Growth
The Nassau County Chapter was formed in early 1980. In February 1981 the Nassau County, NY chapter began its own newsletter called "Transitions." By October 1981 the chapter had been responsible for inspiring and forming other groups in Suffolk County, NY and New Milford, CT.
On Saturday, October 24, 1981 the Nassau County chapter produced its first conference. It was funded by Adelphi University and was called "Freeing Men From The Macho Mold: Options For Men In The 1980s." The conference was followed up the next day by Free Men's first convention, which was attended by representatives from various groups. Transitions became the national newsletter.
Out of the convention was born the "Coalition." Tom Williamson and Naomi Penner organized the convention, organized the national body and are credited with founding the "Coalition." Tom Williamson was elected President and Naomi Penner was elected Vice President.
Incorporation proceedings were begun and the coalition became official in December 1981. The incorporation was amended in 1982 to further clarify objectives. The original intent was for the governing body to be called, "Free Men." However, after the organization was informed that someone else in New York owned that name the organization considered such words as "Union" and "Association" before settling on "Coalition." The governing body was formally incorporated as "The Coalition of Free Men, Inc."
The word "National" was added in 1990 over frustration with media which kept referring to Free Men as a local group based in a small town. The word National is an informal AKA registered with the IRS for tax purposes, but is otherwise unofficial to this day. The name of the corporation has never been legally changed.
Read more about this topic: National Coalition For Men
Famous quotes containing the word growth:
“The risk for a woman who considers her helpless children her “job” is that the children’s growth toward self-sufficiency may be experienced as a refutation of the mother’s indispensability, and she may unconsciously sabotage their growth as a result.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)
“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.”
—Henry Miller (1891–1980)
“The windy springs and the blazing summers, one after another, had enriched and mellowed that flat tableland; all the human effort that had gone into it was coming back in long, sweeping lines of fertility. The changes seemed beautiful and harmonious to me; it was like watching the growth of a great man or of a great idea. I recognized every tree and sandbank and rugged draw. I found that I remembered the conformation of the land as one remembers the modelling of human faces.”
—Willa Cather (1873–1947)