As I sit here at the keyboard and recollect my personal history with HMGS Great Lakes, and in particular its fine newsletter, I can't help think what a road Great Lakes has traveled to get where it's at today.

Born in 1993, this chapter was originally called Northwest Territory, a title that while steeped in history probably represented this area even less than the Great Lakes moniker later chosen. While most of the members of the original board of directors I am sure had the best of intentions, the chapter failed in several ways. The two board members slated to produce the newsletter failed to do so. The first flagship convention, Rally 'Round the Flag, had 40% non-historical events on its schedule and lost a lot of money (but I still can remember that gorgeous Waterloo game that the talented Velas brothers hosted), and the chapter seemed to have nearly all of its members in the central Ohio area, which was great for central Ohio, but not for a regional chapter of HMGS.

In the summer of 1994, I received a call from Brian O'Leary, a concerned member of Great Lakes. At the time, I was serving as President, a non-board position. Brian informed me that he was willing do put together a newsletter, and wanted my take on the idea. I told him I thought it was a great idea, and I would support him with articles. With the help of board member Ferkin Doyle (who provided financial backing), The Herald was born.

I am sure we shocked some of the other board members when they received a newsletter in the mail, the same newsletter they had promised and failed to deliver. From that point, The Herald was published and sent to the members on a fairly consistent basis, although much of the writing was done by Brian himself (with a little help from his friends). Early issues were small, due to the small size of the membership at the time. You could still see the dedication that Brian had to making the newsletter, and thereby indirectly Great Lakes, a success. And I think it certainly helped keep the chapter alive during the dark winter of 1995, when we had less than 50 members.

Over the years, The Herald has grown into a high quality, enjoyable communication tool for the chapter. Mike took the reins from Brian a few years ago, and the newsletter hasn't missed a beat. Over time, its pages have grown, but quality remains throughout. It is a newsletter supported by an excited group of gamers, and new writers appear in every issue. I see us becoming more of a regional chapter, which has taken a long time to accomplish. I look forward to seeing more members submitting articles and product reviews in future issues.

Okay, so maybe not as much history in this brief overview, but certainly kudos are intended here, for those members who have written for the newsletter, for Brian and Mike for volunteering their time for the benefit of the rest of us, and for every member of Great Lakes who reads the newsletter and enjoys it for the fine publication it is. I look forward to another 50 issues!