USS John W Weeks Association Bylaws and Constitution

Article I Name

The name of the Association is the USS JOHN W WEEKS DD 701 (“the Association”.

Article II Status

The Association is a nonprofit, volunteer membership organization.

Article III Purpose

The purpose of the Association is to maintain and promote a strong cohesive organization comprised of shipmates who have served on board USS JOHN W WEEKS DD 701 and shipmates who may serve on board any future vessel named USS JOHN W WEEKS.  Our goal is to foster the spirit of goodwill among its members and afford opportunities for communication, enjoyment, companionship, recreation, and involvement, to perpetuate the comradeship developed among men who have served in the United States Navy and to preserve the ships' prominent place in history.

Other purposes include serving as the focal point for preservation of U.S. Naval ships and artifacts, especially those relating to the same class of Warship as the USS JOHN W WEEKS DD 701 and any future naval ships holding the same name. In addition, to increase the awareness of and appreciate the sacrifices made, the ordeals endured, and the services rendered by Destroyermen of WWII, Korea, The Cold War and Vietnam.

 Article IV Membership

Hal Gross who served on the USS JOHN W WEEKS during World War II established the Association in 1986.  Membership is open to all personnel, officer and enlisted, who have served on board the USS JOHN W WEEKS DD 701.  Moreover, any persons serving aboard any future vessel named USS JOHN W WEEKS are eligible for membership as Regular Members.  Wives, widows, and family members of persons eligible for regular membership are welcome and eligible for membership as Associate Members.

Membership in the Association may require that an annual donation, in an amount as may be prescribed by the vote of the Membership, be paid prior to the annual meeting.  Widows and family members are exempted and will be enrolled if so desired at no cost.  In addition, Regular Members that cannot afford to pay annual donations are exempted and will be enrolled at no cost as long as the member notifies the Association’s President or Treasurer. 

Monies collected from donations shall be used for the purposes of furthering the work of the Association, publishing and mailing The Leaky Weeks Almanac (“the Almanac”), supporting the internet web site, and such other Association business as may be determined by the general membership and /or the Executive Committee.

Article V Newsletter and Website

The Almanac will be published once each quarter and at such additional times as the Executive Committee may deem appropriate.  Distribution shall be made to all Regular Members, Widows of deceased members, and such others, as the Executive Committee may deem appropriate.  Distribution will be suspended to any Regular Member or Associate Member, excepting widows of Regular Members, if their annual donations have not been paid by the annual meeting and approved by the Executive Committee.  If the suspended Regular or Associate Member pays the current year’s expected donation after notice of suspension, they will be reinstated into The Association with full voting privileges.  The preferred method of distribution shall be by posting on the Association website; however, those members wishing to have a paper copy may do so by notifying the Editor of the Newsletter.

In addition to the Almanac, the Association shall maintain a web site in order to disseminate information to members and nonmembers.  The website shall be updated each month and at such additional times as may deem appropriate.  The internet website shall be www.ussjwweeks701.org.

Article VI Reunion and Annual Meeting

A reunion of the Association Membership shall be held each year in September, or some other date as voted on by the membership at the annual meeting.  A poll shall be taken to determine the Regular Member’s preference for the site of the next year’s reunion. 

An annual business meeting of the Association’s Regular Members shall be held in conjunction with the annual reunion.  The purpose of this meeting is to act on such matters as may be presented.  Except as specified elsewhere in these articles, the majority vote of those Regular Members in attendance shall determine passage of the matter under consideration.  The order of business in the annual meeting shall be as follows:

Welcome and “The Pledge of Allegiance” Acknowledgement of new members and members of each era Remembrance of deceased shipmate Reading of minutes of the previous meeting President's Report Treasurer's Report Reading of Correspondence Unfinished Business New Business Nomination of Officers Election of Officers Adjournment

Article VII Association Fiscal Year and Financial Report

The Association’s Fiscal Year shall start each September 1 of the current year and shall end each August 31 of the following year. 

The Treasurer shall prepare a Fiscal Year end Financial Report (“Report”, see Attachment 1) prior to each annual meeting, submit the Report to the President for his approval and present to the Association the Report at the Association’s Annual Reunion.

The Fiscal Year End Report shall be published in the first issue of the Association’s Almanac after the annual reunion.

Article VIII Elected Officers and Executive Committee

The officers of the Association are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and three Directors that are elected by the Regular Membership.  The positions of the Editor and Web Master shall serve in an advisory position to the Executive Committee.  The Editor or Web Master, if a Regular Member, may also hold another office.  The officers are all volunteers and receive no pay.  To ensure continuity of the elected officers and executive committee, the term of office shall be:

President:                  3 years

Vice President:           3 years

Treasurer:                  4 years

Secretary:                  3years

Director One:             4 years

Director Two              3 years

Director Three            2 years

There are no limitations to the number of terms. 

The office of President Emeritus is a lifetime non-elected honorary position assigned to the founder (Hal Gross) of the Association.  The position is a non-Executive Committee position.

The Executive Committee of the Association shall be comprised of the elected officers.  The Executive Committee shall act for the general membership between the annual meetings.  In the conduct of said business, virtual meetings consisting of mail, telephone and email or combinations thereof will suffice in place of physical attendance at one location.  Should one individual hold multiple offices, his influence in Executive Committee deliberations shall be as a single individual.

The President of the Association shall appoint a Chaplain, Member Locator, Newsletter Editor, and Web Master.  Members of the Executive Committee of the Association may hold these positions.

The Fiscal Year End Report shall be published in the first issue of the Association’s Almanac after the annual reunion.

Article IX Duties of Officers

The President shall:

Act as head of the Association. Chair the annual business meeting. Chair Executive Committee meetings. Appoint, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee: replacements for elected officers if required and such committees/chairs as appropriate. Maintain and distribute, as appropriate, listings of active and deceased Regular and/or Associate members. Send a letter of welcome and copy of the Association Almanac to potential members. The President shall notify the Chaplain of any deceased and/or ill member. The President, with the help of Regular members and/or outside reunion organizers, shall evaluate and select the hotel facilities, arrange for the banquet and ceremonies, setup and stock the hospitality suite, arrange for the display of the Association artifacts, and arrange optional tours and activities. With the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint two members attending the reunion, to audit the financial records of the Association and report their findings to the President and Treasurer before the business meeting.  

 The Vice President shall:

In the absence of the President, chair the annual business meeting. In the event the President is unable to permanently continue his duties, automatically assume the office of President for the balance of the term.

 The Treasurer shall:

Maintain records of all financial transactions and full accountability of the Association's funds. Receive donations, maintain, and distribute to the President, as appropriate, listings of members who have paid donations. Pay/reimburse those legitimate costs to the Association upon receipt of billings. Submit a copy of the Association's bank statement and a quarterly financial statement to the President. Submit for President's approval prior to presentation the annual Financial Statement to be presented at each Annual Meeting.  The financial records shall be audited by the Officers and Directors at the annual meeting.  Maintain accountability of the Association funds for each fiscal year. 

 The Secretary shall:

Keep a record of all proceedings of all meetings. Coordinate with the President to insure an accurate record of Executive Committee electronic meeting procedures. Initiate and answer correspondence as required. Maintain meeting attendance records.

The Directors shall:

1.     Appoint any officer vacancies.

2.     Oversee the operation of the Association.

3.     Perform other duties as assigned by the President.

The Editor of the Almanac shall:

Be appointed by the President and with approval of the Executive Committee. Collect and edit material, print and distribute the Almanac each quarter and such additional times as the Executive Committee shall deem appropriate. In conjunction with the Web Master, shall be in charge of the collection of information of a historical nature of the Association and shall help the Web Master disseminate this information to the members and to the public.

 The Webmaster Shall:

Be appointed by the President and with approval of the Executive Committee. Maintain a listing of publications and Internet web sites that disseminate ship associations/reunion schedule information and ensure the Association's listed data are current Be listed in various publications and Internet web sites and act as initial point of contact for potential members. In conjunction with the Editor of the Almanac, collect and disseminate information of a historical nature concerning the Association.

 The Chaplain Shall:

1.    Be the primary point of contact for notification of illness/death of any Association Member or the Member’s immediate family.  In addition, he shall keep the Association informed regarding the illness or death.  He shall send appropriate get well, condolence or sympathy cards on behalf of the Association.

2.    At the Reunion, or if required at any other Association event conduct the devotional and memorial services.  He shall read the names of those shipmates who have died since the last Reunion.

3.    Offer the invocation at the annual Business Meeting Breakfast and Reunion Banquet.

   The Locator Shall:

1.    Have the responsibility of locating shipmates not currently on the active roster.

2.    Inform the located shipmates of the Association and the time and place of the next Reunion.

3.    Maintain an up to date membership list (name, city and state) and have it posted on the Association’s Website. 

4.    Inform the Treasurer upon locating missing shipmates. 

Article X Removal of an Elected Officer

If an Elected officer fails to properly fulfill the requirements and obligations of his office or if he were charged with fraudulent conduct, the situation shall be brought before the Executive Committee for investigation.  The Executive Committee, through the President, shall notify the accused officer and afford him the opportunity to offer testimony/evidence to disprove the allegations.  Should the testimony/evidence or subsequent performance not support continuance in office, the President, with concurrence of the remaining members of the Executive Committee, shall remove that officer from office.  The President, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a replacement to serve the remaining portion of his term.  If the President is the object of the allegations, the Vice President shall chair the Executive Committee procedures.

Article XI Effective Date

These Articles shall be presented for adoption at the 2006 annual meeting.  If approved by two thirds or more of the Regular Members in attendance, these articles will become effective at that time.  That fact and the vote count will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Article XII Changes and Amendment

Upon approval of these Articles, the Articles of Bylaws and Constitution may be amended at any subsequent annual meeting if a majority of the Regular Members in attendance approve such amendment.

All proposed amendment(s) and reasons therefore shall be submitted to the President or Executive Committee up to sixty days prior to the annual meeting.  These proposed amendment(s) shall be published on the Association’s web site 45 days prior to the annual meeting and each Regular Member shall receive a copy of these proposed amendment(s) upon their registration at the annual meeting.

All proposed amendment(s) shall be voted upon at the business meeting of the annual reunion.

Rev 8  Nov 14, 2006