Back In The Day, Part 24 - Managing The Mountains

Warning:  The following account contains a wee bit of ‘The Tootin’ Of Me Own Horn’.  It’s not really an attempt at self-aggrandizement, but the story related herein is of substantial relevance to the on-going history of Skywatchers/ROMAR.

Also, since I don’t even own a horn to toot, I am compelled to borrow the use of someone else’s…

By early1978, I was becoming increasingly concerned with the diminishing level of model rocketry activity along the Colorado Front Range.  Skywatchers model rocket club had dwindled down to just a handful of active members, the Pueblo Association of Rocketry (PAR) had folded a couple of years back, the Rapirhawks had disappeared, and there was no activity to speak of out of Denver.

I still maintained membership in the NAR, but there was absolutely no other Association presence in the vicinity.

Being an idealistic twenty-two year old man at the time, I wrote to NAR headquarters to inquire if there was anything that could be done about the situation, lamenting that it was a shame there was nothing going on in the place where the hobby of model rocketry virtually began.

Someone at HQ listened, and it wasn't long before I received a letter from a Mr.Tom Hoelle, the then-acting Director of Section Activities.  Mr. Hoelle asked if I would be interested in volunteering for the position of Mountain States Region Manager!

I gleefully accepted and soon received an official letter dated March 11, 1978 from Tom, appointing me to the post for a two year term.

The first thing I did as Region Manager was to write to NAR HQ to request a list of current Mountain States Region members, along with their contact info.

With this list in hand, I drafted an introductory letter and sent a signed copy to each member scattered throughout the region, encouraging them to write back and describe the state of affairs in their respective areas.  I also floated the idea of organizing a sanctioned regional contest meet.

The response was overwhelming!  My mailbox began filling up with letters from all over the region.  All of the responders indicated that they were the sole practitioners of the hobby in their locales. As suspected, there were no organized clubs anywhere in the region.  All of these rocketeers were  'lone wolves', flying on their own or with a friend or two.

Several members expressed their astonishment and delight at having been contacted by a 'real NAR official'!  And, yes, they would love to see a regional contest!

I still have every one of these letters ensconced in a large binder as part of my vast model rocketry library.

Ultimately, this outpouring of letter communication eventually led to a major revival of NAR activity in the Mountain States Region.  Within two years we saw the formation of three vibrant NAR sections, including a rebirth of ROMAR, and a series of highly successful annual regional meets.

These will be described in upcoming posts.

OK. I'm done tootin' the horn, now.....