Yes Brian; I can take a stab at explaining the rationale at the time.

The elected Board of Officers at the time didn't want just anyone "off the street" so to speak, to be able to purchase a Life Membership. We wanted a commmitment from potential Life Members that they were serious about collecting and serious about the club. In addition; if there were unscrupulous people applying for club membership, the thinking was that after a period of a few years, some of them would be unmasked and exposed for who they truly are.

The Membership Officer can give you concrete figures regarding how many people join the club for only one year and don't renew their dues every year. This is not the calibur of members that we thought (at that time in our club's history) that should be eligible for Life Membership.

Hope I've candidly and satisfactorily answered your excellent question Brian.