BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2010

The 2010 Board of Directors had its first meeting on January 13th to begin the work of planning another spectacular year of GAMMA events and activities. The officers for GAMMA were elected as follows: President—Richard G., Vice President—Ned T., Secretary—Gerry O., and Treasurer—Brad R.

Kip S. will be heading up our Marketing & Membership Recruitment, and Reed M. will be coordinating our calendar and taking charge of our newsletter. David S. will handle GAMMA’s recreational activities including Game Night and Monthly Parties. As part of his duties, David will also be the board liaison for the Cribbage and Sheepshead coordinators.

Gerry O. will also be helping coordinate our sporting and outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, and outdoor sports. Ned T. will be working with our Dining Out hosts as well as the event managers for the Banquet, Annual Meeting, and Corn Roast.

I am also pleased to say that we’ve had a tremendous amount of support from non-board members. In fact, there are too many names to list here. Please see the complete listing on page 6 of this newsletter, and be sure to say ‘thanks’ to all the members who have stepped up to help GAMMA as board members and in so many other capacities.

GAMMA Archives

As you may already know, we are currently working to put together an electronic archive for GAMMA, including our newsletter GAMMA Rays. Once this is completed, all members will be able to look back over the past 30+ years of GAMMA's history. It's actually quite amazing to look back at the documents and newsletters from this long history and see how far GAMMA has come in all these years.

With the help of a few members I have been able to assemble a nearly complete collection of newsletters going back through the late 80s, with a scattering of earlier issues. But, we are still missing issues from many of the earlier years. If you have any of the issues of our newsletter from 1978 through the late 80’s we would greatly appreciate hearing from you. We will then make arrangements to borrow them from you long enough to scan them and get them back to you.

So, those of you who have been members for more than a couple of years need to go through the back of your closets, under your beds, in your attics, or where ever you may be storing your copies of the GAMMA newsletter from years gone by to see if you can help us out. I just know that you haven't been throwing these away, have you?

If you have any questions or would like more information about this project, please feel free to contact me by phone or email.

Richard G. 

Upcoming Events
Please click here for more details

FRONTRUNNERS
MILWAUKEE RUN/WALK
January 23, 30

dining out rsvp deadline
january 18

sheepshead
january 19

dining out
january 22

bridge night
january 25

What’s In A Name?

Some historical information about the name “GAMMA” and “GAMMA Rays” 

From a Press Release Announcing GAMMA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

“The name GAMMA has an interesting history.  In the early years the founders thought the group’s name should be like a college fraternity and decided on the name of “GAMMA Alpha” after the name of the Greek letter “Y.”  But surprisingly there is no “Y” in the Greek alphabet.  The acronym GAMMA was chosen.  The letters stood for Gay Athletic Milwaukee Men’s Association.  When the group was incorporated in August 1980 the word “Men’s” in GAMMA became “Metro” since women also became a part of the group.  GAMMA is no longer referred to as an acronym with any special meaning.

From a Winter 1980-1981 Membership Flyer

“An invitation to a Memorial Day 1979 volleyball tournament in Chicago provided the impetus for formation of the competitive volley ball team called GAMMA RAYS.  It has traveled to Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Columbus, Madison, and Minneapolis.  In 1980 GAMMA RAYS sent two teams to Chicago for the invitational tournament.”

From the April 1996 GAMMA Newsletter

“Get out your Jim Croce records and start singing, ‘cause WE GOT A NAME! At the March 12^th meeting, the Board was presented with a list of 16 potential names for the newsletter. The chosen one: GAMMA RAYS, which was first, submitted by member John S. Way to go, John! John wins a fabulous set of four genuine GAMMA crystal glasses! As it turns out, great minds really do think alike – Pat B. and Larry W. also sent in the same suggestion. And, although they don’t win a great prize like John does, we still appreciate their efforts. Thanks, guys! Now, for our next contest, the first 50 members to sponsor an event will get an even better prize…spiritual gratification."

Response from John S. on Why He Chose the Name (2008)

“I just started thinking of things I associated with the word GAMMA.  Gamma Rays was the first phrase that came to mind.  And since a newsletter sends out information…it is like the rays of the sun spreading good news.  That is what I thought of.”  

Newsletter Editor

Richard G. 

Many thanks to Todd for his dedication and hard work in putting our newsletter out for the past few years. The task of putting out such a quality newsletter is huge, and Todd’s creativity and hard work resulted in a spectacular newsletter than we can all be proud of.

I will be handling the newsletter as we transition to our new editor, Reed M., and I know that you’ll join me as I look forward to seeing the creativity and artistic flair that Reed will bring to our already wonderful newsletter.

If you have any information to submit for future editions of the GAMMA Rays, please send it to us via email. Contact Richard for the new email address for our newsletter.

We are always looking for content for the newsletter. Be creative and write a short article about an interest or current event. Share some poetry or writing with other members.  GAMMA Rays is YOUR newsletter, and we would love to have more members involved in developing content for it each month. 

Do You Have an Idea?

New Events!

Do you have an idea for a new event? Give it a try! Member hosted events are what makes GAMMA great. There may be others in GAMMA who might also enjoy the event that was your idea.

Many events that we think of as traditional GAMMA events, were once a members brainstorm. Whether your event turns out to be a small gathering of GAMMA friends, or group, it is sure to be enjoyed by all who attend.

Contact any Board Member to find a suitable date and then complete an event sheet for publication in a future newsletter. The Board Member directory can be found on page six of the November newsletter.

The success of GAMMA depends on members willing to create and host new events each month! 

Articles of Interest

What's Canasta

What's Euchre

Welcome to GAMMA!

Since November 1978, GAMMA has provided enjoyable activities.  From the first touch football game along the lakefront, with just a handful of members, to over 130 members today, GAMMA provides fun things to do.

Our major annual events include:  The Valentine’s Brunch, the July Fireworks Picnic, the September Picnic and Corn Roast, the Annual Banquet and Business Meeting, and the Holiday Party.  Our broad membership appreciates these gatherings as a way to visit and socialize with all of our members.

The Outdoors Stuff:  GAMMA offers cross country ski trips, day hikes, numerous camping events, and bike rides.  In some years we have had canoe trips, white water rafting, roller blading, our own Winter Fest and cruises across Lake Michigan.

Volleyball:  We started with occasional summer Sunday afternoon games at Bradford Beach.  We now offer indoor social play at the Beulah Brinton Center during the winter months, and outdoor social play during the summer months.  For the past several years, we have hosted the volleyball activity at PrideFest.

Indoor Events:  We have monthly events such as the Monthly Party, Dining Out, Sheepshead, and Game Night.  We’ve had Bowling and Movie Nights, as well as Barn Dances.

“We Just Want to Have Fun.”  As a club, we’re not into politics or religion.  There’s an important need at the end of a long day or week—kicking back with adult friends, or meeting new ones.

The People:  We have members from all walks of life and in all age groups. There are singles as well as couples and all participate is the various events. GAMMA is blessed with volunteer members who are willing to give of their time and energy to orchestrate all this stuff.  GAMMA has been a success because it continues to attract the kind of people who want to share their fun with others, and who are willing to do what it takes to make things happen.  COME JOIN US!

Please visit our Event Listing page and see all that GAMMA has to offer. Most of the events are open to non-members who wish to find out what GAMMA is all about - simply call or use our Contact Page for more information.