Should we be ashamed of what little we have done? Is the recent history of The Augustan Society one of bitterly small successes?
I think not. Recall that in the half-dozen years since our reorganization, we have published two volumes of ''The [[Augustan Omnibus]]'', two dozen issue of ''[[Augustæum]]'', registered three dozen armorial achievements, replaced an embarrassing, half-finished web site with a strong and dramatic web presence, added a working online store, launched two social media sites, begun the work of cataloging our [[Library]] collection, and continued the 40-year work of the [[Descents from Antiquity Study Group|Descents from Antiquity]]. We have improved our [[By-Laws]], simplified our structure, codified our procedures, standardized our forms, greatly strengthened our financial position, and placed a number of wise and dedicated members on our [[Board|Board of Directors]] and on the various committees.
These are no small achievements. They will not just serve us well as we address the challenges of the future, they are necessary prerequisites. They have been possible in part because we stood upon the shoulders of giants—and not just one. While [[Founder|Rodney Hartwell]] deservedly gets the lion’s share of the credit, there are hundreds of other members who have each made their contribution to the whole, and to whom we also owe our thanks. Remember that we now stand among them, and will be judged according to our works.