Larry Thomas

April 2024 Newsletter

by Larry Thomas

February 2024 Newsletter

Volume 41-5                                  Membership 335
Feb - Mar 2024                 wwww.chapter124.org

President’s Message

One Day

I hope everyone liked the new location for our One-Day meeting.  As mentioned in the last newsletter, Grapevine is working on the Founders Building.  We all hope to be back there soon. 

We started the One Day off with the mart. Then, we were happy to have Bill Edwards' presentation on “Electromagnetic Clocks”.  Bill always has something interesting for us.

Bill Edwards Presentation on Electro-magnetic Clocks

After Bill's presentation we held a small auction and appreciate everyone making it a success. There will be much more in the auctions at Regional. 

I hope everyone enjoyed lunch.  We will have BBQ at the next One-Day and Annual Membership Meeting on June 1, 2024.  Although not finalized, the location may be at the Euless Family Life Center. But, we are determined to return to the Grapevine Founders Building, as soon as possible.  At the June Annual Membership meeting, we will be electing a new Board of Directors. If you are interested in any position on the Board, please talk to one of the current board members for more information.  We have several positions opening and we need your expertise.

Regional

Registration for the Lone Star Regional by mail is in progress.  There were some problems with getting the registration Program to work properly.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Letters of registration will be out soon.

This year’s Regional exhibit will be “Calendar Clocks” for leap year.   If you have one you would like displayed please contact Tim Brownlee at: lonestarchapter124@gmail.com.  We could use Fashion and Southern Calendar Clocks along with some of the obscure companies.

Please register at the Hampton Inn by February 7, 2024.  Banquet reservations must be made by February 20, 2024.

As always we will need many volunteers.  If you can help with the set up or tear down please contact Tom Hefner at ThomasandSandy@gmail.com or call 817-565-8697.  Thank you !

One more note, the costs for the 2025 Regional will be going up in all categories.  For the most part, we have been able to maintain our prices for many years.  But, as everyone knows, inflation has adversely affected both the Hampton Inn & Suites, as well as the Mesquite Convention and Expo Center. This will be reflected income of our costs for holding the Regional and must be passed along in the way of slightly higher admission and associated areas.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you park in front of the Hampton Inn or in the Convention & Exposition Center parking lot, GIVE THE FRONT DESK YOUR VEHICLE LICENSE PLATE  NUMBER AND LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE WITH THE LONE STAR REGIONAL. IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR AGREEMENT, THEY WILL NOT CHARGE YOU TO PARK. IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION DURING CHECK-IN, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO DAILY PARKING FEES AND POSSIBLE FINES!

See You at Regional !

Tim Brownlee,
President
Chapter 124, NAWCC

Library Exhibit

Evelyn and Hugh Slough are in the planning stages for an exhibition in Paris, TX (not France).  Waxahachie and Lancaster, Texas may be next.  Please go by and see one of their Library Exhibits, - they put a lot of work into them.

Education

A Donation

One of our long-time members, Phil Gregory, has made a generous donation to our Chapter for the education department.  He has asked that the money be used for a Chapter member to learn a specialty skill: ie; reversed glass painting, case repair, clock appraisal, etc.  There is one requirement, you must bring your new learned skill back to the Chapter, hold a class and teach your new skill to the members.   This is something to think about especially if you want to expand your horological horizons.   Thank you Phil! 

Classes

Upcoming classes in our education program are listed below.  The first four must be taken in order, as they build on the knowledge gained in the previous class.  Consult the Education page on the Chapter website for more detailed information.

CR 100 - Kitchen Clock Repair - Introductory level class is scheduled for April 20-21, 27-28.
CR 200 - Spring Barrel Repair - The second in a series of 3 June 22-23, 29-30.
CR 300 - Chime Clock Repair - TBD - Looking at October
CR-400 - Weight Driven Clock Repair - TBD
CD-100 - Wood Clock Case Restoration  - TBD
SR-101 - Cuckoo Clock Repair - TBD
WR–100 – Beginning Pocket Watch Repair, Part A - Instructor needed

Of Interest

On a sad note, Wally Napier, a long time Chapter member and decorated Viet Nam veteran, passed away on January 22, 2024 at the age of 89.  He was very involved with our Chapter and had many friends.  One of his close friends, Gary Mowery, asked if we would post this information. Wally Napier's funeral service will be February 5, 2024 at Lucas Funeral Home located in Keller, TX.  The service will start at 11:00am.  He will be interred at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery at 2:15pm, also on February 5, 2024.

Stanly McMahan, an instructor at Paris College, has been teaching a series of watch repair class for our Chapter.  He completed 3 of 4 classes.  Stanley regrets that he will no longer be able to teach classes for because he is moving to Kansas to work for Jules Borel & Company - Watchmaking Supplies, Parts and Tools.  Stan has been a valued member of our Chapter and his expertise and contributions will be greatly missed.  We extend our thanks and support for your new venture. We extend our thanks, and support for his new venture. 

Scholarship

The deadline for scholarship applications is February 1, 2024.  As of now, no one has applied for this program that was set up in honor of Fred Tischler and John Erickson.  If you intended to apply, don’t worry.  Another scholarship award will be available June 1, 2024.  This award can be used for the Chapter classes, NAWCC classes and other horological college classes.   All Chapter 124 members are eligible to apply.  

Membership - IMPORTANT

We will be purging our membership roster of inactive members at the end of March.  If you haven’t renewed your membership by March 31, 2024, you will no longer receive any Constant Contacts or Chapter 124 newsletters.  If you are unsure of the status of your membership, look at the next Constant Contact. Your membership expiration date will be posted after the main body of the email, along with a membership renewal link.  Remember, you must be a member of the NAWCC to be a member of Chapter 124.

New Members

We welcome Cardell Valez, Aiden Bennett, Kelly Godwin, and Bryan Pritchett, as new Chapter 124 members.

by Larry Thomas