Saturday December 7, 2002
“Hark, the herald conch shell blows…”
As eluded to in last month’s newsletter, Joe Gordon opened this month’s meeting with the blowing of the Royal conch.  Seems though that Joe is in need of some fine tuning on that conch, so Joe deferred to Donna Bender for tuning, and, as Donna tells us, conch blowing is the first of her many talents.

Joe continues to sit in for President Brad McVicker on an as needed basis due to a family illness. Joe is doing a wonderful job as stand in.  Continued thoughts and prayers to Brad and his family during these times.
Speaking of stand ins, I wish to thank Lois Keegan for filling the secretarial seat in my absence due to scheduling conflicts at work.  Lois is also doing a super job.

The treasurer’s report was summed up in those three words everyone loves to hear, this being the holidays and all, “WE HAVE MONEY!”
For those of you who like the expounded version though, the club had $512.75 in income, $92.14 in expenses, and a balance of $3628.15 which balanced with the bank as of November 30, 2002.

New members Thomas Davis, Jeff Kerch and Wendy Kerch were announced.  Tom was PADI certified in 1992 and Jeff and Wendy recently certified with SSI through Maurer’s Dive Shop in September 2002.  Please welcome all three to the club.

Board member elections were announced.  Board members for 2003 will be John Augustine, Denny Beecher, Bert Sharbaugh, and Dan Turcovsky.  Congratulations to all.

Laurel Divers wishes to humbly thank Donna Bender for her continued gifts of time and talent to the club.  Donna graciously constructed and painted DB originals, Christmas ornaments given out as gifts at this year’s party.  Thanks Donna for a job well done.

Rose and Bob Maurer were presented with a gift from the club for all their hard work and dedication.  Rose and Bob will be enjoying fine dining at Off the Rak, Ebensburg.

Santa dropped off some early Christmas gifts for some divers as well as non-divers during the party.  Among those receiving prizes were:
Mary Green took home a beautiful set of dive tumblers.  Lance Marks not only received happy birthday wishes, but walked away with a couple of air fills, a pair of scissors, and holder.  John Frye can now be found at the end of his new retractable lanyard.  Dr. Charlie Howsare will be cutting his way out of any underwater entanglements with a new dive knife.  The Christmas trees of Rose Maurer, Linda Kelley, Greg Lily, Matt McVicker, Chuck Zupon and Andy Ropp will now be adorned with those wonderful ornaments spoken of earlier.  Some of us will be “shopping” at Maurer Dive Shop this season with some mini shopping sprees won at the party.  Among the MDS shoppers will be Sandy Beecher, Tom Davis, Donna Bender, Ron Peterson, and Julie Paige.  Three non-divers will be spending some time at Wal-Mart, courtesy of gift certificates from the club.  Winners here were Chris McCullough, Donna Ropp, and Vicki Buda.

Everett Newkirk was the big winner of the night, as his gift came in the form of cash, $101.00, from the 50/50 drawing.

Ice Dive, at the Q*****, January 1st, 1pm
Bring your ideas for 2003 club events to the January meeting, as the 2003 event calendars are in the works.

Donna Bender is planning a Nekton trip dated February 22, 2003 through March 3, 2003 to the South Bahamas.  Cost is tentatively $1734 PP plus airfare from Pittsburgh.  There will be a 10% discount on the cruise fare if 10 people book.  You must tell them you are with the Bender group to get the discount. Also, if you have dove with Nekton before, there is a frequent diver discount of 10%.  A $400 deposit is needed and cancellation fees do apply.  The remainder to the balance would be due 60 days prior to the trip, or by December 24, 2002.  Also, it is reported that if you pay cash by Christmas, you can enjoy an additional 5% discount. To call and book the trip, remember to mention the “Bender group”, call 1-800-899-6753, or log onto http://nektoncruises.com.  For more information, contact Donna Bender at Donna@Bender.net or (814) 472-9796.

De Montgomery is planning a Cozumel trip dated April 5, 2003 through April 12, 2003.  Details to follow in subsequent newsletters.  For more information, contact De Montgomery at dishjug@charter.net or (814) 944-8521.

A trip is being planned for June 27, 28, and 29, 2003 to Morehead City by Jim Smith.  For more information, contact Jim at jcsdmd1@hotmail.com or (814) 696- 1938.  A second trip is also in the works by Jim Smith and Tim Laurito.  More details to follow as they become available.

A trip is in the works to Thousand Islands for 2003.  Tentative dates are July 26 and 27, 2003 with Bottom Time Charters.  More information to follow in subsequent newsletters.

***Please be sure to check the club calendar for other upcoming trips and events.

Q***** conditions, courtesy of Harve Montgomery. (as of December 15, 2002)
Harve reports excellent visibility and a water temperature of about 40 F.
He cautions us about snow and ice on the South ramp and recommends use of the North entry.

Sympathy wishes are extended to John Betting and his family during the loss of John’s father.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

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The next Board Meeting will be Wednesday, January 29, 2003-the last Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm at Maurer Dive Shop.
There will be no board meeting in December 2002.

Next regular club meeting will be Thursday, January 9, 2003-second Thursday of the month due to the New Year’s Holiday, 7:30 p.m. at the Penn Gables.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Have a blessed and safe holiday season.