Report from Continuity Dinner 2011

• a General Meeting of the Section as required by our bylaws
• the forward looking announcement of the Distinguished Service Award winner
• a special announcement of a special award, the Salute to Excellence
• the Henry Godt Memorial Lecture given by a secret speaker
• the ceremonial passing of the book and gavel to the incoming chair

For the first time in three years, we had no Bylaw amendments to consider, and having already met for a General Meeting in the spring, we did not convene a General Meeting this night.

Alexa Serfis—former chair, many-termed Councilor, and winner this year of the Midwest Region’s Diversity Award—was honored as the Distinguished Service awardee. The award will be conferred officially at Recognition Night in March. But remember, you heard it here first.

Greg Wall made a guest appearance to accept his Salute to Excellence. The citation for the award alluded to his service to the Section and the community as liaison to the St Louis Science Center, where he has organized National Chemistry Week and other outreach events for lo! these many years. And also Earth Day. Don’t forget Earth Day.

With sly glances all around the room, Ted Gast finally rose to deliver the Henry Godt Memorial Lecture. Neither in prose nor poesy, Ted’s distinctly modern take on the most successful and significant Section events of 2011 was delivered in tweets, with much gnashing of hashtags and at-signs. You can read the transcript, but you will just have to imagine Ted’s impression of a browser displaying twitter.com.

And finally, Jeff Cornelius, grinning ear to ear, tagged Eric Bruton with the gavel, the Section book, A Century of Chemistry, and most significantly, the duties of Chair for 2012. The book has been signed by every Chair and many distinguished guests since 1973. Eric looks forward to signing and passing the book (buck?) a short year hence.

Meeting adjourned, and a happy year-end to all.