I read a lot of association management articles, newsfeeds and online community postings every week and last week one particular article caught my eye.  The title “Membership Hack: Recognize Long-Term Members” caused me to stop and reflect on not only my membership in ICHP but in those long-term members who have been with me on this wonderful journey!

It didn’t take long though for me to find the buzzkill to my sentimental reminiscing.  ICHP created the current membership database in 1988.  Just thirty short years ago.  But we’ve now been around for a whopping 55 years!  And believe it or not, we still have current members who helped form ICHP those 55 years ago!  Not many current members, but we do have some.  Of those remaining, I suspect most are honorary members but because I was only 9 years old 55 years ago, I can’t be sure.

Sister Mary Louise Degenhart was definitely a founding member of ICHP and remains an honorary member still!  I’m not sure if Ron Turnbull or Patricia Moorhatch were around back in 1963 but both were early leaders of the Council and remain honorary members today.  Both left Illinois long before I got involved.  But another early Council leader is Harland Lee, former director of pharmacy of Evanston Hospital, now known as Northshore University Health-System, and he did have an early impact on me as did Sister Mary Louise!  Both Sister Mary Louise and Harland still keep in touch even though Sister still works but on the other side of the Mississippi at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Harland has retired far north of the Cheddar Curtain in Hazelhurst, WI.

But my memories from our 30+ year members, including many of my friendships and even some of my mentors are comprised of a large cadre from the “Boomer” generation.  Past Presidents that include Bill Wuller (President in 1983), Lee Simon (86), Mary Moody (90), Steve Marx (91), Bruce Dickerhofe (92), Bob Hoy (93), Kevin Colgan (96), Andy Donnelly (97), Mike Novario (98), Ed Donnelly (00), Mike Short (02), Trish Wegner (03), Mike McEvoy (04), Mike Rajski (05), Mike Weaver (06) (yes, there are lots of Mikes in ICHP), Ann Jankiewicz (07), Avery Spunt (08), Tom Westerkamp (12), and Linda Fred (14) all have at least 30 years in with ICHP if not more!  And not to diminish the time spent with those other past Presidents who have served with me as the Executive Director or Executive Vice President like Jim Dorociak, Carrie Sincak, Chris Quillian, Mike Fotis, Jen Phillips, and Charlene Hope but are just too young to have the 30 years in yet! 

There are so many more, in fact there are at least 71 members that I can count who have 30 years or more membership with ICHP!  Many of the remaining individuals are good friends and in many ways, my teachers, so here is the list of all the ICHP members that I can determine have 30 or more years membership.  If you think you should be on this list, please let me know!  The initial database system was good but not perfect!

Carol Aldred

David Bartels

Susan Berg

Karen Bertch  

Tony Burda

John Chaney

Donna Clay

John Coleman

Kevin Colgan

Larry Danziger

Sr. Mary Louise Degenhart

Bruce Dickerhofe

Andrew Donnelly

Edward Donnelly

Brad Dunck

Mandy Fargotstein

Doris Faught

Linda Fred      

Dennis Fruin

Barbara Galler

James Gazdziak        

Carl Geberbauer

Geraldine Gilmore

Starlin Haydon-Greatting

David Hicks

Robert Hoy

Nevenka Itkonen

Ann Jankiewicz

Jan Keresztes

Jacqueline Kessler

Mark Kliethermes

Mary Ann Kliethermes

Frank Kokaisl 

Leonard Kosiba

Anna Charuk Kowblansky

Richard Kruzynski

Mike Lacamera

David Lamb

Harland Lee

Barbara Limburg-Mancini

Dennis Ludwig

Jamie Marshall

Steve Marx

John McBride

W. Michael McEvoy

Scott Meyers

Miriam Mobley-Smith

Patricia Moorhatch    

Michael Novario

Jerome Ochab

Mary Ochab   

Diana Page

Viktoras Plenys

Michael Rajski

Don Shadensack

Michael Short

Lee Simon

Avery Spunt

Raymond Stermer

Jerry Storm

Dalia Trakis

Ronald Turnbull

Donna Voas-Marszowski

Matthew Vogel

Catherine Weaver

Michael Weaver

Trish Wegner

Alan Weinstein

Thomas Westerkamp

William Wuller

Paul Zega

Thank you to all these long-term members, colleagues and friends!  ICHP is proud of members like you and those following in your footsteps!  The future looks just as bright!

P.S. If I missed any other original and still current members of ICHP, by all means, send me an e-mail at scottm@ichpnet.org.