The 'demise of shell clubs' thread has been very informative. Several postings
have suggested that they knew the causes, although this problem is hardly a
one-size-fits-all situation. Although I have been associated with only two
shell clubs in the past twenty years, their situations could hardly be more
divergent.

The rise and decline of the Hawaiian Malacological Society is fairly well
documented within the pages of its Hawaiian Shell News, particularly if one can
read between the lines. Their protracted zenith followed World War II by about
the period of time it took for many of the core members to retire from the U.S.
military. From my personal experiences with some of its key 'players,' dating
from the early '70s to the early '90s, it seems that there were several 'camps'
within the HMS fold: the 'collectors,' who sought out all manner of new shells
and the associated experiences, the 'neo-conservators,' who felt that the
former group was harming the shells' home (until Hurricane Iwa showed EVERYBODY
what harm really was), the 'socialites,' who naturally sought out group efforts
as a means of expressing themselves, and the shell sellers & dealers, who
$ought $ocial $tatu$ for their $helling experti$e. The 'camps' were not
distinct entities; many could claim loyalty to two groups, and some seemed to
have connections to all. But, as mentioned above, much of this is to be found
within the pages of the printed editions of the HSN.

The noteworthy point of the HMS is that it sits in the midst of a motherlode of
sea shells, yet it, too, has waned considerably from its heydays of the '60 and
'70s, when it seemed to rain rare shells. In spite of their shell surplus and
the 'new blood,' by way of the high military turnover of potential
sheller-members, its worldwide membership dropped year after year. The previous
CONCH-L posts did, indeed, name some of the causes: cliques, club 'customs,'
enthroned pontificators of unsupported opinions-which-could-not-be-questioned,
and precious few volunteers to consistently do the 'grunt work' of keeping a
large club running AND producing a monthly, world-class newsletter. It took big
egos and true dedication to make a large organization, which the HMS was at its
peak, keep going year after year.

At the other end of the scale, it seemed, was the Indianapolis Shell Club, of
which I was the final vice-president. Its last real surge in membership
occurred six or seven years ago,... when I joined. Its membership had already
declined considerably due to attrition, member die-off (literally), loss of
interest, far-flung residences and Indiana's sage decision to make ALL shell
collecting within the state illegal (except fossils, of course, which are not
REALLY shells, just mineral representations of... blah, blah, blah,...).
Anyway, to summarize a long and insipid tale, old age, illnesses and
inaccessibility to shells took their toll until, this winter, the last shreds
of camaraderie fell apart and the Indy Shell Club was no more.

My two cents...

Bob Dayle

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