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Moving Forward—Never Forget!

Moving Forward—Never Forget!
By Jimmy Warden
NAPS Secretary/Treasurer

It is a humbling honor and privilege to be elected and now serve as your NAPS secretary/treasurer. I want to thank all the dedicated and diligent active and associate members of our great association. A special thank-you to all the delegates from the great state of Texas for hosting such a fantastic convention. All their hard work and persistence made this convention not just productive, but also enjoyable. The work done by all the attendees will enable our association to positively move forward into the future. I look forward to working with President Ivan D. Butts and Executive Vice President Chuck Mulidore representing the members.

At the conclusion of our 67th National Convention, Ivan asked me to attend the Indiana State Convention Sept. 11—the 20th anniversary of a tragic day in our nation’s history—and a special day for me as I was working in New York when the planes struck the towers.

Indiana State President Marcel Webb acknowledged the tragic event with Indianapolis Fire Department Fire Chief Ernest Malone, who addressed attendees. Malone spoke of the tragedy and how our great nation has grown. He also said, “Never forget.” Never forget all those courageous heroes who lost their lives; we need to build on their strength and courage.

I found Malone’s speech extremely inspiring. When people can come together, we can accomplish great things. It is this inspiration I hope to bring to our NAPS family. As NAPS, we must look to the future, but never forget our past. My father always told me that, if you want to be successful, never forget where you came from! An experience is not just something that happens to us—it is what we learn and do as a result.

Last, but not least, I want to thank Sheri Davies, Karen Young, Dave Scavone, the NAPS Office staff and everyone who served on a committee. They are the behind-the-scenes folks who made our NAPS convention so successful.

Congratulations to Brian Wagner on his retirement! His knowledge and passion serving our members will be greatly missed. And thanks to the Wagner family for sharing him with us.

Moving forward—never forget!