2017 Spring Leadership & Trustees Meeting

3/4/2017

3-4 Mar 2017 Brown Hotel, Louisville, KY

This past weekend the Spring Leadership & Trustees Meeting was held in its usual location, the Historic Brown Hotel in downtown Louisville, KY. 15 members of the Virginia Society, including 2 members of the Culpeper Minutemen attended. The Culpeper Minutemen contingent included Past President Lance Lyngar and Registrar Bill Schwetke, accompanied by Cat Schwetke. Dual members in attendance included President General Mike Tomme and his wife Cilla, PG Ed Butler and his wife Robin, PG Lindsay Brock and his wife Bille, VPG Doug Collins and his wife Allison, and Past New Mexico SAR President Andrew Lyngar.

    Friday was used mostly for committee meeting. In various committees the issue of "who is a son" and how do we determine the "good character" of new applicants were discussed. The Genealogy Committee also considered and accepted a requirement for the patriot's proof of residence similar to that of the DAR. A Forgotten Patriot Program similar to that of Virginia was proposed, but will require more work to make the relevant information available. The Genealogy Committee also conducted a two hour workshop on DNA for SAR applications.
     Virginia SAR 2020 Congress Committee Chairman Mark Brennan addressed the Congress Planning Committee on Virginia's progress in planning the 2020 Congress.
     In the Color Guard Committee, Ohio compatriot Paul Wilkie was selected as the Color Guardsman of the year. At the Congress in Knoxville he will receive the Gold Color Guard Medal and will be the designated bearer of the national colors for the coming year at national color guard events.

The committee meetings were followed in the evening by a banquet featuring Compatriot john Slaughter, Superintendent of the National Park Service's Southern Campaign of the American Revolution Parks Group.

John Slaughter

The Trustees' Meeting begins with a benediction.

The Trustees' Meeting on Saturday addressed several important issues. One of the first, and most hotly debated issues, was changing the SAR application to certify the character of the applicant, and guidance on who is a "son". The changes were accepted in a close vote and the application will be changed effective August 1, 2017.

Perhaps the most important business was the nomination of the slate of officers for 2017-18.
Larry T. Guzy (GA) - President General
Warren M. Alter (AZ) - Secretary General
John T. Manning (NH) - Treasurer General
Davis L. Wright (DE) - Chancellor General
John D. Sinks (DC) - Genealogist General
C. Bruce Pickette (AL) - Registrar General
Mark C. Anthony (SC) - Historian General
Douglas T. Collins (KY - dual CMM) - Librarian General
Dr. Matthew John Barlow (DE) - Surgeon General
Dr. John C. Wakefield (TN) - Chaplain General

While the SAR compatriots conducted their business, the Ladies Auxiliary heard a presentation from Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph, portrayed by Billie Brock, wife of Culpeper Minutemen compatriot Lindsay Brock (dual-FL).

Saturday evening concluded with a banquet at which the keynote speaker, Lindsay C. Brock, III, son of Culpeper Minutemen dual member, PG Lindsay Brock, spoke on Maritime Law and the Revolution. The speaker is a maritime law attorney based in Jacksonville, FL.

Though we didn't get a group photo, here are several photos of CMM attendees.