SAM is managed by a President and Board of Directors with the processes and procedures described below.
SAM Speaks is the Official Publication of the Society of Antique Modelers International.
SAMTalks is an internet news group where many of the SAM principles and key members communicate with members and other interested persons.
Please feel free to contact any one of us regarding SAM Activities.

, Andy Latowski, Midwest VP
55 Stuart Blv. Battle Creek, MI, 49037, 269-580-5814

, Western VP
P.O. Box 722, Tiburon, CA, 94920, (415) 435-4697-home, (415) 259-8760-cell
AK, AZ, British Columbia, CA, HI, OR, WA

, SAMTalks Moderator
, Other Lists Keeper
, 2011 SAM Champs Manager

How SAM is Governed

 The Society of Antique Modelers has been in existence, in one form or another since the early middle 1960’s. In the mid 1970’s it was incorporated in New Jersey as a not for profit corporation. It has a 501[c] [4] tax exemption letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service and also has a tax exemption letter issued by New Jersey. A 501[c] [4] non profit corporation is a membership organization. Its income is tax exempt, but donations to it are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

SAM is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors consists of the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and four regional Vice Presidents; Eastern, Midwestern, Rocky Mountain and Western. The current officers of SAM (as of September, 2008) are: Jim O'Reilly, President; Tommy Gray, Secretary; Ron Boots, Treasurer; Larry Davidson, Eastern Vice President; Glenn Poole, Midwestern Vice President; Key Crawford, Rocky Mountain Vice President; and Richard Griswold, Western Vice President. Contact data, including addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for each of these officers is listed in each edition of SAM Speaks.

Officers are elected for two year terms. The Treasurer, and the Eastern and Midwestern Vice Presidents are elected in odd numbered years. Anyone wishing to nominate a candidate for anyone of those offices should submit the nomination to the President of SAM not later than January 31, 2009.

The President, the Secretary, and the Rocky Mountain and Western Vice Presidents are elected in even numbered years. Jim O'Reilly, Tommy Gray, Gene Wallock and Richard Griswold were elected or reelected to their respective offices in the spring of 2008 and will serve through the end of August 2010. Gene Wallock resigned for health reasons in mid 2008 and was replaced by Key Crawford, who was appointed by then president Mike Myers.

Newly elected or re-elected officers get installed at the annual SAM Champs each year. Most of the business of SAM gets conducted at the annual SAM Champs. There is an Annual Membership meeting at each SAM Champs where members can vote on matters governing the corporation. In a sense, the annual membership meeting of a non profit corporation is like a stockholder’s meeting for a publicly traded company. The agenda for the Annual Membership Meeting is posted at the SAM Champs, and on the SAM Website shortly before each Champs. The Board of Directors also holds an annual Director’s meeting at each SAM Champs. Most of the Board’s business is transacted at that meeting. The Board also has the ability to conduct a meeting, if necessary, via conference call or by e-mail. The Board can act by unanimous written consent without a meeting.

The two principal business activities of SAM are the publication of SAM Speaks and conducting an Annual SAM Championships. SAM Speaks is a very high quality model magazine, published 6 times a year, and sent to full members of the Society of Antique Modelers. Roland Friestad is the editor/publisher of SAM Speaks. SAM Speaks is also shipped in bulk packages to overseas SAM chapters in countries such as England, Australia and Italy.

In years past the SAM Championships was rotated around the country on a four year cycle with the Championships being conducted in each of the four SAM regions. The SAM Regional Vice President for the particular region had oversight of the SAM Champs conducted in his region. Difficulties in finding a suitable Champs location mean that we will probably rotate our SAM Champs on a two year cycle—one year in Muncie, Indiana and the next year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The SAM Champs will be in Muncie in October 2008, and most probably in Las Vegas in September 2009.

SAM also publishes an Official Rule Book, containing the Constitution and Bylaws of SAM as well as the rules governing SAM competition events. The current Rulebook is nicknamed “The Orange Blossom Special” because of its bright orange cover. It contains a clear statement of all SAM Rules for Competition, effective as from January 1, 2010 through 2013?. Copies of the Rule Book and other publications are available from the SAM Secretary.

Jim O'Reilly , President

Contact us or just chat with other SAM members through SAM Talks, the SAM official e-mail message board.