Mike Conniff, Don Olliff

The secretariat has entered its fifth year at Auburn, and now we're preparing for the move to Tampa, which should be completed by the time of our meeting in Seattle next January. We're pleased that the membership, finances, and general operations of CLAH are sound, so that the association can get off to a good start at its new home. Membership has stabilized at around 900, with a fairly high turnover because of nonpayment of d ues. Virtually every day a new member joins, however, often using the electronic form on our website. Our endowments, invested in mutual funds, have grown rapidly in the bull market on Wall Street. If you haven't already paid your dues (indicated by th e 1997 next to your name in the directory), please take out your checkbook and do so now! Otherwise we cannot send you the Fall Newsletter.

We cannot show enough appreciation to Sandy Johnson, who has managed our diverse affairs for the last three years. She's kindly agreed to stay through our transition period and to help train a new person at Tampa. Meanwhile, she's begun taking over t he affairs of the Society for the History of Technology, which is housed at Auburn.

Please give serious consideration to letting us send the Fall Newsletter to you electronically, over the internet. You will find a number of advantages (ability to forward announcements to colleagues and students, down-load bibliography, search for keywords, etc.) Plus it will arrive long before the snail-mail version. We understand the great utility of the hard-copy Member Directory, however, and do not intend to distribute it electronically.

Volunteers make this association efficient and valuable to our members, so we must thank all those of you who serve as officers and on committees. Without your contributions of time, effort, ideas, and sometimes money, CLAH would not exist. Much&i acute;simas Gracias/Muito Obrigado!