Recently I became a member of SORE(pronounced SOAR): Society for Old RockEteers, by virtue of the fact that I:
- started in model rocketry before 1970 ( 1967 actually) and
- attained the ripe old age of 50.
- was born before 1957 when Model Rocketry started
So to be a member you have to be at least 50 years old and have started in model rocketry before 1970. Why 1970 you say? well actually the cutoff date is 9/69 when Vern Estes finalized his sale of Estes Industries,Inc to Damon.
It doesn't cost anything to be a member of this sacred organization, other than that you have attained the above 3 mentioned requirements plus one more. As most of you truly "Old Rocketeers" know, we are the last of a dying breed. We were there at or almost the beginning of the hobby sport of model rocketry. Our numbers dwindle every year to us dying off. And nothing is being done to preserve our precious history. Sure there re a few sites up like Ninfinger and Ye Old Rocket Shoppe. There's the Old-timers Yahoo group that is much off topic as it is on topic.
Anyway.... The purpose of this post is to alert you to the fact that we, "Old Rocketeers", as guardians of the past history of model rocketry , are in danger of forever losing our precious past so that future generations of model rocketeers will never know what we helped to build.
So my 4th requirement for membership into SORE, would be to amend your WILL NOW such that all of your OLD model rocketry models, kits, magazines,catalogs,papers,motors,etc.. are donated to the Society of Old RockEteers. Since I expect most of us to die off over the next 20-30 years in the potentially thousands, all of the old memorabilia will be automatically be bequeathed to SORE; SORE's responsibility will be to collect and maintain at least 2 copies of everything that it may acquire. the first copy of the materials collected will go into the SORE National Model Rocketry Museum, to be built in Norfolk, Nebraska home of Orv H. Carlisle and his brother Robert Carlisle, the man who first had the idea for a model rocket and the person who actually made model rockets a reality.. The 2nd copy of everything would go into a heated and cooled humidity controlled warehouse as an backup archival collection.
If it becomes impossible to build an actual physical depository for our materials collected, then SORE would also create a members only and pay for view website for those that would like to browse through our collection of materials.
Obviously as thousands of us start dying off over the next 20-30 years, there will the occasions where SORE will accumulate multiple copies of documents such as catalogs, Model Rocket News, etc, so in that case, all collected ideas more than the 1st and 2nd copies will be auctioned off to the highest bidder on EBAY, with the proceeds going towards the National Model Rocket Museum and the archival warehouse facility.
Membership into SORE is an invitation ONLY membership. In other words, unless you can meet the above 4 mentioned membership requirements, you cannot be a member, although at a later date for people who are interested in preserving our model rocketry history may be able to join as associate, non-voting members.
shockie B)