Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Capps, Oral, Jr.

English

Research Papers in Economics

Message from the President
by
Oral Capps, Jr.
Associate Professor
Depts. of Agricultural Economics and Statistics
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
My relationship with the Food Distribu-
tion Research Society (FDRS) dates from
October 1979. In this relatively brief tenure,
I can attest to the fact that the Society has
managed to put together excellent sessions of
extreme interest to the food industry. This
26th annual meeting with the accompanying
theme, “The Changing Face of Food Distribu-
tion,” is certainly no exception. The sessions
concerning direct product profit, the intan-
gible benefits of scanning, consolidated ware-
house delivery, robotics, food sterilization and
irradiation, and packaging changes constitute
challenges of particular interest to FDRS
members. President Doug Richardson and the
Program Chairman, Robert Degner are to be
commended for their fine efforts in putting
together this slate of topics.
I am extremely honored to be elected
President of FDRS. I have a deep commit-
ment to this Society as witnessed by my
duties as Secretary/Treasurer and President-
Elect. 1 would not have accepted this posi-
tion if I were not able to give you my 100
percent effort. To quote Doug Richardson,
our former President, “I pledge to be a com-
mitted President.”
Let me share with you my goals for the
coming year, First, I plan to take steps to
increase the publicity about our organization.
Along this line, I have discussed this issue
with Frank Panyko, Vice-President of
Food Institute. I will also work closely
the
with
the President-Elect in achieving this goal.
Second, I plan to scrutinize closely the
problem of the attrition of our membership.
In this light, I will work closely with the
Vice-President of Membership to investigate
specifically why former members have de-
clined to renew their membership. Third,
for your convenience, I plan to update our
membership directory. A current directory
is timely information for all to use. The
latest version published in 1982 is out of
date. Fourth, I intend to stay on line with
the long-range planning committee. The
recommendations of this committee, formed
by Hal Ricker and spearheaded by Jim
Ritchie two years ago, serve to define more
clearly the needs of the Society and conse-
quently serve to strengthen this organiza-
tion. Finally, I plan to maintain the
strengths of FDRS, which lie in the research
coordination, journal and newsletter publica-
tions, and education.
I would like to list the Vice-Presidents
who will be working with me this coming
year:
Vice-President of . . .
Research: Jarvis L. Cain
Publications: U. Carl Toensmeyer
Programs: Harry F. Krueckeburg
Journal of Food Distribution Research February 86/page 1Education: James E. Epperson
Membership: W. Barry Wright
Please provide any suggestions or comments
either to myself or to the respective Vice-
President.
The 27th Annual Meeting of the Society
is tentatively scheduled for September 14-17,
1986 in the Denver area. Harry Krueckeburg,
the Vice-President of Programs, will soon be
soliciting suggestions for next year’s meeting.
Your suggestions and participation are needed
to insure a stimulating program.
February 86/page 2
In order to succeed in achieving my
goals, I will obviously need your help. Your
assistance, particularly with regard to in-
creases in publicity and attempts to attract
or renew memberships, will be greatly appre-
ciated. At this point in the lifetime of
FDRS, your timely contributions will indeed
pay huge dividends. To quote the sagacious
statesman Benjamin Franklin, “If we do not
all hang together, then we shall all hang
separately.”
Dr. Oral Capps, Jr.
President
Journal of Food Distribution Research

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

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Research Papers in Economics