The Willard Steck
Memorial Education Fund
You Can't Take It With You
by
Willard D. Steck, M.D.The NACDS used to enjoy the generous support of numerous companies from the pharmaceutical industry who agreed with our principles and who enjoyed not only supporting them but traveling with us as we pursued them around the world. Owing to mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, and belt-tightening, however, that support has been badly eroded - all the more reason to value our industry friends who remain faithful!
To cope with sagging income and rising prices, your officers and the Board of Directors have worked hard, always at their own expense, to reduce the costs of doing business while improving the products -- the best CME bargain in the world, the best geographic experience in the world, and the pick of the crop, insofar as your fellow-members go.
We are still losing money. Of course, we have the lowest dues of any comparable Society and we have never had a registration fee for meeting attendance. We should try very hard to keep it that way.
Why? Because we want to continue to recruit only the best of our colleagues into membership, without imposing an onerous, annual obligation for dues, and a discouraging cost of attending a meeting.
Instead of raising prices for our younger members, a suggestion for voluntary support of the Society was enthusiastically received by many, particularly by those who have been in a category that requires no payment of dues -- the Honorary, Life, and Honorary Life members. For obvious reasons these are the people who have contributed the most to the group already, but who are eager to see it continue to flourish.
These are the members who realize what a valuable asset we have and how little it actually costs to support it. The point was made that for those of us in the upper tax brackets, the actual cost of a $1,000 gift to the NACDS is only two or three hundred dollars. The cost to potential heirs, after our departure for that great skin clinic in the sky, is even less.
The Society needs the money. Most of us can use the deduction and gain the great satisfaction of deciding how at least a small part of our tax money will be spent. Send your money -- any amount, all voluntary, and mostly in your own interests to the "NACDS Educational Fund" in care of our Treasurer, John White (he's in the book). It may be the first time you've felt good since last April 15th.
During the 2006 meeting of the NACDS Board it was unanimously voted to name the Education Fund in honor of Willard Steck, MD. Will was always a driving force within the NACDS and was personally responsible for creating this Fund for the benefit of our members. He not only made the first sizable contribution but continued to contribute generously each year. Unfortunately Will passed away in 2007 but his impact upon the organization can not be denied. He will be missed by all who knew him.
NACDS - WILLARD STECK MEMORIAL EDUCATION FUND
We are indebted to these faithful members who contribute to the Education Fund.
Contributors 2007
$1000
Charles Black, M.D.
Clem Doxey, Jr., M.D.
Fred Hardin, M.D.
Jerral Seibert, M.D.
Richard Spielvogel, M.D.
$500 - 999
Samuel Banks, M.D.
Jeffrey A. Carmel, M.D.
Ronald L. Godbold, M.D.
Robert J. McNamara, M.D.
Elizabeth R. Ringrose, M.D.
$200 - 499
Sidney Barsky, M.D.
Edmund R. Clement, M.D.
William Coker, M.D.
William Frank, M.D.
Esta Kronberg, M.D.
Ron Kulkin
Richard Wallrich, M.D.
$1 - 199
Elizabeth A. Abel, M.D.
Anthony Benedetto, M.D.
Dan A. Bovenmyer, M.D.
David Cogburn, M.D.
Brian Davis, M.D.
Ben Epps, M.D.
Al Heising, M.D.
Judy Koperski, M.D.
Robert Marsico, M.D.
John W. White, Jr., M.D.
If you made a contribution for 2007 and are not listed please contact me.
Our continued contributions will determine how successful we are in meeting the Fund's goals: minimize dues increases, avoid registration fees for established members and increase the overall quality of our meetings.
Make your check out to the "NACDS Willard Steck Memorial Education Fund" and send it to:
Elizabeth R. Ringrose, M.D.
Treasurer - NACDS
2901 Russell Street
Berkeley, CA 94705
