PLSO Oregon Surveyor January/February 2019

6 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 42, No. 1 The Meeting of Anniversaries From the PLSO Office Aimee McAuliffe PLSO Exec. Secretary T hank you to everyone who attend- ed our 2019 Conference in Eugene last month. It was a successful conference that had a couple poignant moments at our 60th Annual Meeting. The first was celebrating PLSO Charter Member Eugene DiLoreto. As a founding member, he has been an active member of our association for all those 60 years. He’s seen it all and still comes back to vis- it us for the Annual Meeting every year. We must be doing something right, or as Eugene himself put it, “We started PLSO out of need. Time moved on,” he said gesturing to everyone in the audience, “and look what we started.” When you think of what a professional association is—an organization made up of professionals with various agendas— continually volunteering their time across about three generations at this point in PLSO history, it’s pretty darn amazing and something to be proud of. I’d like to put things in perspective for everyone: In 1959, the year that PLSO became more than a twinkle in a group of very special and innovative land surveyors’ eyes, both Alaska and Hawaii became states, while Oregon celebrated its centennial. • The average salary was $5,010 and a haircut in San Francisco cost $2.00. • It was a hard year for music, not only claiming the lives of rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper,” but the one and only Billie Holiday was lost that year as well. • Barbie was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City, and the United States launched Explorer 6, which transmitted the first pictures of Earth from orbit. • Bonanza and the Twilight Zone both debuted on television in 1959. • Lastly, President Harry Truman was quoted in Newsweek magazine as saying, “Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” Whether he was speaking about running a country or creating a state associationwith a goal to unite all licensed land surveyors in the state of Oregon for the purposes of promoting and bettering the profession, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that our charter members had a vision and that vision has continued to progress and change for the past 60 years. It is always an honor to be a part of something big- ger than ourselves, but what I especially like about mission-driven organizations is howorganic they are. If you volunteer, you make a direct impact. The more you vol- unteer, the more impact you have on the shape of the organization. It’s that simple. With that said I would like to offer my most sincere thanks to those that served on the 2018 Board of Directors, as well as those that are serving in 2019. Dave Williams has officially left the Executive Committee this year. Dave has made every minute of his time on the Board count. I consider myself lucky that he is still the Legislative Committee Chair. Pat Gaylord, whohasofficiallybecomeour Past- Chairman, is also a prime example of help- ing guide the organization into the future. I have truly enjoyed his time as Chairman of the Board. It’s been an incredibly full year of move- ment. It hasn’t beenwithout complications and we haven’t always pleased everyone. That is often the role of leadership. I be- lieve it was Steve Jobs that said, “If youwant to please everyone, don’t be a leader, sell ice cream.” Leadership requires the provi- sion of purpose, direction, andmotivation, In 1959, the year that PLSO became more than a twinkle in a group of very special and innovative land surveyors’ eyes...