A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Physics and Society in the new millenium

I joined the Executive Committee of FPS in 2001, served for two consecutive terms as Secretary/Treasurer (2001 - 2006), and then one 3-year cycle as Vice Chair-Chair-Past Chair (2007 - 2009). During this first decade of the new millenium, FPS made significant changes to how we carried out elections (fully electronic) and gradually reduced the paper editions of the newsletter from four to two (with two electronic) to, finally, fully electronic. The changes, with the resultant decrease in costs associated with printing and mailing, gave the Forum the financial freedom to expand its activities. Ironically, the last paper edition of our newsletter was also, perhaps, our most infamous as we found ourself no longer simply reporting on the climate change controversy, but a part of the story. In this talk, I will reflect upon my experiences during this period and what it might imply for the next 40 years of FPS.