The Valley Patriot Tennessee Valley Chapter, Alabama Society Sons of the American Revolution June/July 2017

Transcription

1 The Valley Patriot Tennessee Valley Chapter, Alabama Society Sons of the American Revolution June/July 2017 President Millard E. (Mac) Moon Vice-President Randal Jennings Recording Secretary Kim Keller Corresponding Secretary/ Newsletter Editor Jim Maples Treasurer Chip Pharr Registrar Charles McMurry Chaplain Richard Tingle Historian Bob Doherty Meeting Schedule 12 June :00am Regular Meeting Huntsville Public Library Main Meeting Room 10 July :00am Regular Meeting Huntsville Public Library Main Meeting Room President s Report At the last meeting I announced that I will be absent from the regular meetings in June and July, Vice-President Randal Jennings will preside at these two chapter meetings. I will be out of town the week the chapter meetings are held each month. However, there will be a lot going on in the summer months. To this point, we have presented awards in the youth programs and R.O.T.C. at several schools. I greatly appreciate the willingness of some of our committee chairs and other chapter members to participate and help with the presentations. This is one of the best ways we can draw favorable attention to the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution in general and our Tennessee Valley Chapter in particular. It is really encouraging to see the positive and enthusiastic reactions of the students at these activities. The Maple Hill Chapter, NSDAR celebrated their 5 th, going on 6 th, Anniversary with an Ice Cream Social in May. Our chapter was well represented and the ice cream was really good. I was also privileged to represent the chapter at the Society of 1812 grave marking for Captain William Legg in the Elkmont, AL area. Several of our chapter members also belong to the Society of 1812 and were present. Bob Doherty did a great job in conducting the ceremony and our Chapter Color Guard looked really sharp as they added dignity and a military touch to the dedication. Quite a few of Captain Legg s descendants attended the grave marking ceremony and several from our area expressed an interest in our SAR chapter. The Alabama Brigade, Society of the Descendants of Washington s Army at Valley Forge, graciously invited me to attend a luncheon meeting in honor of the National Commander-in-Chief, Joyce Cole. She is a very pleasant and impressive lady. Once again, a number of our chapter members who are members of this society also attended this function. Compatriot Bill Stone was the program speaker and did an excellent job. The Tennessee Valley Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, has now reached our 60 th Anniversary. If you were not able to attend the last chapter meeting, you may not know that the Tennessee Valley Chapter was awarded the Neil Shepard Americanism Award for chapters in the member category. I was privileged to accept the award on behalf of our chapter at the State Society Board of Managers Meeting in May. This was an excellent way to mark our 60 th year and sincere thanks are due immediate Past President Bob Baccus for his leadership, and Recording Secretary Kim Keller for preparing the submission package for this award. So member chapter members worked to do the things that qualified us for this award it is not practical to list the names here. Nonetheless, you all have served the chapter well and should be proud of your accomplishments. On a related note, our Chapter Charter has been missing for some time. It is probably stored in some forgotten place. If anyone can suggest where we might look or who we might contact to recover it, please let one of the chapter officers know. We have more events on the horizon. In June the 67 th Annual Southeastern Regional Meeting of the Children of the American Revolution will be held in Huntsville, AL at the Huntsville Marriott, 5 Tranquility Base. The event will take place June In July, the NSSAR 2017 Congress will be held in Knoxville, TN. At this point at least 7 chapter members, including myself, plan to attend. I hope we will acquire some good information we can bring home and apply at the chapter level. On Friday, August 18, 2017, we will have our Annual Summer Social from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the same Whitesburg Baptist Church facility we used last year. More information on this event will follow later. The last major point I want to address is the appointment of our Chapter Youth Programs Coordinator, Compatriot Jim Griffith. Jim will act as our liaison with the State Chairman for Youth Programs, Compatriot Bob Anderson, and will help place volunteers on all our committees as needed to divide the work. Any Committee Chair who needs help (youth committees or others) may contact Jim or myself and we will look for volunteers. If you are asked to serve on a committee or act as a contest judge, please pitch in help the way all of you are always willing to do. This attitude is what makes this chapter so special. I feel great in being privileged to serve a term as President of the most outstanding chapter in ALSSAR, and, undoubtedly, one of the top chapters for our size in NSSAR. Mac Moon Photo by Jim Maples

2 June/July 2017 The Valley Patriot Page 2 Secretary s Report - April Meeting The April Chapter meeting was called to order by President Mac Moon at 11:00 a.m. in the auditorium of the Huntsville- Madison County Library. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by President Moon, followed by the SAR Pledge. The Prayer of Invocation was given by Chaplain Richard Tingle. Thirty-nine members and eight guests were present. There were several first-time visitors and guests at the meeting. Past President Bob Baccus was presented his Past President Medal, Pin and Certificate. Past President Bob Baccus presented Certificates of Appreciation to Susan Crabtree, Rhonda Larkin and Joe Stegmaier. A Daughters of Liberty Medal was presented Sue Royer for outstanding service to the SAR. Topper Birney was presented a Roger Sherman Medal for his leading the Poster Contest. Bob Doherty presented a Military Service Medal to honor Connie Cook s service. Chip Pharr was not present to receive his medal. Spike Field was recognized as one of our World War II service members. President Mac Moon presented a program on The Midnight Ride and The Rest of the Story regarding Paul Revere and history surrounding the event of the Redcoats are coming warning. Much of the detail of this event was described in the book The Fort by Bernard Cornwell, a historical novel. President Moon asked for volunteers to help fill positions on the various committees of the chapter. Tom Jones was mentioned regarding the ROTC and JROTC programs. New Member Installation: President Moon and Registrar Charles McMurray conducted the installation of new compatriots Gilbert White and John Fee. Gilbert s family has been in Madison County for seven generations. His patriot was Isaac Shelby, and was a Governor of Kentucky. One of his family members was a former President of the Alabama SAR. State President Hal Thornton accepted a member certificate for his grandson, Christopher Tyler Thornton, who is on active duty with the U. S. Army, stationed in Hawaii. John Fee s revolutionary war patriot, John Nuckles died in South Carolina, murdered by the Tories. Clovis Davis, a visitor to the meeting, was introduced. He will be transferring from an Oregon SAR Chapter. He stated that he has many family roots in this area. A motion to dispense with the reading of the Secretary s report was made, and approved. Treasurer Joe Stegmaier was not present to present the Treasurer s Report. Thanks were given to the Ladies Auxiliary for the light lunch provided to members and guests. The Greeters for the meeting were thanked for their activity. Participation on Memorial day in the dedication of a new veteran s monument at the Memorial Park in Madison was requested by a member of the Legionnaires organization. The meeting was closed at 11:50 with the SAR Recessional led by President Mac Moon, and the benediction led by Chaplain Richard Tingle. Kim Keller, Secretary Secretary s Report - May Meeting The May Chapter meeting was called to order by President Mac Moon at 11:00 a.m. in the auditorium of the Huntsville- Madison County Library. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by President Moon, followed by the SAR Pledge. The Prayer of Invocation was given by Chaplain Richard Tingle. Thirty-one members and seven guests were present. There were several first-time visitors and guests at the meeting. New Member Installation: President Moon inducted two new members: Charles Frank Gattis, Jr., and John Dupree Mason, Jr. Introduction of Speaker Vice-President Randal Jennings introduced State Vice President Bob Anderson, who gave a presentation The Fourteen Forgotten Presidents. These were presidents who served prior to George Washington being elected following the end of the Revolutionary War. Officer s Reports President Mac Moon The Chapter was awarded the Neil Sheperd Americanism Award for chapters with 100 to 199 members. Dr. Robert Bentley s application for reinstatement into SAR will be processed. The SAR Friends of the Library has requested individual contributions of $25 per member. Copies of old newspapers and genealogical data was requested by the archives at Samford. Vice President Randal Jennings noted the upcoming programs, and that he has not finalized a June program as yet. Recording Secretary Kim Keller no report Corresponding Secretary Jim Maples no report Treasurer Chip Pharr was not present Registrar Charles McMurry reported on the status of application that are in work. Historian Bob Doherty was not present Chaplain Richard Tingle reported that Bob Baccus and Larry Crabtree are having health issues. Committee Reports State Vice President and Color Guard commander noted an upcoming event to mark the grave of a patriot of the War of 1812 May 13 in Elkmont, Tennessee. Unfinished Business Sign up for Committees Sign up for Greeters Jim Griffin will head that effort up. He also is the new Youth Coordinator. The National Congress will be held in Knoxville on July 7-13.

3 June/July 2017 The Valley Patriot Page 3 New Business President Moon will be absent in June and July. The Summer Social planning is underway and will be held in August. The President thanked the greeters, and those volunteers that prepared the lunch. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved. The Recessional was led by President Moon, followed by the Benediction by Chaplain Tingle. Kim Keller, Secretary Upcoming Events 12 June Regular Meeting, 11:00am, Huntsville Public Library. 10 July Regular Meeting, 11:00am, Huntsville Public Library July National SAR Congress, Knoxville, TN 14 August Regular Meeting, 11:00am, Huntsville Public Library. 18 August Summer Social, 6:00pm, Whitesburg Baptist Church Center State Vice-President Bob Anderson was our guest speaker for May and Chapter President Mac Moon gave the program at the April meeting. Bob s topic was the Fourteen Forgotten Presidents and Mac s topic was Paul Revere, The Rest of the Story. Summer Social Our summer social will be held on Friday, August 18th, 6:00pm at the Whitesburg Baptist Church Center, 7300 Whitesburg Dr. Admission is a side dish or dessert. Beverages, barbeque, beans, and cole slaw will be provided. Please RSVP by August 16th to Mac Moon at: , moonusafr@aol.com This is in addition to our regular meeting which in August will be held on Monday August 14th. State President Hal Thornton presented a George Washington Endowment Fund Certificate and lapel pin to David Byers at our Annual Banquet and Officer Installation on March 24th. Photo by Jim Maples

4 June/July 2017 The Valley Patriot Page 4 Welcome New Members - April and May Meetings Rev Charles Gattis Gilbert White State President Hal Thornton accepts for his Grandson Tyler Thornton John Fee John Mason Past Chapter President Bob Baccus presents a Daughters of Liberty Medal to Sue Royer and a Certificate of Distinguished Service to Rhonda Larkin. Congratulations to both! Sue Royer Rhonda Larkin Photo by Jim Maples Ph

5 June/July 2017 The Valley Patriot Tennessee Valley Chapter Annual Banquet Page 5 The Tennessee Valley Chapter held it s Annual Banquet and Officer Installation on Friday, March 24th at the Huntsville Country Club

6 June/July 2017 The Valley Patriot Page 6 Revolutionary Soldier Anthony Mullins Anthony Mullins (who changed his name from his Italian name Antonio Molina) was brought to this country in 1773 by Philip Mazzei to assist in growing grapes for wine making at Mazzei s farm named Colle. Colle was located just south of Monticello and Philip Mazzei was a friend of Thomas Jefferson. Anthony enlisted in the Virginia Continental line in 1777 and served until the end of the war. Anthony was at the Battle of Cowpens, the Battle at Guilford Court House, the Siege of Ninety Six, and several skirmishes. Photo by Sidney Allen After the war, Anthony came back to Virginia and married Polly Clark. After her death, he married Sally Rambols. With his two wives Anthony had a total of eighteen children. By 1820 he had sold his Virginia land and moved to Lincoln County, Tennessee, where he died in Current Tennessee Valley Chapter members Rev. Charles Gattis, Edward Winter, and Daniel Kohler as well as potential member Patrick Morring all descend from Anthony Mullins. If you would like to read more about Anthony Mullins, Sidney Allen has created a very nice page on Find-a- Grave at: Photo Courtesy of Aaron Davies Jim Maples 1501 Elmwood Dr. Huntsville, AL Photos by Jim Maples TO: