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/311328
Celebrations and Commemorations Compatriots, I am happy to tell you that our old headquarters building on South Fourth Street in Louisville has been sold! On April 26 at a special meeting, the Trustees voted to accept the offer from Simmons College of Kentucky for $1.2 million. We hope to vacate the Fourth Street property by the 2014 NSSAR Con- gress, and to move into our new headquarters building on West Main Street in the historic district of Louisville. On behalf of the National Society, I wrote a letter of con- gratulations to Michaela Eells, president of the Old Glory Society, a local C.A.R. society in Westfield, Ind. The Old Glory Society has celebrated its 100th birthday! C.A.R. founder Harriett Lothrop wrote: "Good citizens cannot be made suddenly. They must grow." The Old Glory Society has been "growing" good citizens for a hundred years. Fantastic! In February, on behalf of the National Society, I met with the ambassador from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Rudolf Bekink, and presented to him the SAR International Medal, which was mounted on a plaque with an inscription that expressed American gratitude for the First Salute, fired by the Dutch at St. Eustatius. This visit with Ambassador Bekink complemented a similar visit last fall by Dick Bryant of the Missouri Society, who presented the SAR International Medal to Gerald Berkel, governor of St. Eustatius. In April, I met with the ambassador from Ireland, Anne Anderson, and presented to her both the SAR International Medal and the new SAR Commodore John Barry Medal. The medals were mounted on a plaque with an inscription hon- oring Irish patriots of the American Revolution, the theme of the SAR trip to Ireland this year. I am extremely grateful to Mike Elston of the Virginia Society for having arranged the visits with both ambassa- dors. I wish to thank Ernie Coggins, also of the VASSAR, for serving as the official photographer during both visits. (For more information on these presentations, see the respective articles in this issue of The SAR Magazine.) I have continued to travel around the country, visiting SAR state societies and districts, and participating in SAR-spon- sored commemorations. In February, I visited the Colorado Society. Special thanks to Wayne Snodgrass and Dick Marsh for their hospitality and for organizing a terrific meeting. Later in February, I attended the VASSAR Annual Meeting and installed their new officers. Congratulations to the VASSAR's new president, Bill Broadus! I commend the Richmond Chapter for putting together a very nice meeting, and I thank Wayne Rouse for taking care of all the arrangements for me. I marched in not one, but two George Washington birth- day parades. The first of these was in Washington's home- town, Alexandria, Va. The second of these is the largest George Washington birthday parade in the world—the annu- al parade in Laredo, Texas, which is sponsored by Laredo's Washington Birthday Celebration Association. (Go to www. wbcalaredo.com .) If you celebrate George Washington, you must attend the Laredo parade at least once in your life: No one honors Washington quite the way Texans honor him. It is an exhilarating experience. Rick Ramirez of the Laredo Chapter has been organizing the SAR's participation in this parade for 10 years or more. I want to thank Rick, and Frank and Stephen Rohrbough, for being truly gracious and accom- modating hosts. In March, I drove to southern Virginia, near the North Carolina border, and spoke at a meeting of the Lt. David Cox Chapter. The SAR chapters in southern Virginia have always been dear to me, and the last time I visited the Lt. David Cox Chapter was years ago when I was president of the Virginia Society. I want to commend Billy Mitchell, president of the Lt. David Cox Chapter, for his kindness and generosity in hosting me. In mid-March, I visited North Carolina for two events. The first was the annual commemoration of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. This event commemorates one of the most important battles in the Southern campaign. The North Caro- lina Society has always done an excellent job hosting this event, and I encourage all SAR compatriots to try to attend. The second event I attended in North Carolina was the unveiling of an elegant marker on the wall of the Harlowe Community Center, near Havelock and the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point. This marker lists the names of 14 patriots of color. It is always good and important to recog- nize patriots of the American Revolution. But very few memorials, markers or monuments have been placed for black patriots, so this event was quite special. The crowd was large and diverse. Many of the African Americans who attended were descended from the patriots of color whom the SAR was honoring. We hope that many of these people will join the SAR, DAR and C.A.R. I commend the NCSSAR for honoring these patriots of color. I also commend, and am indebted to, Jim Wood, presi- dent of the NCSSAR, for being such a gracious host at both the commemoration of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and at the unveiling of the marker in Harlowe. Later in March, I attended a dinner hosted by the St. Petersburg Chapter in Florida. I cannot remember an event at which a chapter president went to greater lengths to make me feel so welcome. Charles Butler, president of the St. Petersburg Chapter, was a phenomenal host, and I thank him for his graciousness and generosity. Nearly a hundred people attended this dinner—people from SAR and DAR chapters, and C.A.R. societies, from all over Florida. Vice President General Randy Moody and Indiana Society President Bill Sharp also attended. Thank you, President Butler and the St. Petersburg Chapter! At the annual meeting of the Texas Society, I installed its new officers. Whenever I have gone to Texas during the last several years, I have always enjoyed myself, and I must again thank Frank and Stephen Rohrbough for being terrific hosts. I also commend Stephen for having been an outstanding President of the Texas Society. Stephen has been succeeded by Bob Cohen. I've known Bob for years, and I know he will also do a fine job. Good luck, Bob! SPRING 2014 3 Continued on page 11 SPRING_14_sar1-4.indd 3 5/7/14 4:11 PM