Election Speech

Me

For what it is worth, this is my election speech based on the notes I had prepared beforehand.  After a long and difficult meeting, the speech I actually gave was somewhat shorter and less pointed:

My name is Jerry Graham.  If you're new here, and you love to play chess, you've definitely come to the right place.  But I am going to say some things about people who are relatively new running for the board.

We should have a very active board, and we are not a generic organization.  What someone learned in some other field generally will not help you on the board.  What we do is not unimportant.  What we do here is important to many people.

Past President Chagrin

Running the club correctly is not simple.  If you're running it and it seems simple, its either because you're not doing it correctly, or because its actually someone else who is doing it.

The Marshall Chess Club is a community, a local club and an international club.  These functions are interrelated.  Let me give you an example:  When GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Hikaru Nakamura first walked these floors that you walked today, they walked them not as grandmasters, but as children.

GM Hikaru Nakamura vs NM Nagib Gebran

Today our club is at a crossroads.  If I was in charge we would discuss this before voting.  But I am not in charge, so I suggest all interested members meet to discuss this at a later date.


There are always bad results when leaders try to hammer the Marshall Chess Club into something it is not:

River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves

• The Marshall Chess Club is not a business.
• It is not a community service organization.
• It is not an educational organization.
• We are not poor.
• We are not looking for a sugar daddy.
• We are not standing on the corner selling ourselves.
• The members are owners, not customers.
• The board members are our trustees, our fiduciaries, our representatives.
• They are not our bosses.
• The board is not a supposed to be a secret society.
• The board is not supposed to be a gossip club.

My name is Jerry Graham. Thank you and have a great evening!