Ex-Treasurer's Remarks

The new President’s brevity, by leaving an empty column where the President’s Message would have continued, gave me an opportunity to reminisce on eleven years of service as chapter treasurer.

In March of 1997 I had a double coronary bypass at what was then Jersey Shore Medical Center, and then went through cardiac rehab at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank. The following year I got a notice from cardiac rehab at Riverview that meetings would be held at Jersey Shore to form a chapter of Mended Hearts. Chapter #179 was chartered early the following year, in February 1999.

I wanted to give something back, and since I had already been treasurer of so many non-profit groups that I called myself an amateur accountant, I volunteered to be treasurer. I knew treasurers were hard to get and harder to replace, but I didn’t expect to serve so long! Fortunately, we found a willing and able successor in Neil Paulsen, a real professional accountant.

Meanwhile I picked up the newsletter in June 2003, after several previous editors burned out, and later put the chapter on the web. I hope to continue those activities and to back up Neil as needed.