PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January February 2021

7 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org OrYSN Corner OrYSN Corner Leo Litowich, PLS (OR & AZ) OrYSN Chair Repeating as Chair with 100% of Votes Cast N ormally, the column in this issue is a conference recap or a passing of the baton to the next chair of the Young Surveyors. After the year we’ve had, or perhaps not had, I nominated myself to repeat as chair of the Oregon Young Surveyors Network (YSN) in 2021. I earned one hundred percent of the votes cast—all one of them. Just in case I become a Dictator For Life, I had some photos taken for this article that could look nice in Life Magazine. There is a core group of dedicated Young Surveyors that have been active partic - ipants. However, 2020 eliminated the Networking from the Young Surveyors Network, and we might lose most of 2021 as well to the coronavirus. Until it is safe to do so, I will not hold physical meetups around the conference or the Oregon-Specific Land Survey exam. These events, and those like them, are what I consider the core of what the Oregon Young Surveyors Network is about: es - tablishing professional friendships and mentorship groups that will last decades. Just like star athletes, Young Surveyors only have so many peak years. NSPS de - fines a Young Surveyor as someone who is under 35 or within 10 years of gradu - ation—think Patrick Mahomes, not Ben Roethlisberger. (How many of you read - ing this identify as Terry Bradshaw in the analogy?) Some of the past chairs who brought me along, such as Chris Glantz and Kelly Miller, have aged out of the pro - gram. In fact, I thought Kelly was oddly happy to turn 35 when she did! During my time with the YSN, I have tried to reach out to the Young Surveyors I don’t know. You Old Surveyors are the gatekeepers, and I haven’t had a lot of success getting past you to your minions. For example, in Salemwhere I work, there are probably six Old Surveyors who file a majority of the surveys in the area. I’m sure that you have technicians, Land Sur - vey Interns, or young licensees that you could introduce me to. But you haven’t! Unless you want me to start adding med - als to my dictator sash, you had better offer up some motivated young people. Think about all the surveyors you have known for 20 or 30 years. How did it get that way? Maybe you see them regular - ly at chapter meetings or the conference. Maybe you are even friends in real life. You have got to helpme start somewhere. This year, there will be three Young Sur - veyor votingBoardMembers: DaneMeade, Rhonda Dodge, and myself. We’ll be the ones who know when we are muted and when we are not muted on the vid - eo conferences. Each of us have been involved at the chapter level for at least a few years. In the movie “Battle of Brit - ain,” which was released on October 24, 1969 (who saw it in theaters?), a young, enthusiastic pilot returning from a mis - sion makes a victory roll over his home field. His superior, when chastising him, reminds him that it “takes us two years to train people like you.” I would argue it takes just as long for someone to prove their mettle in PLSO. Please, let your next chapter meeting be the beginning of that journey for an associate member. x Leo Litowich is ready to become Dictator For Life.