Dear Friends of Mineralogy,

Customarily, outgoing presidents look back on their tenures and reflect on what was accomplished (or not accomplished). Or they hope to write something profound and leave the membership excited about the organization. While reading a bit of Charles Dickens this holiday season (the Christmas Carol is a must read every year at our house), I was inspired to write a letter (based on the book) analyzing the ghosts of FM; past, present, and future. Unfortunately, I am not well versed in the past history of FM and what I do know comes mostly from folklore. The present is what it is and I don’t want to callout any Scrooges among the membership. Finally I am loath to try and predict the future of such a diverse organization. Apparently my predictive skills are quite poor, the evidence is apparent in the recent reports on my re-tirement portfolio.

Instead of A Christmas Carol, the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities comes to mind ... it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. During times of significant social or economic change (some might say stress) people often change habits and interests. That can be good or bad for mineral collecting.

I am anxious to see what transpires at Tucson this year. Will as many people make the trip with the ailing economy? Are folks going to open their wallet to buy specimens? Will the economic pressures on the economy as whole force mineral prices down? Or will minerals, be-ing the rare and "one of a kind" ob-jects that they are, maintain value or become more expensive (like gold prices during economic downturns)? We can only wait and see how the "mineral economy" re-sponds.

Will more collectors turn toward more frugal activities? Perhaps we’ll see an upturn in self-collecting and greater interest in joining local mineral groups. Memberships in social and scientific societies are quite inexpensive given the benefits of membership. The opportunities to find worthwhile activities in such organizations are numerous as well as establishing rewarding social interactions. It might be time for us to actively welcome more people into the collecting "fold" so to speak. Share your hobby with your neighbors and co-workers. Perhaps in these "worst of times" we introduce more folks to the good times of mineral collecting.

My goal as president of FM was to accomplish at least one thing a year and to leave the organization still in good financial shape. I feel I managed that, but still feel a bit saddened by things not accomplished. Work, personal life, and other commitments all conspire to temper the enthusiasm one has when entering the position. Life’s realities force you to budget your time and it becomes apparent where your real priorities lie. It has been a pleasure to serve the membership of FM and meet so many of you. I hope you contemplate how you might help the organization; after all, the success of FM depends on its members.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and rewarding New Year.

Virgil W. Leuth, President

Previous Leters from the President

• August 2008
• May 2008
• January 2008
• May 2007
• December 2006
• May 2006
• December 2005