Minutes of the South Atlantic District Summer Meeting, Tuesday, July 12, 2016, Boston, MA

Transcription

1 Minutes of the South Atlantic District Summer Meeting, Tuesday, July 12, 2016, Boston, MA Attendance Sign in Roster attached as a part of these Minutes SAD Vice President General Dr. Edward P. Rigel, Sr., presided. SAD Societies represented: Florida President Ray Wess; Georgia President Allen Greenly; North Carolina President Gary Green; South Carolina Secretary Dan Woodruff. A quorum was present. Call to Order By Vice President General Rigel at 7:00 AM. Invocation Delivered by Past Chaplain General Rev. Randy Moody. Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag Led by Past VPG Mark Anthony SAR Pledge Led by NCSSAR Past President Tim Berly Welcoming Remarks VPG Rigel welcomed everyone to the South Atlantic District Breakfast and thanked Past VPG Rick Corbitt for instituting the practice, which has become a highlight of Congress. He wished everyone an enjoyable stay in Boston. Breakfast Candidate Speeches At various times, speeches from candidates for General Office were given by Warren Alter, John Dodd, Mike Tomme, Larry Guzy, Davis Wright, and James Engler Introduction of Dignitaries and Guests President General Lindsey Brock brought greetings President General Tom Lawrence spoke on the proposed Genealogical Research System Secretary General J. Michael Tomme, Sr. Treasurer General Larry Guzy Past SAD VPGs George Thurmond, Rick Corbitt, Charlie Newcomer, Randy Moody, and Mark Anthony SAR Foundation President and Past VPG Dr. Sam Powell FLSSAR President Ray Wess GASSAR President Allen Greenly NCSSAR President Gary Green SCSSAR Secretary Dan Woodruff SAD Secretary Ed Rigel, Jr.

2 SAD Webmaster Chuck Sweeney State President Reports Updates All State Presidents presented highlights of their reports which are attached as part of these Minutes. Remarks from SAR Foundation President Powell Remarks from Outgoing VPG Rigel VPG Change of Command Ceremony Remarks from Incoming VPG Fehrenbaker. Presentation of VPG Pin and Gavel by VPG Rigel. Prayer over incoming VPG by Rev. Moody and State Representatives Announcements Adjournment Various announcements including times for State Society Photos and Youth Award Fundraising Medals Benediction Delivered by Rev. Moody SAR Recessional Led by GASSAR Senior Vice President Wayne Brown. Meeting Adjourned 8:24 AM Ed Rigel, Jr. Secretary, South Atlantic District

3 FLORIDA SOCIETY, SAR, REPORT TO SOUTH ATLANTIC DISTRICT 29 June 2016 The Florida Society, (FLSSAR), continues to grow with addition of the 34 th chapter, The Villages, and a society census of 2094 members including juniors. The Villages Chapter was chartered on 09 January The FLSSAR Registrar, Ray Lantz reports continued growth in new member applications. Florida continues to rank in second place with regards to the National Society census. For the first time in FLSSAR history, three commemorative historical events have been conducted in one calendar year. The Florida Society conducted commemorative ceremonies at the 233 rd anniversary of the The Last Naval Battle of the American Revolution, the 239 th anniversary of The Battle of Thomas Creek, and the dedication of the Minute Man Statue in Pensacola Memorial Park in conjunction with the Pensacola DAR. The Florida Society leadership initiated the concept of regional meetings in addition to regularly scheduled Board of Management Meetings. The concept involves conducting meetings in each of the seven regions and dealing with specific concerns and problems within those regions. The meetings have become very productive and scheduling for the upcoming year has progressed well. The Florida Society has had a very successful year in garnering support for various SAR youth programs. We continue to have national representation in all categories and the George S. and Stella Knight Essay contest has exceeded all expectations and established goals. We had set a goal after last year s contest of having 100 contest entrants. We are delighted to announce that we exceeded that goal by having 103 entrants and the national contest winner. We are very proud of the hard performed by the Knight Essay Committee and especially, Chairman John Stewart. The Florida Society set an aggressive goal of having each of the thirty four chapters being involved in the SAR Public Service and Heroism Program by awarding at least medal per chapter. Although we did not meet that goal, we increased presentations this year when compared to last year. At our recent FLSSAR Annual Meeting, the membership voted to bid on hosting a National Congress. An ad hoc committee was formed and a subsequent bid will be presented at the Fall Leadership Conference. Also, under the authority of our governing documents, we created a new position entitled, Executive Administrator. The position will assist in the increasing amount of administrative work within the Society. The Executive Administrator will also be instrumental in developing and implementing the first ever, Florida Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan will be a road map and compass for the Society. It will endure the transition from one President and Leadership team to another and provide a stable direction for the Society. The Society is moving to a new facility beginning with the Fall Board of Management Meeting. The new facility, The Embassy Suites, Lake Buena Vista South, Orlando, Florida, is a newer facility offering us better conference rooms and amenities. With the new move, we are changing the format of our Winter Board of Management Meeting from an evening banquet to a luncheon honoring the birth of our Patriarch, His Excellency, General George Washington. We will hold our annual Rumbaugh Oration contest in the morning and a Board of Management Meeting after lunch. The Ladies Auxiliary will hold their meeting in a separate meeting room at the same time.

4 The FLSSAR Ladies Auxiliary has set an achievable goal of increasing their membership by 100%. Each member has been challenged to recruit one additional member. We were honored to host President General Judge Thomas Lawrence and First Lady Micky Jo at our Spring Board of Management/Annual Meeting. The Ladies Auxiliary hosted a First Lady s Tea Luncheon in honor of First Lady Micky Jo and made a significant contribution to the First Lady s veteran s cause. PG Lawrence addressed the FLSSAR Youth Awards Luncheon and spoke on the merits of supporting SAR Youth Programs and also installed the new FLSSAR Officers. PG Lawrence recognized Florida s recent recipient of the SAR Gold Citizenship Medal, Compatriot Alexander Dreyfoos Jr. The Florida Society presented PG Lawrence and First Lady Micky Jo a framed painting entitled, The Winds of Change by historical artist Mort Kunstler. The Painting depicts the historical scene of General Washington on horseback inspecting his troops on March 4, 1778 shortly after the arrival of Von Steuben and the beginning of a transformation of the army by Von Steuben. The gift was given by the Florida Society for all of the hard work that the PG and his Lady performed for the SAR. As the Florida Society transitions to a new leadership team, we have set aggressive goals and will continue to build on the progress made by Past President Lawrence Fehrenbaker. Respectfully Submitted: Raymond F. Wess President, Florida Society

5 South Atlantic District Report 2nd Quarter 2016 Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution Current Membership as of 27 June 2016 Active Membership..31 March ,668 Active Membership..27 June , New Members approved since 01 Jan Reinstatements since 01 Jan New Members applications at National with (20 additional) applications scheduled to be sent by the 2nd of July. Active Membership..31 Dec ,612 WE WILL exceed our 2015Membership numbers by the close of the year. Special Events 02 April 2016, as the GASSAR President, I attended the South Carolina Annual meeting in Columbia, South Carolina where I brought greetings from the GASSAR April 2016: GASSAR Historic Site & Celebrations Event This Georgia Historic Site event honors the American Naval victory over the British in in the Frederica River and of course, Patriots Day (April 19 th ). We had the largest turn out to date for this Georgia premier event on St, Simons Island. Attendance from Public, the Educational System, Government, the Georgia Society membership and hereditary organizations was high. U. S. Army JROTC Cadets provided honors with saber salutes, living history had everything including mounted personnel and the parade gathered momentum as public along the

6 route joined in the celebration. This year s event also had a cannon made from a fire hydrant which was provided by Steve Burk of the Wiregrass Chapter. Of course this weekend venue was topped with our repeated visits to area Sea Food Restaurants May 2016, as the GASSAR President, I attended the Florida Annual meeting in Orlando, Florida where I brought greetings from the GASSAR April 2016, as the GASSAR President, I attended the North Carolina Annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina where I brought greetings from the GASSAR. Respectfully submitted, William A. Greenly, President Georgia Society, SAR

7 North Carolina SAR MEMO for South Atlantic District SAR Vice President General Rigel 22 June 2016 FROM: Gary O. Green SUBJECT: State of the North Carolina Society Membership as of 1 Jan 2016: 977 Membership as of 27 June 2016: 1063 Chapters: 26 with charter of the Patriot Isaac Carter Chapter in North Harlowe, NC scheduled for 3 Sep Budget: $20,095 Color Guard Activities: Since 6 Oct 15, the Society has hosted National Color Guard events at Battle of s; Battle of s Ford, Huntersville; Battle of s Creek, Currie; Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Greensboro; Commemoration of the Halifax Resolves, Halifax; and, the Battle of Thomas Lawrence attended the Battle of Guilford Courthouse ceremony. NC Compatriots have also attended National Color Guard events on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and will participate in Independence Day activities across the state. We continue to recognize the Battles around Alamance County during State Society sponsored Patriots Day event. Multiple chapters have conducted/participated in Flag retirement ceremonies to celebrate Flag Day, 14 June Our society continues to identify and mark patriot graves across the state and has focused on adding patriot biographies to the national database. At the end of February our society had submitted about 477 biographies and since then we have added about 52 more biographies with all chapters submitting at least one biography. We changed Society leadership on 30 April 2016 at our Annual Convention. We also completely revised of Order, Newly Revised 11 th Edition. We recognized State Society Youth Awards winners in the Knight Essay, Eagle Scout, Enhanced JROTC, American History Teacher, Americanism Brochure and Americanism Poster contests. Each winner received monetary donations from the members of the North Carolina Society. We also recognized CAR, DAR, community leaders and SAR compatriots with appropriate SAR medals during our awards banquet. The Foothills District, Battle of Kings Mountain chapter hosted 90+ SAR & DAR members at a showing of I have identified three goals for our society for : Retention of current members, Communication with all society members and Recognition of our compatriot veterans as members of the SAR Veterans Corps. GARY O. GREEN, President North Carolina Society SAR The Sons of the American Revolution was incorporated on January 17, 1890, in Connecticut and later chartered by the United States Congress on June 9, The North Carolina Society was initially chartered on February 22, 1911.

8 SC SAR Report to SAD The SCSSAR from January 1 until June 21 grew by 9% from 811 members to 865. Numerous commemorative events were held since our Annual meeting in April including The Battle of Fort Watson, the 225 th Carolina Day on June 28 in Charleston, SC. ). All well attended. I will attend The SCSSAR has an effort underway to get the Battle of Eutaw Springs recognized as a National Event. The BOG of the SCSSAR was held on June 21, 2016 and voted to hold the Annual meeting in Beaufort, SC on April with The Gov. Paul Hamilton Chapter serving as Host. The representative for the SCSSAR at the SAD meeting in Boston will be State Secretary Compatriot Dan Woodruff. Thanks, Wayne Cousar, Pres. SCSSAR

9 Page 16 THE NATIONAL SOCIETY, SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION VICE PRESIDENT GENERAL S REPORT Filing Date: 7 June 2016 DISTRICT: South Atlantic VPG NAME: Edward P. Rigel, Sr. ADDRESS: 1504 Berkeley Court Gainesville, GA NUMBER OF MEETINGS ATTENDED: Chapter, State, District and National State Societies President Chapters Annual Meeting City 1. FL SAR Larry Fehrenbaker/Ray Wess May 2016 Orlando 2. GA SAR Tom Owen/Allen Greenly Jan 2016 Duluth 3. NC SAR Tim Berly/Gary Green Apr 2016 Charlotte 4. SC SAR Greg Greenawalt/Wayne Couser Apr 2016 Colombia South Atlantic District Meetings 6 Oct 2015 Spartanburg The District hosted a Candidates Forum 15 Jan 2016 Spartanburg The District held its Annual Meeting; PG Lawrence was in attendance 12 Jul 2016 Boston Annual South Atlantic District Breakfast REPORT & RECOMENDATIONS: The State Presidents of the South Atlantic District have enthusiastically supporte Youth Contest participation. Regarding the Eagle Scout, JROTC, Knight Essay, Rumbaugh, Poster and Pamphlet contests: GA SAR had entrants in all the contests; FL SAR and SC SAR had entrants in all but the Pamphlet contest; and NC SAR had entrants in all but the Rumbaugh contest. I am proud to note that youth from the GA SAR won the JROTC and Eagle Scout competitions, and a youth from the FL SAR won the Knight Essay contest with the GA SAR representative placing 2 nd. The District remains optimistic about the Rumbaugh, Poster and Pamphlet contests to be judged at Congress. Important from another aspect is the emphasis on growth in membership and addition of new Chapters. Each state ended the year with significant growth in membership. Both the NC and FL SARs have already chartered new Chapters. NC SAR will hold a new Chapter Chartering Ceremony in September as will the GA SAR. GA SAR will also charter another new Chapter probably before the end of the year. Two of our widespread states, NC and FL, initiated regional meetings in an attempt to include the participation by members who have trouble traveling to the central state-wide leadership activities. These initiatives proved to be very successful. Regarding my activities as VPG, I attended The Annual Meetings of all four State Societies, the GA SAR and FL SAR with PG Lawrence and the First Lady. The business sessions associated with these meetings were, shall we say lively, and very productive. The leadership of all four State Societies are fully engaged in promoting not just the goals of the SAR, but the goals of PG Lawrence. I also attended the following National Color Guard and/or Historic Sites Events: The Last Naval Battle in Cocoa, FL (and spent a delightful evening with Former PG Brock and SG Tomme and spouses); Guilford Courthouse with PG Lawrence in Greensboro, NC; Halifax Resolves in Halifax, NC; the inaugural National Event Commemorating Lancaster, SC. th and the SC SAR BOG meeting on June 18 th. I have to say, and totally without bias, the best weekend of the Spring was the weekend on Saint Simons Island, GA and the Frederica Days Commemoration. The fellowship on Friday; the ceremony on Saturday morning that included singers and chorales from local schools, a huge turnout of Color Guardsmen and Militia members of the GA and FL SARs; the parade following with large numbers of C.A.R., DAR and SAR members, Boy and Girl Scouts and numerous JROTC units; and then the Colonial Worship Service on Sunday conducted by the local Chapter Chaplain made it just an outstanding event. A long way to travel for many but it would be well worth the effort in the future. To be honest, I hate to see my term as VPG come to a close. It has been an honor to represent the South Atlantic District and a true pleasure to travel throughout the District reconnecting with old friends and making many new ones. I hope the District membership appreciates my service as much as I appreciated being able to serve!

10

11

12