The Presidential Address

Abstract

The Presidential Address by Perry Nodelaan You know the major events of the past year—the future planning retreat we all attended 1n October, the document that emerged from that meeting and that will be considered at today's meeting, the hiring of Marianne Gessner as ChLA's Executive Secretary. I take little credit for these Important actions: the retreat was arranged by Marda Shafer and directed by Penny Griffith, the document was engendered by everyone who attended the retreat, and the hiring of Marianne was an Initiative begun last year by Lois Kuznets and recommended by the Interim committee appointed at the retreat, Karen Nelson Hoyle and Virginia Wolf. Without the determination and effort of these five, nothing would have been accomplished, and I believe that ChLA survives today because of their efforts. I would Hke to record my personal gratitude, and recommend the board extend ChLA's official gratitude. Meanwhile, my experience this year as President has led me to the following conclusions: 1.After our earlier discussion about whether or not I was acting properly 1n sending a letter to Francella Butler (as suggested without objection at the end of the retreat) to Inform her that the future of ChLA's relationship with Children's Literature was being discussed, I found myself unable to make decisions about numerous other matters, many of some significance: I was unsure about what authority I had, and unwilling to make decisions that might get me Into further trouble. In effect, then, ChLA was without any significant leadership for a long period. I conclude , therefore, that the board needs to develop some clear guidelines 1n this area. Furthermore , considering the widespread geographical distribution of the board and executive, and the expense of contact by phone, I believe that those guidelines should provide the president with a significant amount of leeway. Otherwise, the organization will merely drift dangerously between board meetings as, 1n effect, H has this year. 2.I'm worried that so many of you responded negatively to the publishing 1n1t1tat1ves I asked you vote on, and that a number of you have expressed an unwillingness to vote or act on the future planning document without further extended consideration. As I look back, I realize that ChLA has embarked on no major new projects for some years now—and that many earlier projects (to name a few, revision of the constitution, the Uterary criticism curriculum, the graduate school committee, revision of the Touchstones pamphlet) are 1n abeyance. Attendance at our conferences has been getting smaller. We don't seem to be attracting new people committed to work for the organization and Hs goals, and old stalwarts are tired and dropping out. Put simply: we seem to have lost both our will to act and our energy. Meanwhile, other organizations now exist to fill the void that ChLA was first created 1n response to: the NCTE Children's Literature Assembly 1s pursuing strong Initiatives 1n developing a Uterary criticism curriculum, the MLA Children's Literature Division offers a prestigious forum for criticism, numerous conferences across the continent give the public wide access to children's authors and discussions of children's books. In my past year as president, I have come to believe that the future of ChLA 1s 1n serious jeopardy: 1f the board cannot find the will to act, and to act quickly and energetically , on the Initiatives proposed 1n the future planning document, then ChLA might well find Hself with little reason to continue to exist. 3.I understand why the most controversial Issue we have been forced to discuss this year, the relationship between ChLA and Children's Literature, has excited strong feelings. Nevertheless, I haven't found H easy to deal with the attacks on my Integrity and my character that this Issue has aroused. In response to these attacks, I take this opportunity to reaffirm publicly what I have said privately and what surely ought not to need to be said at all: that I have tried hard throughout this debate to represent what I see as being the best Interests of the organization and Hs members, even when those Interests have not matched my own...