President's Message

Frank McMeen, 2012-2014 APTA President

I have served on the boards of many worthy nonprofits in West Tennessee and some that were state-wide but few impress me as APTA does!

Over the last 50 years, APTA has led the way in preserving and educating our communities regarding the importance of preserving instead of demolishing our heritage. While the struggle has been difficult at times, the battle is a worthy one. Sometimes we wrestle with local governments and other times we push neighbors and neighborhoods as we press towards preservation.

We still have some of our original members that saw the importance of a state-wide organization to lead the fight and champion our cause. As one of my former college professors called it, “We are warming our hands by fires that others have built.” Across the great state of Tennessee, we have landmarks to attest to the worthy efforts of restoration and owe a great debt to these individuals.

To date we have 15 landmarks that are monuments to our leadership through the years. We have an endowment that we hope to grow so that we can serve better. In the fundraising world we say, “there are two types of organizations . . . struggling and endowed.” We will be placing an emphasis on the endowment investments and growing this endowment.

Around our state we have community treasures that need local leadership to salvage and restore. As they have done for more than 50 years, APTA volunteers continue to fight the good fight of restoration and preservation. These precious volunteers are saving our heritage so that our children and their children can see our rich heritage.

You are to be commended for all you do in supporting APTA and its worthy mission.

Frank