The NASG Story: A History (part 5; conclusion)
by Bob Jackson
GOING IT ALONE
We left the NASG story at the point where the old NASG, along with the $3 Lifetime Membership, was moldering in the ditch along the roadside. The Mail Traveling Circuits had been cast adrift. The NASG, inc., minted anew, had emerged penny-bright and ready to travel new roads.
Although the constitution and the organizational format of NASG Inc. were formally approved by the membership at the Memorial Day weekend convention in 1976, the NASG had already begun the transition to its new status earlier in that year. The title of General Director had been dropped in favor of President. Beneath the President was an Executive Vice President and three Regional Vice Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, The con-ventioneers also formally approved the following slate of officers which had been announced in the Jan. - Feb. S Gauge Herald :
| President | Ed Schumacher |
| Executive VP | Dick Cataldi |
| Eastern VP | Allan Craig |
| Central VP | Gale Hall |
| Pacific VP | Ed Loizeaux |
| Treasurer | Jack McGarry |
| Secretary | Dick Rosenbaum |
These then were the first officers of the newly formed NASG Inc. Formal elections were scheduled to be held early in 1977. Mail ballots were sent at the end of April to all registered paid-up members of the NASG Inc. The results were reported in the Sept-Oct. S Gauge Herald. With the exception of Jack McGarry, the appointed slate won election to their respective offices. McGarry was a naval officer, and at the time was up for an extended tour of sea duty which would have precluded his active involvement. Therefore, he withdrew from consideration, and Bill Oertly was elected Treasurer instead.
During the eleven months between the Constitutional Convention and the election, the cost of restructuring the NASG became apparent. Many of those for whom the Mail Traveling Circuits were the very essence of the NASG (despite the sporadic low participation) simply could not countenance the formation of NASG Inc. One writer, commenting in the circuit directed by Len Giovannoli, said, "Well, I guess they don't need me, then I don't need them either." Others felt betrayed by the dropping of the lifetime memberships. A large percentage of the disaffected never joined the NASG Inc. Although accurate figures are not available, it appears that prior to incorporation the membership stood at something over 800. There was hope that, after restructuring, it would exceed 1000 by the end of 1976. It never made it. At the time the ballots were mailed out in April 1977 the paid-up membership numbered 165. The cost of incorporating was clearly measured in lost memberships.
Though painful and disappointing to those members who remained steadfast, in retrospect the severe membership loss can be seen as useful in the eventual development of the NASG. Clearly many of those who chose not to come along were the source of much of the contention that had characterized the debate over changing directions and especially over dropping the lifetime membership. Though there was to be plenty of argument in the future, it was in fact very helpful that the NASG Inc. did not have to deal with the same level of debate during those formative months. Moreover, communication with a smaller organization was easier and more affordable.
In a strange way Ed Schumacher was also a casualty of incorporation. Though he had led the struggle to reform the NASG, he had barely been elected President of the NASG Inc. when he announced his decision to resign. Ed had been at the helm for seven years, longer by far than any of his predecessors. He had early on enjoyed the success of a revitalized NASG, had instigated many changes, and on the whole had a highly successful tenure as General Director. Nevertheless, they had been highly stressful years and towards the end he was sounding tired and dispirited. Oddly enough he sounded a lot like Russ Mobley before him, worn down by controversy, dismayed by the apparent apathy, and wondering if anyone gave a damn. In any case, he had decided that it was time for others to take on the task of further development of the NASG.
Dick Cataldi, the Executive Vice President, was named Acting President. He simultaneously let it be known that he was a candidate for becoming permanent President. The Board of Trustees subsequently named him President by formal action taken at the beginning of 1978. He thus became the second President of the NASG Inc., and - curiously - the only one not elected by popular vote.
By now it is apparent to the reader that Dick Cataldi had been a major force in the evolution of the NASG for a number of years preceding incorporation. He was the guiding light in the development of the contest rules. He was also an important contributor to the development of the NASG standards, and he had been a strong member of the Constitutional Committee. Perhaps less well understood is the degree to which he set the tone and direction during Schumacher's reign. Ed referred to Cataldi as his good right hand, and with good reason. It was Dick who gave shape to the routine operations of the NASG. With the orderly mind of a trained engineer, he set about making the NASG function in a more straightforward and business-like manner. He continued this thrust during his brief tenure as Executive Vice President of NASG Inc. Many of the regular business matters as conducted today were first begun either by Cataldi or at his insistence. The annual reports begun in 1977 and the NASG newsletter (the forerunner of the DISPATCH ) were also the results of his efforts. It was thus only natural that the Board of Trustees should select him to be permanent President to fill out Schumacher's term.
Cataldi also deserves special credit for recruiting to the ranks of NASG leadership many of those individuals who have guided the course of the NASG Inc. during the 1980s. Rollain Mercier became Dick's Executive VP and later succeeded him as President. Ed Loizeaux, who succeeded Mercier to become the 1985-89 NASG President, filled the Pacific VP position which had been created at Dick's insistence. Cataldi says that he merely cast a broad net and took whoever was willing. Perhaps, but the generally high quality of the officers' commitment to the NASG during the eighties suggests that Cataldi had some particular abilities in judging people.
Of all the things for which Cataldi deserves credit, none was more important than developing an effective means of communicating with the membership. In the Nov.-Dec. 1977 S Gauge Herald probable that he did not realize how prophetic that statement was at the time. One year from the date of publication of the statement, the S Gauge Herald would forever cease publication, and with it would disappear the NASG column which for years had been the sole means would forever cease publication, and with it would disappear the NASG column which for years had been the sole means of regular communication with the NASG membership.
Prescient or not, Cataldi set about reducing NASG's dependence on the S Gauge Herald to be mailed independently to the membership. As Acting President, he continued this effort and announced that an NASG column would also appear in the S Gaugian. In point of fact, the NASG column did appear in the Jan.-Feb., March-April, and May-June 1979 issues of the S Gaugian, but by mutual consent it was not continued.
A further effort at more complete communications with the membership resulted in the "NASG Portfolio." This publication was to include all manner of information about the NASG: a membership roster, NASG standards, a financial statement, the constitution and by-laws, and the contest rules, as well as the annual report. It was to be mailed once yearly to the membership and to be given to each new member upon enrolling. The first "NASG Portfolio" appeared late in 1977 and included the first independently published and distributed Annual Report. The very handsome cover was designed by Ed Schumacher. Evidently the effort to produce the "NASG Portfolio" proved too great to sustain. The publication no longer is produced, although all of the items in its table of contents continue to be separately printed.
A newsletter had been discussed by the NASG for many years but had never been seriously considered, principally because the organization could never have afforded it before 1976. However, there were also many who felt either the Circuits or the S Gauge Herald or both together were an adequate means for communicating to the membership. Schumacher was among these. Partly because of cost and partly out of fealty to the S Gauge Herald, Ed was strongly opposed to the idea of a newsletter.
On the other side of the argument were those who pointed out that the S Gauge Herald was ill suited to communicating "corporate" sorts of information or for reaching the membership directly or for polling the membership on organizational matters. As for the Circuits, it was argued that they were narrowly and parochially focused and too erratic to be a reliable communications device.
Evidently, Cataldi concurred in the latter arguments, because upon being appointed Acting President he set in motion actions intended to develop a newsletter.
Dick himself prepared the very first newsletter with the help of his secretary, Kay Imbrie. It appeared with the date April 1, 1978. The second number appeared in August of that year, but by that time Cataldi had induced Bob Ristow (of Wisconsin Central Models) to take on the chore of editing the newsletter. Ristow shepherded the publication through four issues until Feb. 1979.
At that time, in a further demonstration of his ability to pick winners, Cataldi turned to Ernie Horr of the "Inland Empire S Gaugers Association of the Pacific Northwest" (IESGAPN). Ernie was editor of the IESGAPN's newsletter, and apparently Dick was impressed with the publication. After some thought Ernie agreed to take on the job. He felt that the newsletter should have a name and came up with "DISPATCH." Cataldi quickly concurred, and thus Ernie Horr was the first DISPATCH editor. The first issue was published in June 1979.
Ernie recalls that he had neither a budget nor any guidelines regarding the format or content of the new publication. Ernie had to pay all costs out-of-pocket and get reimbursed by sending a bill to Bill Oertly. To save postal costs, he tried to keep the weight of each issue under an ounce. At that time the DISPATCH had to be hand-addressed and sent to some 400 individuals. As if that were not chore enough, th had to be hand-addressed and sent to some 400 individuals. As if that were not chore enough, the entire newsletter was typed on a borrowed electric typewriter. The margins had to be set by carefully counting spaces. Some very tedious work was involved, a far cry from today's word processors,
An examination of those early DISPATCH dedication to the task. He surely set a high standard for all editors of the DISPATCH who followed him. In February 1981 he passed that legacy on to Geoff Graeber, who became the second editor of the DISPATCH.
The significance of the DISPATCH should not he overlooked. With its advent it became possible for the NASG to take the demise of the S Gauge Herald in stride. Though by no means intended to be a replacement for the Herald, the DISPATCH could and did serve as the official voice of the NASG, which, with the demise of the S Gauge Herald, was destined to become the voice of S gauge. Had there been no DISPATCH, the NASG would have had to invent one and might well have fatally floundered with no voice at all while it attempted to find one.
If, as some have suggested, Ed Schumacher is the father of NASG Inc., then surely Dick Cataldi is its mother. He nurtured the organization, taught it how to take care of itself, and helped it learn to speak. Thus, when Rollain Mercier took over the reigns in 1981, he had a fully -functional organization which could address the task of finding its place in the world of model railroading.
EPILOGUE
There was to have been one more section of the NASG history called "Modern Times." However, with this fifth chapter of the history of the NASG I have chosen to set aside my pen and cease my labors. My reason is a growing awareness that at some point history begins to co-mingle with daily experience. At that point it ceases being perceived as history and is thought of as more akin to peeping and prying. I don't know exactly where that point is, but I have the perception that as my conversations come closer to those presently guiding the efforts of the NASG there is a growing discomfort. I judge that it is not worth it to make the current leadership uncomfortable, and therefore I leave the story of the 1980s and '90s to some future scribe. I trust that to this point I have done an adequate job.
When I undertook the task I believed that I could knock it off in an evening or two and finish with a three-section article. Or, at worst, I would have to treat it as three short summary-type articles. I severely misjudged the richness of the history that is there despite the raggedness of the record. I became fascinated with the subject, and then my problem became where to draw the line since I clearly was not out to write a scholarly treatise. Perhaps the thing that fascinated me the most was trying to find the answer to why the NASG survived. It really should not have, yet it found a way to metamorphose into something that could. (Incidentally, when I ask this question of others, I frequently get an answer to why S gauge/scale survived. That is a very different though related question. The one should not be confused with the other.)
Cataldi told me that I would never get to the bottom of the question. He is probably right, but I am sure of one thing though. As I have pored over the record I have been struck by the sociology of the NASG. Though it is complex, and includes the sociology common to most minorities, the key to NASG's survival in the past and probably in the future is to be found in the way it has met the social needs of those of us in S gauge.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I now want to acknowledge a lot of help which I have received in writing these chapters: Dick Cataldi, Wally Collins, Barney Daehler, Bill Fraley, Len Giovanolli, Don Heimburger, Ernie Horr, Dick Karnes, Jim Kindraka, Ed Loizeaux, Russ Mobley, Ed Schumacher, Don Thompson, Frank Titman, Claud Wade, and Ron Whaley. If I have unintentionally overlooked anyone, I apologize.
Claud got things off to a great start by pawing through his records and spending a number of hours with me, providing life to the sterile data. I am particularly grateful for that. Russ likewise spent a lot of time, as did Ed Schumacher. While I never spoke directly to either of them, I did correspond repeatedly with both. They deserve special thanks. Both Ron Whaley and Barney l)aehler performed a particularly useful service in reflecting on the development of standards. Finally, I am particularly indebted to Dick Cataldi who served both as critic and counselor throughout the preparation of these chapters. He contributed materially to whatever quality I may have achieved. I owe you, Dick. Thanks.
Copyright (c) National Association of S Gaugers, Inc. All rights reserved.