Brian receiving Blankets from John G. Turnbull                            Silvia, Wally, John, Janet, Brian

After reviewing the TCA events and financial records for 2003, the officers were installed and plans including the budget for the next year were discussed.

TCA plans to build on its increased organizational stability by increasing its interaction with similar organizations, especially those related to Turnbulls, in all parts of the world.  TCA will provide web services to other Turnbull organizations which need it and will make TCA publications available at cost to other Turnbull organizations for redistribution to their respective members.

Additionally, TCA will campaign to get its members to increase their role in the organization not only to increase members’ feelings of ownership of TCA but also member to member benefits  In addition to the traditional hosting of Turnbull tents at Highland games, new programs in which members can participate will include a Turnbull Hall of Fame and a Turnbull Virtual Museum.

While the meeting in Washington DC was opportunistic because Brian, John, and Wally all have sons who live and work in Washington the group found the gathering to be so productive that it was unanimously decided that they should meet annually in different locations.

Greetings to TCA members everywhere from Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.  Before very long 2003 will come to a close and with it my first year back in the States.

After 30 years of missionary service in the mountains of Haiti, my wife, Betty, and I came to live in North Carolina last November.  This is finally beginning to feel like home.  We’ve become acquainted with our neighbors, found a church with which we are comfortable, been to the highland games, and I wore a kilt for the first time.  Most importantly, we have made a lot of new extended family friends thanks to the Turnbull Clan.

Incidentally, I’ve discovered something that most of you have probably known for a long time and that is how incredibly similar all Turnbulls, Trimbles, and the many related family members are in two ways.  We are all very highly opinionated and we tend to be gruff on the outside but are, in fact, quite tender on the inside.  As a friend said, we are “often wrong but never in doubt” and “our bark is worse than our bite.”