I've Been Thinking Again!

My wife, Kelly Eakes Harris, recently received at letter from Greensboro Jaycee President Gene Shanks that read "as a member in good standing and having completed 1 year on the Executive Committee it is my honor and privilege to invite you to submit your name as a possible candidate". A candidate for the office of general chairman of the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.

Gone was the requirement that the candidate also have a year of Greensboro Jaycee Board experience. As a past president, I will admit that this disappoints me a little. It also got me thinking about the new foundation that controls the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro and the four slots on that board that are taken up by folks wearing Green Coats.

It is now possible for someone to be appointed general chairman that has never served on the Board of Directors of the Greensboro Jaycees, but let's come back to this later.

I want to focus on the other three spots held by Green Coaters first. The first is honorary general chairman. This is a person selected from the community that acts as a mentor to the general chairman. This is a person with contacts in the local business community that can open doors that may not be open to the younger, between the age of 21-39, general chairman.

We have had many wonderful honorary chairman in the past and it should be said that they offer this mentor leadership role to the entire Executive Committee and the Chrysler Classic staff-not just to the general chairman.

The point I want to make here is that this man, we've never had a woman in this role, is usually older and often had no connection to the Jaycees in their youth. Dennis Glass and Stanley Franks are two examples that come to mind. Both were fantastic honorary chairman, but neither were Jaycees.

The third of the four seats held by members of the Greensboro Jaycee leadership is the representive from the Green Coat Club. The Green Coat Club is made up of past presidents, past general chairman and past honorary chairman. With the exception of Sam Snead and a former Kmart Exec, there is only one other person to receive a Green Coat without holding one of those three positions.

The Green Coat Club recently voted, 72 to 7, to give itself the ability to appoint Green Coats. Up until that vote, Green Coats were appointed only by the Greensboro Jaycees. Now, however unlikely, the Green Coat Club can and will appoint new members. It's important to understand that they can name people that were never part of the Greensboro Jaycees.

Again I want to point out that there are already members of the Green Coat Club that were never Jaycees.It is very possible that one of these member could be selected to serve on the foundation board.

All of this brings me to the office of the President of the Greensboro Jaycees. It is possible to become president of the Greensboro chapter of the Jaycees-having never run a project. The Greensboro Jaycees had such a president. They were appointed Projector Editor- at the time this was an officer level appointment. This person continued on the board for several years until they became president.

This person ran their first Jaycee Project, I think it was Christmas Caroling, after they left the office of Chairman of the Board. (I'm not picking on this person, we laugh about this all the time. This person did a great job and lead our club through some difficult times.) The point here is that it is possible to get the top job without running a Jaycee project of your own.

So, now 2005 Greensboro Jaycee President Gene Shanks is asking for candidates to submit their name by 6pm, Thursday, October 13, 2005 and again this has me thinking.

It's possible that at least three of those four positions on the newly formed foundation that controls the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro could be filled by representatives from the Jaycees that have never been Jaycees themselves.

Gene ask the candidates to include in their letter of intent, "years and type of service to the Greensboro Jaycees". I am not sure it's fair to ask someone about their service when service is not required to be a candidate. Again the only prerequisite seems to be a check for $70.00 and a year on the Executive Committee.

Justin Conrad pointed out many times over the course of the year that 8 of 11 of his committee members were brand new. Without any other conditions placed on general chairman candidates, it is possible that our 2007 Chrysler Classic of Greensboro General Chairman may have never held a chairmanship.

I wish President Shanks the best of luck with what will be the toughest part of his job this year. The interview process is not easy. I have sat on both sides of that desk and my stomach was turning all three times.