BY LAWS OF THE

BY LAWS OF THE U.S.S. BOXER VETERANS ASSOCIATION ( A non-profit corporation, Incorporated in the State of Alabama) ARTICLE I : Name: The name of this association shall be: U.S.S. BOXER VETERANS ASSOCIATION, INC. ARTICLE II : Purpose: The purpose of the Association shall be to celebrate the memory of ships bearing the name U.S.S.BOXER, including CV/ CVA/ CVS-21/ LPH-4/ LHD-4, and the personnel who served aboard these ships in perpetuity and to exchange mementos and memories of the tours of duty. Such purpose is to include: (a) Planning and arranging annual reunion meetings. (b) Locating former shipmates and urging their participation. (c) Contributing mementos, pictures, plaques, artifacts, insignias, papers, letters or other memorabilia relating in any way to the activities of or service aboard the aforementioned ships; together with any available funds for their procurement, shipping, display or maintenance as set forth in Article XI. (d) Establishing, administering, and accepting voluntary contributions to accomplish the purpose of any approved and adopted memorial program of the Association. (e) In the event of dissolution of the Association, all Association monies will be turned over to museums and memorials of the Association, subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors. ARTICLE III : Membership: The membership is open to all personnel having served aboard the aforementioned ships bearing the name U.S.S. Boxer including ship’s company, air group, air wing, squadron, Marines and staff and to include their spouses. In addition, membership shall be open to other military and civilian personnel who served aboard the aforementioned ships while underway and in an official capacity. (1) Honorary membership shall be conferred on the widow of any paid deceased member. The President, on recommendation of other members and after approval of the Executive Board, may appoint additional honorary members, in exceptional cases, where such honor is warranted. Honorary members shall pay no dues. An honorary member shall have all the rights of a member, except a vote in the business of the Association. (2) Associate membership shall be open to relatives and friends of members who wish to participate in the Association activities. An associate member shall pay annual dues and have all the rights of a member, except a vote in the business of the Association. 1 ARTICLE IV : Meetings (1) An annual reunion meeting of the Association shall be held in locales designated by the membership during the annual reunion meeting for the ensuing two years in August, September or October of each year. . (a) The President shall call an executive meeting on the day preceding the Annual reunion meeting (b) The President shall call an executive meeting immediately after the Annual general meeting for all retained and newly elected officers and directors. . (2) Meetings of the Association shall be conducted by the President or in his absence by the Vice President or in his absence by elected officers in order. (3) Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with these By-Laws.The members shall transact such other business as may properly come before them. (4) The Secretary shall record the minutes of the business conducted. Such minutes shall be made available to the paid up membership and read at the next annual general meeting . (5) The Treasurer shall give a financial report which has been audited by the audit committee at the annual general meeting. A summary financial report shall be made available to the paid up membership. ARTICLE V : Directors (1) A Board of Directors shall be in place and shall consist of six members elected by the membership during an annual reunion membership meeting. Two Directors shall be elected at each annual reunion membership meeting for a term of three years (2) An Executive Board shall be in place. The Executive Board shall consist of the Board of Directors and all elected officers during their term of office. A majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Board. The six elected Directors shall vote on any business brought before the Executive Board. In the event of a tie vote the Vice President shall have the deciding vote. (3) The Executive Board shall be the senior governing body of the Association. . (4) Any Association matter may be submitted for consideration by a member in good standing to the annual Executive Board meeting held before and after the annual reunion membership meeting. The request should be in writing; addressed to the current or newly elected President as appropriate and in time for the item to be included in the agenda for the appropriate meeting. Should it become necessary between annual reunion meetings of the Executive Board to conduct a vote on any issue that cannot wait until the next scheduled Executive Board meeting, a written request to the President 2 and/or the Vice President for such a vote must be made. Only if either or both concur shall a mail or a conference telephone vote be conducted and then only by them. ARTICLE VI : Officers: (1) The following officers shall be elected every two years at the annual reunion membership meeting. The officers are to be elected by open or closed ballot. President Vice President Secretary Treasurer (2) Two Directors shall be elected at the annual reunion membership meeting to the Board of Directors for terms of three years each. The Directors shall be limited to two (2) consecutive terms each. (3) The officers and directors shall receive no compensation. (4) Duties and responsibilities of the officers shall be as follows: President : (a) Shall be the senior officer of the Association. (b) Preside at the annual reunion and conduct all business meetings and be an ex-officio member of all committees. (c) Receive quarterly reports from all other officers as to activities of chairmen under their jurisdiction. (d) Have final authority in the appointment of the Chaplain, Committee Chairpersons, and the Regional Representatives as recommended by the Vice President. (e) Make reports to the membership in each issue of the newsletter and at the annual reunion membership meeting. (f) Award honorary memberships as appropriate as contemplated in Article III (2). (g) Shall have the authority to approve expenditures exceeding budgeted amount or for new, non-budgeted purposes only up to an aggregated total of $1,500.00. Any authorization for money beyond this amount must be approved by the Executive Board. (h) Supervise activities of the Reunion Chairmen and be responsible for coordinating the activities of other committee chairmen involved in reunion affairs, including public relations and publicity. (i) Work closely with the By- Laws Committee Chairman and assume responsibility for the printing and distribution of the By-Laws. . 3 Vice President : (a) Perform the duties of the President in his absence or incapacity. (b) Take overall responsibility for increasing Association membership. Supervise the Regional Representatives of the Membership Recruiting Committee and the Public Relations Committee Chairman. Propose appointments for these positions to the President. (c) Mail annual membership renewal notices to annual members after the annual reunion and before December 1st (d) Take overall responsibility for the placement of reunion notices in national publications. (e) Give a detailed report as of July 1st to the President. (f) Take charge of the Association’s Newsletter Committee with authority to appoint a staff. (g) Be responsible for the Historian. Secretary : (a) Keep minutes of the annual Executive Board and Annual General Membership meetings. The minutes of the general membership meeting shall be published in the newsletter after the reunion and shall be read at the next annual reunion general membership meeting. (b) Keep a record and files of Association correspondence. (c) Keep an up-to-date membership file. (d) Mail the annual roster or roster supplement to paid up members as required. (e) Shall act in liaison with the Chairman of the Membership Recruiting Committee; the Treasurer and the Information Technology Chairman to ensure accurate membership files (f) Be the custodian of Association property as per Article X. (g) Shall have the authority to appoint an assistant Secretary, with the approval of the President, who shall perform any of the aforementioned duties as delegated by the Secretary. (h) Shall present a detailed report annually at the reunion general membership meeting. 4 Treasurer : (a) Shall be responsible for the collection of dues from new Life members; new annual members and all renewal annual members. Authorize; sign and send Life Membership Cards to new life members on behalf of the Association. (b) Shall be the chief financial officer of the Association with primary responsibility for all Association funds and for keeping full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements in the Association books for the fiscal year, which is defined as the calendar year, such as accounts to differentiate between funds designated for general Association expenses and accounts and those designated for memorial or museum purposes. (c) Shall be responsible for the payment of any and all approved bills of the Association. (d) Informing the President of all requests for payment of a bill beyond the scope of the then effective budget, Payment of these expenditures shall be made only if specifically approved by the President. (e) The Treasurer or acting Treasurer shall be bonded in the minimum amount of $50,000.00. (f) File necessary reports to State and Federal agencies as required by law. (g)The Treasurer, along with an elected Executive Board member, appointed by the President, shall sign all official checks. In the event of the loss or incapacity of either member, the duty shall be performed by the President, Vice President and Secretary in that order. (h) Forward new and renewal membership application information to the Secretary and Information Technology Chairman in a timely manner to ensure accurate membership files. (i) Present a financial summary report at the annual reunion general membership meeting. (j) Provide all members of the Executive Board with a detailed quarterly financial report. 5 ARTICLE VII : Eligibility of Executive Board members and Committee Chairmen All Executive Board members and committee chairmen must be members with a current membership card. ARTICLE VIII : Voting: Voting privileges for members of the Association shall be extended to those paid up members in attendance at the annual reunion general membership meeting. A majority of those present shall elect. ARTICLE IX : Dues: (1) Annual Membership: (a) The annual membership dues of the Association shall be $20.00 per member and $20.00 per spouse for the fiscal year . (b) The annual dues of the Association for persons serving on active duty and who meet the eligibility requirements shall be $10.00 per member for the fiscal year (2) Life Time Membership will be available to those members who wish to participate and those members will be issued a card by the Treasurer. (3) The fees for the Lifetime Membership shall be as follows: 59 years of age and under ………………………$ 125.00 60 – 69 years of age …………………………… $ 75.00 70 years of age and older ……………………….$ 25.00 (4) Annual members shall be considered delinquent with unpaid dues after January 1st following the previous reunion meeting and will receive no further mailings. (Statements and special membership mailings are excluded.) ARTICLE X : Association Property: All material donated to or purchased with Association funds including pictures, display materials, files, artifacts, printed material and etc. shall become the sole property of the Association and shall be actually or constructively in the custody of the Secretary. ARTICLE XI : Memorials: The Association shall establish and support, within the limits of available funds, such suitable Memorials to veterans of the U.S.S. Boxer as recommended and as approved and adopted by the majority vote of members attending the annual reunion general membership meeting. . 6 ARTICLE XII : Committees: 1) The President shall have supervisory responsibility for all committees but shall exercise such responsibility only through the designated elected officer, if any, or an appointed member to oversee or supervise a committee. 2) Committees shall be of two types: a) Special purpose committees whose chairmen are appointed by and report directly to the President. b) Standing committees whose chairmen are appointed jointly by the President and designated supervisory officers, but report only to their designated supervisory officers 3) Each appointed committee chairman shall be knowledgeable of the Association’s By-Laws and shall select committee members. 4) Special purpose committees and their duties are: a) By-Laws Committee: This committee to review the status of the Association By- Laws, at least annually, and report to the President. b) Website Committee: The guidelines for the Webmaster are to provide a website that will provide at least the following: (1) Home Page (2) Information about the Association (3) News and notes relevant to the Association (4) Information regarding reunions (5) Membership information (6) Boxer history and awards (7) Ship’s store information (8) A list of those who served in U.S.S. Boxer and who have passed. (9) In general, to be an appropriate electronic information center. c) Information Technology (IT) Committee: The guidelines for the IT effort are: (1) Initiate the Roster of members. (2) Maintain the Roster of members with input from the Secretary and the Treasurer (3) Publish a full and complete Roster of Association members for members as required or requested. (4) Publish Rosters for special needs and special requirements as necessary. . d) Audit Committee : This committee is to audit the records of the Treasurer annually prior to the annual reunion meeting e) Scholarship Committee: The chairman shall select up to four regional representatives to assist in the selection of persons to whom scholarships will awarded by the Association. The committee shall: 7 (1) Call for scholarship applicants and their resumes (2) Review the resumes (3) Rate the resumes (4) Recommend those deserving of a scholarship to the Executive Board (5) Award the approved scholarship(s) to the applicant(s). 5) Standing committees and their duties are: a) Reunion Committee: Under the overall supervision of the President, the Chairman shall select committee members from the area of the reunion and generate plans to execute the Annual Reunion (1) Chairman of a reunion committee for the next year’s reunion (two committees for two Years) shall be approved at the annual reunion meeting. (2) The reunion chairman will submit to the Association President for his approval the plans for the next reunion by June 1st, so the format can be published in the second issue of the newsletter. b) Newsletter Publication Committee: The guide- lines for the Association newsletter are: (1) Publish as a minimum: a pre-reunion, a post-reunion and one other issue, all to be numbered and dated. (2) Each edition will contain a list of officers for the current term. (3) First edition will contain copy of minutes of the annual reunion meeting. (4) Amendments and/or additions to the By-Laws as adopted at the annual reunion meeting (c) Membership Recruiting Committee: Under the overall supervision of the Vice President, the Membership Recruiting Committee shall be responsible for the recruitment of new members into the Association. The Vice President shall establish recruiting regions within the country and appoint Regional Representatives to accomplish the task of recruitment of new members. 8 ARTICLE XIII : APPOINTMENTS The newly elected President shall, as soon as possible after the annual meeting, appoint the following: Auditor Chaplain Historian Master-at-Arms Parliamentarian Scholarship Storekeeper Webmaster Information Technology Chairman Membership Recruiting Regional Representatives. Duties and responsibilities of appointed officials: PARLIMENTARIAN: 1. Be proficient in parliamentary procedure, including knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order. 2. Be knowledgeable of the Association’s By-Laws and, upon request, provide procedural advice regarding proper procedure. 3. Be impartial and objective. 4. Be available during meetings, business sessions, etc. to answer procedural questions. HISTORIAN: Document the history of all ships bearing the name U.S.S. BOXER and the Association in written and photographic form. All materials referred to the Historian shall be the property of the Association. MASTER AT ARMS: 1. Maintain order as directed by the President. AUDITOR: 1. Direct the efforts of the Audit Committee. REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES: 1. Administer membership programs within regional boundaries as directed by the Vice President. 2. Manage programs to increase membership. 3. Manage programs to regain former members 4. Assist in the planning and coordination of mini-reunions and annual reunions planned for your region. 5. Represent and/or assist the Vice President and/or President as requested. 9 WEBMASTER: 1. Maintain the Association’s website. 2. Provide innovative means and methods to continually improve the website. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHAIRMAN: 1. Be proficient in the required computer hardware and software technology to achieve the required results pertinent to the Association’s IT needs. ARTICLE XIV: These By-Laws, or any part thereof may be repealed, amended, altered, or added to by any member of the Association and brought before the body at the annual reunion meeting for discussion. Adoption of the proposition(s) shall require a two thirds vote of the members present and voting; such proposition(s) to take effect immediately. ARTICLE XV: An officer who is not fulfilling his duties may be removed form office by a majority vote of the Executive Board. Any elected officer not attending two consecutive annual reunion meetings would be considered to not fulfilling his duties to the Association. All monies, books and property of the U.S.S.BOXER VETERANS ASSOCIATION in the possession of that person shall be sent to the President of the Vice President. A certified letter containing the charge or charges shall be sent to that person by the President, and the Executive Board is to be notified by first class mail for a vote. The person or persons being charged shall have the right to appeal, proving he does so within 30 days of receiving the certified letter, and this sentence must be in the letter to the accused. ARTICLE XVI: Organization Chart: The following organization chart shall be an integral part of these By-Laws: 10 ORGANIZATION CHART U.S.S. BOXER VETERANS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY TREASURER CHAPLAIN AUDIT COMMITTEE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE REUNION COMMITTEES BY – LAWS COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER SHIP’S STORE HISTORIAN 11 These By-Laws of the USS Boxer Veterans Association were approved on October 6, 2007 by the Membership in the Business Meeting of the General Membership during the 22nd Annual Reunion in San Diego, CA. Kenneth G. Wyant Gary Torlina President Secretary 12