Chair Martin Kenzer called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. 
 
1. 2003 Minutes
Minutes from the previous year were not approved due to the absence of the secretary/treasurer. Viva Nordberg volunteered to serve as acting secretary for this meeting.
 
2. Budget Update
The treasury is being held by the AAG.  The balance is $1565.45.  Martin Kenzer noted that at the Specialty Group Chair’s meeting earlier today, he learned the AAG intends to assign all monetary duties to the chair of each specialty group in the near future for ease of record keeping. This would eliminate the need for the treasurer duties of the secretary/treasurer position, although the members present agreed that the secretary or another officer should have signature authority in addition to the chair.    
 
3. Terms of Office/Need for Election
Some discussion regarding the length of the terms of office resulted in the following conclusions. The Newsletter editor term officially ended in 2003, but Jodi Vender has agreed to continue serving in this capacity as needed (this is an appointed position).  Vender's term as Director also ended in 2003; she agreed to serve as acting director and be nominated for an additional term of office (2004-2007), subject to a vote by the membership.  The terms of the chair, secretary/treasurer, and one board position (currently held by Wolfgang Natter) will all end in 2005 with a need for elections then.  Martin Kenzer noted that the current secretary/treasurer position has been held by Miriam Hill for several consecutive terms and an earlier election for this position is preferable. Viva Nordberg was nominated to serve as the new secretary/treasurer, subject to a vote by the membership. The position currently held by Michael Dorn will end in 2006. 
 
4. Officer Succession
Discussion regarding the procedure for appointing an officer in between regularly scheduled general elections prompted the proposal that the Board prepare an amendment to send to the membership for a vote. The amendment is expected to read to the effect, “In event an officer is unable to serve the HOGSG, the remaining board members shall appoint an interim officer to serve until the next general election is held.”
 
5. Webpage Update
Martin Kenzer noted that the AAG, as mentioned at the Specialty Group Chairs Meeting, would like to host all Specialty Group web pages for ease of access by AAG membership. A volunteer was requested to assist with the maintenance of the current page and possible transfer to the AAG website.  Jodi Vender agreed to continue work on the webpage as needed, but requested additional help from the Group membership if possible. Michael Dorn is still maintaining the listserv.
 
6. Newsletter
The most recent newsletter was published in 2002 in paper and electronic formats.  There was some discussion regarding the possibility of only publishing future editions electronically only.  Jodi Vender agreed to continue as editor as she has the necessary training in Microsoft Publisher, which is the format currently in use.  She requested that Group members send in submissions in order to produce the next newsletter.
 
7. Membership Issues
Current membership is estimated between 160-165 members.   Corresponding members are no longer permitted within AAG, therefore a resolution was proposed to amend the Bylaws to remove Article 2 Section 3 to bring the HOGSG into compliance with AAG policy. The resolution was approved unanimously.
 
8. Raising Dues
In order to develop a stakeholder position in the Group and to provide more income to support awards, honoraria, and session sponsorship, it was proposed that dues be raised from $4 to for regular members and $0 for students to $5 for regular members and $1 for students. This proposal was approved by unanimous vote.
 
9. Greater Participation
Suggestions were made to improve participation in the HOGSG.  These included the possibility giving of an award (more on this below), continuing to promote the group and field during presentations at other social science and history of science conferences, and writing up significant news in the AAG and HOG newsletters.  Much discussion concerned the possibility of honoring distinguished geographers or others working within the field including an invitation them to speak at a plenary session at the next AAG.  Suggestions for speakers included Geoff Martin and Susan Schulten.  Jodi Vender agreed to contact Susan Schulten to determine if she would agree to participate.  Schulten is an historian at the University of Denver, is believed to be a current advisor to the History of Cartography Specialty Group, and is the author of The Geographical Imagination in America 1880-1950. It was noted that AAG funds may be available to pay registration fees for such a speaker. 
 
10. HOG Awards
It was proposed that the HOGSG form a sub-committee to arrange details for sponsorship of a student award to be given at the next AAG meeting.  This proposal was agreed to by unanimous vote.  Suggestions for the award include giving a $100 award to build awareness of HOG and to promote student activity within the Group.  Additionally, it was suggested that HOG pay for the winning student and one board member to attend the award banquet.  It was suggested that notice of the award be publicized within the AAG newsletter, through the HOG, Historical Geography and Graduate Student Specialty Groups, and in the AAG monthly message to university chairs. Members of a sub-committee will need to be selected in order to draft regulations surrounding the award process establishing paper and presentation requirements and to arrange publication.
 
11. AAG 2004 Fieldtrips and Reception
Michael Dorn and Kent Mathewson arranged field trips in the Philadelphia area during this AAG to coincide with commemorative activities related to Alexander von Humboldt’s visit to North America. The Tuesday trip was entitled, “Scientific and Medical Philadelphia in the Period of Meriwether Lewis and Alexander von Humboldt’s visits (1803-1804).” In addition, members of HOG and the Historical Geography Specialty Groups were invited to a reception at the Academy of Natural Sciences Library to view maps, books, and other items on Thursday from 12 – 1 PM.
 
12. Geography in America Timeline
Donald Dahmann described the current status of the Timeline project and noted that few contributions were offered that were not related to specific departmental histories.  He noted that there were many hits on the website indicating a need for scholarly scientific data related to geographic history and research.  The current lack of History of Geography or Geographic Thought courses offered as part of most university curricula was discussed.
 
13. Meeting Attendance
The chair, newsletter editor, and one board member were present in addition to 7 others.
 
14. Next Meeting
AAG 2005 will be held in Denver, CO from April 5 to 9.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.

-- Viva Nordberg, Acting Secretary