Tom Blazanin encouraged any and all of us interested in rockets to come to a "get together" and form a local Prefecture of the Tripoli Rocketry Association, Inc. We had about 12 to 15 people come to that historic first meeting. Tom gave us a pep talk and said he would serve as an officer but not a president. When we asked him how he felt about being prefect and vice president, he agreed. Denise Rosenfield said she'd serve as Secretary/Treasurer, and Les Derkovitz made the mistake of walking in with the biggest rocket and got railroaded into being president. (He didn't kick and scream too much!).
Now that we had our officers, we set off to get some work done. Bylaws were written, we're recognized by Tripoli National, launches were planned, and it wasn't long before a club project was planned - our own altitude attempt. At that time, most of us weren't too mature in our high-power endeavors. But after a couple years of flying, building, and launching our altitude rocket combined with holding a couple "Turkey Shoots" and Delamar launches, all of that changed. These days, you'll see our members building projects with fiberglass and metal, using all kinds of electronic do-dads, clustering, staging, and very impressive motors. Our personal interest in the hobby and the support and help from each other have" propelled" us to becoming the builders and flyers you see today.
Our bylaws have been extensively reworked with expert guidance and are used as a model for other prefectures across the country.
We stress safety as the highest priority at our club launches.