Minnesota fan Geo Rule is the newly-installed President of The Heinlein Society.
Keith Kato’s term as President ended – “amicably and by my own wishes” he notes — with the adjournment of THS’s online Annual Meeting last Sunday and the announcement of its new Board:
- President: Geo Rule of Minnesota.
- Vice President-Secretary: Dr. C. Herbert Gilliland (“Herb” to friends) of Maryland, retired Professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy.
- Treasurer: John Tilden of Maryland
Other Board members, listed by seniority:
- SFWA Grandmaster Joe Haldeman of Florida.
- John Seltzer, of Washington (state).
- Betsey Wilcox of Texas.
- Dr. Beatrice Kondo of Maryland (Yoji Kondo’s daughter).
- Walt Boyes of Missouri (appointed by the Board to fill Jerry Pournelle’s seat; ratified this past election to continue).
- Mike Sheffield of California (3rd President of THS, re-elected to the Board this past election).
Incoming President Rule says:
Our previous two presidents have left us a great foundation to build upon. Mike Sheffield was the driving force behind the founding of our very successful Scholarships program, and supported the creation of Heinlein For Heroes during his service as President. Dr. Kato led the Society and ‘Heinlein’s Children’ to the creation and placing of a bronze bust of Robert A. Heinlein in the state capitol building of Missouri in 2016, and leave service as President with membership in the Society, and Society financial assets, at all-time highs in our 20 year history. The membershgip recognized him with a well-earned thank you vote by acclamation at our recent annual meeting.
Rule has served on the Board of Directors of the Society since 2007, and as Vice President-Secretary since 2014. He joined the Society in 2002, and considers himself luck to have had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Virginia (“Ginny”) Heinlein on Society business in the last year of her life.
[Thanks to Keith Kato for the story.]