T
ASBO moved into their offices
on South Congress Avenue
in 1999. Just like we do at
home, we accumulated volumes of “stuff” that had to be sorted
through and decided upon – “Have
we used it since 1999? If not, let’s
purge it ….”
One of the unexpected pleasures of
the move was to the opportunity to
pack old board agendas and browse
through photos from long ago. I truly
learned and developed an even deeper appreciation for TASBO.
For instance, the first effort to formalize a School Business Manager’s
organization took place on November 29, 1946 in Houston ISD. There
were only six people present – Joe B.
McNiel, Assistant Superintendent at
Wichita Falls; H.S. Brannen, Director of Custodians and Engineers at
Houston ISD; Bryan Adams, Secretary Business Manager at Dallas
ISD; O.C. Chandler, Assistant Superintendent at Orange ISD; Cecil Collins, Business Manager at Beaumont
ISD; and, Frank Austin, Business
Manager at Port Arthur ISD.
One of the unexpected
pleasures of the move was
to the opportunity to pack
old board agendas and
browse through photos from
long ago. I truly learned and
developed an even deeper
appreciation for TASBO.
Included with the minutes was a
handwritten note about stories
appearing in the New York Times
(which was 3¢) on that date – the
United Mine Workers were on strike
and had to eat meatloaf (one of my
favorite things), the United Nations
was in the process of selecting a site,
and a 7” cut of Prime Rib was 57¢/
lb. Interestingly, televisions were being advertised for sale for $1,500.
I wondered why Mr. McNiel traveled
so far to attend the meeting with his
colleagues in Houston- but I’m glad
he did as he was elected chairman
TASBO.ORG
of the organizational committee.
Before the meeting ended, they had
renamed themselves the Texas Association of School Business Officials
and the rest is history.
In 1953, the attendance had grown
to 26 members from across the
state. The group met in Dallas and
discussed a variety of topics including “Public Relations and the
School Business Official”. The basis
of a sound public relations program
included -
FROM THE DIRECTOR
MOVING
NOTES:
BLASTS FROM
THE PAST
TRACY GINSBURG, ED.D.
TASBO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
1. Courtesy
2. Understanding of the other
fellow – listen - get the facts
– weigh – decide – act – and
follow-up
3. A sincere desire to be helpful
4. Practice good business, fulfill
the business of your job
5. Yet be firm
6. Operate completely within
the limits of your duties
TASBO continued to meet annually around Thanksgiving time until
1958, when TASBO began to conduct
two business meetings each year.
Conferences didn’t look that different
from conferences today – there were
keynote speakers, breakout sessions
and vendor demonstrations.
TASBO continued to grow and at
the Annual Meeting in March, 1961,
the143 members present approved
the first certification program. Surprisingly, it was not a unanimous
vote.
Other interesting tidbits I picked up
while packing boxes –
•
In 1968, TASBO sold bow
ties on the Exhibit Hall floor
to defray the cost of the
meeting.
•
The Board of Directors expanded from six to the current nine members in 1972.
•
A resolution was adopted in
1972 indicating that TASBO
members should actively
continued on page 6
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