Model Musings: Taking Down the Shingle by Steve Wilson

 
Most of you know me here, and some of you know me better than you really want to. Many consider me to be pushy, to be arrogant, to be intimidating, and to be scary to some of you and by others to be a detriment to CASM’s growth. Maybe they are right, I suppose only time will tell.

This is the last of the Model Musings you will see. Oh, someone else is welcome to step up and take up the name, or if they want to come up with their own name, format and style, I doubt Tom would mind, he has so much help and input on putting together YOUR newsletter.

I came to this club shortly after I returned to Arkansas in late 2000. I attended a CASM meeting at Roger’s old store over on Bowman in early 2001. I liked what I saw and I liked many of the people I met there. When I returned home, I called Rick Knapp and told him about the group. I had known Rick since he had joined the first model club in Central Arkansas, Central Arkansas Modelers Society (CAMS), in the mid 1980s and he was looking forward to finding a new modeling home since the demise of CAMS in the early 90s.

At that first couple of meetings there were about eight to ten members present, not a great number, but still a good start for a club that was only a little over a year old. Since that early beginning I have been at all but a small handful of meetings, one or two while I was in the hospital and a couple of others because of other such issues. I have seen CASM grow to just under 40 dues paying members at its height and oversaw our best ever contest turnout with over 300 models entered and nearly 50 modelers.

My biggest dream for fostering growth at CASM has yet to be attained, the dual affiliation with both IPMS and AMPS. My dream got me in considerable trouble early on with the guiding force at CASM, but I still held on to that idea. I have my doubts it ever will be now.

Like everything else though things change, and things have changed at CASM and I believe it is time for me to change too. I will drop in occasionally on meeting day, and I know I will hear about the goings-on and I may make a contest now and again, but I will no longer be a regular on the second Saturday of the month. CASM has been a good place to call my modeling home, but it is time I move on and let the future, and present, of CASM rest in other hands.

Happy modeling my friends may the modeling God smile on you all.