Kate Burke
U. of Virginia-Charlottesville

Marian Hampton
Past President
Illinois State University

Dudley Knight
UC-Irvine

BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange
President
Valparaiso University

Dorothy Runk Mennen
Founding President
Purdue University
Professor, Emerita

Janet Rodgers
President-Elect
Virginia Commonwealth U.

Sandra Shotwell
University of Utah

BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange
President
Department of Theatre
and Television Arts
Valparaiso, IN 46383-9024
219-464-5514

The President's Letter

"Let the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by." This song comes hauntingly to mind when I think of all VASTA has accomplished and planned during the last two years while I have been privileged to serve as President.

The following has occurred:

• Celebration of our Tenth Anniversary, supervised by Janet Rodgers

• Publication of The Vocal Vision, edited by Marian Hampton and Barbara Acker

• Development and Design of the VASTA Webpage by Eric Armstrong

• Development of the VASTA Professional Index

• Production of a joint national VASTA and ATME (Association of Theatre Movement Educators) conference by Kate DeVore

• Attendance and presentation at International conferences by our past and present Board members

• Promotion and Tenuring of a number of VASTA members

• Publication of and plans for texts and tapes by VASTA members

• Planning for the next ten years at the VASTA Board and Officers Retreat (Check out the organization of these plans in this issue.)

• Changing of the guard in VASTA's organizational structure
  Secretary: Bob Davis to Joan Melton
  Newsletter Editor: Susan Conover to Sandra Shotwell
  Newsletter Associate Editor: Sandra Shotwell to Craig Ferre
  VASTA programming at ATHE: Mandy Rees to Carolyn Blackinton
  International Liaison: Carol Pendergrast to Naomi Frenkel
  Clyde Vinson Memorial Award: Dennis Carlo Patella to Mary Irwin
  Board members: Barry Kur, Betty Moulton, Claudia Anderson to Dudley Knight, Janet Rodgers, Sandra Shotwell

What is so important about these events is that, for VASTA, this is not an unusual two years. All right, we don't celebrate a tenth anniversary every two years, participate in the publication of a book or produce a joint national conference, but the rest of that list is "business as usual" for VASTA. This organization has been and continues to be, both for its members and its colleague organizations, a harbinger and a mentor. Please thank those who have served VASTA and greet those who now step up to serve VASTA. Greet them with your congratulations, your ideas and your needs...at the San Antonio Confernce or by email, phone, snailmail or VASTAVOX - for which we gratefully thank Dudley Knight.

And as you read the plans, the visions which VASTA has for the future, step up yourself and offer to be a part of the circle in an active way. The plans have enough room for everyone to participate. You can change VASTA from a Broad driven organization into a member driven one. And thank you for allowing me to be a part of the circle.

Peace,

BettyAnn Leeseberg-Lange

© Copyright 1987-99 Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc.