I was not involved in the planning of the SHA-SPMA Conference but know it
was planned over a fairly long period of time and ran into many problems.
Norm Barka, the SHA Representative to the SPMA, did all the work. A basic
problem is that many of our colleagues in Europe do not have solid
funding and this fact and problems of scheduling excluded them coming in
mass to SHA 1997 in Texas.
 
The organizers both in Europe and here have done a good job, considering
the many problems. Let us now support their work by attening the
conference in Virginia [See my recent message for information].