Chronological History of M Club Actions Sep 1980 - Sep 1990 September 1980 - September 1981 Our president, Dr. Roy Skipton, emphasized an urgency for board members to attend our eight (8) monthly meetings. Membership dues were set as follows: Regular $10; Contributing $25; Sustaining $50; and Life $250. For fiscal 1980, there were 742 paid members. The policy of individuals having an option to contribute to individual sports continued, with the first $10 credited to regular dues, and the balance entered as a bonus for the selected sport. Jim Dietsch, assistant to the athletic director, served as an advisor to the Varsity M Club. Diane Dunning (tennis) was elected president. She coordinated a "Career Reference" file with Connie Hemphill and Brad Turley. This file assisted varsity athletes in their decisions on a job vocation. Our two golf tournaments, coupled with a car raffle, produced a profit of $21,000. The first ACC ticket raffle, under co-chairmen Connie Hemphill and Connie Carpenter, earned over $10,000 for our scholarship fund. The date of the annual Celebrity Golf Tournament was changed from July to September to avoid the hot weather. The 30th Annual Banquet was held on December 6, 1980. Bob Heinbaugh served as chairman, while Bob James, a three-sport letter winner and then ACC Commissioner, received our Distinguished Citizen Award. James H. Kehoe sponsored an award that goes to a female athlete who has symbolized the commitment, dedication, spirit and will to win and excelled in athletics during her senior year. Our fund balance moved up to $341,101. September 1981 - September 1982 President Connie Carpenter reported that our annual scholarship aid for non-revenue varsity teams increased to $50,000. Special donations for specific sports are added to the basic grant. The annual dues were increased to $15. Campaign Marketing Group, Inc. was hired to solicit dues by telephone beginning in the spring. They did not succeed in increasing dues payers or revenues. Outside promotions remained in a state of flex due essentially to inflated money demands by pro athletes. Promotions Chairman Bob Heinbaugh, however, succeeded in having the M Club receive $5,000 as a co-sponsor for the Leonard-Hearns boxing match on closed circuit TV in Cole Field House. The Board appointed the following women as sports representatives: Patrice Flynn (basketball); Michelle O'Connell (field hockey); Laura LeMire (lacrosse); Vanessa Corrallo (swimming); Diane Dunning (tennis); and Patricia Fogarty (track). As requested by the Varsity M Club, the Athletic Department agreed to award letter jackets to all first-time letter winners. In order to receive a letter jacket, the letter winners had to be $10 dues-paying members. Athletic Director Dick Dull agreed with Jack Flynn's proposal to try to gain the ACC's approval of an annual M Club award to the ACC's best overall women's program (comparable to the men's Carmichael Cup). This effort was dropped, however, after the ACC discontinued the Carmichael Cup. The first M Club 10K Classic was held in May, led by Chairman Dave Ungrady. The Associate M Club voted to discontinue its ties with the M Club. A new organization now operates as the "Maryland Tees" which directly supports the golf program. We joined with the Alumni Association and the Terrapin Club in supporting the cost of a film promoting the University. We founded the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame with the first awards to be made at the Annual Banquet in December 1982. The Charter Election Committee members were: Athletic Director Dick Dull; Coaches Bill Campbell, Jack Faber, Al Heagy, Sully Krouse, Jim Kehoe and Doyle Royal; letter winners Bosey Berger, Art Kramer and Jack Scarbath; plus Sports Information Director Jack Zane. The 31st Annual Banquet was held on December 7, 1981, chaired by Dave Diehl. Governor Harry Hughes, baseball '49, received our Distinguished Citizen Award. Our long-time devoted Office Secretary, Mary F. DuVall, was elected as an Honorary M Club member. Our fund balance for fiscal 1982 was $344,400. September 1982 - September 1983 Bob Heinbaugh served as president. The 2nd Annual 10K Run was held on April 23, 1983 in Byrd Stadium to benefit the Special Olympics. There were 135 men and 48 women competing for numerous prizes provided by community merchants. Credit for its success goes to Chairman Dave Ungrady, Diane Dunning, Patricia Fogarty, Ralph Lary, Alex Isherwood and Jim Dietsch. The ACC ticket raffle doubled its net income to $12,700. The first inductions into the University of Maryland's Athletic Hall of Fame were made at the 32nd Annual Banquet on December 8, 1982. Bruce Kelleher chaired the event where baseball's Hall of Famer, Brooks Robinson, was the recipient of our Distinguished Citizen Award. John Simmons announced that our fund balance increased over $44,000 to $388,579. September 1983 - September 1984 President Dave Diehl announced that the name of the Buick Celebrity was officially changed to the "Leonard Rodman M Club Celebrity Golf Tournament." It was held on September 14, 1983. Marshall Fesche's membership committee issued a one-time revised Certificate of Membership to all dues payers. Certificates have continued to be issued to each senior varsity letter winner upon completion of their eligibility. A mailing list of about 2,000 names produced 644 dues payers. The varsity fencing program was discontinued. John Lamon arranged for a watch with an M Club logo to be offered to all letter winners. Thirty were sold with $25 per sale going to our Scholarship Fund. A marketing survey, prepared by Ralph Lary, was reviewed by a special committee. Several recommendations were adopted. On December 5, 1983, the 33rd Annual Banquet was chaired by Marshall Fesche. Over 450 supporters attended to celebrate our 60th anniversary. State Comptroller Louis Goldstein was honored as our Distinguished Citizen. Assistant Treasurer Ed Minion reported that our current assets reached $401,500. September 1984 - September 1985 President Bruce Kelleher announced that the Rodman Celebrity Tournament produced a record profit exceeding $25,000. A sell-out of 150 golfers competed with Len Rodman garnering the bulk of the players and advertisers. Len was assisted by Whitey Miller, Doug and Tom Fields, Frank Cronin, Joe Burke, Van Sigworth, Bob Everett, Spider Fry, Dick McKenzie, Ron Scales, Bob Stumpff and Bob Weiss. Chuck Day and Marshall Fesche, co-chairmen of the membership committee, gained approval of a stick-on M Club lapel patch as a memento to accompany dues-payers' membership cards and auto decals. Ed Minion announced that $35,000 in profits gained from our promotions program was invested in the American Capital Reserve Fund to help cover our $50,000 annual scholarship commitment. The 27th Annual Shotgun Social was another sell-out under Chairmen Connie Hemphill and Conrad Carpenter. It earned $2,100 for the Scholarship Fund. This low cost tournament is promoted essentially as an inexpensive social event to attract younger supporters. The 34th Annual Banquet was held on December 8, 1984. It was chaired by Dick McKenzie, ably assisted by Ticket Chairman Bob Heinbaugh and Ad Chairman Randy Hoffman. The Distinguished Citizen Award went to Robert Fischell, the "1983 Inventor of the Year." 644 members paid dues through September 10, compared to 575 members on the same date in 1984. Our assets increased about $48,500 to $449,120. September 1985 - September 1986 Dr. Marshall Fesche was elected president. Board meetings were reduced from eight to five. Two were held before a football and basketball game. The others were held at the Fireside Inn. Average attendance went from 18 to 26. The overall profits from our five annual promotions improved by $4,700 to $38,700. The board set a goal of earning $50,000 annually to pay for our scholarship commitment of $50,000. Jim Hennessey proposed a merchandise concession plan to the Athletic Department. It resulted in the department significantly increasing revenues from clothing sales and logo licensing. Associate Athletic Director Randy Hoffman appointed the M Club to provide administrative support for the department's radio/TV broadcasts by their football and basketball coaches. We received $7,500 for this service, plus obtaining broad publicity through promotional mentions on the broadcasts. Al Heagy decided to retire on June 30, 1986. President Fesche paid tribute to Al who served with distinction for 15 years as our first executive director. For over 50 years, he was the dominant figure in the growth and development of the M Club. His leadership and sound judgments guided us to our present level of prominence and success. He was succeeded on July 1, 1986 by Jack Flynn, a board member since 1961, as recommended by the selection committee headed by Ed Minion and Connie Hemphill. Chuck Day announced that five board members were recently married - Dick O'Neill, Van Sigworth, Laura LeMire, Ralph Lary and Connie Carpenter. Dick O'Neill chaired our 35th Annual Banquet on December 6, 1985. We honored Ralph Frey, vice chairman, Board of Regents, as our Distinguished Citizen. As of September 10, 1986, we had 622 paid members generating a total of $14,768. The Annual Meeting was held in September 1986 at the Adult Education Center. Thereafter, we met for a reception in the President's Room and dinner in the Regent's Room, prior to attending a night game against Vanderbilt. Ed Minion, assistant treasurer and auditor, announced that our assets grew more than 15 percent to $527,900. The board commended Treasurer John Simmons for the superior job he's done since 1974 in preparing our annual financial reports. September 1986 - September 1987 Chuck Day served as president during this period. Through our initiative, the M Club became a voting member of the Athletic Council, effective July 1, 1987. Executive Director Jack Flynn represented us on the Council, and also served on the key executive and budget committees. Annual dues increased from $15 to $20. Logan Schutz served as chairman of our 36th Annual Banquet on December 6, 1986. University President Dr. John S. Toll was named our Distinguished Citizen. Bob Wade was named head basketball coach. He is the first black head basketball coach in the ACC and one of the first in the nation. Membership Chairman Dick O'Neill reported that our dues revenue increased 18 percent to $17,500. Paid members grew to 731, plus 32 Associate Members. Through the initiative of Connie Hemphill, we sold "Go Terps Go" car window flags and 500 M Club auto sunshades, netting over $3,500 for our Scholarship Fund. We received full-page promotional mentions in the football and basketball programs, as well as publicity on ticket applications and schedule handouts. The September Annual Meeting was held in the Adult Education Center after the West Virginia game, with a reception and dinner following. President Day commended our Investment Committee, headed by Ed Minion, Connie Hemphill and Jack Flynn for their wise investment recommendations. During the past five years, our assets grew more than 73 percent. Our assets increased almost 14 percent to $592,000. This helped enable us to increase our annual scholarship aid from $50,000 to $75,000. September 1987 - September 1988 Dick O'Neill was elected president. Ticket Chairman Bob Heinbaugh reported that over 500 supporters attended our 37th Annual Banquet on December 5, 1987, chaired by Banquet Chairman Dan Crowley. Thanks to Hotsy Alperstein, Governor William Donald Schaefer was honored as our Distinguished Citizen. He wrote a glowing letter to President O'Neill commending the M Club for a magnificent event. We had 220 patrons listed in our printed banquet program, earning a record $4,400 for a one-page ad. The ACC ticket raffle, chaired by Connie and Judi Carpenter and assisted by Bob Heinbaugh, produced record receipts of $17,280. Overall, our five regular promotions netted a record $57,300, a 29 percent increase over fiscal '87. Len Rodman's 14th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament earned over $24,000. Two innovations were introduced - a "Polaroid Girl" took photos of all golfers at the 10th hole, and Van Sigworth videotaped two hours of play and interviews. Our 65th Annual Meeting was held in the Adult Education Center after the Georgia Tech game. Dorothy and Rosey Pollock were special guests. He was one of the M Club's eight founders in 1923 who helped formulate our first Constitution and By-Laws. Chairman Dave Diehl completed a computer study for the M Club. It was approved by the Board who voted to pay $9,200 for our first computer. Dave and our office secretary, Therese Ryan, installed a membership database. In addition, questionnaires were mailed to all letter winners of record seeking pertinent background information, including employer, social security number and hobbies. The excellent response was recorded in the new computer. Chairman Dick McKenzie increased our total paid members to 917, improving revenues by $8,500. An "Al Heagy Scholarship Fund" was initiated by a seven-member committee who each donated $500 - Jack Heise, Whitey Miller, Len Rodman, Jack Flynn, Hotsy Alperstein, Bob Weiss and Logan Schutz. The committee raised over $42,000 in fiscal '88 (and eventually raised $55,900). A criteria was set for an annual award, and it now provides a $3,000 annual scholarship for a qualified athlete. Connie Hemphill announced that Len Rodman agreed to allow the M Club to purchase a $250,000 life insurance policy on him. The policy earns 9.1 percent with the M Club paying annual premiums for nine years. Jim Hennessey, a former baseball pitcher and loyal board member, died on January 16, 1988. His wife, Bobbie, and brother, Kevin, contributed $50,000 each (plus Kevin's employer matched his gift) for a "Hennessey Baseball Scholarship." A criterion was set for an annual award and it now provides a $5,000 scholarship. Bobbie Hennessey was present at our Annual Meeting and made a presentation to Baseball Coach Jack Jackson. Despite a sharp stock plunge in October 1987, it was more than recouped by the end of fiscal 1988. Our assets increased from $592,000 to $659,000. September 1988 - September 1989 Dick McKenzie served as president. The excellent response to our merchandise clothing questionnaire is being evaluated by Bob Stumpff to determine whether we should go forward with a catalogue sales promotion provided by a distributor. The M Club continued to be a role model for other monogram clubs. As requested, we provided Athletic Department representatives from the University of Florida and N.C. State with details of our organization so they could start letter winner clubs. We purchased 12 season tickets for both football and basketball games for use by M Clubbers on an experimental basis. Ten season tickets were also purchased for women's basketball games. Membership Chairman Chuck Day was instrumental in having our paid memberships again exceed 900. Revenues received were over $25,000. Our 38th Annual Banquet was chaired by Vic Jung on Dec. 2, 1988. Former basketball great and Rhodes Scholar, Tom McMillen, was honored as our Distinguished Citizen. Van Sigworth and Jack Flynn improved the information reported in the "Voice of the Turtle," including using the computer input for information on former letter winners and introducing a new section entitled "Maryland on the Move Academically." Logan Schutz headed a committee that precisely spelled out the sports representatives' role. They now provide an in-season report at each board meeting. Under the initiative of Jay Phillips, John Olson and Tennis Coach Bobby Goeltz, we added a tennis tournament to our list of special events. The first tournament attracted 52 players to the Cole Field House courts, earning over $3,500. Treasurer John Simmons reported that our total assets exceeded $714,000 with special events netting a record $54,062. September 1989 - September 1990 President Logan Schutz announced that the board voted to pledge $100,000 to the Athletic Department to improve athletic facilities. It will be paid over five years. This pledge was matched by the State of Maryland. Our gift received special recognition by the Athletic Department at a half-time ceremony during a football game. Jack Flynn subsequently made arrangements with the Athletic Department to obtain 10 mezzanine box seats for use by the M Club for 10 years at all home football games in exchange for our $100,000 donation. On June 7, 1990, more than 200 golfers played at the 32nd Annual Shotgun Tournament. After 31 years of winning the Maskell High Score Award, Hotsy Alperstein declined to play this year due to lack of competition. He lost all interest in playing when he just found out that high score doesn't win. For the 19th straight year, all tickets for the M Club's 50/50 raffle were sold. This year we sold an additional 50 tickets which netted the M Club a total of $7,500 (instead of $5,000). This raffle now accounts for 10 percent of our annual $75,000 scholarship bill. The long-tem success of our 50/50 raffle is due to the superb salesmanship of General Chairman Whitey Miller and Ticket Chairman Bob Weiss. They extended special thanks to these key M Club salesmen: Connie Carpenter, Chuck Day, Tom Fields, Jack Fletcher, Jack Flynn, Bob Heinbaugh, Jack Heise, Dick McKenzie, Tony Santy, Ron Scales, Roy Skipton, George Weber, Stanleigh Bowers and Mary Bowers White. Van Sigworth and Jack Flynn introduced a special four-page newsletter exclusively for our 198 Life Members (who receive no dues notices). This action resulted in increasing donations for the scholarship fund by almost $5,000. Our Constitution and By-Laws were updated on Sept. 27, 1990 by a Committee co-chaired by Logan Schutz and Jack Heise. The M Club donated $1,500 to the Athletic Department to purchase tickets for the December Independence Bowl game between Maryland and Louisiana Tech to be distributed to the Air Force and Boy Scouts located in the Shreveport area. Ralph Lary sold another 94 tickets for these groups to attend the game. Tom Fields reported on the progress of collecting donations for the planned new track/soccer facility - 169 donors pledged $177,655, a sum matched by the State. Milt van den Berg and Joan Murphy, our Lacrosse sports representatives, produced an informative brochure featuring Terps lacrosse information and a brief history of the "M Club Story." The first Men's Lacrosse Homecoming Reunion was held after the Navy game on April 14, 1990. More than 300 letter winners and their families attended. Great credit goes to Milt van den Berg who came up with the idea and formed the plans. He was ably assisted by Gary Besosa, John Lamon, Doug Poindexter and Doug Radebaugh. A severe snow storm forced the rescheduling of the 39th Annual Banquet from December 1989 to April 1990. Ralph Lary chaired the event where former Terp All-American golfer and current PGA Golf Commissioner, Deane Beman accepted the Distinguished Citizen Award. Ralph made major improvements in the format and content in the printed Banquet program. He also achieved large increases in patrons and obtained table sponsors for the head table and honored student-athletes. At the 67th Annual Meeting held at the Golden Bull restaurant on September 27, 1990, President Schutz suggested that future meetings be more highly publicized to encourage maximum attendance. He reported that average attendance at regular Board meetings had increased to 28. The Board agreed with his recommendation to have at least two dinner meetings each year. Our Executive Committee met with the Athletic Director who agreed with us that specific strict standards be established for retiring player's jerseys. This was not finally acted on due to the Athletic Director transferring to the University of Connecticut. Leonard Rodman reported a record year for the 17th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament on Sept. 12, 1990, netting over $35,000. Extra revenue was obtained for the Scholarship Fund by Tony Santy auctioning expensive golf bags donated by two of our generous sponsors. Annual dues increased to $25. Treasurer John Simmons audited our books and found that our assets exceeded $720,000. Special events earned a record $60,662. We also made initial payments on our facilities improvement pledge ($20,000), and the Rodman Life Insurance Policy. Dues-paying members increased to a record 1,140, generating $30,915 under the chairmanship of Chuck Day. A second audit is now being made by an independent auditor as required by the University and the NCAA. Al Heagy, 83, died on April 1, 1990. The first "Al Heagy Scholarship Award" was presented at the April Banquet to soccer star, Dominic Feltham, a 3.6 GPA student.