I’m sure you’ve read this letter by President Lincoln:

To Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Mass.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five (5) sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Over the years I’ve seen so many people in our profession that sacrifice their time and money for the advancement of our profession and to keep you informed.  This society is here to help the members by informing them, keeping them up to speed with legislative actions, advancements in technology and so many other issues at hand today.

The next time you see an officer of your chapter, I encourage you to thank them for their tireless service.

We are blessed to have a great organization and great volunteers to fuel it.  An organization is only as strong as its membership and volunteers.

Again, I would like to promote the 2023 the FIG (International Federation of Surveyors, Fédération Internationale des Géomètres Internationale Vereiningung der Vermessungsingenieure) working week will be held in Orlando, Florida. It was established in 1878 by seven national members associations. The mission of FIG is to ensure that the disciplines of surveying and all who practice them meet the needs of the markets and communities they serve.  FIG aims at addressing land issues at the global level. The cover 120 counties and represent more than 300,000 members. They consider surveying in a much broader spectrum than we do in the states.

We need to be informed on the legislation about our profession in the political world.  I’ve asked Jack Breed to add a section in the Florida Surveyor to keep you informed. We need to keep ahead of the political machine and the best way to do that is with your donations to the PAC fund.  The old Fram oil filter commercial said “You can pay a small amount for a good oil filter now, or, if you don't, you'll pay much more later when your car breaks down.”