LAKE - SUMTER CHAPTER of the The Lake-Sumter Gazette Editor: Bob Beightol February 2017 IMPORTANT REMINDER: Members and Guests, please remember that we revert to our normal meeting day and time beginning with the next meeting. As a result, our next scheduled meeting will be Saturday, March 4, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. The Executive Committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. and as usual members are encouraged to attend with the table reserved for the committee members to facilitate the conduct of business. 1
Table of Contents Happy Birthday 2 New Members 12-13 President s Msg 3-4 Awards 13 Officer/ Committee 5 Next Meeting 14 Chairs Member Meeting 7-13 Future 16-17 Feb 11, 2017 Presentations Attendance Report 6 This and That 15 16 Committee 7 9 Gazette Contact 16 Reports Information Chapter Activities 9-10 Extra Photos 17 Presentation 11 DAR Box-top Flyer 18 Happy Birthday Mr. President! Did you Know The federal holiday honoring Past President George Washington was instigated by Congress in 1879 and originally was only for the employees of U.S. government offices in Washington D.C. becoming a national holiday in 1885. As the first federal holiday to honor an American president, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22 nd. On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by Congress Uniform Monday Holiday Act, giving us a 3-day week-end (Say Thank you Congress ). Strangely, the 3 rd Monday of February always falls between February 15 and 21, and never on February 22 nd, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" a misnomer. 2
From Our President s Desk between settlers with competing land claims. Jerry Hardwich, President This month, let us remember our patriot ancestors. Winter has by now unleashed its fury on them, especially in colonial New England. Our patriot ancestors, having suffered a series of defeats, were also now regrouping after some dramatic victories. The dismal times of frigid cold and snow had set in and they were anticipating the coming of Spring and beginning the planting of the fields. The continual dual concepts of protest and conflict competed with their time at home as the development of the theory of our foundation of independence was taking place. A number of events took place during this time frame, including: January 21, 1738, Colonel Ethan Allen is born. Allen became a land owner in the late 1760s in the area known as the New Hampshire Grants, the area of present day Vermont. Before the American Revolution, both Connecticut and New York claimed ownership of the land and granted land rights in the area causing frequent disputes On January 24 1776, Colonel Henry Knox reached the headquarters of the Continental Army in Cambridge. The young Boston bookseller had pulled off a daring plan. He had led a small group of men on a 300-mile journey from Boston to Fort Ticonderoga in New York State. Once there, the party disassembled cannon taken when the British surrendered the fort and retreated to Canada in May 1775. In less than two months time, Knox and his men moved 60 tons of artillery across lakes and rivers, through ice and snow to Boston. On March 7th, 2,000 Continental soldiers maneuvered the guns to a hill overlooking the city. The British had no choice but to evacuate Boston. Georgia patriots make a stand at Burke County Jail on January 26, 1779. In December of 1778, the British began their new Southern strategy with the attack and capture of Savannah, Georgia. The British were forced to reassess their strategy when France entered the war because the theater of war suddenly stretched around the world. Troops had to be taken from America and sent to other regions, such as the Mediterranean and the West Indies, to defend British interests there. On this day in history, January 14, 1784, the Treaty of Paris brings the American Revolution to a formal 3
close. After the surrender of Lord Cornwallis' army at Yorktown, Virginia in October, 1781, the British Parliament began to lose its will to fight the war. In April of 1782, the House of Commons decided to bring the war to and end and peace negotiations began in Paris. Freedom was being aggressively pursued, and the winds of change were underway. We continue to make strides, and move the chapter forward. We as a chapter, and as individuals keep active in a number of important activities: The February meeting attendance was 27, including 23 members and 4 guests. Ron Grove is leading the Americanism Award effort. Thanks to all on the Executive Committee for updating the list of activities. All of our members that have participated in referring friends and family need to be congratulated. Keep sending John Moore the names of any additional family, friends, and acquaintances that may qualify for membership. Special thanks need to go to John Moore for his perseverance in getting new members on board. We have completed the Chapter portion of the Rumbaugh Oration contest with several individuals from Montverde Academy participating. Hopefully, these contestants will also qualify for the Knight Essay contest. - Our winner moved on to the FLSSAR state competition at the FLSSAR Board of Management, and came in second. Congratulations for her hard work, her mentor, and to Ralph Nelson. - Several chapter members volunteered to work on this project. Compatriot Nelson has developed a new Poster Contest. The committee has been working to secure participation of several local schools. At this time we have three schools that have agreed to participate. With several chapters participating in the FLSSAR Florida Newsletter competition, the Lake-Sumter chapter is in the final running. The chapter is competing in the Camp Reports Color Guard contest. For February, our chapter will be participating in the GeorgeFest parade on February 25 in Eustis, FL. In closing, please give thought to what our Patriot ancestors were challenged with, protesting the implementation of taxes without any representation from the colonies. God bless our patriot relatives for what they did to persevere and save our country. All the best to each and every member. Good health, prosperity, and happiness to you and your family. 4
Chapter Officers President: Gerald C Hardwich 1 st VP: Allan Lane 2 nd VP: George W Chaffee Secretary: Edward J Riley Treasurer: Ronald L Grove Historian: Richard K Offutt Registrar: John H Moore Sergeant at Arms: Basil Linville, Jr Member at Large: Robert L Beightol Member at Large: Basil Linville Genealogist: Tom Wilcox Committee Chairs Public Service: Allan Lane Flag: Glen Langston Good citizen: Ralph Nelson Veteran Recognition: Bob Beightol SAR Service: Ralph Nelson SAR Tenure: Ed Riley Audit: Allan Lane Awards: Allan Lane Color Guard: Glenn Langston Americanism Poster: Ralph Nelson DAR Liaison: Robert Moody Education: Ralph Nelson Eagle Scouts: Bill Hayes JROTC: Bill Hayes Oration: Ralph Nelson Meeting Donations: Scott Bushnell Membership: John Moore Editor: Bob Beightol Nominating: Ralph Nelson Program: Allan Lane Publicity: Bob Beightol Quartermaster: Basil Linville, Jr Veteran s Programs: George Chaffee Website Manager: Scott Bushnell Mingling before the February 11, 2017, membership meeting. 5
Members Attendance Roster Guests 1 Brassert, Maury E 2 Beightol, Robert L 1 Bass, Robert T SAR Arkansas 3 Bowron, Glenn 4 Bushnell, Scott 2 Bushnell, Myra 5 Chaffee, George 3 Carl, Jim (Inductee) 6 Grove, Ronald 4 Carl, Donna 7 Hampton, Don 5 Dupree, Eva (Guest Speaker) 8 Hardwich, Gerald 6 Dupree, Kevin 9 Harrison, Fred 10 Kilmer, Frank 11 Lane, Hubert 7 Lane, Vertis 12 Langston, Glenn 13 Linville, Basil, Jr 14 Moore, John 15 Nelson, Ralph 16 Offutt, Richard 17 Riley, Edward 18 Valliant, Frank 19 Wilcox, Thomas If your name is not on the list, then YOU did not sign in!! 6
Member Meeting - February 11, 2017 The meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. by Chapter President Jerry Hardwich, who was assisted throughout the meeting by Secretary Ed Riley and 1st Vice-President Allen Lane. Members present were again fortunate to witness our color guard post and retrieve the colors during the meeting. Thanks to Color Guard Commander Glenn Langston and Compatriots Ralph D Nelson, Jr and George Chaffee for their participation. Color Guard Color Guard Commander Glenn Langston reminded everyone of the Chapter s participation in the GeorgeFest Parade in Eustis, FL, scheduled for February 25, 2017. Members and guests who wish to participate should meet at Langston s Golf Cart Center, 220 S. Bay St, Eustis, FL, not later than 9:30 a.m. At that time, the golf cart will leave for the staging area in preparation for the parade scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. An eight-person golf cart will be available for those who wish to ride with room for many more outside the cart for those who wish to walk. As always, uniforms are encouraged as they are huge crowd pleasers, but are not mandatory. We also should remember that the Eustis GeorgeFest parade and festival is the second oldest festival celebrating George Washington s birthday in the nation and the longest continuing festival in the state of Florida. Even more important, the Lake-Sumter SAR Chapter has participated in each parade since the Chapter s inception in 1988. Hope to see you there! 7
Editor s Note: Those of you who have an interest joining the Chapter Color Guard, will find the following URL of value: https://sar.org/sar-colorguardsman. The URL will take you to the NSSAR Color Guard newsletter didn t know one existed? I didn t either! Take a look at the newsletters for ideas about uniforms and Color Guard activities and think about volunteering. If you have additional questions I am sure Color Guard Commander Langston or any of our Color Guard members would be glad to answer them, particularly Compatriot Ralph Nelson who provided the information for this note. Thank you Compatriot Nelson! Chaplain s Report Chaplain Ralph D Nelson, Jr, reported that Compatriot Chuck White is still in a local rehab facility and would enjoy visits during his stay. Details concerning contact procedures and address of the rehab facility can be obtained from Chaplain Nelson. Chaplain Nelson mentioned that the son of President Jerry Hardwich has been undergoing health issues and asked for an update. President Hardwich advised that his son, who resides in Texas, has undergone surgery in his cancer treatment and is recovering. Prayers and well wishes, past, present and future are, and will be, much appreciated. DAR Labels for Education Program In the absence of Compatriot Bob Moody, no report or collection of labels and box tops for the DAR Labels for Education were conducted. Please hold all labels and box tops for collection at our March member meeting. Lake-Sumter Gazette Editor Bob Beightol again requested that the members submit photos and biographies for enclosure in the Chapter web site. Members were also encouraged to submit any information they have concerning SAR activities, with photographs, to the Editor for possible publication in the Chapter newsletter. 8
Veteran Recognition Committee As Chairman of the Veteran Recognition Committee, Compatriot Beightol reminded members that if they have had military service and have not as yet received an SAR Military Service Award that he should be contacted to initiate the application process. If you haven t viewed FLSSAR Veteran s Battalion roster recently, you might want to take a look. You will find a total of 19 members of the Lake-Sumter SAR Chapter, past and present, on that list with several more applications pending. To access the roster, go to the FLSSAR web site at flssar.org and then click on FL Veteran Bn along the left hand side. Publicity Committee Compatriot Beightol advised that he and Compatriot Robert H Moody, have been hard at work publicizing the activities of the Chapter in local newspapers to assist in recruiting efforts. Members are asked that when published articles are seen that they be provided to the Publicity Committee for accounting purposes. Chapter Activities January 21, 2017 Rumbaugh Oration Contest, Montverde Academy: The Lake-Sumter SAR Chapter conducted the Rumbaugh Oration Contest at the Montverde Campus, Montverde, FL on January 21, 2017. Travelling to the Academy were Compatriots Ralph D Nelson, Jr, who acted as Monitor; Compatriots Scott Bushnell, George Chaffee and David Bussone as Judges; and Compatriot Bob Beightol, who acted as Timer. To the left are the three contestants, all of whom are from the Montverde Academy. From left to right are Senior Harley Ganna, 1 st Place winner who spoke on The Origin and Development of Veteran Benefits; 2 nd Place winner, Senior, Jamie Thompson, who spoke on PTSD s Impact on Military Families ; and 3rd Place winner, Freshman, Matthew Karen, who spoke on Topics in the Revolutionary War. 9
Contest Administrators from left to right: Lake-Sumter Chapter Compatriots Ralph Nelson, George Chaffee, Scott Bushnell; The Villages Chapter David Bussone; Montverde Academy s Robert Burke; and Lake-Sumter Chapter Compatriot Bob Beightol. February 4, 2017, FLSSAR Rumbaugh Oration Contest, Board of Management, Orlando, FL: Compatriot Ralph D Nelson Jr, announced that Ms Harley Ganna, winner of the Lake-Sumter SAR Chapter s Rumbaugh Oration Contest, won 2 nd Place at the FLSSAR oration contest. Congratulations Ms Ganna! 2 nd Place Winner Harley Ganna with SAR National President General J. Michael Tomme and FLSSAR Society President Raymond Wess. 2 nd Place Winner Harley Ganna being congratulated and presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by FLSSAR Ladies Auxiliary Naomi Wess. 10
Presentation Member s Meeting Ena Dupree during the presentation assisted by her husband, Kevin Dupree. This month s speaker was Ms. Ena Dupree who provided her insight into Islam and her own personal story as an ex-muslim. Ms. Dupree was born in Lebanon as a Muslim, moved to Canada at the age of two years and began to learn at an early age that Muslim women had few rights or privileges. At the age of 14 she was forced to marry an older man who was also very abusive. She ran away from this marriage on several occasions but in all but the last, was found by her husband, mostly with the assistance of her own family, and forced to return to his home. Ultimately, she escaped, and was able to stay hidden and obtain a divorce. Following her divorce, she met her current husband, Kevin, to whom she has been married for twenty years, and eventually converted to Christianity. During her presentation, she provided many facts and opinions on Islam, its five Pillars and the Quran. Those in attendance were given a lot of information in a short period of time which may have generated more questions than answers. For those who desire additional information, Ms. Dupree is providing a PDF copy of her entire presentation which can be obtained via email from Compatriot Al Lane. In addition, Ms. Dupree provided a list of books via a slide during her presentation which will provide additional information on Islam and its history. A copy of the slide is shown below. Ms. Dupree receives a Certificate of Appreciation from Chapter 1 st Vice- President Al Lane. 11
NEW MEMBER INDUCTION James Monroe Carl, Jr The induction ceremony for our newest Chapter member, James M Carl Jr (from left to right): Compatriot John Moore, Registrar and Sponsor; Mrs. Donna Carl; Compatriot Jim Carl; Chapter President Jerry Hardwich; and Chapter Historian Richard Offutt. Compatriot Jim Carl as he receives the Rosette from his wife, Donna. Compatriot Jim Carl as he provides information about his Patriot to the members. 12
Jackson Pearce Herring As he was unable to attend the Chapter meeting, Jackson Pearce Herring, was inducted into the Lake-Sumter Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution at home by President Jerry Hardwich. Jackson is the grandson of President Hardwich and his wife, DAR Diane Hardwich who are pictured from left to right in the photograph to the left. Congratulations Compatriot Herring and welcome to the SAR. Editor s Note: Compatriot Herring was inducted in December 2016. Due to an oversight by the editor, the news was omitted from the January 2017 newsletter. Apologies to Compatriot Herring and his family. AWARDS FLSSAR Veteran Battalion: Inducted into the FLSSAR Veteran Battalion were Lake-Sumter Chapter Compatriots (Left to Right) Don Hampton, Bob Beightol and Richard Offutt, with President Hardwich as he presents the members with Induction Certificates. Also approved for induction were Lake-Sumter Compatriots Stephen Offutt and Donald Voorhees, plus The Villages John Albee, all of whom were unable to attend. 13
Next Meeting The next meeting of the Lake-Sumter SAR Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, will be as follows: Date: March 4, 2017 Time: 11:00 AM - General Membership Meeting 10:00 AM - Executive Committee Meeting. Members are encouraged to attend. Place: John Gela Memorial American Legion Post 219, 194 West Fountain St, Fruitland Park, FL Speaker: Compatriot Al Lane Topic: In the first of a two-part series on The Winning of the War, Compatriot Lane will address the British Southern Campaign beginning in 1779, including the disasters for the Patriots at Charleston, Waxhaw and Camden; the appointment of Greene as commander in the south; and Cornwallis pursuit of Greene culminating in the British pyrrhic victory at Guilford Courthouse. Lunch: The Post will be serving their BBQ sandwiches or plates with pork & chicken, baked beans, slaw, and a roll. Coffee $1 with free refills and deserts for $1.00. Canned soda is available in the meeting room. Future Presentations 2016-2017 by 1 st Vice President, Allan Lane Compatriots, below is our 2017 monthly program list. All of them are interesting topics researched by our presenters. Please come and bring family and friends to enjoy these historical gems! 2017 Mar 4 - This is the first of a two-part series on The Winning of the War, presented by Compatriot Allan Hale. 14
Apr 1 - Part two of The winning of the War, by Compatriot Ralph Nelson, who addresses the movement of Washington and Rochambeau s armies south to Virginia to confront Cornwallis; the miraculous appearance of the French fleet in the Chesapeake which sealed Cornwallis fate and led to a collapse of political support for the war in the British Parliament. May 6 Compatriot Scott Bushnell, Battle of Oriskany and Siege of Ft Stanwix. Jun 3 Compatriot Tom Wilcox, The Battle of Brooklyn: The Lost Battle That Won the War. Our Web Site: This and That http:/ /lakesumtersar.org Color Guard Recruitment: Check out the Color Guard Newsletter and become a volunteer. Our Chapter Color Guard wants you! https://sar.org/sar-colorguardsman The Florida Patriot Digitally: The fall issue of The Florida Patriot is available digitally from the FLSSAR web site. Volunteers: Volunteers are almost always needed for most of our ongoing education programs. Should you have time or a desire to enhance the lives of our young people, or simply have questions as to how you could help, please contact any of the Chapter officers. Remember, as few as couple of hours could make or break one of our Chapter programs and you don t have to act alone. You could pair up with another member and both assist in the same program. Updating Personal Information: Remember, updating member information such as address, e-mail address, or phone number is the responsibility of the member. If you are registered on the state/ chapter website (which uses the same data base) and/ or the National website (a different data base) you can update your own information. If you aren t registered on either, or need help completing the update, contact or send the information to our Chapter Secretary Edward Riley, at apej2313@yahoo.com. He can then update the appropriate data base. Member Recruitment: Our individual primary effort should be in the direction of new member recruitment. Remember, male children, siblings and grandchildren are all eligible for the SAR. Should you have candidates, please connect with Registrar 15
John Moore at jmoore714@gmail.com. Military Service Awards: If you served in the military but have not received a Military Service Award, please notify the Chairman, Veteran Recognition Committee, Bob Beightol at bogi0104@bellsouth.net. Two additional members of our Chapter are believed to be eligible for induction to the FLSSAR Veterans Battalion and applications are currently being processed by FLSSAR. Biographies and Photos: The Lake-Sumter Chapter web site has areas for both a biography and photo for each member. We are all looking forward to seeing yours! For an example, sign onto the Lake Sumter SAR web site; go to Member s Area ; click on List Members ; and then click on Bushnell. Participation Points: Compatriots, remember the importance of tracking your points. Eligible events with point values can be found under the Admin section of the Lake Sumter SAR Chapter website. Lake-Sumter Gazette Contact Information Robert L Beightol Email: bogi0104@bellsouth.net Phone: 850-206-7344 Compatriots, please submit all news items and photos you believe of interest to the membership, via email, with a name and telephone number for a point of contact. Remember, if you think it is interesting, chances are your fellow members will too! 16
February 2017 More Meeting Photos 17
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