, and the usual great topic of Motivating the Motivator, by George Wright.

We experienced a most enjoyable cruise down the Cumberland River filled with food, fun, and entertainment. We also toured the beautiful campus of Tennessee State University and the magnificent Adelphia Coliseum and Stadium.

The featured speaker for the annual banquet was Ed Temple, Olympic coach who coached women's track at Tennessee State University and Olympic Gold Medal winners, such as Wilma Rudolph, in many events.

Goals established for the following year include: