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Conventions
The original By-Laws called for an annual convention and meeting during the months of October or November. By 1976, none had been convened. Then President Edgar J Bethart attempted to move the membership toward holding a convention, but there was little support evident an idea whose time had not yet come. The first national convention of the Association would not be convened until 1979, by which time the decision apparently had been made to hold them on a biennial basis.
The first convention was convened in 1979 at Oklahoma City, OK, sponsored by the Oklahoma State Chapter. Subsequent conventions were held as follows:
- 1981 Washington, DC National Capital Chapter
- 1983 Sacramento, CA Greater Sacramento Valley Chapter
- 1985 Clearwater Beach FL Florida Chapter [now named Gulf Coast Chapter]
- 1987 Denver, CO Rocky Mountain State Chapter
- 1989 San Antonio, TX San Antonio Chapter
- 1991 Philadelphia, PA Delaware Valley Chapter
- 1993 Albuquerque, NM Road Runner Chapter
- 1995 Caribbean Cruise Space Coast Chapter
- 1997 Las Vegas, NV Silver State Chapter
- 1998 Washington, DC National Capital Chapter
- 2000 Cincinnati, OH Wright-Patterson Chapter
- 2002 Seattle, WA Puget Sound Chapter
Convention programs have been fairly standardized from the initial one in 1979 to include a number of various tours of the local area for sightseeing, a golf tournament (as well as tennis occasionally), professional seminars, reception and cocktail party, a banquet and entertainment for all participants. The members of the Board of Directors (formerly Executive Committee) also meet with all Delegates to conduct Association business, to include a presentation by the chapters that wish to bid for sponsorship of the next biennial convention.
It is probably fair to say that each convention has provided enjoyment for all the participants, notwithstanding an occasional glitch caused by unforeseen circumstances such as weather, transportation, etc. Attendance at the conventions has ranged from about 250 to more than 450 persons location and cost quite logically has had an impact on attendance. There have been unusual events at some conventions. At the 1989 convention in San Antonio, a military parade at Lackland AFB honored AFOSI and its retirees. BGen Francis R. Dillon, AFOSI/CC, was the Reviewing Officer. Three bus loads of conventioneers were in attendance. Also, at this convention, the Association's Ceremonial Flag was displayed for the first time, having been designed and procured by the San Antonio Chapter after Board of Directors approval.
The 1995 Convention was held aboard the MS Fantasy while cruising to and from the Bahamas Islands. The 1998 Convention was held off-cycle to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of AFOSI, with the traditional banquet jointly sponsored by AFOSI and AFOSISA. There were 755 attendees at the banquet. The highlight of the banquet was the induction of the first six members of the AFOSI Hall of Fame.
The 2002 Convention will be in Seattle, WA, hosted by the Puget Sound Chapter
Charitable Activities
There is no indication, other than the IRS application for non-profit status, that the Association founders foresaw the probability of the Association engaging in charitable activities. The first suggestion for such activities apparently was a proposal presented to the Executive Committee Meeting at the September 1981 Convention by member Coy E. Sharpe., 7th Association President, of the Oklahoma State Chapter, for establishment of a Scholarship Fund and a Scholarship Achievement Awards Program. The proposal was subsequently approved by both the Executive Committee and a vote of the membership. Responsibility for developing and administering the program was delegated to Sharpe. IRS approval of this tax-deductible activity was reportedly acquired in February 1983.
Concurrently, a Memorial Fund was authorized to which contributions by members could be made in memory or honor of some individual. Unless the contributors specifically designated the uses to made of these monies and the Executive committee agreed the monies would be deposited into the Scholarship Fund.
Complementing these actions was the establishment of a Charities Selection Committee to make recommendations to the Executive Committee as to the specific amount(s) to be contributed and the organization(s) or project(s) worthy of Association support. A general membership vote in the Spring of 1982 authorized the expenditure of a sum not to exceed $1,000 annually as a charitable contribution. All of these actions were codified in Amendment #1 to the 1 Jul 84 edition of the By-Laws. The November 1989 edition of the By-Laws changed the annual contribution to a sum not less than $1,000.
There were some misunderstandings apparent among the National Officers in the first several years of the Scholarship/Memorial Fund with respect to whether these were Association funds or separate and apart because the monies originated as tax exempt contributions. The differing opinions were initially rationalized by designating the Program Administrator, Sharpe, an Assistant Treasurer and directing him to maintain the monies in an account separate from the Association's general funds. In October 1984, all parties reached agreement that the funds would come under the control of the Association Treasurer, but be maintained separately from the General Account and be used exclusively to administer and fund the Scholarship Achievement Awards.
Although the Scholarship/Memorial Fund got off to a rocky start with the membership seemingly reluctant to initially contribute, as evidenced by messages in multiple issues of the AFOSISA Newsletter by the Program Administrator and the Association President, it has been a long-term success story for the Association. Since the first three scholarships were granted in 1984, there have been a total of 65 young men and women, related to Association members, who have received scholarship grants totaling $71,500.
Not included in these 65 scholarship grants is one additional grant of $6,000 obtained from the Kinney Foundation through the good offices of member James L. Doyle (deceased), 14th Association President, and made in 1988 to the daughter of an Association member. In 1989, a second $6,000 grant was returned to the Kinney Foundation because there was no qualified applicant. The grant was subsequently withdrawn by the Kinney Foundation. These two grants had specific conditions attached to them beyond those prescribed for the Association grants.
In carrying out the membership's direction, the Board of Directors has authorized charitable contributions to be made. Some of those identifiable in the files include:
- Air Force Assistance Fund for the AF Enlisted Widows Home
- Air Force Aid Society Memorial Honor Roll to Memorialize Deceased Former Members of AFOSI
- Air Force Aid Society to Establish an Open End Scholarship Fund Account in the Name of the Association
-American Liver Foundation Transplant Fund in the Name of a Daughter of an Association Member
- Association Scholarship Fund
- Korean Orphanage Supported by [former] AFOSI District 45
- Korean War Memorial
Each of these contributions was responsive to the Association's objectives as stated in the By-Laws Preamble.
Arlington Memorial Service
At the 5th Biennial Executive Committee meeting during the 1987 Denver Convention, a proposal was made to hold a commemorative ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery to honor all deceased AFOSI Special Agents. The proposal was approved unanimously and responsibility delegated to the National Capital Chapter.
The First AFOSISA Memorial Service, and so far the only one, was conducted at Arlington National Cemetery on 2 August 1988. A wreath was laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by then President-Elect James Doyle, Mrs. Roy C Tucker Jr. and Mrs. Rudolph Schellhammer. A formal program followed in the Amphitheater with the eulogy given by Brig General Francis R Dillon, AFOSI/CC. A reception followed at the Fort Meyers Officer Club. Approximately 250-300 persons attended, including 26 widows.
At the time of the service, 356 deceased members had been identified. By 1 May 2001, the number had increased to 839.
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