The following is the text of the speech that I gave at the LA 3-D Club's Awards Banquet on August 16, 2012:
I want to thank you all for having the confidence to allow me a third year as your club president. I know we've joked a lot about me being the emporer of the 3-D club, but in all seriousness, it means a great deal to me that you ask want to see the club continue moving in the direction I've been steering it.
I want to personally thank each and every one of the members of last year's LA 3D club board for volunteering their time and for their passion for this art form that brings us together. First of all, I want to thank the other elected board members. Jim Staub, who has served as Vice President and Membership Director for the last two years, and will be continuing as Membership Director for the next. Jeff Amaral, our Treasurer, who has kept the club's financial records straight, despite spending half of last year on another continent. And Lawrence Kaufman, our Secretary, who not only keeps the board meeting minutes, but also writes a monthly column for the 3-D News, and somehow manages to attend practically every event that the club is involved with, no matter how far he has to travel.
And I want to acknowledge my appointed board members. Thank you to David Kuntz, who has curated the programs at our monthly meetings for the last two years, and will now be moving into the role of Workshop Director. And Ray Zone, who along with David has been a contributing editor to the 3-D News, and co-programmer of our monthly movie screenings. Ray will be taking on the job of Vice President for the next year, and will continue to help me with programming and business affairs. Thanks to Barry Rothstein, who will be shifting from Workshops to the new position of Outreach Director, where he will continue to bring the LA 3-D Club to galleries, artistic events, and educational facilities. Thank you to Competition Director Oliver Dean, whose hard work keeps our competitions going all year round. And a big thank you to Ed Ogawa and Dave Washburn, our House and Equipment Directors. They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave the monthly meetings. It's fair to say that the meetings wouldn't happen without them. Thank you to Jodi Kurland, for planning and hosting the many outings that the club presents outside of the regular meetings, and for handling the box office chores at our monthly movie screenings. Thank you Philip Steinman, for handling the tasks of maintaining the club's entries in other stereoscopic groups' regional and international competitions. And thanks to John Hart, Movie Chair Emeritus, for continuing to help us with our own 3-D Movie Festival, as well as the Big Bear fest and many other screening opportunities. I also want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of Susanne Kerenyi, who works so hard each and every month to edit and publish the 3-D News. Let's hear it for Steve Berezin, the Chair of this year's NSA 3D-CON, which was a tremendous success. Steve will be joining Oliver in running the bi-monthly competitions. We have two relatively new board members who I would like to thank for stepping up to help run the club - Jeremy McGee, who jumped right into the fire of having to put this banquet together - and I think he did a great job; and Frank Elmore, who volunteered to put together tonight's programs. I hope they will both remain on the board for the coming year. And finally a big round of applause to David Starkman and Susan Pinsky, who have given 30 years of service to the club, and have decided to step down from the board and enjoy the benefits of being club members for a change. Thank you to all of you for your support, and for your passion for 3-D. We wouldn't be here tonight without you.
The world of 3-D has been undergoing a rapid change over the last few years. We have seen new stereoscopic digital cameras and camcorders hit the market, while at the same time we have watched the discontinuation of slide film and film processing. We can now enjoy 3-D movies at practically every cinema, as well as in our living rooms, and even on our cel phones. The paradigms are shifting, and it's up to us in the 3-D community to keep the art of stereoscopic imaging moving forward, while maintaining a history of it's past. I love that the LA 3-D Club's membership is made up of a mix of 3-D amateurs and 3-D professionals, all of whom can be described as 3-D enthusiasts. After all it's your enthusiasm that keeps our club viable and moving forward. Thanks again for allowing me to take the wheel.
