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Chapter 7 – Society Chapters
chairman. Olivier Lafourcade took the reins of the Chapter in 2005 and is still in charge. The Chapter has formal By-laws and is a registered legal entity in France. There are several noteworthy deviations from the By-laws of The 1818 Society in Washington DC, including a membership that consists of a mixture of retired and active staff; a much shorter service in the Bank as a basis for membership (one year instead of the then ten); and formal connections with former executive directors of the Bank. The Chapter also has formal links with retiree organizations in other European countries 123/. The Chapter typically meets for one day each spring for an annual meeting at the World Bank’s office in Paris. It also organizes an annual “Fall-outing” of three-day duration. Recent “outings” include Berlin (2003, jointly with the German Chapter), Bordeaux (2004), Lyon (2005), Brussels and Antwerp (2006), Toulouse (2007), Nantes (2008), Marseilles (2009), and Beaune, Burgundy (2010). The German-Speaking Chapter. Dieter Elz spearheaded efforts to organize a German-Speaking Chapter, shortly after the founding meetings of the British and the FrenchSpeaking Chapters. The first preparatory meeting took place on June 3, 1989 in Feldafing, Bavaria. Eighteen couples attended. This was followed by another preparatory meeting in Bonn-Bad Godesberg in Octorber 1989 124/. That meeting is on record as formally launching the Chapter. About 50 people attended. They elected Dieter Elz chairman, and Jürgen Krombach and Günther Naleppa deputy co-chairmen. Elz led the Chapter until 1992 when Hans Fuchs took over the reins Hans Köpp for a year. The Chapter elected Erdmann Zimmer-Vorhaus its chairman in 1993, a position he held until 1998, when Eberhard Köpp was elected. He remained chairman for six years. Dieter von Samson took over the leadership in 2004, and led the Chapter until 2010 when he handed the chair over to Franz Kaps. The By-Laws of the Chapter offer membership to any former Bank staff member living in a Germanspeaking country, German-speaking Bank staff living elsewhere, German-speaking executive directors, their alternates and office staff, and surviving spouses of any of the foregoing. In 1991 the Chapter had 86 members. It had 146 members in 2010. Members meet for a couple of days in September or October each year for the official business meeting, combining elections of officials, and presentation of important topics, with social gatherings and tourism. During the past few years these meetings have taken place in Berlin (2003, jointly with the FrenchSpeaking Chapter), Hamburg (2004), Aachen (2005), Meiningen (2006), Überlingen on Lake Constance (2007), Potsdam (2008), Cologne (2009) and Graz, Austria (2010).
Dieter von Samson addressing the French-Speaking Chapter in Bordeaux, 2004