Minutes for the TXSSAR Annual Meeting March 23 25, 2012 Airport Hilton, San Antonio, Texas

Transcription

1 TXSSAR 117 th Annual Meeting Minutes Texas Society, Sons of the American Revolution March 23 25, 2012

2 Minutes for the TXSSAR Annual Meeting March 23 25, 2012 Airport Hilton, San Antonio, Texas Opening Session Friday, March 23 3:45 p.m. Call to Order and Welcome The meeting was called to order by President William M. Marrs at 3:45 PM. Posting of the Colors President Marrs asked the Color Guard to advance and post the Colors. Pledges President Marrs asked President Elect Robert Clark to lead the pledges to the United States Flag, the Texas Flag, and the SAR Flag. Opening Prayer President Marrs asked the TXSSAR Chaplain, Reverend James Taylor to give the Invocation. Host Chapter Welcome President Edward Heath extended greeting to the Guests and attendees to the Annual Convention and wished them a successful meeting. He said the San Antonio chapter had worked hard to make this a first class event and that he wanted everyone to feel welcome and to let us know if there was anything they needed to fulfill personal or TXSSAR requests. The Chapter is honored to host the Annual Convention and was prepared to make the meeting successful in every way. Welcome Remarks by Texas State Senator Jeff Wentworth President Marrs welcomed and introduced Senator Jeff Wentworth to make his welcoming remarks. Senator Wentworth welcomed attendees and General Officers from the National Society SAR extending greetings and welcomed them to San Antonio. He was glad to hear the pledges to the US and Texas Flags. He has served in the State congress for 23 years, 4 as a state Representative and 19 as a Senator and said that pledges in school had faded away over time. He said that he felt that this need to be changed and that he took charge to pass a law that reinstituted the pledge to the US and Texas flags in Texas schools and allowed for a minute of silence to begin the school day. He was pleased to welcome everyone to San Antonio. San Antonio was started by the missionaries in 1691 on June 13 th which was Saint Anthony feast day; henceforth the name San Antonio for the location and the county de Bexar. Proclamations There are two proclamations which President Marrs read from U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith and the City of San Antonio. Greetings from DAR President Marrs received a letter from the Texas Society DAR which extended greetings and conveyed wishes for successful meeting. Recognition of NSSAR Officers and Guests President Marrs recognized President General Larry Magerkurth and seven other National Officers and the new Executive Director NSSAR, Don Shaw. PG Magerkurth said that some good things have been happening at NSSAR including reducing backlog for new SAR Applications from 9 months to 6 weeks; managing the property held by NSSAR to lease the old HQ and enter into a lease agreement to increase cash flow to SAR and acquire more space for 25 parking space for visitors to the Center for Advancing Americas Heritage; and recognizing all patriot ancestors from Spain who lived in the area of New Spain (now Texas). The Spanish Ambassador to the US has agreed to release names of Spanish Soldiers and Sailors who were assigned to ships in the Caribbean

3 and units in the Tejas and San Antonio areas so compatriots can research those family ancestors whose descendants are eligible for membership in SAR, DAR, and CAR. President Marrs presented a book to PG Magerkurth on the Battle of Medina in 1813 and asked that he take the book and give it to the NSSAR Library and have the oversight committee look into the possibility of having NSSAR recognize this battle where American Revolution patriots fought to gain status in the early fight for independence from Spain. PG Magerkurth said that Compatriot Ruben Perez mentioned this battle during his tour of San Antonio earlier today. He said he will be glad to get this book and information on the battle to the appropriate NSSAR Committee for review. Battle of Medina celebrates anniversary August 18, The next South Central District (SCD) meeting will be held in Branson, MO on August 24 25, This meeting covers the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. President Marrs introduced PG ( ) Edward F. Butler. PG Edward Butler mentioned that tomorrow night we will present 5 Patriot Medals to members of the TXSSAR. Likewise, there is a corresponding medal at NSSAR, the Minuteman Medal, to recognize outstanding work at the National SAR level. Medals are presented each year and PG Butler announced that Genealogist General Larry Cornwell, Color Guard Commander Mike Toome, and TXSSAR President Marrs will be receiving this medal at the National Congress in Phoenix, AZ President Marrs introduced Treasurer General Joe Dooley, Chancellor General Tom Lawrence, Genealogist General Larry Cornwell, Registrar General Lindsey Brock, and Chaplain General Reverend James Taylor, Don Shaw, the new Executive Director for NSSAR, Bob Bowen who is running for Historian General. Each officer made brief remarks and said they were glad to be at the meeting. Introduction of TXSSAR Officers President Marrs introduced the TXSSAR Society State Officers President Elect Robert Clark, Secretary Bob Cohen, Treasurer John Beard, Chancellor Henry Voegtle, and Staff Secretary Stephen Rohrbough. He asked the other TXSSAR State Officers to stand up and be recognized. Approval of the Minutes BOM October 29 30, 2011 President Marrs asked that the Minutes of the Fall BOM in Galveston, TX be approved. Reverend James Taylor moved that the Minutes be approved. It was seconded by Larry Stevens. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. By Laws Changes President Marrs mentioned that several By Law changes were made to add a Corresponding Secretary and they will be addressed by the Chancellor Hank Voegtle later. He also said that the two Registrars should be added to the Executive Committee because they have such an important part to play in communicating with the NSSAR Registrars and adding members to the SAR rolls. Presentation of Awards President Marrs presented streamers to Chapter that made donations to the Center of Advancing Americas Heritage (CAAH) to the following TXSSAR Chapters: Paul Revere, Bernardo de Galvez, Athens, and Freedom Chapters. Announcements Host Committee Chairman Frank Rohrbough made some house announcements reminding attendees to use the discount coupons for breakfast and if you did not receive a coupon,

4 please see him to get one. He thanked everyone for attending the meeting and wished them a successful and productive meeting. President Marrs asked Reverend James Taylor to come forward to make an announcement from the San Antonio Chapter. As President Elect, Reverend Taylor representing President Ed Heath made a presentation of the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal (medallion) to each of the General Officers and President Bill Marrs and President Elect Robert M. Clark. This medallion is a replica of a late 1920 s SAR Good Citizenship Medal, without drape. It was recently struck to provide a source of revenue for the Chapter and was donated to the Chapter by Treasurer General Joe Dooley, who is a dual member of the San Antonio Chapter. Presentation of ACMA Chapter Awards President Marrs called VP Russell Dart to come forward to continue presenting Annual Chapter Awards. The first award during the Opening Session is the Colonel Joe M. Hill Patriot Award for total contributions that exceeded the total of the previous year. Awards were presented to 31 chapters with 29 repeat awards; and 2 new Chapters (Captain John McAdams Chapter and the McKinney Chapter) that received Blue Streamers. The second award is the Colonel Joe M. Hill Membership Award given to a chapter that achieves 100% membership renewal in the past year. Awards were presented to repeat winner Captain John McAdams Chapter with a White Star for a previously presented Streamer and the Laredo Chapter who received a Gold Streamer. The third award was the John K. Harrell CAR Activities Award having participated in 7 of 9 activities outlined by the NSSAR CAR Committee. Three Chapters received the award with 2 being repeat winners receiving White Stars for their previously awarded Streamers San Antonio #4 and Robert Rankin #62. Plano received the Green Streamer for being a first time recipient. There were no winners for the John K. Harrell CAR Competition Award because of the transition and use of the NSSAR Chapter PG/Americanism reporting format versus the old TXSSAR report format which easily produces the points for this award. More work needs to be done to ensure this award is presented for Chapters competing in their respective Groups by size. The fourth award was for the TXSSAR Flag Presentation Awards. There were 26 chapters receiving this award with 3 receiving White Streamers and 23 receiving White Stars for their previously awarded Streamers. Adjourn for Evening President Marrs reminded everyone that the TXSSAR President s Reception would be held in the Lone Star Room, along with the Silent Auction, 6:00 7:00 PM. He said there was a lot of food and asked everyone to please join the reception and enjoy it. Tickets for wine and beer are courtesy of President and Mrs. William Marrs. A cash bar is available for those who wish to have other alcoholic beverages. Free soft drinks are available for those who want no alcoholic beverages. President Marrs said that there was no further business and asked for a motion to adjourn. Tom Green moved that the meeting adjourn until 9:00 AM on Saturday. The motion was seconded by Rick Ramirez. The motion carried and the meeting adjourned at 5:15 PM.

5 1 st General Session Saturday, March 24 th 9:00 11:45 AM Call to Order President William M. Marrs called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM. Pledges President Marrs asked President Elect Robert Clark to lead the pledges to the United States Flag, the Texas Flag, and the SAR Flag. Invocation President Marrs asked the TXSSAR Chaplain, Reverend James Taylor to give the Invocation. Presentation of Awards President Marrs asked VP ACMA Russell Dart to present the TXSSAR Chapter Awards for this session. The first award is the John Bruce Stuart Jr. Memorial Award for the chapter that best meets the criteria based on Veterans activities in the past year in four (4) Group categories by size. Certificates were presented to three Chapters. There was no reported activity for Chapters in Group 1 (1 25). The Ambassador Fletcher Warren Chapter won Group 2 (26 39) with 107 points. The Robert Rankin Chapter won Group 3 (40 100) with 5 points. San Antonio Chapter won Group 4 with 235 points. The second award was the Marshall Hunter Award Chapters with the highest percentage of members attending regularly monthly meetings. The award is set up in two Groups. The Boerne Chapter won Group 1 (1 99) with 65% attendance; and the Hill Country Chapter won in Group 2 (100+) with 32% attendance. The third award is the Hartsell O. Stephens Award for the individual who sponsors the most new members for the past year. The winner, who received a certificate, was Compatriot Gerald W. Irion, Hill Country Chapter with 34 new applications. Honorable Mention was given to Compatriot Dan Stauffer, who received a certificate, with 31 new applications. The fourth award is the E.A. Limmer Award for the chapter having the highest percentage of approved Supplemental applications for the past year. There are four winners in four Groups. Corpus Christi #14 won Group 1 (1 25); Victoria # 50 won Group 2 (26 39); Robert Rankin # 62 won Group 3 (40 99; and Patrick Henry # 11 won Group 4 (100+). Certificates were presented to each chapter. The fifth award presented was the Ross Shipman Award in two Divisions Division 1 Newsletters 5 pages or more and Division 2 Newsletters 4 pages or less. There were no entries for Division 1. San Antonio #4 won the best Newsletter in Division 2. The sixth award presented was for TXSSAR Yearbook Award. There are four (4) Groups and three Places in each Group. In Group 1 (1 25), 1 st Place winner was Denton # 23. There were no entries for 2 nd and 3 rd Places. In Group 2 (26 39), 1 st Place winner was Robert Rankin # 62 and 2 nd Place winner was East Fork Trinity # 47. There was no entry for 3 rd Place. There were no entries In Group 3 (40 99). In Group 4 (100+), 1 st Place winner was Plano #37, 2 nd Place winner was San Antonio #4, and 3 rd Place winner was Hill Country # 31. President Marrs presented a certificate to his home Chapter for the Partners in Patriotism Award for He has been carrying this certificate around but has not been able to attend his Chapter meetings to present it. So, he took the opportunity to present it at this time.

6 Officer/Committee Reports President Marrs called on State Officers to give reports. 1. Audit Report President Marrs called on Chairman Marvin Morgan to give the Audit Report. Marvin Morgan said that the Audit Committee conducted its semi annual review of the books and records of the TXSSAR Society using standard audit procedures on January 28, He reported that the committee used a new and more improved audit program for conducting the audit. There were no material exceptions identified during the audit. However some exceptions found were cleared and/or corrected. A copy of the Audit Report has been given to the Staff Secretary and is contained in the TXSSAR Consolidated Committee Report for the Annual State meeting. 2. Secretary Report President Marrs called on Secretary Bob Cohen to give the Credentials Committee Report. Secretary Bob Cohen reported that there are 309 authorized delegates eligible to vote at this convention. He said that no chapter exceeded its authorized number of delegates and one chapter, Bernardo de Galvez Chapter # 1, had 100% of its delegates attending the convention. 3. Chancellor Report President Marrs called on Chancellor Hank Voegtle to give the By Laws Committee Report. a. Chancellor Voegtle said that there were no items of litigation or pending litigation. He said he reviewed the contracts for the BOM Meeting in Temple and approved it for execution. There are 5 items for consideration for changes to the By Laws. b. Chancellor Voegtle went over the changes to the Constitution including. i. Deletion of age limitation in Article III Membership, Section 1 to bring this provision in line with the NSSAR eligibility standards. ii. Deletion of the Youth registrant membership in Section 3 (2) as a membership category to bring it in line with those currently authorized by the National Society. iii. Reconciles the classification of Emeritus Member in Section 5 with the National Society. iv. Propose change to Section 1 to add Communications Secretary as an officer of the Society. v. Proposed change to Article VIII, Section 2 to rationalize the existing provision for creation of a chapter, define the duties of the District Vice President in the creation of a chapter, and emphasizes that a chapter is to be created for local needs. vi. Proposed change in Section 3 removing the word may and replaces it with the mandatory shall to comply with changes in the regulatory environment, such as Sarbanes Oxley, the need for clearly defined practices and duties in imperative. c. Chancellor Voegtle went over the changes to the By Laws including: i. Relate the organization of a chapter to the TXSSAR Constitution in Article III, Section 1. ii. Change in Article VIII State Secretary deleting specific names of operating systems and redundant wording. iii. Change in Article IX Staff Secretary deleting specific names of software and redundant wording. iv. Add new Article IX A Secretary for Communications and outline duties and responsibilities. v. Change in Article X Treasurer deleting specific names of operating systems and redundant wording. vi. Delete the word individual in Article XI Vice President for Americanism, Contest, and Awards and add the in describing the activities of contest Chairmen. vii. Change wording to clarify duties of Registrars in Article XII Registrars, Section 3. viii. Delete and and add It in Article XIV Chancellor to make two sentences for clarity of wording.

7 ix. Change Article XVII Other Committees to expand the Executive Committee from seven (7) to ten (10) members to add two TXSSAR Registrars and an at large appointee to the committee. All of the above recommended changes to the Constitution and By Laws have been posted to the TXSSAR Web site as required by the By Laws for approval at the Annual State Meeting. President Marrs called for a vote on the proposed changes. Since the motion came from the Committee, there is no need for a second. There was a friendly amendment to delete DADA from the change in paragraph 4d lines 4 and 6 because it was considered too restrictive. The motion was made by Tom Green and seconded by Larry Stevens. The motion carried. There was a second friendly amendment regarding Article X Treasurer to delete specifying software skills for this position. Motion was made and seconded. Motion carried. There was a third friendly amendment regarding Article IX A Secretary for Communications to change it to Communications Secretary to be in line with the names of other officers. Motion was made by President Elect Robert M. Clark and seconded. Motion carried. The vote for all of the changes, as a total package, on the Constitution and By Laws, as amended, were moved and seconded and approved by unanimous vote. Reports of Officers President Marrs called on the State Officers to give their reports. President President Marrs had no further comments or reports from what he presented earlier. President Elect Robert Clark said he served at the pleasure of the President when called upon during the year to visit a number of Chapters in February and March 2012, attended National Leadership meetings and attend the National Congress. He said his report was filed with the Staff Secretary. Secretary Bob Cohen reported that we had 2,695 members as of December 31, We have 285 new members, 81 reinstatements since January 1, However, our overall membership numbers over the years stay about the same. The reason for that is that we have about the same number of members that do not renew their membership as we have new applications being approved each year. It is a perennial problem. He also said that many applications are not using the approved US Postal addresses on applications and they cannot be approved with incorrect addresses. A new membership roster was posted on the web site on Tuesday before the state meeting. He said his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. Treasurer John Beard said that his report is on file with the Staff Secretary. He reported that there are no audit fee increases expected. The Society had total assets of $831, 220 as of December 31, 2011 as follows: $160,260 in the Operations account, $441,436 in the Patriots Fund, $191,313 in the Perpetual Fund, $38, 211 in the Richie Fund. The 2012 Budget projects revenues of $94,850 with $53,150 in Operations, $ in Patriot Fund, $9,900 in the Perpetual Fund, and $1,520 in the Richie Fund. (Editors Note: this is + $2,070 off).

8 Expenses are projected at $70,045 with $32,135 in Operations, $18,880 for the Patriot Fund, $18,500 for the Perpetual Fund, and $1,000 for the Richie Fund. Net Profit is projected at $24,805 at $21,015 in the Operations account, $13,478 in the Patriot Fund, ($8,600) in the Perpetual Fund, $520 in the Richie Fund. These numbers are unrealized profits and gains based on current market quotes as of December 31, There was a question about how the Investment Accounts were doing and John reported that investment account at Brinker Capital and Vanguard overall were down 1.7% for 2011 but up 6.8% through February Motion was made to approve the 2012 TXSSAR Budget as presented and second. The motion carried. The Treasurers Report will be posted on the private TXSSAR web site for review. Staff Secretary Stephen Rohrbough said he requested, received, and prepared the Fall BOM Officer Reports and the follow on Consolidated Committee Reports and posted them to the TXSSAR web site. He said that he called for and received the TXSSAR Officer Reports for this Annual State Meeting and they too are posted on the TXSSAR web site. He prepared the Minutes of the Fall BOM meeting and posted them on the web site. Registrars Reports Inland and Coastal Registrars reported that their reports were on file with the Staff Secretary. Pending applications has been a major problem; however, the application backlog has been cleared up by National HQ and is now down to about 5 weeks. President Marrs said we need to comply with the current rules for processing applications. We and our Chapters are doing very good in preparation of application. The process for approving applications goes well as long as the rules are followed. Tom Green raised a question about using State Registrars to help with the approval of applications that are simple and straight forward and take the workload off the three Genealogists at NSSAR. Would National be agreeable with such a change in policy? President Marrs said that National is doing the job because the State Registrars are doing the job. The system needs to be followed to keep the process on track. Tom also raised the question of why it takes about a month to send the certificate after an application is approved. President Marrs agreed that this time delay needs to be reviewed and reduced. Chaplain Reverend Taylor said that the state of the State Society membership was in good health and members are reporting information on the deaths of members so we can recognize them and send regrets to surviving spouses and family. There have been 47 member deaths this year and announced that services will be held this afternoon at 2:00 PM. Historian Larry Stevens said that his report was on file with the Staff Secretary and reported that the archives at University of North Texas were being renovated and updated to new standards. Committee Reports President Marrs called for Committee Reports. Break at 10:04 Meeting Reconvened President Marrs reconvened the meeting after the break at 10:20

9 Additional Remarks by National Officers: President Marrs acknowledged PG Magerkurth who provided additional remarks regarding NSSAR Constitution changes to better address future operations of the Society. He also, apprised the members that the SCD does not have a scheduled Breakfast, but will have a Breakfast meeting at 7:00 AM in the hotel restaurant during the Annual Congress. Other speakers included VPG SCD commenting on virtual communications for the future; Registrar General Lindsey Brock commenting on the status of the Society membership; Treasurer General Joseph Dooley commenting on the fiscal status of the society; and Registrar General Mike Tomme commenting on the status of membership and supplemental applications. Bob Bowen, Historian General candidate reported that the 217 th Annual Signing of the Declaration of Independence would be celebrated in Philadelphia, PA on September 14 15, 2013 with a NSSAR Proclamation and Parade and encouraged all Societies and Chapters plan to attend or present their own celebrations asking local, County, and State legislature to sign Proclamations and establish local programs. Information can be found on the NSSAR web site and attendees were given handout at the registration table. Committee Reports continued Americanism, Contests, Medals, and Awards Committee Russell Dart reported that the committee met and discussed old and new business. There were only 21 of 48 Chapters that provided an Annual Report for 2011 for NSSAR Americanism and PG Reports. Thirty five Chapters provided TXSSAR reports against 42 Chapter the previous year. The first item recommended for action was the mileage expenses for Youth Contest contestants. It is considered that the allowable expense was too low considering the increasing price of gasoline. The committee felt that the mileage expense should be increased from $0.14 to $.020 per mile for round trip, but there is a $ limit for travel per contestant. The President suggested that the recommendation be tabled until the BOM tomorrow in order to determine if the budget is sufficient to handle this mileage increase or if there is a need to increase the Youth budget; and if so, determine what the cost would be. The motion was approved to be tabled for consideration by the BOM. The second item was to have Chapters do their due diligence to accurately review and screen essays and applications for accuracy against Youth Contest Rules so they are not disqualified or rejected by State Contest Judges. The third item was the payment of an award to Youth contest contestants of cash for any award $600 and below rather than treating it as a scholarship and continuing to track these small amounts for up to five years. This would make an earlier distribution of an award and reduce workload for the State Treasurer. This would eliminate issue of bonds, but would require issues of 1099 Forms indicating revenue to the contestant and a taxable event if appropriate. The President suggested that this item be referred to the Finance Committee for evaluation and resulting impacts to the contestant, the society and the budget. The Society of Colonial Wars of Texas has agreed to sponsor the 2nd Place Knight Essay Contest Award for $500 and present a check to the winner during the Youth Awards Luncheon. This is akin to the War of 1812 Society sponsoring the 2 nd Place winner of the Oration Contest. President Marrs believed that this was within the Committees authority to place the money in the budget as contributed by the

10 Society of Colonial Wars of Texas and make whatever adjustments they determined for use of the fallout money currently in the Youth Awards budget. No action was needed by the Society of BOM. The records should reflect thanks to the Society of Colonial Wars of Texas for their contribution. Officers and Committee Reports continued District 1 Bill Holcomb was not in attendance but filed his report with the Staff Secretary. District 2 George West said the District report was on file with the Staff Secretary District 3 Dr. Patrick Hollis was not in attendance; however his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. District 4 Ronal Walcik said the report was on file with the Staff Secretary. District 5 James Alderman said his report was on file with the staff Secretary. He said that the San Angelo Chapter was really struggling and members were getting old. They need new members and are working with the DAR for new members. Please contact the current President Jim Willis or James Alderman if you know someone that can help the Chapter. District 6 Harmon Adair said his report is on file with the Staff Secretary. District 7 George Dersheimer was not in attendance, but his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. President Marrs said the Galveston Chapter did a great job in hosting the Summer BOM. District 8 John Thompson said his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. District 9 Art Mumford had to leave early to attend a family emergency at home, but his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. District 10 Mike Everheart said his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. All five Chapters submitted Annual reports. Steve Lee will replace him as DVP. The Red River Chapter has been moved to District 11 and they are now up to 24 members and doing great. District 11 Peter Rowley said his report is on file with the Staff Secretary. The district is doing very well with joint ventures with Color Guard activities and membership is growing. Council of Chapter Presidents Peter Baron reported on two items. First there was the election of new officers with Drake Peddie as Chairman, Allan Green as Vice Chairman, and Dan Reed as Secretary. The second item had to do with the selection of a new vendor to provide TXSSAR Flags at $200 each. The flags are high quality and have 2 sides with tassels for a formal ceremonial flag if a chapter wants one. One sided flags are $75 each. CAR/DAR Liaison Tom Green said that the new State DAR Regent, replacing the outgoing Regent Lynn Young, was Pamela Wright. She was most agreeable for TXSSAR to attend the 2013 State DAR Convention in Dallas, TX and was open for us to have a table to hand out brochures and provide an opportunity to work with the DAR on joint programs, Youth contests, Color Guard support, and other projects toward the common good. Long Range Planning and Council of District VP s Bob Clark merged the two meetings and discussed issues from the BOM in Galveston and addressed the issue of TEXAS hosting the National Congress in Bob Clark reported that he visited three chapters in the Houston area and then attended the TSCAR State Convention to extend greetings and, along with Stephen Rohrbough, presented the CAR Essay Contest Awards for TXSSAR CAR Essay Contest for He also for the first time attended the Laredo George Washington Parade and Cotillion Ball the previous evening. He suggested that the President General be more than recognized, but be introduced in a way to show NSSAR s roll in commemorating the roll of George Washington. He felt that Rick Ramirez had a connection through a cousin who is the wife of the person portraying George Washington in the Parade this year that could help in this regard and also make a connection with the George Washington Society at Mount Vernon.

11 Editor Texas Compatriot Newsletter Dr. Charles Baker said his report was on file with the Staff Secretary. He said the Newsletter was changed from a portrait to a landscape format was a fresh and creative change that seem to be well received by members as well as stories about a Compatriot of the Month titled Who is this Compatriot? There are serendipities (stories) on the thirteen original colonies and Americanism trivia. He needs members to serve on the Newsletter sub committee to judge the chapter newsletters and state awards for Nominating Committee James T. Jones, Jr. reported that the nominating committee met at 8:00 AM in the Milam Room. The following slate of officers was nominated subject to floor nominations. President Robert M. Clark President Elect Michael J. Radcliff Secretary Robert S. Cohen Staff Secretary Larry G. Stevens Treasurer John C. Beard Registrar (Coastal Group) Gerald W. Irion Registrar (Inland Group) Michael J. Radcliff Chancellor Henry J. Voegtle Chaplain James C. Taylor Historian David J. Temple Vice President, CM&A Russell M. Dart Web Master Ray Cox District 1 VP William H. Holcombe District 2 VP William G. Harper District 3 VP Jimmie D. Massingill District 4 VP Ronald J. Walcik District 5 VP James E. Alderman District 6 VP Harmon L. Adair District 7 VP Lawrence K. Casey, Jr. District 8 VP John K. Thompson District 9 VP Arthur G. Munford District 10 VP Stephen W. Lee District 11 VP Peter H. Rowley Trustee/Former President General Dr. George H. Brandau Trustee/Former President General Nathan E. White, Jr. Trustee/Former President General Edward S. Butler, Sr. Trustee William M. Marrs Alternate Trustee James T. Jones, Jr. Mike Radcliffe is nominated for both President Elect and Inland Registrar and if he were to be elected as President Elect, we would have to nominate a candidate to fill the Inland Registrar position. There was a motion to accept the slate as presented. The motion carried. President Elect Bob Clark asked President Marrs if the election would be held during the next General Session. President Marrs said he would do the election now if nobody objected. However, before doing so, he asked if there were any nominations from the floor. Reverend James Taylor, representing the San Antonio Chapter, nominated Stephen Rohrbough, TXSSAR Staff Secretary for the position of President Elect. There was a second. The motion carried.

12 President Marrs announced that the election will be held after lunch. President Marrs adjourned the meeting at 11:30 AM. SECOND GENERAL SESSION Saturday, March 24 th 2:30 5:00 p.m. Second Call to Order President Marrs called the meeting to order at 2:35 PM. He called on PG Magerkurth to come forward to induct a new member to the SAR and the San Antonio Chapter, Paul Reynolds. PG Magerkurth administered the oath and pledge to Paul Reynolds and presented him with the SAR rosette. Committee Reports continued Graves Marking Committee James Mitchell read the mission statement to support the dedication of the registered graves of patriots in Texas and urged chapters to assist in dedicating and marking these registered graves with the committees help. Patriots Projects committee Arnold Seidule reported that the Youth contest budget for 2013 is essentially the same at the prior year with the exception of raising the travel budget for mileage from $0.14 per mile to $.20 per mile both ways for contestant beyond 50 miles of the Annual meeting location. We will give the amount of the bonds rather than the bonds for Poster contestant winners and the History Teacher bond. Patriot Fund Trustee committee George West reported that the funding level is sound at this time. There will be some recommended changes to the By Laws forthcoming. Patriot Medal Selection Committee Tom Lawrence said there is no report at this time as the selection of Patriot Medal winner for 2012 was announced at the Fall BOM. These 5 awardees will be honored tonight at the banquet. Perpetual Fund Committee PG Nathan White is the chairman. There was no report at this time. Publicity Committee Dr. Joe Rice is the Chairman. There was no report at this time. State Meetings Committee George Harcourt reported that 97 members was registered. There are numerous guests and the banquet is sold out with over 120 guests and attendees. The Fall BOM will be in Temple, TX on October 5 7, 2012 sponsored by the Heart of Texas Chapter. The Dallas Chapter will host the Annual State Meeting the first week end in April, The following Annual State meeting will be in San Antonio in the last week end of March 2014 and the Omni Hotel is already under contract. Tom Jackson will be the new Chairman of the Sate Meetings Committee. George Harcourt thanked the committee members for serving on the committee as well as the Officers for their support over the past 3 years. Information Technology Committee Ray Cox reported that the on line registration process went well and that he received no complaints. If there are any questions or concerns, let him know. There are several items about security on the private web site. He asked for all chairmen with a page on the web site to make sure their pages are updated and current. He is not responsible for updating pages but will do so when the request is made by the Chairman. E Mail messages are forwarded for each Officer and Chairman to their respective personal e mail address. He will make the changes for the transition of new

13 Officers and Chairmen elected to new offices for If members are new officers or chairmen, you are asked to provide your e mail address to match up to the position addressee for the TXSSAR Society. Further, he is looking for an on line update that will allow for direct contributions to the Patriots Fund, rather than just through the Annual Dues Notice and Invoice. Executive Committee President Marrs said the Executive Committee Report is on file with the Staff Secretary. There were 9 items covered in the committee to include 1. Audit Report. There was no material finding during the audit. 2. Challenge Coin Sales. Coins are for sale at the Registration desk. Funds will go into the Perpetual Fund. 3. Budget Report. John Beard gave a Treasurer report: a Budget & Variance Report Revenues were $94,850 against Expenditures of $70,045 for a Profit of $24,805. See Treasurer or Staff Secretary for report. b TXSSAR Proposed Budget Proposed Revenues of $107,500, Expenditures of $71,305 and Profit of $36,195. There was a budget item for a donation to the Center for Advancement of American Heritage (CAAH). c. Balance Sheet by Class as of December 31, 2011 Reflects Total Assets of $831, Profit & Loss by Class as of December 31, 2011 Total Income was $194, versus Total Expense of $169, for a Net Profit of $25, Nominating Committee. Jim Jones handed out the Slate of Officers nominated for TXSSAR Society positions. The Nominating Committee will meet Saturday morning at 7:00 AM. 6. Dues and Membership Status. a. Secretary Bob Cohen reported there were 2,695 Members as of December 31, 2011 of which 285 were New Members. b. As of March 2012, there are 2,450 members after the Dues Notice deadline passed and non paying members were dropped from the TXSSAR Society rolls. There are 49 Junior Members, 81 Reinstatements, 29 Reinstatements over 1 year, and 45 New Members in Delegate list for voting during the State convention. Secretary Cohen will distribute delegate ribbons during the convention. 8. Constitution and By Law Proposed Changes. Chancellor Hank Voegtle handed out the proposed changes to the Constitution (one) and By Laws (two) as discussed during the Fall BOM in Galveston, TX. 9. SAR Parade Flags Approval for this item was referred to the Council of Chapter Presidents for discussion and recommendation. 10. Executive Committee Minutes of the Fall BOM was approved. Veterans Committee Frank Rohrbough said that 15 chapters participated in veterans programs. TXSSAR accumulated 53,574 points, which was about half of last years points; however, the NSSAR Veterans Committee introduced some changes to the Stark Report and placed caps on point values for selected items. The Plano Chapter won the award for less than 100 members, while San Antonio Chapter won the award for the category over 200 members. The Texas Society won the NSSAR Stark Award. These awards will be presented at the 117 th Annual Congress in July Frank also gave recognition to the Dallas and Plano Chapters for their support of greeting troops at DFW returning home from deployments and their attendance at funerals of deceased soldiers being buried in the National Cemetery. He called Peter Baron to come forward to receive the Service to Military Medal for his work with veterans and warriors. President Marrs presented the award for having served more than 5,000 hours.

14 JROTC/ROTC Committee John Thompson reported that we had a good year for Enhanced JROTC nominees and thanked Chapters for their support this year. Also, since we do not have a Summer BOM he went ahead and purchased the JROTC/ROTC Medals and Certificates for 2012 at the same level as last year. Chapters will purchase some medals and the State will pay about $1,500 for the balance of the medal for the year. Color Guard Committee Marvin Morgan said that the Color Guard Handbook, modeled after the NSSAR Handbook, has been finalized and adopted by the CG Committee. It was distributed to key officers and will be placed on the Private TXSSAR web site. On Saturday night, there will be a change in the command of the Color Guard with Peter Rowley being inducted as the new commander replacing Marvin Morgan. There are six (6) Color Guard Medals three (3) TXSSAR and three (3) NSSAR medals. The new TXSSAR Gold Color Guard Medal is available to those who have already received the Silver CG Medal. There are seventeen (17) recipients of the Silver Galvez Color Guard Medal for 3 years of duty with the TXSSAR Color Guard. Commander Morgan presented the certificates with medals to come later. Election of Officers Chancellor Voegtle gave the criteria according to the TXSSAR By Laws, Article 20, for a Chapter to select delegates to the State Annual Meeting. Members are in good standing as of February 1, President Marrs asked for a motion to elect the uncontested positions on the Slate of Officers as presented by the Chairman, Nominating Committee. There was a motion and a second to move that the uncontested positions be approved by unanimous vote, with the exception of the Inland Registrar pending the outcome of the election of the President Elect position. The motion carried. The election of the Communications Secretary will be held separately. The President asked Jim Jones to hand out ballots to the voting delegates to vote for the contested President Elect position. Ballots will be collected with the results of the election to be announced later. President Marrs asked if there are any nominations from the Floor for the position of Communications Secretary. President Elect, Bob Clark nominated Sam Massey for the position of Communications Secretary. The motion was seconded. There were no other nominations. President Marrs asked for the vote of Sam Massey with an oral vote of the delegates. It was passed by unanimous vote. Break there was a break at 3:25 PM. Meeting Reconvened President Marrs reconvened the meeting at 3:40 PM. Presentation of Awards by President Marrs The Meritorious Service Award was prepared by the NSSAR Veterans Committee after making a call to State Societies and Chapters to submit names of current members who served in WW II. President Marrs called forward the members to receive their award. President Marrs called the District Vice Presidents forward to receive their awards for their support for the past year.

15 Presentation of TXSSAR Awards VP ACMA, Russell Dart announced the presentation of the following awards: Outstanding Public Service Awards (PSA s) 6 certificates were given to chapters that awarded all four PSA s including Major KM Van Zandt #6; William Hightower #35; Plano #37; Independence #40; Ambassador Fletcher Warren #43; and Victoria #50. TXSSAR Americanism Awards 4 Group Awards were presented to chapters including Group 1 (10 25 members) Arlington #7; Group 2 (26 39 members) Athens # 54; Group 3 ( members) Robert Rankin #62; and Group 4 (100+ members) Plano #37. TXSSAR Outstanding Chapter Awards 4 Groups Awards were presented to chapters including Group 1 (10 25 members) Arlington #7; Group 2 (26 39 members) Athens #54; Group 3 ( members) Robert Rankin #62; and Group 4 (100+ members) San Antonio #4. This concludes the presentation of TXSSAR Awards for Election continued Jim Jones collected the ballots for President Elect and gave them to the President. There were 69 ballots collected with 49 votes for Staff Secretary, Stephen Rohrbough and 29 for Inland Registrar, Mike Radcliff and 1 for a write In candidate. Stephen Rohrbough was elected to serve as President Elect for President Marrs asked for a motion to elect Mike Radcliff as Inland Registrar by acclamation. A motion was made and second. Mike Radcliff was elected by acclamation for position of Inland Registrar. Presentation of Awards to State Officers President Marrs presented Certificates of Appreciation to the State Officers and those appointed to positions by the President Editor of the Newsletter and the Web Master for Old Business President Marrs had no items of old business and asked if there was any other business for the Society to discuss? There was no further business from the floor. New Business Publicity Committee Although Dr. Rice was not present, Joe Brennan, Hill Country Chapter offered his comments after serving for 62 years with the business newspapers industry. He shared his thoughts by telling members that SAR has a story to tell and we have an opportunity for recognition in many newspapers in towns across the country. He offered to provide suggestions to the Publicity Committee and give them some advice on how to make contact with editors and how to get articles and events published in newspapers. He said he would provide article on the internet with the Chairman Publicity Committee. He said he would be available after the meeting to meet with anyone interested in this endeavor. Conflict of Interest Forms Tom Jackson announced that all the Officers need to complete a Conflict of Interest Form each year and asked for all Officers to complete the form before the meeting adjourns. The forms were distributed to all Officers including District VP s.

16 Adjournment President Marrs asked for a motion to adjourn. The motion was made and seconded. The meeting adjourned at 4:10 PM. Board of Managers Meeting Sunday, March 25 th 9:00 Noon Minutes of the TXSSAR Board of Managers Meeting Sunday March 25, 2012 San Antonio Hilton Airport, San Antonio, Texas General Session 9:03 AM The meeting was called to order by President Robert M. Clark at 9:03 AM. Invocation. President Clark asked the TXSSAR Chaplain, Reverend James Taylor to give the Invocation. Pledges President Clark asked President Elect Stephen Rohrbough to lead the pledges to the United States Flag, the Texas Flag, and the SAR Flag. Officers for : TXSSAR Past President James T. Jones, Jr. read the list of the elected officers for the terms. President Robert M. Clark President Elect Stephen W. Rohrbough Secretary Robert S. Cohen Staff Secretary Larry Stevens Treasurer John Beard Registrar (Coastal Group) Gerald W. Irion Registrar (Inland Group) Michael J. Radcliff Chancellor Henry J. Voegtle, III Chaplain James C. Taylor Historian David J. Temple Vice President, CM&A Russell Dart Communications Secretary Samuel P. Massey, Jr. Vice President, District 1 William H. Holcombe, Jr. Vice President, District 2 William G. Harper Vice President, District 3 Jimmie D. Massingill Vice President, District 4 Ronald J. Walcik Vice President, District 5 James Alderman Vice President, District 6 Harmon L. Adair, Jr. Vice President, District 7 Lawrence K. Casey, Jr. Vice President, District 8 John K. Thompson Vice President, District 9 Arthur G. Munford Vice President, District 10 Stephen W. Lee Vice President, District 11 Peter H. Rowley Trustees Past President Generals Dr. George Brandau, Judge Nathan White, Jr. and Judge Edward Butler Sr. Trustee William M. Marrs Alternate Trustee James T. Jones, Jr.

17 Treasurer John Beard proposed a resolution/motion as follows: I move that Past President Bill Marrs be removed from the bank account authority and add Robert Clark. Peter McClellan recommended the resolution and Gerald Irion seconded it. There was no discussion. President Clark called for a vote. The motion [Motion 1] was passed. A discussion followed which discussed the scope of the motion and to whether it addressed the investment accounts as well. It was determined that the motion only addressed bank accounts. After much discussion it was decided that there did need to be a resolution from the organization which would be used by the bank as the authority to change the signatories on the bank accounts. After discussion President Clark recommended that the Resolution to change signatories be worded exactly as it had been last year reflecting the new officers names. Secretary Robert Cohen will prepare the resolution as amended. Remarks by President Clark: First sailing of the Titanic was this day in history. He likened the last Leadership Meeting in Louisville, with its tornadoes and sheltering in the basement, to the sinking of the Titanic, sans music. Let s not neglect our history, surely not Revolutionary history. A Revolutionary Patriot was lost on this voyage. The officers of TXSSAR who are eligible to vote, in accordance with TXSSAR By Laws, was read by Chancellor Hank Voegtle. The meeting will be conducted according to Roberts Rules. President Clark declared a quorum. Past President Jim Jones noted that there was still a motion on the floor for the friendly amendment to Motion 1 which would add investments to the motion. The motion restated: I move that remove Bill Marrs from the bank account and investment signatory authorities and add Robert Clark. This motion [Motion 2] was passed. Compliance Officer, Tom Jackson gave a report on the status of the Conflict of Interest Forms. He reported that the following forms have been received: all state level officers have, half of the District VPs, and half of the Trustees. The newly elected committee chairmen will be requested to fill out their forms. Ray Cox reported that he is still in the process of obtaining all the required youth release forms. President Clark noted that there will be a TXSSAR State Yearbook this year. President Clark affirmed that Charles Baker will continue as the editor of the Texas Compatriot. In speaking of committee membership President Clark stated that membership in committees has not changed appreciably from last year. He and Immediate Past President William Marrs have reviewed the list of TXSSAR Committees and have removed only the names of those who members who have not participated in their respective committees work. If a compatriot has voiced an interest in a specific committee, that compatriot has been added to the committee membership. President Clark urged all chapters to be diligent in reporting deaths of members. State Secretary Cohen recommended the use of the Death Report form on line. When this form is used the State Secretary, Chaplain and National SAR Headquarters are all automatically informed of the death and can update records.

18 Old Business: Immediate Past President William Marrs asked for the floor to present a TXSSAR Silver Service Medal to Frank Rohrbough, San Antonio Chapter. Frank Rohrbough served as the Convention Chairman for this state meeting. The members applauded the meetings organization and the excellence of the facility. Oration Chairman Peter Rowley added special thanks for the attention to detail for the Orations contest at the Youth Awards Luncheon. VP for Contests, Medals, and Awards, Russell Dart presented some awards that were not picked up at earlier meetings including Orations and Knight Essay Contest certificates. New Business Ron Walcik, of the Temple Chapter, presented a check for the Perpetual Fund, from the chapter to honor William Marrs for his term as TXSSAR President. William Marrs confirmed that the Fall BOM would be held on October 5 & 6, 2012 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Temple. President Clark confirmed that the next State meeting would be held the first week of April, 2013 in Dallas. The hosts are in negotiations with the Wyndam Hotel. Treasurer John Beard asked whether the supply of Perpetual Fund Challenge Coins was sufficient. It was estimated that TXSSAR has about 150 of the coins presently. After discussion the matter was referred to the TXSSAR Perpetual Fund Committee. They were asked to report to the Fall BOM. President Clark noted that he had appointed Joe Dooley as a vice chairman of this committee. The San Antonio Chapter reported that there was approximately $240 in sales of the TXSSAR Bronze Service Medals during this meeting. This money was given to the TXSSAR Treasurer. Peter Baron reported that the San Antonio Chapter would be providing a check for $1,200 to go to the Patriot Fund as a result of the sales at the silent auction. President Clark asked Rick Ramirez of the Laredo Chapter if there was anything he needed from TXSSAR for the George Washington Parade in Laredo. Compatriot Ramirez stated his only requirement was that all compatriots are welcome to join the parade and attend the Chapter meeting after the parade. President Clark said that he has asked Rick if they could get an invitation to the presentation of debutantes and announce the presence of the NSSAR President General as part of the introductions. William Marrs stated that he has prepared an invitation to the NSSAR President General to attend our next Annual meeting in Dallas. Tom Green discussed the Laredo Parade, its deadlines for forms, attendance by out of state compatriots, and the Bridge Ceremony. It was also noted that the event is a National Color Guard Event. Tom Jackson of the Robert Rankin chapter noted that Greg Thorpe, a CAR member associated with their chapter, is a national officer of CAR. Compatriot Jackson stated that their chapter would support TXSSAR recognition of CAR members who are active.