November brings us one of our most sacred national holidays during which we honor all of those who have served our country in the armed services. Without the brave and selfless commitment of these heroes to the preservation of the United States, our way of life would simply not exist. We must never forget and never fail to appreciate what the cost of freedom is and must always hold our highest regards for those who have paid that price on the behalf of their fellow citizens.

In that spirit, this month we are honoring one of our past Presidents of the Society who served with distinction in the U.S. Army in addition to his storied career in surveying. In March of 2019, I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd International Congress on Surveying, Cadastral and Geospatial Sciences in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. 

A gentleman there whose name has slipped my mind asked me if I knew Buddy Bannerman. He recounted that at a conference in the early 80s, Buddy was speaking on the importance of professional societies and unity of surveyors. He took a single tall wood stake and broke it easily over his knee, saying that alone, we are easily defeated. He then lifted a bundle of said stakes, noting that together those stakes are strong and cannot be easily broken.

Buddy’s demonstration from some 35 years ago definitely made an impression that is still reverberating for the gentleman I spoke with in Puerto Rico. Buddy’s words from that distant date are no less pertinent now than they were originally.

Expanding upon that topic, I’d like to encourage our licensee members to begin bringing one or more non-licensed employees to their chapter meetings if they are not already doing so. Having only a small subset of the members of our profession attend our meetings functions more like a clique than a Society. 

If we want to be developing the next generation of licensees and improving the understanding of people who are happy as career technicians, we must engage them in the conversations and issues that matter. Making non-licensees feel valued is an important part of what will keep them inspired to grow and excel.

The work of surveying and mapping requires the efforts of many people beyond the licensees. Creating a better environment to support the development of non-licensees is necessary to keep the profession thriving. 

The Panhandle Chapter made strides in this direction with the “Party Chief’s School” that they hosted last year. For 4 hours on a Friday night and 4 hours on Saturday morning over a 4-week period, local licensees rotated in teaching specific subjects to a group of local chiefs. Some areas of knowledge are difficult to develop solely with on-the-job training, and a different approach is necessary to produce greater understanding. 

In short, if we want more, then we must invest more, but thoughtful investment will pay valuable dividends. Bring a non-licensee to your next chapter meeting!

Until next month, stay safe!