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President's Letter to the Chapters May 2001. Dear ABANA chapters, I would like to start this letter by welcoming David Mudge to the ABANA Board of Directors. Dave will fill out the term of Jim Cooper who resigned in March. Dave is a hard worker and will do a great job for the membership! This month I include the statement that ABANA has released regarding the removal of seven chapters because of their participation in an anvil shoot, in direct defiance of the stated policy against such anvil shoots. With this statement and all the other communications over the past four months indeed the past four years, regarding this banned practice, I believe that enough has been said on this subject. Please note that the Appalachian Blacksmiths Association, the fine group of smiths based in West Virginia, are NOT the Appalachian chapter in question here. Dave Allen, former president and now Newsletter Editor (funny how those two offices often follow one another) requested that I make this clarification to the Board and the chapters. Thanks Dave for all you have done for your chapter. ABANA, pursuant to it's previously stated policy against the practice of "anvil-shooting," has revoked the chapter charters of the following chapters: Alabama Forge Council, Alex Bealer Blacksmith Association, Appalachian Area Chapter, Florida Artist Blacksmith Association, North Carolina Chapter of ABANA, Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild, and the Philip Simmons Artist-Blacksmith Guild of South Carolina. The action was taken based on participation by the chapters in an "anvil-shooting" event held at the Southeastern Regional Blacksmithing Conference, an official ABANA event, held at Madison, Georgia, on Saturday, May 19, 2001. Commencing in 1997, the ABANA Board of Directors has declared that this practice was not compatible with the Mission Statement of the organization, was an inherently dangerous activity that jeopardized the safety of both spectators and participants, generated legal liability for both ABANA and the respective chapters, and was an activity which was generally uninsurable. This Board action represents the only time that ABANA has felt compelled to proscribe a chapter activity, reflecting the gravity of the situation. After four years of allowing the chapters to voluntarily stop the activity, the Board further clarified it's position in the minutes of the fall 2000 Board meeting, the Spring issue of The Anvil's Ring, the ABANA web site and President's letter to all chapters, advising that chapters who persisted in the activity would jeopardize their charters. Full efforts were made to ensure that all chapters fully understood the reasoning behind this decision, the gravity of the situation and the consequences of those actions. Thus, the Board's actions in revoking these charters was done with the full knowledge of those chapters as to the consequences of their actions. This Board action does not affect the membership status of ABANA members who are also members of the disenfranchised chapters. As with any member, they are welcome and encouraged to continue their participation in ABANA programs, conferences, and publications. They are also be free to form ABANA chapters who are willing to follow the requirements put forth in the applicable ABANA by-laws and other structured operating procedures. Indeed, the Board, and we speak as the representatives of the membership of ABANA as a whole, welcomes their continued positive contribution and participation in ABANA, as we do any person who supports blacksmithing and all that ABANA stands for. The Board action does not affect the internal organization or finances of the disenfranchised chapters nor any future actions of these chapters. We wish them well. We do request that the North Carolina chapter remove the reference to ABANA from it's name, as this relationship no longer exists. ABANA remains the premier artistic blacksmithing organization in the world, dedicated to serving all who hold this most noble of crafts in highest esteem. Even with the loss of seven chapters under these unfortunate circumstances, ABANA still counts some 53 member chapters, both nationally and internationally, with an international membership of approximately 5,000. ABANA is presently concentrating on it's national and nation-wide conferences, publications, educational and training programs, long-range planning and the ABANA International Conference at the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse in June, 2002. We work in the present for the future of blacksmithing. Issued by the President and the Secretary of ABANA, on behalf of the ABANA Board of Directors, 23 May 2001. Next month we move to positive messages and efforts for blacksmithing and ABANA. Safe and productive forging!
Doug Learn, President
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