History
of the Golden West Chapter
In late 1987,
Dale Nies and Wes Bender sat on a pair of barstools at Cirino’s in
The founding
members were Dale Nies, Gordon Coleman, the late Neil
Skellenger, Ben DiDuca, Wes
Bender, Geof Gordon, Eric Bennett, the late Rudy
Christians, the late Charlie Richardson, Chuck Standen,
Mike Burneson, John Falconi,
Mike Lovejoy, Mike Shields and Ladd Stephenson.
When the Golden West Chapter was first
organized in 1987, times were quite a bit different in northern and central
Dinner meetings
were held several times per year where blasters could gather and share
experiences. Guest speakers presented
interesting programs on new products and techniques. One or two well-attended workshops were
conducted each year. Chapter members who circulated through the territory
promoted the Chapter and invited interested parties to join. Over time the Chapter grew.
After
many successful years, however, the explosives distribution and consuming
industries in
Facing
this reduced interest, the idea was proposed to refocus the Chapter by
sponsoring scholarships for students who were children of employees in
explosive-related industries. Funding
was obtained through advertising revenue, donations and through a very popular
annual clay-shoot and barbecue. Four
very successful scholarships were awarded in this manner.
Participation
continued to decline and eventually, during the year 2021, the Chapter saw a
large drop in membership. An added
problem was that the small core group of individuals who had been carrying the
ball and keeping the Chapter alive were beginning to
burn out or were reaching retirement age. The handwriting was on the wall. The Golden West Chapter had apparently outlived
its usefulness. At the Annual Business
meeting at the end of 2021, the membership in attendance voted to dissolve the
Chapter. A committee, consisting of
Mike Chiurato, Mike Burneson,
Jerry Fulghum, Joe Stack and Wes Bender, was
appointed to wind down its affairs. The Chapter’s bank account, after all outstanding
expenses had been paid, was distributed equally among three deserving charities.
Thus, with
the disposal of the assets and with the submission of the Chapter’s last annual
report to the ISEE, the Golden West Chapter faded into history. It was a fun ride for everyone involved and
it served its stated purposes well.
The group
that oversaw the dissolution of the Chapter and the proper disbursal of its
assets determined that they would stay in touch; however this was not to
be. Sadly, Jerry Fulghum
passed away on