There are seven (7) sections in the Tennessee Council. These sections are: 1. Tri-Cities Tennessee Section. It covers the upper north east corner of the state including Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol Tennessee. 2. East Tennessee Section. It covers the area around Knoxville, Tennessee in east Tennessee including Maryville and Sevierville. 3. Oak Ridge Tennessee Section. It covers the Oak Ridge Tennessee area in East Tennessee. 4. Chattanooga Tennessee Section. It covers the area around Chattanooga Tennessee in lower south east Tennessee. It is adjacent to the Georgia border. 5. Nashville Tennessee Section. It covers the area around Nashville Tennessee in middle Tennessee. 6. Middle Tennessee Section. It covers the area between Nashville Tennessee and Chattanooga in lower middle Tennessee. 7. Memphis Tennessee Section. It covers the area around Memphis Tennessee in west Tennessee and includes the Jackson and Martin Tennessee cities. The Tennessee Council officers are: David Bower, Chair (East TN Section member) d.bower@ieee.org Jim Duke, Vice Chair (Nashville TN Section member) jamesduke@hotmail.com Philip Lim, Secretary/Treasurer (Memphis TN Section member) plim@mlgw.org An election is planned in the near future for TN Council officers in conjunction with a meeting. Dick Riddle and I attended the 50th anniversary celebration for the Nashville Tennessee Section on September 21 and 22. We attended an excellent dinner celebration on Friday evening, September 21, organized by Nashville Chair Andy Dozier. The main event on Saturday was held on September 22 in Dickson, Tennessee at the new Renaissance Center (about 35 miles west of Nashville). Dick and I had an opportunity to talk with Andy Dozier and other section officers about their activities and the desire to move forward with combining the Middle Tennessee and Nashville sections. Activity in the Middle Tennessee Section has been minimal because of the declining aero space job market in that area (ie Tullahoma Tennessee Space Institute and Arnold Engineering). The Tri Cities Tennessee section has improved a significant amount in the past year and half. Their new slate of officers are doing a great job, and are keeping me updated (I've been forwarding their activities to Dick Riddle, and now to Jim Howard). Emphasis on reporting required section matters (on time) to headquarters has been emphasized. Working with Tracy Hawkins, Vicki Waldman (IEEE Headquarters; 732-562-5564) has been referred as the contact for general section matters, and Richard Fitzpatrick (IEEE Headquarters; 732-562-5351) concerning completion of L-50 forms for the annual financial report. Al Akerman (East Tennessee Section Chair) has indicated an interest in working on an initiative to possibly combine the East Tennessee and Oak Ridge Tennessee sections. Al Akerman has had several conversations with me, and has corresponded with Jim Howard about the matter by e-mail. The two sections are, geographically, about 40 miles apart. The severe declining job market in Oak Ridge has impacted the Oak Ridge Section. The Oak Ridge Section, formed in 1950, celebrated its 50th anniversary, and Director Dick Riddle attended the formal meeting recognizing this accomplishment. There was some concern about combining the sections until Oak Ridge had the opportunity to receive its 50th year recognition. Now that this is past, there is minimal opposition to this, and in a recent poll of East TN and Oak Ridge section officers, all that responded were in favor. Currently, because of their relative proximity, the two sections frequently conduct joint meetings and share other administrative responsibilities. Submitted January 16, 2002 David Bower, TN Council Chair 512 Elkmont Road Knoxville, TN 37922-3694 865-670-1503 d.bower@ieee.org