No, it couldn't have been that long ago that I had the coveted job of DPS chairperson. However the facts belie the feeling. This is what I remember.
It was a year of inclement weather with served Sue Wyman and Vic Henney well as the inclemency was a perfect proving ground for their successful climb of Mt McKinley later that year. It was a year that our Bylaws sat in some kind of Excomm purgatory while we long awaited their approval. We separated the job of Secretary-Treasurer into two separate entities. Virgin and Saline were proposed peak additions and thanks to the traditional non-advocacy lot these peaks by Doug Mantle, the membership rejected these additions. Thanks to the Leadership of Vi Grasso, our massive letter writing campaign helped to deter building a road to Keynot Mine. Member Ron Jones was elected to the ExComm, Bill T Russell, Gene Olsen, and Bill Bradley were bestowed Chapter Outings Leadership Awards. Norm Rohn and Joe McCosker finished the list. The art work of Betty McCosker and Edna Erspamer was displayed at the banquet, and Betty Wallin, again, designed us a magnificent banquet program cover featuring a desert bighorn.
We ended the year at our banquet by having the honor of our speaker being Dr John McCosker, Director of the Steinhart Aquarium. Dr McCosker, who appears frequently on TV in nationally acclaimed TV nature programs spoke on the Sea of Cortez. Several "awards" were given at the banquet. Jim Murphy received the SPS elitist award and the Magellan award for an unsuccessful climb of Kino Peak after completely circumnavigating it and having exclaimed earlier that he didn't need a map or route description for just a DPS peak. Mary McMannes was awarded the Kingston Trio award. Edna Erspamer got the "garbage-is-relative" award for Storing her wallet in the garbage can at a desert campground. Gene Olsen got the not-just-any-old-turkey award for sponsoring a fabulous Thanksgiving feast. I could go on with a List of many more awards, but I promised to keep this short.
I dedicated my final Sage column to our friend and fellow climber, Jackie Van Dalsem who lost her life on Mt McKinley in 1983. John Muir's quotation so beloved by Jackie, continues to memorialize her life and service as a beacon for the rest of us. "Never more however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessing of one mountain day, whatever her fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, she is rich forever."
