University Club   New York City

Business Meeting Minutes

President Donelson Manley called the meeting to order at 8:05 a.m. on Sunday, March 29, 2015.

 Manley reported on the COHS executive committee meeting that morning.  He announced that Chris Leffler is our new treasurer, a position mandated by our status as a nonprofit organization.  The treasury is in good shape. 

The nominating committee recommended Pamela Sieving for president; the report was seconded, and approved unanimously.

Wendy Gasch’s term on the executive committee was up at the end of 2014; she is replaced on the committee by Chris Leffler.

 Report on membership:  Robert Drews has requested that he no longer be a member, as has Shawn Murphy.  Andrew Ferry has not responded to messages, nor has Jay Enoch.  There were no new candidates for membership.

 Manley displayed new membership cards, which Ira Eliasoph had designed and donated. 

 Manley also reported on the Web site; Eliasoph has been serving as an informal editor for the content.  Manley thanked the membership for their ideas and constructive criticism on the Website.  Harry Mark suggested a limit on the number of words in abstracts, a firm deadline for the final form and corrections after submission, to ease the work of maintaining the abstract section of the Web site. 

 George Bohigian offered thanks to Celeste and Don Manley for their leadership and hard worked; he presented a plaque to them, and a book to Wendy Gasch in recognition of her service on the executive committee.

 Charles Letocha  brought up the topic of a journal for the history of ophthalmology.  Jean-Paul Wayenborgh has already begun a new journal, with Andrzej Grzybowski as editor: Historia Ophthalmologica Internationalis.   Several other COHS members serve on the editorial board. 

 The 2016 meeting will be convened by Robert Feibel, and held in St. Louis, April 15-17, 2016.  Feibel presented a slide show introducing the meeting.   Mark Mannis will be the 2016 Snyder lecturer.  The 2017 meeting will be convened by John Gittinger in Boston; dates are yet to be set.  Curtis Margo is considering the opportunity to convene the 2018 meeting in Tampa or St. Petersburg.

 Guest Andreas Mettenleiter of Würzburg thanked the members for the invitation to our 2015 meeting, noted the similarities of interests with the Hirschberg Gesellschaft in Germany, and raised the possibility of a joint meeting.

 A plaque and expression of thanks was made to Danny Jokl, convenor of the 2015 meeting. 

 Jenny Benjamin announced changes in the Cogan Society archives at the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Museum of Vision.

 The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 a.m.

 Minutes taken by Pamela C. Sieving