SHCC History

The Sterling Heights Computer Club was started when 12 computer enthusiasts got together one evening after a presentation on virus protection software at the Sterling Heights Public Library.  These 12 individuals developed a vision to form a group that would support the education of the members on microcomputers and the software that runs on them.  This was in November 1988 when the top of the line PC was a blazing 286 and a top of the line hard drive was 40 Megabytes big which was plenty of room to store anything one's heart could desire. <g>

The Goal of the Sterling Heights Computer Club is to promote an understanding and knowledge of microcomputers and software for the mutual benefit of the membership.

• The group started to meet at the Sterling Heights Public Library and did for a number of years until the library's seams started to bust and the meeting room was needed to house books and videos. During our stay at the library the club's reputation grew along with the membership.
• In May and June of 1994 we moved across the street to the Metro Church of Christ.  This room was small and not really conducive to our style of presentations.  We quickly noted that it was a temporary location and began the search for a new home.
• We found our next location at the Carpathia Club on Utica Road.  We met there from September 1994 through June 2005.  Internet access was becoming increasingly more important for meeting presentations and Carpathia Club did not have internet available.
• In September 2005 we moved to Macomb Community College (MCC) South Campus.  The move was driven mostly by the need to have an internet connection available which we have used at every meeting.
• In September 2018 SHCC moved to Baker College Clinton Township Campus.  This move was driven by the room rental fee at Baker versus MCC.  The room is slightly smaller but a very nice facility. In February 2020 SHCC held it's last meeting at Baker College because Baker was shutting down the Clinton Township Campus because they were planning to sell the property.
• SHCC had been planning for the Baker College campus shutdown and had made arrangements to meet at St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Sterling Heights on 15 Mile Road just east of VanDyke. While planning to resume live meetings it was learned that St. Thomas Lutheran had sold the property and we began the search for a meeting location again.
• In September 2021 SHCC moved to Faith Baptist Church in Clinton Township. Coincidentally Faith Baptist Church had purchased the Baker College Campus and SHCC was back in the same room we had used when the property was Baker College. Again, we liked the room but unfortunately SHCC membership had declined to the point where we could not afford this room.
• In May 2022 SHCC moved to the Sterling Heights Community Center across the street from the Sterling Heights Public Library where we had started 33 years earlier. We also changed the meeting time to 10:00 AM on the same day, the first Tuesday of the month. This is a great room and is meeting our needs nicely.

Our membership has been up and down over the years.  We have peaked with 124 members and have been averaging around 35+ for the last few years.  We are currently over 33 members with average meeting attendance of 22.

We have moved our main meeting to several locations after the library and now reside at the Sterling Heights Community Center.  This is a great facility for groups like ours.

Our SIGs have met in a number of locations including member homes in the past.  Prior to moving all of our SIGs to the Macomb County Library, the SIGs met at Oakbrook Elementary School in Sterling Heights.

The Officers have changed a bit over the years, but one thing has remained constant, a dedication to give the members what they want.  Their dedication has made the SHCC one of the finest groups in the Detroit Metro area.  Sure there are plenty of good groups in the area, but the SHCC has built a reputation of delivering value and education for anyone who has attended one of their main meetings on the first Tuesday of the month.  It is the hard work of the officers (past and present) that have made such a great group.

These are the Current Officers (2024).
President: Don VanSyckel
Vice President: Mike Bader
Treasurer: Paul Baecker
Secretary: open

Here is a list of past officers:

We owe a debt of gratitude to these dedicated members who have literally volunteered thousands of hours to the club!

To supplement the education needs of specific types of members the SHCC has made provisions to support Special Interest Groups (SIGs).  These groups concentrate on a specific topic like the Internet/Communication SIG.  Other SIGs focus on a specific type of user like the PC SIGs.  We are currently supporting the following 0 SIGs, the main meeting being one.

In the past we have had other Special Interest Groups.  These are the SIGs that no longer meet:

1. Apple Macintosh SIG (1990-1990):
   The Macintosh computer from Apple was a popular product a number of years ago.   This SIG supported members using this innovative hardware platform.   There is talk from time to time to resurrect this SIG, but never someone to organize and lead it.
2. Library SIG (1990-1990):
   For a while the SHCC was supporting the Sterling Heights Library computers that are on the second floor.   We also had volunteers that helped Library patron's on Saturday afternoons.
3. Prodigy SIG (1990-1990):
   Prodigy was one of the "original" online services (along with CompuServe, America Online, and Genie) and was extremely popular back in 1990.   The popularity of the SIG however was short lived.
4. FoxPro SIG (1992-1995):
   FoxPro is a developer database product used to build custom applications.   The SIG members were there to learn about FoxPro development and databases in general.   This SIG closed when the Detroit Area Fox User Group was formed and better served the needs of the local FoxPro developers.
5. Small Business SIG (1997-1998):
   The Small Business group assembled to gain information on how computers can be used to enhance a small business.   The group started strong but quickly fizzled because the participation and leadership was lacking.
6. Power Users SIG (1992-2000):
   The Power SIG was a group that served the needs of a small group of computer experts in the club.   Over time more people joined, and the topics became more intermediate level topics.   The SIG was changed to the PC SIG in 2000, in line with how the SIG had evolved.
7. Linux SIG (2002-2003):
   A small group joined to learn about the Linux operating system.   The group started with a few dedicated members interested in the Linux operating system, but decreased in attendance, so it was disbanded.   The timing was wrong.
8. Novice SIG (1994-2008):
   Several members wanted additional instruction about beginner topics.   The group started with these members.   Over the years the group has grown and shrunk.   Recently (2008) the group has shrunk, hopefully because the members have advanced beyond novice.
9. Main (1989-2010):
   our main meeting
10. Internet/Comm SIG (1995-2010):
    This SIG explored various features of the internet and other methods of communicating such as email. Also covered were the various browsers and email clients available.
11. PC SIG (2000-2010):
    The PC SIG was a group that discussed intermediate level PC related topics. Most was based on Windows applications and other related digital technologies.
12. Novice SIG (2014-2016):
    Previously we had a Novice SIG through 2008. Attending members were pleased with the advancemnents they had made.   Now, a whole new crop of novices are attending and learning.
13. Microsoft Windows SIG (2010-2017):
    The Microsoft Windows SIG meets to discuss and demonstrate Windows based applications.

• The original dues for the club started at $10.  This covered the cost of the newsletter (duplication and mailing) and the population of the club's Shareware Library.
• The dues were raised to $20 in November 1990 on a vote by the membership because of rising costs.
• In June of 1994 the dues were raised to $25 because of the room rental costs incurred when we moved into the Carpathia Club.
• Dues remained the same for over ten years because the officers have been able to do a good job managing costs and there were no extrodinary (unusual) expenses.
• In May 2005 dues were changed to a split structure.  The same $25 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) and $30 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG.
• Then a month later in June 2005 dues were changed for those receiving the paper WYSIWYG.  The same $25 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) and $35 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG.
• In November 2011 dues were changed for those receiving the paper WYSIWYG.  The same $25 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) and $45 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG.
• In November 2018 dues were changed to $30 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) and $50 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG.
• In February 2019 dues were changed to $61 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG; the $30 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) was left unchanged.
• In May 2023 dues were changed to $70 for those receiving the paper version of the WYSIWYG; the $35 for those receiving the WYSIWYG (newsletter) electronically (a PDF file via email) was left unchanged. The paper newsletter is only available to those currently receiving it.

There have been other activities that the SHCC has participated in like manning tables at various computer trade shows and Sterling Heights Garage Sales.  We have held a number of Beginner Workshops, member Swap Shops, helped Channel 56 (PBS) by manning phones for a telethon, co-sponsored Microsoft's Technology User Group Tour in April 1994, and the Windows 95 Tour in May of 1995.

The SHCC was also recognized as the Computer Club of the Month in the July 1994 issue of PC World (page 237 if you are interested).  The members of the club submitted tips to the "Here's How" column.

Today the club is as strong than ever, thou a bit smaller. We experienced membership growth for many years reflecting the boom in the home PC market. As time pasted many people became familiar with PCs and PCs became an appliance to many. Today there are still those who use PCs in new and unique ways and enjoy meeting, discussioning, and hearing about various computer related topics.

In the computer business, a year is over in a day.  Predicting where the computer club will stand is just as hard to predict.  One thing is sure though, technology is rapidly changing and the SHCC will be a great place to learn about these changes.  Thirty years ago who would have thought that one would create this web page with a machine that has as much memory as the as the top of the line machine had for a hard disk that would fit anything one could ever want to fit.  Does this mean that 10 years from now we will be creating a "mind page" on a machine that has Terrabytes of RAM and a storage media not even designed yet.  Transferred over this "mind web" at instantaneous speeds.

Hopefully we can be here to see what the future holds for the SHCC! Stop by and help create this future with us.