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RE: (erielack) ELHS collection



"A house divided against itself cannot stand." 

Let's all contribute to the archive fund, and see if we can afford to have
it digitally scanned and archived. Then it won't really matter if the boxes
sit on the east end or the west end, on the Erie side or the DL&W side.
Since you are reading this e-mail and sending e-mail, you already have the
equipment needed to view this digital archive from your cozy chair - be it
in Akron, Ohio or Hoboken, NJ.

- -----Original Message-----
From: Mike Spinelli [mailto:idrsspin_@_yahoo.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:27 PM
To: EL Mail List
Subject: RE: (erielack) ELHS collection

Whew, thanks for clearing that up. I was starting to regret joining this
society. Many people outside the organization see it through this list and
through the forums. All the east vs. west and Lackawanna vs. Erie chest
pounding destroys anything good that it does. So you drive off half of your
members and scare away potential new ones? How does that benefit you? I
think we've all seen groups that are gone or are a mere shell of what they
were because of the "factions".
   
  When the archives are moved, I'll be there with my truck or van (whichever
will work better) and my back. If it goes somewhere in this region, I would
volunteer to help with the archives, to do research for people in other
areas and get them their materials. To electronically archive them. Whatever
the board decides to do. And that's not a threat that if you don't move them
to where I want them to go, I refuse to help. I just can't drive a great
distance on a regular basis.
   
  Just let me know.
   
  Mike Spinelli

Stephen Twarogowski <stwarogowski_@_windstream.net> wrote:
  Ken,

I don't think word has "leaked out". And I do believe (with evidence in
hand) that the board has been "upfront". I think a quote from the Extra
Board #82 is in order. From the Board of Director's Report, submitted by
Larry DeYoung: "The U. of Akron continues to ask the ELHS to remove our
archives by May 30, 2007." Not sure about your copy, but it was in my copy
of the Extra Board (again, #82, November 2006). Since it was in print in an
official ELHS publication, in the Board of Directors Report no less, you
can't really get more "upfront" than that. Further, with this revelation by
the board, where, then, is the purported leak that (your words now Ken)
"these archives are no longer welcome at Akron. Again no upfront
announcement from the Board of Directors, just word that several members
overheard or were asked about at the Cleveland convention"? All one needs
to do is get off the internet for a moment and read the quarterly
publications of the ELHS. And to quote further from the same column: "[Mr.
DeYoung] discussed the further discussions he has had with the head of
special collections at Cleveland State University and the concern there
about the size of our collection." Would you prefer a transcript of the
conversation? I'd say that's pretty upfront about one possible location and
their specific concerns. Further along in the same paragraph, the Board
Report states "Mr. Larrabee has stopped to inspect a potential site at
Steamtown, the principal objection being that the ELHS would have to forfeit
title to its collection to place it there other than in dead storage. Other
options, such as Hagley and the RR Museum of PA, also were discussed."
Again, concerns and options expressed by the board to the membership - so I
ask again, where is the so-called leak? Plenty of detail was disclosed in
that Board of Directors Report. Instead of jumping all over the board and
the ELHS as an organization, why not simply ask a board member what is going
on? If you have an opinion or some experience with a specific location or
individual at one of the potential repositories, drop the board members a
personal email. Write a letter. Trust me, they will listen. Instead,
people get on this list and start spewing the facts as they see it when the
evidence contradicting them is in an official ELHS publication. As far as I
can tell, the "leak" is the board itself. And that diffuses your entire
argument about the board not being upfront. And it is also evidence that
the board is letting the donors and the entire membership know what is going
on, what has been discussed, and what some possible options are, and what
the pros and cons of those options may be. Would you have preferred a
personal phone call? In conclusion, if you can provide your evidence to me
and the ELHS members on this list that the board is not being "upfront" and
that the only information available is from a "leak", then I will gladly
retract any and all comments I have made in this email.

Additionally, this email list is not the voice of the ELHS membership. I
suggest you request a copy of the results of the survey the ELHS conducted a
while back and rethink your position that the "members don't care enough to
fight for the right to have a say." The results were discussed in Extra
Board #77, August 2005.

And as far as Joe's email is concerned, unless my email was truncated, Joe
simply asked a few pointed questions, never told anyone to shut up nor did
he encourage anyone to send money. I saw your reply to his email, but no
answers to his questions. It's amazing how people avoid answering
questions when pressed for facts. It's easier to editorialize on what you
perceive to be going on and to answer questions with conjecture.

Proudly ELHS #2834,
Steve





> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Clark [mailto:portlandturn_@_yahoo.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 9:32 AM
> To: EL Mail List
> Subject: RE: (erielack) ELHS collection
>
>
> I don't want to start the arguement over the "benevolent
> dictatorship" that the ELHS is again. When this list visited
> that subject 2 years ago it was obvious the most "members" don't
> care enough to fight for the right to have a say. Those that do
> are encourage to not renew - vote with their feet.
>
> However, the ELHS has asked its members every year for
> contributions to the archives - a donation above and beyond the
> regular dues. Now word is leaking out that these archives are no
> longer welcome at Akron. Again no upfront announcement from the
> Board of Directors, just word that several members overheard or
> were asked about at the Cleveland convention. So now Joe tells
> us to shut up, don't ask questions, but keep those checks coming!
> When the archives magically reappear somewhere else, be happy
> and just keep sending those checks. Since it appears (from
> attempting to extract the info from ELHS' IRS Form 990) that a
> lot of money has gone to these archives over the years, it might
> be nice to at least let the donors have an inkling of what the
> h*** is going on.
>
> Ken
>
> P.S. - For all you Lackawanna haters, the Erie did go to Scranton too!
>
> Joe Schveder wrote: Here is a NEGATIVE response.
>
> Do you know the cost of moving the archives that far?
> Will ELHS have control over it if it moves to Steamtown?
> How do you know that the bulk of members live out east? Do you have a
> membership list?
>
> If you want to talk about participation, seems to me that more
> members show
> up to meetings (annual) on the west end than on the east. Why is that?
>
> How many of you done anything for ELHS, besides poke and whine?
>
> Let the board figure it out, thats what they are there for. Sometimes
> silence means work in progress. Why start a fire?
>
> Joe Schveder
>
>
>
>
>
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