Presidential Letter
March 27, 2001
Dear Colleague and IFPE Member,
It is now that time of the year to pull out your check book or credit card and renew your annual membership with IFPE!
I know this is a time when most of you are inundated with membership renewal letters from all the other organizations you probably belong to, and for many it is no doubt one of those soul-searching moments when you wonder whether membership in this or that organization is warranted or necessary. I also have a similar experience, but I am writing to ask that you make a special place in your heart to continue your membership with us.
Last year we celebrated our eleventh anniversary at our annual interdisciplinary conference in Chicago. For those of you who were unable to attend, the sentiment about the conference was extraordinary. The quality of the papers presented, the enthusiasm with which the audience engaged the speakers, and the wonderful backdrop of dynamic Chicago all conspired to make this conference a typical IFPE experience. The attendance of 160 set a new record for the number of people participating, in this case at the beautifully restored Palmer House Hilton Hotel. This year our annual conference will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the luxurious Lago Mar Resort and Club. For those of you who attended our last conference in Florida at the Boca Raton Resort in 1996, you will recall the wonderful tropical setting and atmosphere that a resort location affords. This time we have opted for a more intimate, but no less luxurious resort that will give IFPE virtual run of the house, so we will not be competing with or bothered by other conferences while we are there, a hazard of modern conference organization. Every room is a one-bedroom suite and we have negotiated the amazing price of only $135 per night, in season.
The conference will be held the first weekend in November when the weather in Florida is perfect and the cold is beginning to set in on the Eastern Seaboard. You have probably already received the call-for-papers that was recently mailed to you announcing the Florida conference; the theme for this year's program is "Psychoanalysis and Culture." The Hans W. Loewald Memorial Award Recipient and Keynote speaker is the esteemed psychoanalytic historian, Paul Roazen. We have taken special pains this year to finding ways to enhance your experience at our annual conferences, including increased opportunities for social time together. Some of the highlights of this year's conference program, for example, will include a Saturday evening dinner open to all conference attendees; we will also be featuring video film events in the evenings. These are only some of the innovations we are planning as a way to include your participation throughout the weekend and to facilitate informal opportunities to congregate with friends and colleagues. I hope you will make every effort to attend the conference and enjoy the delights of southern Florida with us.
I know that many of you are unable to attend the conferences every year and if this is true in your case I hope you will elect to continue your membership with IFPE as a way of staying in touch and keeping abreast of our activities. IFPE's website is continuing to expand and offers more to our membership by enhancing opportunities for communication with other IFPE members throughout the year, including our new website Newsletter that will feature articles submitted by our membership and other articles of interest. (Anyone interested in submitting articles or messages of local color please contact the Editor of IFPE's e-newsletter, William MacGillivray, at DrMacG@BellSouth.net).
Please take this opportunity to renew your membership now. You can now pay for your membership dues with a credit card, either by emailing or faxing the information to our Administrator, Lisa Pagliaro (or by telephone (203) 736-0214 or snail mail to 86 Tomlinson Road - Seymour, CT 06483), for your added convenience. You may also renew your membership on our website.
If for any reason you want to discuss your membership status with either myself or Rosemary Frederick, the Chair of our Membership Committee, please feel free to contact us at any time. You may contact Rosemary via email at 73643.3473@compuserve.com and me at michaelguy@aol.com.
Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any suggestions as to how we can make your membership with IFPE even more rewarding! A membership form is included in this letter for your convenience. Please renew your membership today and continue your investment in our future.
For those of you who can make it, I look forward to seeing you in Ft. Lauderdale. In any case, I hope you will always feel free to contact me at any time to share any concerns, complaints, or suggestions you may have about IFPE.
You may contact me by mail at:
2196 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123;
by telephone at: 415-346-0409
by fax at: 510-524-4646
or via e-mail at: michaelguy@aol.com
Best wishes,
Michael Guy Thompson, Ph.D.
President
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