Modeler of The Year Contest

                    September 15th, 2025 Pelikan Model Meeting Minutes   

We had 33 members attend the meeting, including 2 new people, and many models showed up at the meeting. Pictures are posted in the Gallery.   
 

Much of what was discussed was the sudden passing of our beloved founding member and treasurer, George Hecht. George had many friends, and one of his closest in the club is Dave Frederickson. David talked about George's life and about how sorely he will be missed. George served in the Air Force and worked on F-4 Phantoms at MacDill AFB. The Club sent George's wife Jane flowers in her bereavement. George was cremated, and services will be held where the club meets at “Veterans Funeral Care” on Saturday, October 25. See obituary below.        
  

George H. Hecht Obituary: It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of George H. Hecht, who left this world peacefully on September 12, 2025, at the age of 79. Born on July 22, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, George was a beloved husband, a dedicated serviceman, and a cherished member of his community.
George was the son of the late George H. and Elizabeth (Phillips) Hecht. He was preceded in death by his parents, who instilled in him the values of hard work, loyalty, and compassion that he carried throughout his life.

He is survived by his loving wife, Jane E. (McKay) Hecht, with whom he shared a deep and abiding love. Their bond was a testament to the power of partnership, laughter, and mutual support, and their life together was filled with countless cherished moments.

George proudly served in the U.S. Air Force, dedicating his life to protecting the freedoms we hold dear. His military service was a defining chapter of his life, one that he approached with honor and commitment. After his service, George returned to civilian life, where he continued to exemplify these values through his community involvement.

As a founding member and Treasurer of the Pelikan Model Club, George cultivated a passion for model building that brought together many friends and fellow hobbyists. His meticulous attention to detail and creativity were apparent in every project he undertook, and he inspired others to pursue their interests with the same enthusiasm.

George's contributions to his community extended beyond his hobbies. He was known for his kindness, generosity, and willingness to lend a helping hand whenever needed. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, and he will be remembered for his unwavering spirit and dedication to those around him.

A funeral service will be held on October 25, 2025, with a gathering of family and friends at 1:00 PM, followed by Military Honors at 2:00 PM, with a celebration of George's life from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM at Veterans Funeral Care, where we will gather to share stories and remember the impact he had on all who knew him.

In place of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Operation Toy Soldier, ensuring that the spirit of giving continues in George's honor. Checks can be made payable to Operation Toy Soldier and sent to:

Veterans Funeral Care
830 N. Belcher Road
Clearwater, Florida 33765

Additionally, contributions may be sent to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, an organization dedicated to honoring our heroes. Donations can be mailed to:

Tunnels to Towers Foundation
2361 Hylan Boulevard
Staten Island, NY 10306

George H. Hecht will be profoundly missed but never forgotten. His life was a beautiful tapestry of service, love, and community. May he rest in peace, knowing the indelible mark he has left on our hearts.
 
The Theme was OPEN this month, the October theme is the "New Kits on the Block". This would include any kit that was released in 2024 or 2025. The November theme is: "The Charlie Hess Challenge." These were kits that were given to us from Charlie's collection at the beginning of this year.    
 Don't forget to check the Calendar for upcoming Events. Modelpalooza is on the weekend of October 11th next weekend. It should be a great show!     
 

We had over 30 members attend the meeting, and many models showed up at the meeting. Pictures are posted in the Gallery. 

We discussed our upcoming March 14, Pelicon 2026, we agreed on the Convention theme: 1965-1975: A Decade of Turmoil, Change & Hope," which would cover the Vietnam War, the Moon Landing, Cars, etc. We are going to use all 3 rooms of Higgins Hall this time around, which will give us more Vendor tables to sell, and the Raffle will be on the stage instead of out in the hallway at the last Convention. We also decided to upgrade the Gold Coin awards by encasing them in acrylic. 

 The Theme was OPEN. This month, August, the theme is the "Year of your Birth". Any model kit that was released, or an aircraft, tank, car, or spacecraft that was commissioned, flew, or churned up dirt would be eligible. (In my case, I could enter a C-130 or a B-52 since my DOB is 1952). Themes for September is Open, October: "New Kits on the Block", and November: "The Charlie Hess Challenge". 

Don't forget to check the Calendar for upcoming Events. The IPMS Nationals is this coming week, August 23rd is Modelfest 25 - Flight 19 Chapter in Ft. Lauderdale, and Modelpalooza is in Orlando this October.     

About 30 members attended the June 16th meeting. I missed the May meeting due to a faulty elevator where I live. Nobody took notes at the meeting, so I'm combining May and June's Minutes together. From what I was told, we discussed our more than successful Pelicon 2025 Convention. It was suggested and voted upon to do another Convention next year on Saturday, March 14, 2026, since most of the heavy lifting & footwork has already been done. Discussed was our Chapter 11 RC, who doesn't seem to communicate much with the various Chapters in our Region. We finally got listed and approved on the IPMS website for our date for next year's Pelicon 2026 after about a month and a half. 

We also voted on lowering Club dues to $20 per year and to $30 for family since we had a successful convention. If we need to raise dues in the future, we can revert to the previous plan. 

Donating a Trophy package to the IPMS Nationals was approved. The upcoming PamsCon 2025 was talked about, and many members planned on going.    

The June theme was "Anti-aircraft Weapons." The photos are currently uploaded to our club Facebook Group Page. July will be an OPEN theme, August "Year of your Birth". We also reminded everyone that the November build will be the "Charlie Hess Memorial" build from the kits we chose earlier in the year, so let's get those built!     

36 members attended the April 21 meeting. Much of the meeting was centered around the upcoming Pelicon 2025 convention event. "It Floats" was the Theme. It was a wild week because five days later, the Pelikan Club hosted Pelicon 2025. All the Vendor tables were sold out, and we had 44 pre-registrations. The food truck "The Bacon Boss" was reasonably priced, and everyone loved its food. The truck made over $1000.00! We also had over 160 walk-ins. Photos from both April's meeting and the Pelicon 2025 pics will be uploaded to the Special Events photo Gallery. The photos are currently uploaded to our club Facebook Group Page. More on the convention at May's meeting on the 19th.    

April Model Theme Winners were (this was an open theme month): Al Vaccaro - 1st place for his classic sailing ship pictured on the right, 2nd place - Dina Arzapalo for her Flying Sub, and 3rd place - George Shaeffer for his VW car. Pictures are in the Gallery. Congratulations all!

     The Minutes this month are kind of lite and a repeat of what is on the "Home Page" news for February. Monday the 17th saw 34 people attend. Yearly club dues of $25 were collected; those who didn't pay can pay next month or do it online on our website https://pelikanmodelclub.org/  

     Our club is still looking for member model donations for our contest" Pelicon 2025"on  April 26th. We are also looking for Trophy Package sponsorships. S,o pick a category or Special theme to help out the club. Let Ozzie or me know what you would like to sponsor. Pretty much the Convention Pelicon 2025 was discussed. The Prez encouraged members to enter our contest, Pelicon 2025 in force. Lets fill up those tables with models.    

     Our theme for April 21st is "It Floats". Themes are posted here on this "Club Happenings" page. See you all at the next meeting. Happy Modeling. Donn 

     The Minutes this month are kind of lite and a repeat of what is on the "Home Page" news for February. Monday the 17th saw 34 people attend. Yearly club dues of $25 were collected, those who didn't pay can pay next month or do it online on our website https://pelikanmodelclub.org/  Discussed was the Jaxcon 2025 show this month. They had a great turnout of 150 people entered 661 models. It might be a record for their Chapter. 

     Our club is still looking for member model donations for our contest" Pelicon 2025" April 26th. We have about a dozen vendor tables left, so if you want one, you better jump on it. You can purchase them at this site to the left. We are also looking for Trophy Package sponsorships. So pick a category or Special theme to help out the club. Let Ozzie or me know what you would like to sponsor.     

     Our theme for the March meeting is an open theme. Themes are posted here on this "Club Happenings" page. We will be doing the same point system for modeler of the month and modeler of the year that we used last year. The top 5 modelers in points will get gift certificates. Also mentioned was the "Gulf Coast Academy School" is closing so any future meeting is a no go there. See you all at the next meeting on March 17th, Happy Modeling. Donn 

     Monday the 20th the first meeting of the new year introduced a few new things to the club. There were 36 people present and 2 new members joined. Please welcome John Black and Paul Cohen. Yearly club dues of $25 were collected, those who didn't pay can pay next month or do it online on our website https://pelikanmodelclub.org/  Some folks brought in Raffle donations for our upcoming Pelicon 2025 this April. There was an open theme this month, next month it will be a North African/Middle East Theme. Themes are posted here on this "Club Happenings" page. We will be doing the same point system for modeler of the month and modeler of the year that we used last year. The top 5 modelers in points will get gift certificates.  

     The convention Pelicon 2025 was discussed, it is only 3 months away and we will need judges and volunteers when the time is here. Also, don't forget we need more models for the kit raffle at the Con, so look through your stash.

The "Survey" VP Ozzie sent out was discussed, and the results are posted under "Club Happenings." (below) It was discussed that the club doesn't use "Roberts Rules of Order" We want to keep the meeting orderly but fun. It was agreed that we should try to shorten the length of the Show & Tell unless we have extra time, as we have to adjourn by 9 p.m. We also discussed keeping the talking noise levels down, as the acoustics are bad in the room with the number of people we have. There is too much cross-talk at the round tables. We need to be more considerate when people have the floor.  We talked about doing the occasional demo time permitting either before the meeting starts or during the middle of the voting session. Many of us are at the meeting by 6:30 or earlier. Anyway, that's all I got, next month's theme is North Africa, see you then. Happy Modeling. Donn