ADK President's Dinner, March 11, 2006

This is the speech I wrote for the occasion of the Adirondack Mountain Club's President's Dinner on Saturday, March 11, 2006 at the Queensbury Hotel. The speech was delivered by our associate vice president, Jack Freeman. Jack and I stood shoulder to shoulder as he read my comments, prefaced by the fact that I was unable to deliver the speech because my voice was affected by myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease of the voluntary muscles.

The speech:
Friends – I want to welcome you to the 6^th Annual President’s Dinner. It is here that we celebrate the spirit of ADK. While it is the time we hand out plaques and certificates to members and friends who have done much for ADK, for the environment, and for the community of man, it is also a time for remembrance.

When I was a graduate student at Syracuse University, I had a professor who was then the Chief of Staff of the Senate Banking Committee. His reflection on his appointment to this powerful position included the admonition to “always remember who brung you to the dance.”

Tonight I am honored to remember those who bring me to the dance. Even more important, is to remember the values, the dedication to purpose and the selflessness they gave to the cause to build ADK into the organization you know today.

One of my personal heroes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt once made the comment: “Let us not be remembered for how we benefit those who have much, but by how we help those who have little.” In the same spirit, I want each person here to ask themselves “what can I do to help enrich the lives of my family, my community, and my environment?” This is the essence of ADK. We are in service to our families, to our communities, and our country. We are in service to the natural world and to the survival of the planet. This is no small charge, but in some small but not insignificant way, ADK does make a difference. Everyone here tonight helps to make a difference…and we are here to celebrate the gifts we were left by those who came before us. We are also here to thank those who have given exceptional service to ADK…Who most exemplify the values of ADK and show incredible commitment to improve our natural world.

Welcome to all those here tonight to share in the magic of ADK.

President's Report - March 11, 2006

Dear Fellow ADK Executive Committee and Board Members -

I am delighted and honored to serve as your president for the next two years. I have big shoes to fill after the very successful presidency of Tom wheeler, a most trusted, hard-working and decent a colleague one could ask for in life. Tom remains on the executive committee this year as treasurer, a position he graciously accepted with the admonition he would do it as long as I actively sought a new treasurer so, please, if you are interested, let me know.

Fiscal Year 2005 closed out much as we anticipated. We ended the year by about $-98,000 in net operating loss but, because of donations, we finished in the black by about +$105,000 overall. Losses resulted primarily because of a decline in membership and demand for publications. We have identified areas to turn the tide - and evidence shows we already have - to regain those membership losses. The picture for pubs is not quite so optimistic. Owing to changes in consumer habits nationwide, continued research into the issue is needed and a strategic redesign of our program might be necessary. Staff are dedicating effort in this direction and we will keep you posted.

I am pleased to announce that ADK has received two grants so far this year: the first is what we'll call the "Forest Preserve Grant" to maintain the anonymity of the donor. This grant is for $100,000 this year and may be extended for another several years. The monies are earmarked for certain activities, including mapping of certain portions of the Adirondack Park. The second grant is from International Paper for $19,000+.

I asked staff to prepare a summary of our staffing level and it is at about the same level as this time last year: 39 – 40 FTEs (full time equivalent) employees. This number does not include summer staff.

Keith Martin is the chair of a working group on innovation and is recruiting his team. The focus of my presidency is on leadership, technology and change. I believe Keith and his working group will help us look at refreshing ideas for change.

Neil and staff continue to discuss the possibility of a new Visitor's Service Center and parking at the corner of South Meadow Road and Loj Road. We now believe it would be imprudent to sell public access rights to DEC. Land values have skyrocketed in the northcountry and selling such rights could prove to compromise our interests in the future.

The Executive Committee Retreat will be held on the weekend of March 31 at the LOJ. Craig Smith will be presenting an interactive program on leadership and innovation. I stridently support the need for innovation and change in sustaining the viability of non-profits like ours and will pursue opportunities to provide staff and volunteer leadership training and support.

With an eye on technology and communication, I have asked staff to implement our already budgeted internet communications in the North Country facilities, with a target date of March 15th for an operating wireless internet system at the Loj. This strategic resource will enable instant communications between North Country and headquarters in Lake George for purposes of bookkeeping, reservations and operations.

I look forward to a collegial and successful year full of personal growth for all and opportunity for ADK.

Respectfully Submitted,
Curt Miller, President

President's Letter - Adirondac Magazine, January 2006

A Letter from the President (of the Adirondack Mountain Club)

Recently, I stood at the grave of Robert Frost--a childhood hero of mine--and could hear his voice as he recited: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by.” These words have been my mantra. I view the world as full of opportunity, hope, and renewal. People, places, and institutions are important cornerstones in fulfilling our needs as human beings and help to actualize our beliefs. For me, ADK and its members play an important role. As members of this wonderful organization, we travel a road that is fundamentally different than that which is followed by the mainstream. We are passionate, involved, and vibrant. We accept challenge, seize opportunity, and rebuff failure.

As I gratefully accept the challenge of leading ADK as its president, I look to opportunities, hopes, and the renewal of our club. I think about the road we will travel, knowing full well we will come to forks. I am prepared to make the tough decisions--with the collaboration of your board and executive committee—that will take this club to a stronger, healthier place.

I was recently brought to a place that gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life and my values and what was most important to me. One night, as I started to speak, my mouth wouldn’t cooperate with my brain and my words came out slurred. Many months, tests, and doctors later, I learned I had a new challenge in my life: myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that affects voluntary muscles. The most obvious of the implications for my life is my need to restrict vigorous physical activity. When I think that only days before the onset of the symptoms of this disease I had climbed to the top of Mount Colden in full winter gear, I am chilled. What a profound change in my reality!

Growing up in New York City, with a city-born father and a mother from Newfoundland, my summers were filled both with cooling off in the shower from an open fire hydrant on a city street and with climbing rocky hills and exploring remote wilderness. I have learned this is a unique duality, and I cherish it. These experiences helped to firm my resolve to live a life of balance, tolerance, and appreciation for diversity. ADK and its members embrace the same values.

Remembering back to a cold, windy January day in 1961--and a defining
moment in my life--I can see Robert Frost, his white hair blowing, reading a poem from his life’s work at President Kennedy’s inauguration. Shortly after, Kennedy took the podium and implored a refreshed America to “ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.” I come to you, as your newly inaugurated president, to implore you to ask what you can do for your ADK.

I am asking you to identify your talents, enumerate them, and use them to help your organization become the best it can be, so that it can thrive to provide trails “less traveled by” for our children, and for their children. My children were practically raised on the shores of Heart Lake and their values were forged on the fires of the ADK ethic. It’s my time to give back to the organization that has given so much to me, and I ask you to join me in that effort.

I have appointed my trusted colleague, Keith Martin, to head up a working group assigned with exploring innovation. Virginia Etu, our hardworking administrative assistant, and I were talking one day and she said we need to “just get it done.” This phrase will characterize my tenure. With the suggestions generated by Keith’s working group and the commitment to “just get it done,” we will achieve substantial goals.

Something YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW: send us your contact information and a list of your skills, so that we can tap those skills to help make a bright future for ADK a reality. You will be repaid in untold gifts that you will treasure for a lifetime. Trust me, I know.

--Curt Miller