About the Fort Worth Sail and Power Squadron

Squadron | District 21 | USPS

Officers | Meetings | Activities | Newsletters | Membership

General Descriptions

Our Squadron: The Fort Worth Sail and Power Squadron was chartered in 1958 and is based in Fort Worth, which is located in North Central Texas. That's about five hours, by car, from the nearest ocean (the Gulf of Mexico), but we have numerous large, beautiful lakes to enjoy. We have about 150 members, most from the immediate vicinity, although some live an hour or more away (one even lives in the Virgin Islands!). Some of us are retired. Some still have to work. Married. Single. Families. Grandkids. You name it, we got it. Some have boats, some don't, but we all enjoy boating and the company of other boaters.
Our Burgee Heraldry: The Texas Navy, during its several years of existence, had several different flags. One of them was a rectangular flag having a blue field at one end with a single 5 point white star in its center. From there to the end of the flag were alternate red and white stripes, 5 red, 4 white, making the top and bottom stripes red.

Our first Commander, Dr. Thomas Lauderdale, in 1958, shortly after the squadron was chartered, formed this flag into a pennant by folding and pinning down the outside corners to form its triangular pennant shape. He gave several of these to Lucille Sperry, wife of the SEO, who sewed them to make the first Fort Worth Power Squadron pennants.
District 21: The Fort Worth Sail and Power Squadron is a member of District 21, which is comprised of 11 squadrons in Texas and western Louisiana. A district is an intermediate level organization between the individual squadrons and the national organization. The district provides a way for squadrons in a geographic area to share ideas and information, interact socially, and perform public services on a regional level.; The district holds two conferences each year, hosted by each of the squadrons in rotation. In addition, the district holds several cooperative charting and social events. The leadership of the district, as at the national level, is composed of members of the local squadrons who volunteer their time. There is no district "headquarters" -- official business takes place at the conferences. For some members, this involves a bit of traveling, so we make the conferences a fun, as well as business, event.
National Organization: The United States Power Squadrons is headquartered in Raleigh, NC. Except for the office staff, all members of the national organization are volunteers who have worked their way up from, and are still members of, local squadrons. There are two national meetings per year at various locations around the country. All members are invited to attend.

The Squadron

Officers: The officers of the squadron are elected on a yearly basis. The Commander, Executive Officer, and Administrative Officer serve for one year, but usually move from one position to the next the following year (AO to XO to Cdr) to maintain a continuity of experience and leadership. The Educational Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer serve three-years terms. These officers make up the Bridge. There are elected assistants to some of these officers who can fill in at meetings and move into the office at the conclusion of the term. There are also many committee chairs. Some of them are elected and some are appointed by the commander. You can see the organizational structure at our Officers and Committee Chairs web site.
Meetings: We hold monthly General Membership meetings, on the third Wednesday, at various local restaurants and other meeting facilities. These meetings begin with a social hour, followed by a nice dinner (catered, pot luck, or restaurant fare). After dinner, we have presentations by the various committees and usually a guest speaker or other program. Business matters involving the entire membership, such as elections, are also conducted at these meetings.
Additionally, on the second Wednesday, the Executive Committee meets to coordinate squadron activities. This is usually attended by the squadron officers and committee chairs, but all members are welcome. The ExCom is composed of the Bridge officers, the immediate past commander, and three elected members-at-large. Each has one vote.
Activities: The squadron holds many events aimed at fun and fellowship. Nearly every month there are activities related to public service, tests of boating skills, or just plain messing about in boats. These include boating courses, cooperative charting trips, lake clean-ups, raft-ups, contests, and social gatherings. More information and photos are available on this page.
Newsletters: The squadron has a monthly newsletter, The Sou'wester, in which we publish committee reports, schedules, articles about recent activities, and other boating related information. The USPS also publishes a monthly magazine, The Ensign^®, with information and articles for (and from) the national membership.
Membership: The only requirements for membership are a keen interest in boating related activities and an eagernesss to meet like-minded people. You don't need a boat to join. You can join online or contact us directly. Click here for more.

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