PLSO The Oregon Surveyor March April 2021

6 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 44, No. 2 From the Publications Committee Pat Gaylord, PLS Publications Committee Interim Chair PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE FROM THE FIELD NOTES G et involved! I don’t know any oth- er way to say it more plainly. Get involved. Myself and others have often beat this drum within these pag- es. At times these efforts could probably be categorized as begging, pleading, en- couraging, cajoling, or even downright trickery, but through it all your involve- ment benefits yourself and all of us. I challenge you to keep reading and con- sider it once again and act. We see it every day when we look at a dollar instead of our debit card: E Pluri- bus Unum. Out Of Many, One. PLSO was founded more than 50 years ago on the idea of surveyors from different busi - nesses, geographies, and experience coming together to build a community to strengthen each other and our pro- fession. The Latin was not there, but the idea is the same. Many professionals com- ing together to focus on one ideal, one goal, and one profession. To improve and build a stronger surveying commu- nity. The founding fathers of a country and those of PLSO found the time to get involved and I would encourage anyone reading this to do the same because all of us need you. PLSO needs you and you will reap what you sow in both friend- ships and professional growth. I write this not just for PLSO, but to also get involved in your greater community. Look to the January/February issue of this magazine if you need an example of what that looks like. Gary DeJarnett has been a pillar of PLSO involvement for more than 30 years and at the same time lists nu- merous other ways he has touched his community for the better. It is easy to say we don’t have time, but I challenge you to change that paradigm in 2021. Be part of something larger than yourself. In 2021, commit to yourself and to PLSO, or your other chosen center of commu- nity, the equivalent of one hour a week over the course of the year and see the impact it makes. Most of us waste more than an hour a week browsing the in- ternet, watching meaningless TV, or, for some, the newest modern past time— playing games in the bathroom on your cell phone when you’re supposed to be at your desk. An average of an hour a week is nothing. Don’t have time at home? Talk to your employer and explain to them you want to spend the equivalent of an hour a week of company time contrib- uting to the profession in a meaningful way. I suspect many would say “yes” with- out hesitation if you show the initiative. An hour a week over the course of a year is enough to attend all of your chapter meetings and probably still have 20 hours or so to contribute to a committee or an- other endeavor within PLSO. I’ve seen folks come and go within PLSO andmake huge impacts while they were involved because they found their passion. Some invested far more than my proposed one hour per week and others provided the foundation of ideas, peripheral support and well-placed criticism that moved us all forward. The exchange of ideas and your presence is most important. A current example of where your hour a week can be well placed with PLSO: Jer- emy Sherer has a vision for PLSO which he has been working on for nearly a year now. To my knowledge, no one asked him to take this on, he had a vision for what could be and acted on it. He chose to get involved and lead the effort, but he needs you to make it reality. In all We see it every day when we look at a dollar instead of our debit card: E Pluribus Unum. Out Of Many, One.