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Date:         Fri, 1 Jan 1993 16:15:50 -0500
From:         Christine Marton <cmarton@EPAS.UTORONTO.CA>
Subject:      Re: SEDS Alumni Directory (fwd)

I am forwarding Bob Summerghill's message to SEDS-L as requested.
For the record, I would like to settle who founded SEDS-Canada once
and for all.   Bob Richards INTRODUCED SEDS to some currently existing
chapters e.g. U of T, Marc Garneau.  Other chapters were founded by
students who heard of SEDS from their travels in the States, while
still others were founded by existing Canadian chapters.
In 1988 I attempted to form the organization currently known as
SEDS-Canada by getting representatives from York U., U of T, and MGCI
together, and by inviting student CASI (Canadian Aeronautics and Space
Institute - the organization of aerospace engineers in Canada) to form
join CASI_SEDS chapters.   However, due to lack of interest nothing
happened.   IN 1992 I repeated the same effort with the help of Peter
White.  In September, MGCI, York, U of T, and O'Neill chapters sat
down and formed an executive council.   I wrote the constitution and a
Canadian version of the Starter Kit, for the purpose of 1) getting
charitable organization status from the Canadian government
2) recruiting new chapters at high schools and universities.
So far, a new chapter in Nova Scotia and Alberta has been formed.
In conclusion, SEDS-Canada was founded bythe 1992 Executive Council,
composed of members from Canadian SEDS chapters, while SEDS as a
concept was introduced to Canada by several people, including Bob Richards.
For those not interested in Canadian SEDS politics, sorry to have bored
you to tears.
Christine Marton

Forwarded message:
> From @gwuvm.gwu.edu:XE605C@GWUVM.BITNET  Tue Dec 29 14:28:52 1992
> Message-Id: <9212291928.AA24611@epas.utoronto.ca>
> Date:         Tue, 29 Dec 92 13:30:32 EDT
> From: Bob Summersgill <XE605C@gwuvm.gwu.edu>
> Subject:      Re: SEDS Alumni Directory
> To: Christine Marton <cmarton>
> In-Reply-To:  Your message of Wed, 23 Dec 1992 15:17:31 -0500
>
> On Wed, 23 Dec 1992 15:17:31 -0500 you said:
> >Corrections/additions:
> >
> >Bob Richards is not the founder of SEDSCanada.  The organization of
> >Canadian SEDS chapters was founded in 1992 by Peter White and myself.
> >He did introduce SEDS to several Canadian universities in the 80s and
> >is one of the original co-founder of SEDS itself.
> >Christine Marton
>
> >alumni U of T, York U.
> >92 Executive Council Education Coordinator
> >
>
> Bob Richards was at Cornell University in the early eighties when he teamed
> up with Peter and Todd (MIT and GWU respectively).  SEDS was already
> established for as much as it counts when he joined.  The three of them
> went to Unispace '82 in Switzerland organized by David Webb.  There they
> met Arthur C. Clarke.  When Bob left Cornell he supposedly started SEDS
> Canada, which may have been little more than introducing SEDS to a few
> Canadian Universities.  In (as I recall) 1983 Bob took the title
> "Secretary General of SEDS International", a non-existent entity and a
> position previously held by Todd.  Todd took Peter's title/job of SEDS
> Nation Chairman (SEDS-USA) and Peter took the title/job of Alumni Board
> President, a board devised by Todd to move Peter out of the Chairman
> position.  The largely artificial (but chock-full of important sounding
> titles) division of SEDS into SEDS Canada and SEDS USA was a result,
> by and large of making sure that Peter, Todd and Bob all had suffiently
> ego stroking titles and responsibilities.
>
> In 84/85/86 when I was active, Bob got credit for the formation of
> SEDS Canada, which I think was a non-entity, but several SEDS chapters
> were started in Canada in parallel with SEDS USA.  Bob made a comment
> to me in 1985 about the appropiate size of the Canadian organization
> being one tenth the size of the US organization which reflects the
> population of the two countries.  I'm not sure if was speaking of
> the Young Astronauts (of which we were both involved at the time, as
> well as Todd who was my boss.), SEDS or both.
>
> It seems likely that the best thing is to credit Bob with forming the
> first Chapters in Canada and giving SEDS Canada credit to Peter White
> and Christine Marton.
>
>
> - Bob Summersgill         |  If we can put a man on the moon, why can't
>   XE605C @ GWUVM.GWU.EDU  |  we put a man on the moon? -- Bill Engfer
>
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