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Old 12-11-2017, 06:48 PM
Trip Barber Trip Barber is offline
Junior Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Springfield, VA
Posts: 4
Default Rocketeer Reunion

I recently sent the email below to all the rocketeers for whom I had contact information who belonged to the NAR in the 1970's and prior (some of us still do!), to get the ball rolling on the "Rocketeer Reunion" the opening weekend of NARAM-60. While everyone is invited to the event, we are actively looking for early-year NAR members so the current generation can meet them. If you know of anyone who was in the NAR back in its first 30 years, please let them know about this event and if they are interested in coming have them contact me at <ahbarber@alum.mit.edu>.

Trip Barber

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Dear NAR Rocketeer --

It is hard to believe that the NAR is now 60 years old. We were founded on November 5, 1957. 60 years later, we are well past NAR number 100,000 and have nearly 7000 current members, by far the greatest number in our history. It’s time to have the 60th NARAM and to celebrate the NAR’s success and remember its history. NARAM-60 will be held in Pueblo, CO from August 4 to August 10, 2018, and on the evening of the opening day we are holding a “Rocketeer Reunion” as part of the celebration. I invite you to come to Colorado and join us for this special evening, and for as much of NARAM-60 as you can. Many of us were at the last reunion at NARAM-50 and know that an event like this and the opportunity to re-connect with old friends is a lot of fun. The Rocketeer Reunion 2018 is intended to bring together all generations of NAR members to share fellowship and memories. Vern and Gleda Estes will be there, as will Bill and Lisa Stine. It would be great if you could come as well.

• Who’s invited: Rocketeers of all ages
• Where will it be held: the Pueblo Convention Center and adjacent Courtyard by Marriott Pueblo Downtown, Pueblo, Colorado
• When will it be held: Saturday, August 4, 2018, 5 PM to 10 PM

Registration is not yet open for the Rocketeer Reunion, or for NARAM-60, and it will not be for another couple of months, but I wanted to contact you early with this “hold the date” notice before you have made your personal plans for the coming August. The web address www.naram.org will point to the NARAM-60 website once it is up; it still points to last year’s NARAM as of now. If you are considering attending the Reunion, even if you are not yet sure you can, please send me a note so I can put you on the distribution list for further information.

As long as we are talking about sharing history and memories, I’d like to tell you about another way you can help pass along the legacy. The collections of G. Harry Stine, Vern Estes and Lee Piester have all been donated to the Museum of Flight (MOF) in Seattle over the past few years, where they will form our hobby and our NAR’s cornerstone historical collection. This is a massive amount of material. A few memorable items are on display there already in a great rocketry exhibit that opened in 2015 (see http://www.museumofflight.org/Exhib...spiring-rockets )but most of the material is still in storage, awaiting full cataloging and archiving. At the current rate, that work on Harry’s collection alone won’t complete for another 10 years. The NAR and MOF both want to make this incredible asset available to rocketry and space enthusiasts in a more timely manner. MOF has estimated a full time museum professional will require 2 years to complete the Stine work in compliance with Smithsonian Institution standards with an online finding aid to allow an overview of collection content and an ability to respond to reproduction requests.

MOF estimates the total cost of augmenting their capacity to get this work done in two years at $100,000, and has committed to raise $50,000 of this from their own donor base. The NAR Board of Trustees has committed $25,000 to a Historical Fund for the project. NAR members and supporters need to raise the final $25,000 by individual donations. This is where you come in. If you can help this important project preserve our hobby’s legacy, please go to www.nar.org/donate to see more and to make a donation. A number of us have already made significant donations (8 people are at the $1000+ level), but we have a long way to go and need your help.

I hope to see you on August 4, 2018 in Pueblo, Colorado.

Sincerely,

Trip Barber
NAR 4322
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