Charles Lagerbom, APS Membership Chair, writes:

Hello from the coast of Maine. The weather is turning colder, fall is falling away and winter will soon be upon us here in northern New England. That means it is renewal time for APS members whose membership is set to expire at the end of December. Last month, we sent out over 350 renewal notices and, as of this writing, we have received almost two hundred responses. That is encouraging since this is the first renewal notice at the new $25-peryear membership rate. A few of our members have passed away this year, and only a handful of members have chosen not to renew. So our membership roster remains strong.

We have also been hearing from some members (particularly those overseas) that mail delivery of The Polar Times is sporadic or worse. The APS membership center works to ensure that all members receive their issues in a timely manner, but we do ask that you communicate with us also in a timely manner. To hear from a member who says they have not received an issue in over two years is not helpful, especially when we try to replace any missing issues. As a general rule of thumb, if you have not received the January issue by the end of February, contact us. If you have not received the July issue by the end of August, contact us. Please do not wait too long since we do not keep many back issues on hand.

As always, I appreciate the timely renewals and address change updates. I also really enjoy hearing from our many members around the country and world. Please contact the membership center at the email or regular mail address below if you have any questions, comments or concerns. I consider it an honor to be your membership chair. Thank you for your time.