Report on the Fifty-Seventh Annual Meeting

REPO RT ON TH E FIFTY -SEV EN TH A N N U A L M EETIN G Northridge, California June 15-19, 1994 The 1994 meeting of the APCG is surely the only one to be lo­ cated at the epicenter of a major earthquake. The Northridge quake of January 17, 1994, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, not only shook up Los Angeles, but threw all planning for the APCG meeting into a cocked hat! The campus facilities scheduled for meetings were closed, and campus housing, although not seriously damaged, was closed for renovation at the time of the meetings. After a brief expe­ rience with “the university in a box (some assembly required),” the local arrangements committee decided that tents and trailers were not a satisfactory venue for the meeting. Fortunately, one of the three functioning hotels with facilities for hosting a meeting in the San Fernando Valley was able to accommo­ date us. So, with less than three months to go before the scheduled start of the meeting, everything was relocated to the Hilton Hotel in Woodland Hills, some six miles from the California State Univer­ sity, Northridge (CSUN) campus. In spite of the complications caused by such last-minute maneuvers, the meetings went off with only mi­ nor hitches, providing participants with a first-hand look at the results of the earthquake, as well as an outstanding set of paper presenta­ tions, together with the usual informal and unofficial activities that the APCG does so well. Given the timing and location, the opening session quite appro­ priately examined Environmental and Cultural Faultlines in Southern California. Bob Howard provided a succinct overview of what we know of the tectonics of the area, profusely illustrated with slides showing the results of the Northridge quake, followed by Jim Allen and Gene Turner’s examination of the probably even more trans­ forming changes in the demographics of the region, drawing on their detailed studies of the rapid growth of immigrant populations. 196 Annual Meeting Report 197 Paper sessions dominated the mornings on Thursday and Friday, with field trips luring many participants away in the afternoons. Amalie Orme’s tour of fire and flood landscapes drew a large crowd, while Derrick Danta took others on a survey of recent urban trans­ formations. Friday afternoon featured Jim Allen’s tour of ethnic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, while Tony Orme took a group to examine the neotectonics of the Ventura Basin. The balmy weather on Thursday evening contributed to the suc­ cess of the barbecue, sponsored by the CSUN campus, and co-hosted by the APCG Women’s Network and the Society of Women Geog­ raphers. The barbecue, the only event held at CSUN, was followed by walking tours of the earthquake-wracked campus, which convinced most participants that the epicenter is no place to be if you can help it! A highlight of the meeting was the Friday morning President’s Plenary Session, “Thoughts on Improving Ethnic Diversity in Geog­ raphy.” Bill Crowley is to be commended for this innovation in APCG meetings, which gave a thoughtful assessment of where we are as a discipline, and where we should go. Speakers Juan Gonzales, Ines Miyares, Jennifer Jones, and Jorge Lizarraga provided the packed hall with serious issues, and road maps to finding solutions. A great start to what should become a standard feature of our meetings! Friday evening’s banquet featured the usual rowdiness, punctu­ ated by periodic reports of O.J.’s Bronco tour of Los Angeles freeways, and highlighted by President Bill Crowley’s entertaining and informative address on urban geography in Latin America. Although there was abundant evidence that the meeting had been patched together under less than ideal conditions, those attending were rewarded by good papers, and a setting unmatched for its earthshaking potential. Elliot Mclntire California State University, Northridge ...