Message for the future:
Remember SEG San Antonio

Ralph Bridle
Membership Committee chairman

9 October 2007--San Antonio was a perfect location for the SEG Annual Meeting in more than one way, according to Ralph Bridle. First, the weather was fine and accommodations were plentiful. Second, a message for the Society can be taken from the history of the Alamo, a fort in San Antonio where a few Texans held off a large army for longer than expected. As in the battle for the Alamo, a democratic Society requires the commitment and involvement of its members.

I visited the Alamo during the Annual Meeting and was surprised to see that the list of almost 200 people who defended the Alamo for 13 days in 1836 were from Texas and also from other states; some fighters were from the United Kingdom. Similarly, now SEG is not just a U.S. Society but is evolving into a truly global society.

San Antonio is a city on many levels--above street level in high-rise buildings, street level, and river level. Passersby at street level might think not much is happening in downtown San Antonio, but that’s because most of the activity was on the River Walk.

Inside the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, the Annual Meeting happened on as many levels. The exhibition floor was a hive of activity as members visited friends and the booths. The booths had something for everyone—obviously, the commercial activity is most important for the companies, and for the booth visitor there were free drawings, snacks, drinks, and ice cream (if you knew where to look).

On the upper level, there was a full technical program of presentations, and I was impressed that in the sessions that I attended, there were no “no shows” on the part of the speakers. In addition to those activities were the numerous committee meetings, which can be considered SEG democratic empowerment at its best. Most SEG members are welcome to most committee meetings to participate and voice their opinions, and committees are willing to listen and learn.

Many kinds of members also were in evidence at the meeting. In addition to the more formal types of membership such as Associate, Active, or Global members, there are SEG students which are the future of the industry and SEG; members who join purely for professional reasons; and activists who either vote or serve on committees or both.

If there is a lesson which can be taken from my visit to the Alamo, it is that, for SEG to continue as a democratic Society, some commitment is required from its members. In remembering San Antonio (SEG’s 2007 Annual Meeting), members should raise the standard and exercise their rights to vote in SEG elections and participate in a committee.

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