''Consul Bruce A. Metcalf, OAE''
I keep a file of quotations. Some to use in ''[[Augustæum]]'', but most for personal inspiration. This year’s address will consist of a number of those quotations, with my remarks on how they seem to bear on our Society.
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."<br>
Not all that we do will bear fruit during our term of office, perhaps not during our lifetimes. But it is incumbent upon us to make a beginning; indeed, to make many beginnings, as not all programs will bear fruit. But it is certain that none will bear fruit unplanted.
"Think so big that you can't do it alone, so big you can't do it this year, this decade or even in your lifetime. Have a dream worth dreaming."<br>
We must do the simple and obvious things to keep us ahead of the near future; budget planning, our new web sites, new technologies … and most particularly, developing those who will succeed us in our offices.
But we must also be willing to embark on large, long-term projects. We need projects with the potential to keep the attention of our members, and we need large achievements to garner the attention of the world, or at least our segment of it. In this category of large projects I place our [[Online Public Access Catalog|Library Catalog]], our budding books program, the [[Rose Training Program]], [[Descents from Antiquity Study Group|Descents from Antiquity]], the ''The [[Augustan Society Roll of Arms]]'', and others yet unimagined. What shall those projects be?
"Don’t do anything that others can do or will do when there is so much of importance to be done that others cannot or will not do."<br>
Well then, “What is it that only The Augustan Society can do? What is it that only The Augustan Society will do? And what can The Augustan Society do better than anyone else?”
We have a unique position in the world, especially in the United States, as a champion of the continuity of history — — and history as a guidepost to contemporary life, not as a collection of irrelevant antiquities or a list of dates and kings. We are uniquely qualified to present the lessons of history and the other Augustan subjects to the modern world, and to serve as a vital part of the modern world.
I propose that our primary focus should be to expand our educational offerings. The [[Knights Training Program]] is a good example of this. We need to develop similar programs for the study of Royalty & Nobility which show how these concepts remain relevant. We need to develop a Heraldic training program, perhaps based on the previous program which led to the designation of [[Certified HeraldistHeraldists]]. We need a [[History]] program that does more than shine a light on ancient times, but shows how history can illuminate the present. And it’s not too soon to begin plans for the development of [[Museum]] exhibits—perhaps traveling exhibits to extend our reach beyond whatever headquarters [[Headquarters]] we might establish. [Note: The Museum has since been discontinued and the collection is in the process of being disposed of.]
We must also invent new programs, new tools to assist the researcher. We have made small steps in this direction with our list of [[Recognized Orders of Chivalry]] (and Organizations of a Chivalric Nature); we have proposed a list of ''[[fontes honorum]]Recognized ''Fontes Honorum'']]; and there may well be many other tools of this sort we are uniquely qualified to develop. In every field but genealogy—which is now well attended by commercial enterprises—scholars will benefit from the organized reference material we could assemble.
Also needed are new ways to bring together our members, and others who share our interests. In the coming decades, this looks to be an issue of technology.
"Technology is for the purpose of us. We are not for the purpose of technology."<br>
We cannot afford to hie off after every New Thing, but we must work to avoid being left behind as culture moves on. This may be a difficult task for Augustans, whose median age is now 64. But we “old dogs” must learn new tricks if they are to attract “young dogs” to join our company. There are members (and potential members) far younger than us who must be brought in to provide that younger perspective, if not the very skills needed to get the most out of these new tools.
"Do not let yourselves be discouraged or embittered by the smallness of the success you are likely to achieve in trying to make life better. ... But, if you make life ever so little better, you will have done splendidly, and your lives will have been worthwhile."<br>
I don’t think there’s much doubt that the Society—since its beginning, and since the move to Florida—has had a positive impact on the antiquarian world, and upon our members and clients. Take a measure of pride in this, and let it inspire you to continue the good work.
"You got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there."<br>
This isn’t the only long-range plan that needs attention, but it is one that will kill the Society if it is not attended to in time. This is an immediate challenge, not one that can be put off until the next decade. We must begin at once to address it—either by developing new sources of revenue or by adjusting our goals and activities.
"To equal a predecessor, one must have twice their worth."<br>
— Baltasar Gracian, Jesuit writer and philosopher (1601–1658)
It is good to remember that I am not [[Founder|Rodney]]. I would think this patently obvious, but there are some in Society office who seem to think I am. They are surprised when I lack some essential skill, or when I resist accepting additional duties when I cannot keep up with those already assigned. Perhaps my self-imposed limit of working only 20 hours/week for the Society (at less than a nickel per hour) disappoints them.
Unless we undertake a massive rewrite of the Society’s [[By-Laws]], this is not going to be a one-man show. The By-Laws provide that the Board of Directors are in charge, despite the occasional unwillingness of some [[Directors]] to take part. Be advised that one may not safely assume that, “Bruce will take care of it,” for in many cases I cannot and increasingly I shall not. Know too that I will be holding your toes to the coals to see that necessary things are done.
"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems."<br>
— Scott Adams, cartoonist and author (b. 1947)
I am an engineer by training and inclination. Some Directors have complained that I am always coming up with new ideas, creating new problems, and obliging the [[Board ]] or Committee Chairmen to deal with them. This is not only my nature, but also my job as I understand it. I must advise all to get used to it, or get someone else!
I do not believe that I am inventing imaginary problems or chasing phantoms. I will grant that I am at times working years ahead, trying to prevent problems long before they occur, striving to avoid problems the Society has had in the past, and working hard to be ready for growth when it comes. I think that also comes with the job, and I will not apologize for it.
"Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions."<br>
The actions I pursue and the attitudes I sometimes display are the result of my own forty-year experience in the Society, and in the management and operation of other non-profit (and for-profit) organizations. They are the result of my conviction that the Society is an important body, which addresses topics of permanent importance to civilization, and the virtue of whose members I have found to be well worthy of my contributions.
"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."<br>