We started our new feature last week with a SIG Spotlight, and continue today with our first Chapter Spotlight. Kicking off the chapter side of things for us is STC Rochester, with answers by chapter President Anne McNelis and the chapter council. A new weekly feature on STC’s Notebook, the Spotlight will consist of a series of questions—some informative, some entertaining, and others pure nonsense—that help readers get to know the STC community better.
When did the chapter originate?
The first meeting was February 27, 1958. The convener, Walt Slater, worked on getting organized all through the fall of 1957. Walt had come from Binghamton, where there was a chapter, an early instance of the Central New York Chapter.
How many members are in the chapter?
109.
Who makes up your chapter leadership?
We have a full Council: president, vice president/spectrum conference manager, treasurer, and secretary, as well as an elected program, membership, and education manager, and two elected nominating committee members. Our immediate past president heads the nominating committee. We also have committee managers appointed by the president, including the webmaster, newsletter editor, competitions manager, and archivist and awards manager.
Provide a one-sentence description of your chapter.
The Rochester Chapter is an extraordinary local professional organization, with top-notch programs and activities, that has maintained traditions while continually reinventing and renewing itself for 52 years.
What types of technical communicators are prevalent in your chapter?
Most of our members are technical writers, though they work in many types of industries. We also have usability and interactive design professionals, instructional developers, and librarians who focus on packaging information. There are likely other professions represented too.
Describe a generic chapter meeting for us.
Our meetings vary. Some are strictly for networking, often with an activity like a hunt for facts about members or a talent show. Others feature a speaker, usually after dinner. We meet in various locations and now meals are often ordered off a menu and paid for by the individuals, though we also use registration for some meetings and have the chapter pay the restaurant bill. We’re lucky in Rochester to have a good selection of local speakers, and also to have speakers who are visiting and willing to speak to the chapter while they’re in town.
What is the funniest thing you recall a member doing?
Lisa Moretto rode her unicycle and juggled at our winter holiday talent show.
What is the smartest thing you recall a member doing?
Our members have figured out that two people should share the role of vice president and spectrum conference manager. That way, one is almost certain to be able to become president and with luck, the other can co-chair spectrum two years in a row. The past presidents who did the job all alone showed their wisdom, too, because they endorsed this new way of doing things.
What’s the greatest exhibition of talent you recall?
One year a member gave a demonstration of percussion instruments at our holiday talent show. That was not only a memorable musical performance but great instruction too. Another member is a great leader and mentor, and very artistic in the way she dresses. She shares her talents in a YMCA program that helps women develop a suitable wardrobe to return to work. The late Paul Ferguson exhibited his incredible talent as a writer and editor as our newsletter editor for many years.
Brag a little bit, about anything you want.
Our chapter has the longest running technical publications competition in all of STC, and the longest running annual chapter conference (spectrum), held annually since 1960. We are able to hold these events every year with a continually self-renewing group of volunteers—new people join the teams all the time. We’re very fortunate, but we work hard at this too.
Is there a chapter that you consider sort of a “parent” chapter? Or maybe a sibling? How about a second cousin, once removed?
We’re the strongest chapter in upstate New York, because we have a geographic focus in a city with a large technology presence. The Niagara Frontier chapter was spun off from ours, but seems to be coming back to us. Central New York is older but hasn’t existed continually. We had a sister chapter relationship with the Sacramento Chapter for a while. We work a lot with the Toronto chapter, and would like to work with others.
If you had to pick one, what would your signature flower be?
It’s Rochester, so it has to be the lilac.
Any last comments or thoughts?
Many of us name the Rochester Chapter of STC as the most outstanding organization we have ever belonged to. We treasure our relationships with each other, all that we’ve learned from each other and our visiting speakers, and all the opportunities our chapter provides to work and learn together, to help fellow members, and to reach out and become involved in all of STC and the wider world of technical communication.