Hi Jim,

A lot has changed since the original bylaws were written into the club constitution to deal with local chapters. With the introduction of new venues like eBay to expose new collectors to the hobby, more people are finding out about local chapters before they find out about the national club. For this reason, I believe the roles of chapter versus national in recruiting new members are reversing. Rather than national being a conduit for the local chapters, the local chapters are becoming conduits for national. Manditory membership in national will discourage some people from joining the local chapters. By discouraging local membership in this manner, we lose the opportunity to encourage these new collectors to be members of both organizations. The bylaws change needs to stay in place to help the hobby grow. As the hobby grows, so will the club.

Bob