Bergall Association By Laws

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BY-LAWS OF THE BERGALL ASSOCIATION

Article I - MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to all active duty military personnel, reservists, and contractors who were assigned to duty or rode on one of the Bergall Submarines in an official status, this includes immediate relatives and significant associates who meet the requirements of one of the following Bergall Association membership classifications. All Members will be provided a lapel pin, membership card, and a certificate of membership.

1. Full Membership
Full Membership is open to all submarine qualified armed forces personnel who were assigned to duty or rode in an official status on any USS Bergall pre-commissioning crew or during it’s service as a commissioned United States Navy Vessel. The applicant must not have been disqualified for administrative or judicial reasons nor have caused discredit to the submarine community. This includes personnel who served in temporary status and those who shifted status to other services or who performed duties on a submarine from other services or organizations.

2. Associate membership will be accepted for those persons who have significantly contributed to submarine services. The Associate member shall have the same rights and privileges as a regular member except that the Associate member may not vote or hold office. For a person to be eligible for Associate Membership, he must have had a long-term involvement in submarine activities and have made a significant contribution to the field, be a direct family member or close friend of a submariner eligible for full membership. Associate members must be voted in by a majority vote of the Full Members as defined in Article I item 8.

3. Honorary membership is conferred by nomination from and acceptance by members qualified as Full Members. Nomination for Honorary Membership must be submitted in writing to the officers of the association and must pass a vote of the Full Members in good standing by at least a two-thirds majority of the Full Members who vote as defined in Article I item 8. Honorary membership shall be reserved for those individuals, not otherwise qualified for membership, who have been responsible for the furtherance of the Bergall Associations goals or have been active in the submarine community. Honorary members will be provided a lapel pin, membership card, and a certificate of membership without fee. Honorary members shall not be allowed to vote in Bergall Association elections or hold office. Honorary Life memberships shall be provided for all applicants/members who qualify for full membership and are Bergall combat patrol veterans. Honorary Life Members will be provided a lapel pin, membership card, and a certificate of membership without fee for life. Honorary Life Members shall be afforded all rights due a Full Member.

5. Life Membership shall be open to any Full Member upon payment of prescribed lifetime membership dues, as prescribed in the following table. and will remain in effect the life of the member or terminated under article 7 below. Life Life Membership fees will be assessed as follows:

Note: Life Membership fees are based on applicants age at time of application.

Age Lifetime Fee

Less than 30 Years                                           $175
More than 31 but less than 40Years                 $150
More than 41 but less than 50Years                $125
More than 51 but less than 60Years                 $100
More than 61 but less than 70Years                 $75
More than 71 but less than 80Years                 $50
80 years or older                                                $30

One of two (2) methods must be used to pay for life membership:

· Payment may be made to the Bergall Treasurer by check, or money order in full, with printed application form.

· Installment Plan: Divides the life membership fee into quarterly payments. An initial installment (1/4 of the total fee), can be sent to the Bergall Treasurer with printed application form. The Bergall Treasurer will notify the Secretary to bill the member each quarter for the remaining three payments.

Life membership will commence upon acceptance of the prescribed life membership fee and remain in effect the life of the member or terminated under article 7 below.

6. Allied membership shall be open to any allied country counterpart of the U.S. Navy Submarine Force serving on an ex-Bergall Submarine. Allied membership shall have all benefits of a Full Member with the exception of voting privileges and holding office.

7. Application for membership shall be made in writing to the Bergall Association Secretary by completion and submittal of a membership application and submittal of required dues to the Treasurer. All applications may be subject to review and screening by the Bergall Association officers and board to determine qualification under any of the Bergall Association Membership Classifications. termination of a member in the association may be submitted by written petition signed by at least twenty members. The petition must include a detailed statement as to the alleged reason termination is requested. This matter will be voted on only after the member identified in the petition has been notified and allowed thirty days to submit a rebuttal. The Charges and Rebuttal must be posted on the Website for 30 days prior to seeking a Full Membership Vote. A simple majority vote conducted as set forth under Article I item 8 by the Full Members of the association will result in termination..

8. Voting for membership application (Article1 items 2,3) or termination (Article 1 item 7) will be by United States Postal Service Mailings. To be counted the Secretary must receive votes within twenty - one (21) days of posting of the required ballot by the secretary. Pluralities used to determine issues as set forth in Article 1 items 2,3 and 7 will be based upon the total number of replies received by the Secretary in the prescribed time frame.

9. Meetings

a. Annual
Annual meetings will be held in conjunction with the Bergall Association Annual reunion. Six months prior to each reunion date as established by a majority vote of the Bergall Association Officers, the President will assign a committee to nominate a site. After approval by a majority of members voting as prescribed in Article 1 item 8, the committee will make detailed arrangements for executing the annual meeting and convention. The annual meeting will be the forum for establishing goals and objectives and election of officers for the following year. The site for the Bergall Reunion for the following year will also be determined.

b. Annual Meeting Quorum
Those Full Members present in body shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.

c. Proxy Voting
Members may vote by proxy only if a properly executed and signed request is received by an officer of the association prior to the appointed time of a meeting receives a signed request.

Article II OBJECTIVES

1. To benefit all active duty military personnel, reservists, and contractors who were assigned to duty or rode in an official status one of the Bergall Submarines, this includes immediate relatives.

2. To promote an awareness within the Department of the Navy of the need for excellence within the submarine force.

3. To provide to the Department of the Navy (Submarine Community) a source of views and perceptions which are available upon request for examination of requirements and needs pertaining to submarine operations.

4. To promote professionalism within the ranks of active submariners, make recommendations to the Submarine Force Commanders in the areas of operability and training, and to provide a volunteer core of specialist to the Navy for specific tasking.

Article III. Officers

1. An election will be held annually to elect officers of the Bergall Association. . The Association will put up the following nominees for election annually with prior consent of the nominees. For president—the sitting Vice President. For Secretary--- the setting secretary, For Treasurer--- the sitting Treasurer. Nominations for any office will be accepted from the floor. Special elections may be conducted when an office is vacated prior to a scheduled election.

2. President - The President will:

        a. administer the affairs of the association subject to the policy guidance of the by-laws and votes of the membership.
        b. formulate and implement procedures, programs and directives to carry out the policies of the association.
        c. recommend new policies to the membership.
        d. disburse the funds of the association and contract for services and supplies as are necessary for proper operation of the association subject to the supervision of the other officers.

3. Vice President - The Vice-President serves as the President during a Presidents temporary absence or unavailability. The Vice-President shall exercise all authority and accept all responsibilities of the President when legally acting as President The Vice President shall be responsible to the President for the execution and conduct of all procedures, programs and directives to carry out the policies of the association as assigned by the president.

4. Secretary - The Secretary will:

                a. keep or cause to be kept, the minutes of all meetings of the association.
                b. keep or cause to be kept, the roster of all members of the association and status of dues paid.
                c. act as keeper of official records and the seal of the association.

5. Treasurer - The Treasurer will:

a. collect the funds of the association and cause them to be deposited to the prescribed account.
b. act as the comptroller of all financial matters for the association and shall monitor the expenditures of the president and make recommendations to the president and membership on budgetary matters.

Article IV - INSIGNIA

1. The association's insignia is posted on the Bergall website.

Article V - AMENDMENTS

1. Resolutions for amendments to these articles shall be adopted by a quorum of the membership when submitted, posted for 30 days on the website, voted upon as prescribed in Article I item 8, and approved by a Majority.

Article VI - DUES

1. Annual dues will be set at the annual meeting each year.

2. Dues to be paid initially with application submitted to the secretary and annually prior to August 31st to the treasurer.

Article VII - EFFECTIVE DATE

1. The effective date for the Bergall Association initial charter and by-laws Rev. A shall be - as voted by the Full Members of the association and signed by the elected officers of the association.

We, the undersigned, being the duly elected officials of the Bergall Association, do hereby certify that the foregoing amended by-laws of this association have been adopted by a quorum vote of the membership and set our signatures to this document the 7th day of September 2006

________________________
Richard L Fiske President:

Abe Kern, , Secretary

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