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weather, vacations, family, etc. prior to calls and work beginning. It was such a treat for me to be talking to an old acquaintance and hear a voice behind me ... and not knowing what they looked like, to say, “Hey, I know you!” and follow that up with a big hug! Jeff Wooten, Peggy Dresher, David Bienemann to name just a few.
We had a blast. Treks to out-of-the-way, magnificent diners (Thanks Marla!) and early morning bus rides to experience the Balloon Fiesta! I enjoyed seeing my old friends and making many a new friend at this year’s conference and am happy to say that many of them are committee members. Come be a part of this family of professionals and join a committee; you will find the camaraderie second to none!
—Rachel Barker, Environmental Planner/Special Projects Manager - Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, & SMA Committee Liaison
AWESOME is the only word that describes the 2010 SMA Conference in Albuquerque. I have not been able to attend very many of the conferences in the past so I had been feeling a little out of the loop. However, when I got to the conference and reconnected with col- leagues, I once again enjoyed the camaraderie I feel with other SMA members.
My wife was fortunate enough to attend the confer- ence, and at the end of each day she would talk about how she spent her day while I was at the conference. Everyone welcomed her to the conference and made her feel comfortable.
In closing I’d like to give two thumbs up to the confer- ence committee for a job well done, but I want to share a special thank you to Nick Kuhn for his efforts in mak- ing the International Balloon Fiesta available to all of us who got up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the bus. It was a fabulous event and conference.
— Jay Banks, Urban Forester, Town of Leesburg, Virginia
Jeff Shimonski was awarded an Author’s Citation for his writing and photography contributions to City Trees. Photo by Carlos Peralta www.urban-forestry.com 31
