The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/604650
what draws visitors. If the Solid Light design plan is approved in substantially the form it is proposed then we should be able to get fairly accurate construction costs from Solid Light at the Spring Trustees Meeting. Approving the Solid Light design plan does not mean we will build the museum, as the Trustees have not approved funding construction for the museum. The Trustees have two choices: They may approve the design plan and then approve funding construction of the museum, although we will still have to raise the money; alternatively, the Trustees could approve the design plan but delay the decision about building the museum. Delaying construction raises another issue. In both 2013 and 2014 the SAR Foundation raised almost $900,000 each year but so far in 2015 we have raised less than $300,000. That is because there has been some discussion about whether we want to build the museum, so the Foundation felt it could not raise money from donors for a museum that might not be built. That has hurt our fundraising and we need to raise funds for the completion of the headquarters building (including the education center) as well as potentially for a museum. We need to finish the headquarters build-out, including the basement education center. Although we don't have to have a museum, it was part of the reason we decided to move to West Main Street to take advantage of the location. If we did not want to have a museum we should have stayed on Fourth Street and built the library across the street or we should have bought property in a less expensive part of Louisville. If we do not build a museum, then what will we put on the main floor of our headquarters that will justify our investment in that location, and do we just waste the $549,000 spent for the museum design plan? We have some important decisions to make in the spring. I hope all of you who are able will make plans to attend the Spring Leadership Meeting to participate in our future. President General Tom Lawrence Continued from page 3 FALL 2015 5 Dr. Larry Leslie, left, and Kentucky Society President Chuck Scott presented President General Thomas E. Lawrence with a commission as a Kentucky Colonel during the Fall Leadership Meeting. PG Lawrence was one of several so recognized. National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution SAR Genealogical Research Library 809 West Main Street library.sar.org Support the Friends of the SAR Library with your membership. For $25 you receive this distinctive lapel pin and help your state society with the annual Franklin Flyer Award, which is based on the number of new members. The application and donation form can be found under "NSSAR Forms" at sar.org. State societies and chapters may also directly contribute to the library fund into either the checking account or endowment (investment) account. Joining FOL is one of the best ways to support the library, and it helps provide the non-general SAR budget needs of the library. These needs include equipment, supplies and new technology, in addition to books and other materials. COMING SOON: FOL monies have helped purchased two databases related to genealogy and the Revolutionary War that will be made available to all members from any location! The "Genealogy Bundle" contains 189 e-books and the "Sources in American History" contains some 450 primary source documents.