Two Views of Convention '85 Highlights

Abstract

Color the eleventh annual AFA Convention in San Francisco green! Conventioneers were greeted by a coterie of professional-looking volunteers in smart-looking green jackets, manning the information table, the registration desk, and the AFA sales-store. As an extra gesture of hospitality, these ''gophers and chauffers'' also managed to make thirty-three trips to the airport to pick up more than 50 speakers and AFA officers. Directing this awesome green machine was Convention Chairman Jim Coffman, who ensured a first-class production at the Cathedral Hill Hotel.

Everyone was green with envy to learn that it was someone else who had won the automobile, the trip to Australia, and the pair of blue (not green) Indian ringneck parakeets, which constituted the cop three raffle prizes.

Greenbacks were spent in profusion at the AFA Commercial Exhibit Hall, where many fantastic bird-related items were for sale-original art work and photographs, beautiful cages and aviaries, and a collection of birds, not commonly seen, including Jaynee Salen's new pied mutation of the Indian ringnecks and the most recent cockatiel mutations.

The green light was given to a brand new set of officers to head AFA for the next year: Jerry Jennings was elected president; Don Cavender and Ray Rudisill were elected first and second vice-president respectively, while Hubert Morris and Lorene Clubb ran unopposed for their positions of Chief Financial Officer and Executive Secretary.

Lee Phillips, president for the past two years, was warmly applauded at every opportunity for her green thumb in helping AFA grow stronger in spite of the threat of unfriendly legislation in the eyes of governmental agencies, conservation organizations, the pet industry, and, most importantly, the aviculturists.

This year's convention schedule was designed for the greenhorn as well as for the indecisive regular. The convention planners added one more day of speakers and had one speaker per hour. Time was provided for an extended question and answer period in an adjacent area following the discussion so as not to interfere with the...

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