Sarasota PC Monitor
Meet Our Members (08/03)
Vinny Labash
by Pete Theisen
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.A graduate of Syracuse University, Vinny served 4 years in the Air Force before spending 28 years with IBM as a Systems Engineer. He joined SPCUG in 1990, volunteered to lead SIGs, and became the 1st Vice President in 1995. One year later, he was elected President and served through 1998. He continued to conduct various SIGs, Forums and Workshops in addition to his responsibilities as President. As president, he introduced the "Volunteer Recognition Program" and out of this came the idea for "Computers and You". For six years and continuing presently Vinny has been the author of "The Black Art of Computing", his monthly article for the Monitor.
"I tend to spend vacation time in the Caribbean so I can relax and participate in scuba diving", Vinny says. "This happens once or twice a year. Oddly enough, I haven't done any diving in Florida. Maybe the next time I visit the keys I'll indulge."Vinny had a dog, a brindle boxer, when he lived in Long Island, but pets are somewhat harder to care for in Florida, so now he doesn't have one. Vinny adds "Every once in a while we have pet withdrawal symptoms. When that happens we hug a stuffed animal until the feeling goes away."
One of Vinny's social rituals includes a monthly gathering of several eclectic types which they have labeled "Bagels and Bull____". The discussion revolves around anything that interests a member. This could be computers, news events, investing or even scuba diving. "We have fun" Vinny says, " and that's why we get together."
About 15 years ago IBM decided Vinny needed a change of climate, so they transferred him to Sarasota. "It was quite a difference from Long Island". Vinny says, " and we wouldn't go back North again except perhaps at the point of a gun.":
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Copyright 2003. This article is from the August 2003 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
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