Constitution of the Howe High School-Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Association

Amended and updated 6/1998 per vote of Annual Business Meeting

Article I

Name and Purpose:

Section 1. The name of the Association shall be the:

Howe High School-Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Association.

Section 2. The purpose of the Association shall be to continue school loyalty, to provide an organization for promotion of sociability among the school’s graduates, to stimulate a desire to render service for the members and for the town.

Section 3. Scholarships will be awarded annually to graduates whose parents and/or grandparents graduated from either Howe High or Billerica Memorial High Schools. The Executive Board will set the monetary amount of each award and the number of awards determined by the level of contributions of the Alumni members.

Article II

General Control

Section 1. The general control of this Association shall be vested in the Executive Board members.

Section 2. The aforementioned Executive Board members shall constitute the supervision and the planning of the business of the Association.

Section 3. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, unless there is a conflict with the constitution or by-laws.

Article III

Membership

Section 1. Any past member of the Howe High School or the Billerica Memorial High School shall be eligible to join the Association upon paying three ($3.00) annual dues. Note: only the current year’s dues are collectible; members are not liable for prior year’s dues.

Section 2. Any person not a past student of Howe High School whose name is proposed at an annual meeting an whose name is approved by the Executive Board may be elected as an honorary member at any subsequent meeting but shall have no right to vote or otherwise participate in the business part of any meeting.

Section 3. The number of honorary members shall never exceed ten (10) at any one time.

Section 4. Any member who has served the Association faithfully for a period of years may, by the vote of the Executive Board, be granted paid-up life membership.

Article IV

Officers

Section 1. The officer of this Association shall be one (1) president, two (2) vice-presidents, one (1) secretary, one (1) treasurer; and the members of the Executive Board shall be fifteen (15) in number, of which the officers shall be considered as ex-officio members.

Section 2. The term of office of the president shall be for two (2) years; the terms of the other officers shall be left to the discretion of the Nominating Committee, as appointed by the president.

Section 3. The president, with the advice and the consent of the Executive Board, shall appoint replacements for any vacancies arising during the year.

Article V

Dues

Section 1. The annual dues for the Howe High School-Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Association shall be three dollars ($3.00).

Section 2. The annual bill for the dues shall be sent each year to every person eligible for membership, and no one shall be held ineligible for unpaid dues. To be considered eligible for a billing, one must have paid their dues in at least one of the past three years.

Section 3. The Executive Board will use official funds to pay all routine expenses of the Association as deemed appropriate.

Article VI

Duties of Officers

Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President to

a. Preside at all meetings of the Association and the Executive Board.

b. Represent the Association at all public affairs where the Association is represented.

c. Serve as ex-officio member of all committees.

d. Appoint all necessary committees.

Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to

a. Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President or at his request.

b. Perform any duties delegated to him by the President.

Section 3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to

a. Keep the minutes of all meetings.

b. Keep the minutes of the Executive Board meetings.

c. Conduct all correspondence of the Association, including notices of meetings to board members and officers.

d. Preserve, as directed, the records of the Association.

Section 4. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:

a. Keep the books of the Association in accordance with acceptable accounting practices.

b. Pay all bills of the Association in accordance with the by-laws, the constitution and the direction of the Executive Board.

c. Make report of the Association’s financial status at all meetings.

Section 5. All records of all outgoing officers shall be turned over to the president before August first following the completion of their terms of office.

Article VII

Meetings

Section 1. There shall be an annual meeting of the organization each year, the date and place to be decided by the Executive Board.

Section 2. There shall be meetings of the executive committee at times and places to be decided by the Executive Board itself.

Article VIII

Amendments

Section 1. This constitution may be amended at any annual meeting if

a. Notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to members prior to the annual meeting, and if

b. The amendment is ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the business meeting of the annual meeting.

Article IX

Quorum

Section 1. A quorum shall be considered to be the members present at the annual meeting or a full meeting called by the President or his/her representative.

Section 2. A quorum shall be no less than 75% of the elected Executive Board for any Executive Board meeting.

Article X

Permanent Fund

Section 1. The sum of $1,000.00, realized by subscription at the annual meeting on June 26, 1922, will be a fund to be known as the Permanent Fund.

Section 2. Three members to be known as Trustees of the Permanent Fund shall administer the Permanent Fund, whose term of office shall be three years, not to run concurrently. These members may be re-elected at the end of the three-year term.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee at the annual meeting shall present the names of the nominated members for Trustees to the Permanent Fund.

Section 4. The Permanent Fund’s base amount (the sum of $1,000.00) shall remain intact and shall not be used for any purpose whatsoever except by vote of the majority of the members present at a regular annual meeting.

Section 5. The income from the Permanent Fund shall be available for disposal by vote of the majority of the members of the Executive Board for such purposes that are for the best interest of the Association.

Article XI

Dissolution

Section 1. Upon dissolution of this Association, all remaining assets are to be assigned to the Billerica Memorial High School Scholarship Foundation.

This is the current Constitution of this Association.

Date: Date:

Elizabeth Patriquin, President Grant H. Whiteway, Treasurer