Two past GMIS International treasurers, emeritus members and long-time GMIS stalwarts were recently sighted together in Yakutat, Alaska, near Hubbard Bay. Accomplished fishermen as the photos well illustrate, Brad is shown holding his 25 lb. king salmon, and Sam is holding his 19 lb. king salmon. On the same trip, Brad also caught a 141 lb. halibut, and we have a picture of him trying not to be pulled overboard!

In Brad Brown words, "unlike most GMIS International Board Members who rise through the ranks to, ultimately, serve as International President, my stint on the International Board was that of treasurer for 13 years (FY1992-FY2005). During those years, I also enjoyed being active in the Utah Chapter and assisting in hosting the International Conference twice in Utah. It is obvious that I suffered from a split personality. I never knew if I was meant to be a tax accountant, my first love, or IT director. As an enrolled agent, I have been actively engaged in my tax practice for 46 years, but it was my job as IT director for 30 years with the State of Utah that bought our home. Truth be known, I never really cared much for computers until desktop PCs came about. I did, however, enjoy setting the IT direction, managing IT budgets and dealing with the State Legislature. Now in retirement, I continue to enjoy the detail of tax law, estate and trust work and assisting GMIS reach its goals. I’m pleased to report that since 1993, GMIS and its chapters have remained in good legal standing!"

Sam Ferguson has been an active member of GMIS since 1991. During 23 years of local government information management service, Sam was the IT director for the City of Palatine and the Village of Schaumburg. Sam’s career achievements include establishing information technology departments for different municipalities and bringing together "islands" of information into cohesive, service oriented departments. He was responsible for several multimillion dollar system installations and upgrades. Additionally, the Village of Schaumburg has been recognized seven times in the last nine years as a Top 10 Digital City by the Center for Digital Government, all under Sam’s tenure.

Sam served a term as the president of the Illinois GMIS Chapter. In 1996, he hosted a successful GMIS International Annual Conference in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Sam then joined the Executive Board and rose through the ranks of 4th Vice President, 3rd Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, ultimately serving as International President in 2000-2001. After a year as Executive Director, Sam stepped back to the Illinois Chapter for several years. He rejoined the Executive Board as International Treasurer from 2006-2011. He served as Conference Coordinator for the 2012 Conference held in Chicago, Illinois.

It’s always great to see good friends and fellow GMIS members enjoying life to fullest – here’s to Brad and Sam and many successful fishing trips in the future!!!