What’s the difference between an APS chapter and an APS affiliate? I get asked that question all the time. A chapter is typically a local club that meets on a regular basis. An affiliate is an organization with a regional, national, or international scope that meets face-to-face on an infrequent basis, if at all. At this time the APS has 577 chapters and 199 affiliates.

Our APS counterpart “north of the border” is the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC); see its website at www.rpsc.org. I did quite a bit of philatelic judging up there, visiting the Lakeshore Stamp Club (APS Chapter 769) in Montreal last April and going to Toronto to attend Canada’s equivalent of StampShow called “Royal 2007 Royale.” It was there I met the RPSC’s newly appointed Chapter Liaison, George Pepall, a local/regional judge and retired schoolteacher from Kitchener, Ontario. We chatted briefly about our respective groups, as he was just getting his feet wet in planning for the future of their seventy chapter clubs, and agreed to stay in touch.

That got me thinking on the drive back around Lake Ontario to Rochester. Would your chapter like a sister club in Canada? George and I can match up similar-sized clubs looking to correspond and exchange philatelic material with one another. If your group is interested, write or e-mail me and I’ll see what we can do.

We have quite a few chapters in the APS that have been with us for many, many years, but I don’t think we’ve ever tried to find the one person in a chapter club who has been with the group the longest. I’m a firm believer that stamp collecting should be a life-long hobby, and here’s a fine example.

Fred Levantrosser of the Dearborn (Michigan) Stamp Club (APS Chapter 523) sent me a note about one of their members, Joe Uetz. Joe joined the stamp club when he was ten years old back in 1936. That’s back in the days when “collecting the world” was a real possibility, and albums and catalogues were only one volume in size! He missed meetings for a few years during his stint in the Army as a gunner on B-17 and B-24 bombers during World War II, but got right back into club activities on his stateside return. Joe is still a member of the Dearborn Club and as Fred put it, “is a fine, family man and a very generous, proud and friendly collector.” By the way, Joe’s also a long-time APS member!

So who is the longest-serving member in an APS chapter club? If you know someone in your club who can top Joe’s tenure, let me know and we’ll be happy to profile him or her in an upcoming Chapter Chatter column.

The CAC Newsletter is now an all-digital publication! As we’ve mentioned for the past year or so, our newsletter is no longer being printed and mailed to chapter reps, but instead will be posted for everyone to read and enjoy on the Internet at http://www.stamps.org/CAC/. The first issue of 2008 is ready for your review! This issue features articles about quick ideas for meetings, dealers at your show, an easy-to-use point system for local and regional judging, the story surrounding the Rorke’s Drift stamp and the battle of the Falkland Islands, and more. In addition, there is a judging critique sheet along with a form to order Dr. Stanley Bierman’s DVDs of interviews with famous philatelists.

The next Chapter Chatter column and CAC Newsletter will be out in June. Send me your suggestions, thoughts and ideas for those upcoming issues! Tom Fortunato, 28 Amberwood Place, Rochester, NY 14626-4166; e-mail stamptmf@frontiernet.net.