Doll News Fall 2020 - 5

President's Message
My Dear Doll Friends,

year has past since I wrote my first President's Message for
DOLL NEWS. It has certainly been an unprecedented year - a
year of two halves. Fall and winter were quite normal. We held
our fall Executive Committee meeting, conducted training for our new
Regional Directors and held the lovely "The Dolls' Tea Party" at Headquarters. The golden days of
autumn were filled with a whirlwind of activities. When Maryll, Connie, and I came back for the UFDC
Open House and Boutique in November little did we know when we left that we would not be seeing our
UFDC home and staff for some time to come.
Winter was busy with planning for our wonderful 71st Annual Convention "The Fabulous 50s" in
Dallas, taking care of UFDC's day-to-day business, holding Meet and Greets at shows, and attending
several clubs' anniversary events. We continued to reach out to other organizations such as the Barbie,
Paper Doll, BJD, Schoenhut Collectors Club conventions and the 200 Years of Childhood event as
potential sources of new members.
In February we combined our spring Executive Committee meeting with the Southwest Florida Antique
Doll Study Guild's Florida Doll Day UFDC Museum fundraiser. Little did we know when we parted that
it would be a long time before we saw one another in person again. We had not been home long before the
universal pandemic began. Thank goodness we have been able to use Zoom to keep connected.
Our fantastic convention in Dallas had to be cancelled and our Annual Business Meeting postponed.
In July, during what would have been convention week in Dallas, we instead provided six fun-filled days
of educational programming and shopping opportunities through the OnTime OnLine Doll Celebration!
In all, thirteen programs highlighted a variety of dolls including modern, vintage and antique, and there
was a fabulous virtual tour of the UFDC museum. Viewers learned about creating beautiful doll displays
and there was even a program about making a few dolly DIY craft projects. The programs are available
on the UFDC Facebook page and, by the time you read this, will also be loaded onto our website. There
were many treasures to be found in UFDC's Ruby Lane Sales Room, in the new UFDC Shop and on
UFDC's eBay page, along with great special auction items. Once again, a big thank you to everyone who
contributed to making that week such a success.
Part of the Competitive Exhibit at the 2020 Convention in Dallas would have been competitions
for dolls created by or costumed by exhibitor. Because we knew that many of our talented members
had already started on these entries when convention was cancelled, we decided to have them submit
pictures of their entries to be shown during the UFDC OnTime OnLine Doll Celebration! The entries were
voted on by the event viewers. Look for these wonderful entries in this issue of DOLL NEWS.
Another difficult decision we faced was how to carry out the important business which would have
been conducted at the postponed Annual Business Meeting in Dallas. Since we do not know when it will
be safe to travel and gather together for a live ABM we will conduct a "2020 Special Universal Pandemic
Annual Business Meeting" where any voting that is required will take place by paper ballots. Look for
information in this issue of DOLL NEWS.
We are looking forward to better times ahead as we plan for UFDC's 72nd Annual Convention
"Dolly & Me, By the Sea" which will be held in Baltimore. Doll artist R. John Wright is creating an
exclusive, limited edition souvenir which reflects our theme.
Until we meet again, please stay safe and remember: The best is yet to come!
Until next time,

Barbara Stone
DOLL NEWS * UFDC.ORG

http://www.UFDC.ORG

Doll News Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Fall 2020