HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY CVPWS   MY, MY,  HOW TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN!   By: Don Butler   It was a brilliantly beautiful autumn day, that third Saturday in October 1987, when we first gathered with fellow bird enthusiasts to do the bird thing and, ultimately, to form the Carolinas/Virginia Pheasant and Waterfowl Society. The meeting took place at the home of Dr. and Mrs Mel Levine, Sanctuary Farm, in Rougemont, North Carolina. What a great event it was! From the very beginning, a spirit of closeness pervaded.   Just to reflect a moment about how this whole thing got started, Dr. Levine, a world renowned pediatrician, had recently relocated to North Carolina from Boston, Massachusetts, where he was on the medical faculty at Harvard, to join the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mel had been involved for years as a member of a New England bird club.   After moving to N.C. he started looking around for others who shared his strange obsession for pheasants and waterfowl. He eventually made contact with William and Don Butler in Bladenboro, North Carolina who both had been infected with this strange "bird fever' for some time. Mel drove down to visit the Butlers and that was the beginning of a treasured friendship, one which continues to this day.   It was during Mel's first visit to Bladenboro that he asked whether there was a "bird club" in N.C.  To the best of everyone's knowledge there was no such organization for lovers of pheasants and waterfowl. That being the case, these three musketeers decided to contact all of their bird friends in the Carolinas and Virginia and to see if there was interest in creating an organization of people who shared a common love for these birds. Calls were made to the known bird people in these three states and they were invited to an exploratory meeting at Mel's place in Rougement.   There was a lot of interested people and a good turnout for that October 1987 gathering. Approximately 50 people showed up at Sanctuary Farm and a great time was had by all. Many among the bunch already knew each other but there were also many who met for the first time. Birds were bought and sold, friendships were created or renewed, stories were told and a discussion about forming a bird club ensued. It was decided to move forward with the creation of the Carolinas/Virginia Pheasant and Waterfowl Society. This was to be the start of perhaps the strongest and most successful regional aviculture organizations in the United States.   Over the past 20 years the CVPWS has seen many people come and go as members but, over all these years, the three founders (Dr. Levine, William and Don Butler) plus a good number of charter members remain active in the organization. For this we are thankful. Over the past two decades we have been blessed with dedicated members and club leaders who have selflessly given of their time and talents for the benefit of the CVPWS. Other long time members have made numerous special contributions to the club through the years are: Mel and Jackie Nunnally, Jeanne Hawkins and the late Wayne Hawkins, Jan and E. T. Trader, Mike and Ali Lubbock, Dean and Mint Schlief,  Andy Petykowsky, Ann Butler, Beverly Williams, Walt Sturgeon, to name only a few. Any attempt to name all those who have made important contributions over a 20 year period is virtually impossible but suffice it to say that we have been the beneficiary of the generous support of many truly wonderful members who have been faithful to the club and its objectives. To each one of them, named and unnamed, we offer a heartfelt thank you. Without all of your collective efforts CVPWS would have long ago ceased to exist.   As we anticipate celebrating the 20th anniversary of CVPWS at our October 2007 meeting we are thankful that we remain a strong and important voice for aviculture. We are thankful for faithful members who continue to believe in the organization and its mission. We are heartened to see bright eyed, enthusiastic and talented young people affiliate with the club and take on positions of leadership.   Hopefully, twenty years from now CVPWS will continue to be a strong organization and play an important role in educating the next generation about the importance of working with, propagating and conserving the pheasant and waterfowl species of the world. Rest assured, if people like us don't carry on this important work no one else will and many of the species we know and love today will cease to exist. Our work is that important and we are glad to have you as a part of our team.