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Annual ACAP Meeting
“Glad I Was There”

ACAP Honorary Presidents, past and present, participated with their spouses in the AGM

Left: Former President John Lakatos presents a Certificate to Frank Nagle Right: Members of the ACAP enyojing the meeting

Members of the ACAP enyojing the meeting

2006 Board of Directors with Outgoing President Lakatos

Incoming President John Park presents plaque to John Lakatos in recognition of his distinguished service

Honorary ACAP Presidents “passing the baton”

ACAP's 2006 Extraordinary & Annual General Meetings, were hosted by ACAP's new Honorary President, Ambassador J. Curtis and Struble and his wife, Susan, on January 24th. These meetings were a prelude to a delightful cocktail, where the 40-plus members present chatted during some two hours on the patio of the Embassy residence over hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

Ambassador Struble offered welcoming remarks only minutes following his return home from Tarapoto, where he had inaugurated the new Tarapoto-Juanjui highway with President Toledo. The comments by ACAP's outgoing Honourary President, Canadian Ambassador Genevieve des Rivieres, included her admiration for President Lakatos' abilities to run a meeting and her thoughts - on this day following Canadian national elections - on the importance of cooperation between the American and Canadian communities in Peru, at both official and non-official levels.

Outgoing President John Lakatos presented his annual report, and then asked Connie Estrada of the Donations and Welfare Committee to report on the good works of her committee. Treasurer Tom Findley then presented his report that ACAP finances are sound despite net losses during the period. The Annual Picnic, the Newsletter and membership dues were the Association's primary sources of income in 2005.

The election of new officers was without surprises: as there were no nominations from the floor, the official slate of candidates was elected unanimously by a voice vote. The officers for the remainder of 2006 are:

President: John Park
Vice President: Jim Louttit
Treasurer: Tom Findley
Directors: Richard Ajello, Sara Costa, Connie Estrada, David Jesson, Alan La Rue, Bonnie Ludwick, Frank Nagle, Shad Prashad and Marcel Tratner.

Outgoing President Lakatos presented Certificates for Distinguished Service on behalf of the Association during 2004 to three groups of individuals: retiring members of the Board of Directors, members who generously shared their homes for ACAP events throughout the year, and regular writers for the ACAP Newsletter. Incoming President John Park then presented a certificate and plaque to John Lakatos for his nearly three years of distinguished service as the ACAP President.

President John Park then spoke briefly to the membership. Acknowledging that outgoing President Lakatos “had left some very big shoes to fill,” he pledged to seek more events for the membership, while making little change from the good work of his predecessor.

At the Extraordinary General Meeting held prior to the Annual General Meeting, the Association's By-Laws were modified, by an overwhelming 39-1 vote by the members present, to further broaden the eligibility criteria for associate members of ACAP to include a) university graduates of a recognized college/university in the USA or Canada, and b) persons who can demonstrate significant work, educational, cultural or personal ties to the USA or Canada.

This measure will further open ACAP associate membership. (Associate members have all the rights of active members, but cannot vote or be on the Board of Directors). At the previous EGM, associate membership criteria were broadened to include c) citizens of a country where one of the official languages is English, d) management-level employees of local business/enterprise that is affiliated with a company having headquarters in the USA or Canada, e) veterans of the armed forces of the USA or Canada, and f) widows, widowers or children of deceased citizens of the USA or Canada.

This was the first AGM to be held in January, and future “Board Years” will correspond to the calendar year. This will offer future Boards ample time to prepare for the annual July picnic. And the outdoor meeting on a rainy January evening offered members a special treat: a full rainbow came out in the midst of John Lakatos' annual president's report. Now that's something you don't see very often in Lima!

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