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LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2023
THE LMGI IS 20!
Part 1: An Origin Story
Over 20 years ago, we came together to create an organization by us, about us
and for us. It was the right idea, in the right place, at the right time.
by Diane Friedman,
with lots of help
from her friends
I was there at the start but going back over two decades to relive the Guild's
beginnings in Los Angeles, I needed to have my memory jogged. I dove into years
of Board meeting minutes, the
Compass, newsletters and news clippings. I
reached out to Founding Board members, founding members, committee members
and others, many of whom I had not spoken to in years.
I spoke extensively to Beth Tate, who has just been honored with the LMGI's
2023 Trailblazer Award for coming up with the idea for us to form a location
guild in the first place. Luckily, Beth, Scott Trimble and Jody Hummer kept their
old calendars and were able to share events and dates. Beth, Scott, Dennis
Morley, Orin Kennedy, Peter Gluck, Kathy McCurdy and Pamella D'Pella dug up
long-buried pictures from the era and Cassandra Heredia and John Grant left a
full accounting in their early Board meeting minutes.
The result is a rough timeline of events, meetings and social gatherings. But
also of ideas and the excitement of creating something new—as told by our
early members who were willing to travel back in time and take part in this
conversation.
