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The 90th annual 2008 Convention at Bloomington started with a moment of silence for the late Red Haddox, who had chaired the host committee for the convention on several occasions. Haddox also was a state vice
director for baseball and had been a dedicated Legion volunteer for many years.
Other notes from the convention at the Bloomington Sheraton:
-- Only 32,000
of the 104,000 members in Minnesota are enrolled in the LIT's free accidental death or dismemberment policy. For more information, call 800-235-6943.
-- Chairman Tom Lannon said it looks like the American Legion
Foundation will be able to donate $16,000 to $18,000 this year from interest from its fund. He encouraged donations to the foundation.
-- St. Cloud VA Medical Center Director Barry Bahl told the Legionnaires that
there is much construction going on at the facility including three surgical suites, a new lab, and a respiratory therapy area.
-- National Vice Commander Don Hayden said that women and minorities make up half
of the new veteran population, "and those are the people we need to get into our organization."
-- National Finance Director Paul Allen, originally from Moorhead, said that the national Direct Mail Solicitation
program will be discontinued as of this year. He said the program is costing too much, over $7 million this past year, and that the retention numbers were not good. He said that of the 1.7 million recruited in 14
years, only 555,000 were retained, and that 330,000 of those are still in state headquarters posts. Only 55 percent of DMS recruitees renew their membership each year. Allen said this would be a one year moritorium
on the program and a committee will look at the options after this year. Allen said he will be retiring at the end of this year.
-- Boys State Dean David Way reported a gain of 33 boys at Boys State this year,
and a total of over 400. He said if a post has a boy they want to send, but the post doesn't have the funds, they should contact Department Headquarters to see if another post can pay the boy's way.
-- Ron Henke
of Veterans on the Lake announced that Mike and Sherry Neubarth who have been running the camp for several years will be leaving after this season.
-- Steve Moynihan of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center said
there was a lot of "halls and wall" construction going on inside the hospital. He said the new Spinal Cord Injury Center may be done ahead of schedule in September or October. He said there was a major space crunch
at the facility.
-- Pheasant Dinner Chairman Fuzz Martin said an additional $10,000 from the program will be donated to the Minnesota Veterans Home at Fergus Falls for a new van.
-- Gov. Tim Pawlenty commended
the Legionnaires for showing up at the Capitol to support veterans legislation. Pawlenty encouraged Minnesotans to pass on their values to the next generation. "Those things don't happen automatically. They don't
happen unless they are passed on, and we have to make sure those values are passed on or in one generation they'll be gone."
-- Rep. Dan Severson, R-Sauk Rapids, urged Legionnaires to continue to support removing
income taxes from military pensions to encourage them to retire in the state. He said only six states tax military retirees.
-- The 2008 Americanism Winners were Henry Guttomson Post of Lanesboro, Robert
Stratton Post of Good Thunder, Kramer Berg Post of Mahtomedi, Rosetown Memorial Post of Roseville, Johnnie Baker Post of Minneapolis, Melrose Post, West Douglas County Post of Evansville, Littlefork Post,
Fengestad-Solie Post of Winger, and Cokato Post. Carl Hanson Post of Elbow Lake won a certificate of distinguished service and Dahlgren-Ettestad Post of Northome won a certificate of meritorious service.
-- The
2008 Blood Winners included the following posts: LaCrescent, Albert Lea, Adams, Wells, Wabasso, Kiester, St. Paul Park, Chaska, Silver Lake, North St. Paul, Arcade-Phalen, 3M, Richfield, Motley, Melrose, Park
Rapids, Browns Valley, Alexandria, Minneota, Grand Rapids, Virginia, Aurora, Neilsville, Crookston, Oslo, Onamia, Bloomington, Milaca. Fritz Flicek reported that 5,746 units had been reported in the statewide
reporting.
-- The Convention Corporation reported that the 2009 Department Convention will be in Bloomington again. The 2010 convention will be in Rochester. Fall Conferences are slated for Mankato this year,
Pequot Lakes in 2009 and Waite Park in 2010.
-- Membership Director Mike Schaffer said that the Department finished the year at 94.47 percent of goal, or sixth in the nation. The district with the highest
percentage was the First with 97.96.
-- In addition to the Department officers elected at the convention, Robert Flaherty and Jim Lucas were elected delegates at large to the National Convention. Joe Bayer was
elected to the Board of Publications for a three-year term.
-- MACV Director Kathy Vitalis reported that the agency has 14 full time staff and helped over 600 veterans this past year.
-- The parade winners
this year included Tri-City Post 513 for first in color guards. Second and third were Coon Rapids Auxiliary 334 and Waseca Auxiliary 228. The Minnesota Transitions JROTC color guard won its division. The Ninth
District won the "most entertaining" district with the First and Fifth runners up.
-- Baseball Director Darwin Berg reminded Legionnaires that they get free admission to the state tournament games being played at
Burnsville and Sacred Heart the weekend of Aug. 7-10.
-- Tony Gunderson of Mabel kicked off the fund drive for Legionville with a personal check for $100. The fund campaign was called for by convention resolution.
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