page 1 of 16 · 97.2% of applications reviewed and mailed to nssar 72.1% of applications approved...

Minutes of the South Atlantic District Fall Meeting, Friday, January 15, 2016, Spartanburg, SC

Attendance – Signin Roster attached as a part of these Minutes

SAD Vice President General Dr. Edward P. Rigel, Sr., presided. SAD Societies represented: Florida –

President Dr. Larry Fehrenbaker; Georgia – President Tom Owen; North Carolina – Tim Berly; South

Carolina – Greg Greenawalt. A quorum was present.

Call to Order – By Vice President General Rigel at 4:00 PM.

Invocation – Delivered by Past Chaplain General Rev. Randy Moody.

Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag – Led by President General Tom Lawrence

SAR Pledge – Led by President General Lindsey Brock

Approval of Minutes – The Minutes of the 06 October SAD meeting held in Spartanburg, SC, were

posted to the SAD website. There being no corrections, the minutes stood as posted.

Introduction of Dignitaries and Guests

President General Tom Lawrence

Secretary General J. Michael Tomme, Sr.

Treasurer General Larry Guzy

Surgeon General Dr. Larry Leslie

Immediate Past President General Lindsey Brock

Past SAD VPGs Charlie Newcomer, Randy Moody, and Mark Anthony

FLSSAR President Larry Fehrenbaker

GASSAR President Tom Owen

NCSSAR President Tim Berly

SCSSAR President Greg Greenawalt

TNSSAR President Darryl Addington

Color Guard Commander David Hoover

SAD Secretary Ed Rigel, Jr.

SAD Webmaster Chuck Sweeney

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Remarks by President General Tom Lawrence:

PG Lawrence gave an overview of the changes coming to the SAR website. The store has already been

rolled out and updates to the Education section will be forthcoming.

Spring Leadership: There will be changes to the committee meetings, with some starting on Thursday to

allow for more work to be done. There will be a river cruise on Thursday evening. On Friday evening,

instead of the usual formal banquet, there will be a Caribbean theme, with a steel drum band and

Andrew O’Shaughnnessy speaking on the American Revolution in the Caribbean. The Saturday banquet

will still be formal attire but will feature a live band.

The next steps for the museum will be decided upon at the Trustees meeting at Spring Leadership.

PG Lawrence presented an AidedeCamp pin to Mark Anthony.

VPG Report – VPG Rigel was pleased to see the state emphasis on the President General’s initiatives,

especially the Youth Awards, membership growth, and formation of new Chapters. Two new Chapters

have been chartered and five more are in the exploratory stage. Regional meetings in NC and FL have

been very successful in engaging members who may not otherwise be able to attend State meetings.

Finally, VPG Rigel gave a report of his activities since the last District Meeting and listed his upcoming

events. His written report is attached as part of these minutes.

State President Reports Updates – All State Presidents presented highlights of their reports which are

attached as part of these Minutes.

Old Business

Proposed Revision of SAR Districts – Will not be considered this year.

SAD Medal Report – Due to cost concerns, it was proposed that the District look at a lapel pin versus a

medal. Mark Anthony briefly spoke on the benefits of a lapel pin. No action taken.

New Business

Selection of SAD Nominee for VPG 20162017: VPG Rigel reviewed the procedure for nominations.

FLSSAR President Fehrenbaker reported that at their Board of Managers Meeting in October, the Florida

Society voted to nominate David Ramseur for VPG. From the floor, Rev. Randy Moody nominated Larry

Fehrenbaker. Both candidates were given three minutes for campaign speeches, after which candidates

answered questions from the floor. Ballots were distributed, and tellers from each state collected the

ballots and retired to complete their count.

Mark Anthony gave an update on the schedule of events for the evening and the next morning’s

ceremony at the battlefield.

VPG Rigel thanked Mark Anthony and the ladies of the SCSSAR Auxiliary for their contributions to the

reception.

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The tellers returned their count and VPG Rigel announced that the District’s nominee for VPG 2016

2017 is Larry Fehrenbaker. The Chair of the Nominating Committee and the Secretary General will be

notified.

Adjournment

SAR Recessional – Led by Secretary General Mike Tomme.

Benediction – Delivered by Rev. Moody

Meeting Adjourned – 5:12 PM

Ed Rigel, Jr.

Secretary, South Atlantic District

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South Atlantic DistrictNational Society Sons of the American Revolution

Vice President General Report to the Annual South Atlantic District January 2016

Compatriots of the South Atlantic District,

I am proud to report that the South Atlantic District, widely recognized as the best District in the National Society, is doing very well.

I thank the State Presidents for their enthusiastic support of President General Lawrence initiatives and their efforts to grow their state societies. Looking through the various President written reports to the District there appears to be a significant gain in participation in the various youth competitions. It will be interesting to review the State Americanism reports for particulars.

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 and we await the reconciliation process to determine sustainability. Since this summer, both North Carolina and Florida have chartered new Chapters and exploratory efforts are under way for five other chapters in South Carolina and Georgia.

Two of our widespread states, NC and FL, have initiated regional meetings in an attempt to include the participation of members who have trouble traveling to the central state-wide leadership activities. These initiatives have been well received and seem to have been very successful.

Regarding the VPG activities, I have attended several grave marking events in GA, the Battle of King Mountain, Battle of Savannah, Fort Morris Take It Commemorations and represented the District at those events bringing either greetings and/or presenting a wreath on behalf of the District or the National Society.

On January 9th, I attended the SC SAR Winter Board of GovernorPresident Greenawalt conducted a very productive meeting. In the fall, the SC Society held a leadership meeting to define the Society

Ed ward P. Rigel, Sr. Vice President General

Edward P. Rigel, Jr. Secretary

Charles T. Sweeney Webmaster

Florida Society SAR Lawrence G. Fehrenbaker, President

Georgia Society SAR Thomas M. Owen, President

North Carolina Society SAR Timothy W. Berly, President

South Carolina Society SAR Gregory A. Greenawalt, President

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on the progress of addressing those needs were presented at the meeting. Additionally, President Greenawalt, having recently distributed a survey to the state membership to determine the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the Society, presented the raw data from that survey. A committee was formed to evaluate that data.

Upcoming events I am looking forward to attending between now and NSSAR Annual Congress in July: GA SAR Annual Conference, CowanCommemoration and NC SAR Winter BOM meeting, GA SAR Kettle Creek Commemoration, President ay Community Dinner in Charlotte, Spring NSSAR Leadership, Last Naval Battle of the Revolution, Guilford Courthouse, SC SAR Annual Meeting, Halifax Day, NC SAR Annual Convention, Patriots Day on St. Simons GA, FL SAR Annual Meeting, and the Ramsour

I am very proud to be representing the great South Atlantic District and look forward to the activities occurring in the remainder of my term. I have made new friends and have been able to spend more time with the old ones. The hospitality shown me and Lady Joan throughout the District has been greatly appreciated.

In Patriotism,

Ed Rigel, Sr. Vice President General

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Dr. Edward P. Rigel, Sr. Vice President General South Atlantic District National Society SAR 06 January 2016

Sir:

Attached, please find the South Atlantic District (4th) Quarter Report for the year ending 31 December 2015 from the Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution.

1. Report of the Georgia Society Secretary--Membership

a) Number of Society Members -- 1 Jan 2015 -------- 1,560

New Member since 1 Jan 2015 ------------------- 226 Reinstatements-Transfers since 1 Jan 2015 -- 7 Transfers in since 1 Jan 2015 -------------------- 6 Reinstatements ---------------------------------------- 82

Total Additions: ----------------------------------- 321

Less: Resignations -------------------------------------------- 0 Less: Deceased ------------------------------------------------ 30 Less: Transfers out -------------------------------------------- 13

Total Losses: -------------------------------------- 43

b) Active Membership as of 31 December 2015Reported to National Society SAR ----------------- 1,838

c) Membership Categories of the Georgia Society

Regular Members ------- 1,722 Junior Members --------- 65 Junior Life Members --- 4 Emeritus Members ----- 4 Regular Life Members - 43 Dual Members ----------- 25

Total Membership: 31 December 2015: --------- 1,863

d) Active Membership as of 31 December 2015

Reported to BOM ------------------------------------ 1,863

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2. Report of the Georgia Society Registrar

a) Membership Applications Processed 2015

Applications: January 1, 2015------December 31, 2015

Received thru December 31, 2015-------------------- 317 Applications Reviewed & Sent to NSSAR---------- 305 NSSAR has approved ------------------- 220 NSSAR has Pended--applications ------------------ 16 GASSAR Registrar Pended ------------------- 45

b) The Statistics of Applications Reviewed and Approved is as Follows

97.2% of applications reviewed and mailed to NSSAR 72.1% of applications approved by NSSAR14.2% of applications received & pended by Georgia Registrar 7.27% of applications have been pended by NSSAR

The calendar year 2015 flow of applications has been steady at about 6 applications per week. The quantity of pended applications by the Registrar still indicates a need for chapter Registrars to review applications preparation procedures. Registrars should check that the lineage in each generation is documented. Also, that marriage and parental connections are documented when changing the lineage from the male line to the ancestral line of the wife.

Review is made easier when surplus material is eliminated such as Ancestry.com summary cover sheets along with either census originals or other original material. If the original cannot be easily read, then add the summary sheet.

3. Report of the Georgia Society Treasurer: 4th Quarter Donations:

$50 donated to the Spina Bifida Association of Georgia

$2,000 budgeted from NSSAR GWEF Distribution for GASSAR Brochures

$4,500 received from the Hart EMC Foundation towards GASSAR Brochures

$1,000 donated from the GASSAR GA Fellows Fund to the GA Society Coweta Falls Chapter for two concrete benches at the SAR memorial at Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia.

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4. Report: Chairman / Commander of the Georgia Society Color Guard Committee

STATISTICS – PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS thru 31 DECEMBER 2015 Year Members

Participating State and National Events Total Color Guard

Participation 2010 58 58 5782011 64 (12 Rookies) 82 7822012 62 (15 Rookies) 72 6632013 60 (3 Rookies) 60 5782014 80 (17 Rookies) 68 7612015 81 (13 Rookies) 66 786

a) Membership: The Georgia Society Color Guard has (105) members (active & inactive) on our Roster as of 31 December 2015.

b) Participation: The number of members participating in 2015 has been very high at (786).

c) Budget (2016) awaiting approval: $1,110

d) Color Guard Awards Presented in the 4th Quarter

Molly Pitcher Medal---------------------------Jane OwenSilver Color Guard Medal--------------------Bronze Color Guard Medal------------------Von Steuben Medal----------------------------Roger CourseyGA Honor Guard-------------------------------Camp Follower Pin-----------------------------

Awards scheduled for January-2016: 1 Bronze, 4 Bronze and Silver, 1 Von Steuben, 4 Camp Follower, 2 Molly Pitcher, 4 Honor Guard, and 2 Senior Honor Guard

e) Events:

Calendar year 2015 had (24) National events on the Georgia SAR Color Guard schedule.

The schedule compromised of a total of (66) events for the year.

As of 31 December 2015—all events complete.

The 1st Quarter 2016 has the following National events as GA SOCIETY PRIORITY

(Cowpens, GA SAR Conference, Kettle Creek, Spring Leadership & Guilford Courthouse)

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5. Education Outreach, Awards and other Activities

The Georgia Society’s presentations to elementary and middle school students are continuing to enhance the education of those students in their studies of the American Revolutionary War, Colonial Life and our Founding Generation.

a) Recipient of the following National Society SAR Awards in 4th Quarter:

None to Report at this time.

b) Georgia Society Education Awards 4th Quarter 2015

None to Report at this time.

6. Report of the Membership Committee--New Chapter Development

At present, there are Three new chapters under development (St Mary’s-Dunwoody-Sylvania), and preliminary meetings have taken place. Applications for new members are being researched and prepared with the aid from Chapter Officers of the adjoining territories. It is anticipated that at least one of these efforts should result in a new Georgia Chapter being established in the early part of calendar year 2016.

7. Fourth Quarter Special Events or State Initiatives

6 Oct. 2015: South Atlantic District Meeting 7 Oct. 2015: Kings Mountain National Memorial 9 Oct. 2015: Battle of Savannah Memorial Event 19 Oct. 2015: Yorktown National Memorial 24 Oct. 2015: GA Society Board of Managers Meeting 21 Nov. 2015: Fort Morris State Park-Battle of Fort Morris 5 Dec. 2015: Battle of Vann’s Creek / Cherokee Ford 6 Dec. 2015: War of 1812 Daughters Grave Marking 7 Dec. 2015: Pearl Harbor Day Memorial 12 Dec. 2015: Wreaths Across America-National Memorial

Respectfully Submitted,

Thomas M. Owen, President Georgia Society Sons of the American Revolution [email protected]

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South Carolina SAR membership as of Jan 6.2016: 862 members Chartered Chapters: 19 Prospective Chapters: 2

ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICER:- Term of office began on May 17, 2015 - Member: National SAR Branding Committee - Submitted recommendations for new National SAR brand promise components i.e. Vison, mission. Purpose etc. for

committee review - Conducted SCSSAR Board of Governors meeting Oct 17th Columbia - Chaired Palmetto Patriot state newsletter improvement committee meeting - Elected a new SAR Partners in Patriotism veteran’s activities support State Chairman Mr. Frank Gibson- Appointed Compatriot Douglas Doster as SC state chairmen Youth Programs - Dec 2015 Conducted installation of Chapter offers and new members Gov. Paul Hamilton chapter - Dec 2015 Conducted installation of chapter officers Daniel Morgan Chapter

BATTLEFIELD CEREMONIES /SPECIAL EVENTS:

Nov 11th Veterans Day joined SC State DAR Regent Diane Culbertson and SC CAR State president Will Flint for memorial services at Greenlawn Memorial gardens Veterans cemetery in Spartanburg

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:- Assisted in production of quarterly state newsletter The Palmetto Patriot Sold $130 in Label Pins to support SC CAR state Presidents Will Flints charity project “Canine Angels” support dogs for disabled veterans - Dec 2015 sent out a statewide SAR member survey to get direct feedback from members on their satisfaction with the state

society and get their suggestions for improvements.

SIGNATURE: Greg GreenawaltDATE: Jan. 6, 2016

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