Ann Geer
was elected President of the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of New
York,
on July 16, 2011 at the Department Convention, held in Binghamton, New York,
for the year 2011 - 2012
Inauguration
Speech:
Election to
the office of Department President of the American Legion Auxiliary is a
great honor. Thank you one and all for your support and thank you for
placing your trust in me as your president for the coming year. No one can
achieve this office alone. The members of the Sixth District and Otsego
County have been great supporters and friends. They have encouraged and
helped me all along the way. Thank you all so much for your help,
encouragement and friendship. I want to especially recognize Jean Yaro and
Peggy Nelson, both good friends. Thank you both for all that you have done
to help me and thanks for your friendship. And thank you to Mary Lou
Platt, my friend, my mentor and my sponsor. Honey you’ve been such a huge
help to me and a wonderful friend. You listened, you told me what you
though even when I didn’t want to hear it, you steered me in the right
direction, and you came up with great ideas. Thank you so much, my friend.
My
family is here today, sitting in the front row, and I’m so happy to see
them here. Thanks to all of you for your love and support and thanks for
coming. It means everything to me. We all have our own directions in my
family. We are all so busy and our schedules never seem to match.
Sometimes it’s hard to get together but when we do it’s always something
very special and I keep it in my heart. So I ask you all to keep me in
your prayers this year and please know that I’ll miss you. I miss my Dad
today. He was a wonderful father and he loved all of us very much. I’m
sure he’s watching and I know that he is very proud of me. I also have
some friends from Unadilla here as well and I thank you for coming today.
Being elected President is not just an honor for me. It is a very
humbling experience as well. As I climbed the rungs of the leadership
ladder I came to realize very quickly that successful leadership in the
Auxiliary depends on the work of the grass roots members, the unit
members. And it has caused me to remember that I am a unit member first
and foremost. I began my Auxiliary involvement as a unit member when I
joined the American Legion Auxiliary 29 years ago in Unadilla. I am a unit
member today and I will always be a unit member. Everyone in the American
Legion Auxiliary is a unit member, a grassroots member. There is no rank
among us. We are all equal in membership, equal in purpose and equal in
service. We accomplish our work at the grassroots level, working in our
communities, serving our veterans and our children It IS who we are. It IS
what we do.
The
installation today was a little different. It emphasized the importance of
each member. At least I hope it did. Unit membership is the most important
level of membership in our organization. It is critical to our success. We
must never forget that we are grass roots members and that we are all
important to the success of the American Legion Family.
Yet, there are those within our organization, who have stated that the
American Legion Family is dying. That it is no longer relevant, that our
members are aging, that we do not keep pace with the times and that we
have not stepped forward to the future. Are you one of those people? Take
a moment and think about it. Be honest with yourself. I’ll bet that all of
us, if we’re honest about it, can say that we have had similar thoughts,
at least once. It isn’t true!
We
just need to adjust our attitude.
That
is what we will be working toward this year ---
We
will “cultivate a New Attitude.” We will dream, believe and succeed at it.
On August
28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial and he proclaimed “I have a dream.” Well, we all have dreams. And
I have a dream for the American Legion Family. My dream is of a great
organization that opens its doors and welcomes all members. I dream of a
civil and accepting group that sees every member as valuable. I dream of
an Auxiliary that does not tolerate negativity and an organization
that embraces change. I believe that we will succeed in being the best
American Legion Family that we can be. I believe in that dream and I know
that we will succeed in that mission of greatness. I believe that every
member is important, that every member brings something special to the
American Legion Family. So let’s “Cultivate a new attitude.” Let’s plant
the seeds of change, let’s dream, believe, and succeed in it. That is our
goal for this coming year. We will “cultivate a new attitude.” I hope that
you dream of it too and that you believe in it. We will succeed at it. I’m
sure of that. A sunflower will be symbolic of our greatness and our
potential for growth. A sunflower is the most impressive flower in the
garden. It stands head and shoulders above the rest, it turns its face to
the warming sun and it nourishes the creatures of nature. It’s the perfect
reminder of what we can achieve. So let’s “Cultivate a New Attitude –
Dream, Believe and Succeed.”
Thank you for your
attention this morning. I thank you once again for your support and
confidence. I vow that I will work to the best of my ability for the
American Legion Auxiliary, for our veterans, our children and our
communities.
Biography of the Dept. President
Unit: Ann joined Joyce-Bell Unit 578 in
Otsego
County in 1981, through the eligibility of her husband Stephen, a Viet Nam
era veteran. She immediately became active in her unit and county. Ann was
elected Unit President in 1982, attended her first Department Convention
in Syracuse that same year, and she was hooked. She went on to serve as
the Unit President for 6 years.
County:
Ann was elected County President, and served in that capacity from 1988 to
1990 and again in 1994 through 1996. She has held all major committees and
offices at the unit and county level. In 2004 Ann transferred her
membership to Oneonta Unit 259, Otsego County. She is currently serving as
the unit secretary and as the unit and county historian. Ann is active in
committee work and has been awarded the Kathryn O. Johnson Plaque for Best
County Empire Girls State Orientation and Florence Wright Plaque for the
Best County Legislative Program. She also participated in the County Color
Guard and is very proud of their first place trophies received at the
Department Convention.
District:
At the
district level, Ann served as District Membership Chairman, District
Chaplain and Color Guard captain. In 2003 she was elected Sixth District
President. She has also been the Sixth District representative on the
Department Convention Resolutions and Constitution and By-Laws committees
several times. While District President, it was her pleasure to chair the
Department Legislative Committee, earning the National Award for Best
Department Legislative Program.
Department:
In
2005 Ann chaired the Department Education Committee, receiving the
National Award for Outstanding Department Education Program and in 2007
she was asked to chair the National Security Committee receiving the
National Award that year for the Outstanding Department National Security
Program. While serving as National Security Chairman she was assigned to
work on the committee that developed the Warrior Family Assistance
Program. In 2008 she once again chaired the Legislative Committee and
received a National Award. Ann is a Certified Leadership Instructor, a
member of the Legislative Council and has been a House Mother at Empire
Girls State, 2009 being her fifth year. She is a member of Broome County
Salon 8 and 40, The American Legion Press Association and has been active
in fund raising for the Child Welfare Foundation, as a CAT. She has
attended the Awareness Assembly in Washington DC and American Legion Hill
Day a number of times. Veteran and legislative issues are a passion for
her and Ann has spent hundreds of hours visiting with legislative aids,
congressman and state officials on behalf of veterans. In 2010-2011 Ann
chaired Children and Youth and Warriors' Family Assistance. This past year
she served as Membership Chairman.
Personal &
Professional Life:
Ann
has lived in Unadilla for 30 years and is active in the community. She is
a founding member of the Recreation Commission, which established a
community athletic field. She is active in the Sidney Community Band,
playing clarinet; is an Academic Team volunteer at Unatego High School;
and has served on the Unadilla Community Foundation Board. In addition she
has been an Odyssey of the Mind coach, guiding her fifth grade teams to
first place in regional competition twice. Ann is retired from education
after 20 years, but still works as a substitute teacher and tutor. Ann is
co-owner of David's Art Den, assisting her artist son with art shows and
exhibitions. Ann has two grown children: Peter, a computer program
designer, residing in Brockport and David, artist, living in Unadilla.
Dept. Pres. |
Dept._Pres_Project |
Dept. 1st Vice | Dept.
2nd Vice | Dept. 3rd Vice
Dept. Secretary/Treasurer |
Dept. Commander | Detachment
Commander
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