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Upon
moving to Tucson from Illinois, Jerry C. and Les E. met Ray E.
They became good friends and also became disenchanted with some concepts
of the previous group to which they belonged. After thinking about
"retiring," Ray was the motivator who said,
"Tucson needs a group for gay men."
At that point the three of them turned to other friends who could
represent each decade of age for broader input as a steering committee.
Jerry did not want a decision making role, but offered to
handle public relations. Les offered to publish a newsletter, and has
continued to do so.
The first steering committee consisted of Glenn E. (20's), Les E.
(30's), John B. (40's), Ray E. (50's) and Don R. (60's and up). Ray
served as the first chairperson. The purpose of the group was to
be a social,
not political, organization. An informal structure
has been maintained since most did not want to have an overly structured
group. The steering committee members choose their own
replacements. This prevents the group from being politicized.
It was designed to be an alternative to the bar and so, to avoid legal
problems, no alcohol would be served at any MSN events. The committee
decided if there were sixty members at the end of the
first year, it would be considered to be successful. There were
forty-five in attendance at the first potluck in March 1995, held at the
Cornerstone Fellowship Church social hall, which we rapidly
outgrew. There were 150 at the end of the first year. We now have over
300 members and Don S. serves as our chair. We extend our thanks to all
of the members and visitors who have made the
organization so successful. Most new members join as a result of
word-of-mouth advertising, Wingspan referrals, and The Observer. It has
been a special delight to see new people in Tucson find an
instant social family through MSN.
(The above was written and edited November 5th, 2002 by Les Elliott)
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