The coming year will mark the passing of responsibility for several of the Society's administrative responsibilities into new hands. Two years ago, Kit Foster asked to be relieved of most of the extensive duties he had assumed over many years. The process is underway and the Society has engaged a membership service to manage records and renewals. Kit will not stand for re-election as Treasurer next fall and we are searching for a candidate to fill this important position which he has held since 1998. Recently, Taylor Vinson asked to be relieved as Editor of Automotive History Review effective with Issue 51, due out this spring. He has served as Editor since 1996.

Kit and Taylor have served tirelessly in these positions for more than a decade in addition to their many other contributions. They have been the Society's strong backbone and we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude. Fortunately they will not be abandoning us and each has agreed, in addition to assisting with the transition, to continue his involvement: Kit as Chair of the Publications Committee and Taylor as Chair of the Non-English Cugnot Award Committee and Convener of the SAH Winter Dinner in Paris.

We now face the task of filling their shoes. Below is a brief description of the duties of each position. All members are encouraged to consider whether the filling of one of these roles might be a way to participate more fully in our field of interest and to establish new contacts with others in the Society. There are no pre-qualifications and you may call Kit or Taylor to learn more about the scope and hours required. There is no compensation but reasonable out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed. If you are not tempted for yourself, perhaps you know of another who might be induced to apply. President Darwyn Lumley or one of the present holders would be pleased to hear from you.

Job Description: Treasurer

The Treasurer maintains the Society's financial records and pays all bills. He or she prepares an annual budget and tracks income and expenses against the budget. Reports are issued to the Board at the semi-annual meetings. The treasurer makes bank deposits and processes credit and debit card payments.

The Society's accounting is presently done on a cash basis, and records are kept in the readily accessible program Quicken. Migration to the more capable Quick Books should be straightforward, should there be need to do so. The membership records are now processed separately from the Treasurer's office. The Society's financial assets are held in a business checking account and two mutual fund accounts, all in institutions with nationwide presence in the U.S.

The treasurer is a voting member of the Society's Board of Directors and attends the semi-annual meetings, one of which is at Hershey in October, the other in the spring in varying locations in the United States. The treasurer interacts with all committees and functions that involve receipts and expenditures, including Membership, Publications and Silent Auction.

Job Description: Editor of the Automotive History Review

The Editor is responsible for the publication of the Society's magazine, the Automotive History Review. While the by-laws do not establish a publication schedule, in recent years the Review has been published twice yearly.

The editor solicits and receives articles from members and non-members. As a general rule, these articles should not have been published elsewhere, except that English-language translations of articles first published abroad are acceptable. Submission of manuscripts in electronic format is encouraged. The editor reviews each article for consistency with SAH style, and amends the manuscript to accord with that style. Where there are substantive questions the answer to which may require revisions to the manuscript, the editor dialogues with the writer to resolve the questions. When the editor is satisfied that the article is publishable, s/he chooses a peer reviewer and submits the article for comment.

The editor oversees for the production, printing, and mailing of the Review, choosing the production staff and the printer, who submit invoices to the treasurer for their services. The editor mails two complimentary copies to the author of each article published and one to the author of each abstract from an auto history conference.

Unless otherwise elected to the Society's Board of Directors, the editor is not a member of the Board, but is invited by the president to attend the Board's semi-annual meetings, one of which is at Hershey in October, the other in the spring in varying locations in the United States. At these meetings, the editor presents a statement of the cost of producing and mailing issue(s) published since the last meeting, and discusses briefly the content and scheduling of the next issue of the publication.