I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the Centennial Planning Committee for all of the hard work they have done over the past three years.  During this time we have had face to face meetings at the annual conferences in Reno and Milwaukee plus the almost monthly conference calls.  Each committee member has made many significant contributions to this committee and to the association through their service on this committee.  The following will just highlight a few of those contributions:

• Don Bower for his initial effort in setting up this committee while AAFCS President and his continuing to serve on the committee after his term as president.  He spearheaded the Second Century of Helping - A Family & Consumer Sciences Service Project.  To date this project has recorded almost 18,000 volunteer hours back to our communities.  He came up with and developed the idea of "Recalling Our Calling" as a special Centennial Celebration Project to help create an audiovisual record of historical information from FCS professionals. 
• Shirley Hastings for her leadership and work with the Tennessee Local Arrangements Committee in planning for our centennial celebration in Knoxville in June.  We are all looking forward to the special celebration that the Annual Meeting Committee and Tennesses has planned for us.
• Jennie Kitching for her wisdom and history of the organization.  She was very helpful in identifying the projects that we would undertake over the two year celebration.
• Peggy Meszaros for her leadership in setting up the Centennial Scholars Research Endowment Fund.  This fund is designed provide seed money to stimulate new research by new professionals in the field of family and consumer sciences.
• Joyce Miles (aka Ellen Swallow Richards).  Joyce's commitments of time and resources to the celebration of the Centennial have been countless.  Her work on the two DVD's on Ellen Richards, her travels to numerous affiliates to bring Ellen to life and her never ending work on the Centennial Campaign are greatly appreciated.
• Martha Nall has provided leadership to the selection (and getting it here) of the centennial commemorative gift for attendees at the 2009 AAFCS Annual Conference.  She also assumed the leadership in the planning of the reunions at the Knoxville meeting.
• Janet Phillips has been invaluable in helping us identify those items that should go to the AAFCS archives at Cornell.  She also served as secretary of the committee.
• Genevieve Schroeder is our resident historian.  Her countless hours of research and compiling of these materials for use throughout the celebration have been very helpful.
• Dixie Crase and Sue Buck have worked with the committee as liaisons from the board over the three years.  A special thank you to Sue for her work with the Wisconsin Local Arrangement Committee last year as we prepared the Centennial kick-off in Milwaukee.
• Carolyn Jackson and Gwynn Mason have been our staff liaisons and have given freely of their time for conference calls, to answer questions and to provide us with great ideas over the years.

There are many others too numerous to mention who have served on subcommittees and assisted in the many centennial related projects and activities.  I sincerely thank each of you for your many contributions.

Nominated by:  Sue H. Whitaker

    Centennial Planning Committee Chair