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/422786
The 2015 edition of the Spirit of '76 calendar, created by Compatriot Jim Blauer, is hot off the press and ready for purchase. It features a historical fact on the American Revolution/Constitutional era for each day of the year. Blauer began collecting information in the mid-1960s when the Orange County Register started printing "Today in History" for each day of the year. In 1975, he worked with a U.S. history class he was student teaching at Santiago High School in Garden Grove, and for the school's open house produced 12 poster-size months with dates in U.S. history. For years, Blauer anguished over how to ft this information into a wall calendar size. In the mid- to late-1990s, Blauer, who admits to not being computer literate, was informed by his father that the Print Master program on their computer had a calendar format. Blauer went to work and produced a reasonable copy, though the graphics were in black and white. The last copy was produced in 1999. Fast forward to early last year. While Blauer was on disability and recuperating, he updated his calendar with color graphics and found a place to print it. He took a mock copy to the California state meeting, where it was decided the price would be $20 per calendar. This would be enough to cover his costs and any mailings. The remainder of the proceeds would be donated to the Center for Advancing America's Heritage. Blauer sold the entire print run of 100 calendars. At Congress this past July, he donated $1,000 to the CAAH. Earlier this year, with the calendar updated for 2015, he went back to the business that printed the 2014 calendars only to fnd the price had doubled. If Blauer used that printer, there would be hardly any money left to donate to the Center. When he made his donation at Congress, Blauer noted he had had trouble getting a place to publish the calendar for a reasonable price this year. Compatriot Steve Pittard of North Carolina came forward to help. Pittard's company came up with a better price than what Blauer had paid in 2014. He announced his calendar at the September Trustees Meeting and sold about one fourth of the copies. Blauer already has recouped his costs for the 2015 print run, so when a calendar now sells for $20, the entire $20 goes to the CAAH. Now is the time to think about Christmas gifts for all your patriotic friends and family, and even something for your local schools. This is a way for you to contribute to the Center and not have to spend a lot to do so. Members can purchase a calendar by contacting Blauer via email, jblauer@pacbell.net, or phone, (949) 548-6871. Calendars purchased in person saves the mailing cost, so that more of the proceeds go to the Center. Spirit of '76 Calendar FALL 2014 39 The books featured here are NOT available through the Merchandise Department of the National Headquarters. For these books, please visit your local bookstore or online booksellers, such as amazon.com . Conservationist Frances Kennedy brings together work from The American Revolution's leading historians to document the war's lesser-known battlefields, meeting houses, and more in The American Revolution: A Historical Guidebook. Published by Oxford, this 416-page book disproves the popular belief that the Revolution began with the shots fired at Lexington and Concord. Revolutionary dissent had been simmering across class lines for years. Moreover, while we often think of the Revolution as confined to the original 13 colonies, some of the most cataclysmic and controversial happenings occurred in places like Florida and Maine. The Thomas Creek Massacre was a battle between Georgia militia and a mix of loyalists, British and Native American forces in northeastern Florida. Kennedy's book includes work from prominent historians like Eric Foner, Craig L. Symonds and Ira Berlin. More than 145 sites are covered in the book, from Kentucky and Indiana to South Carolina and Rhode Island, many of which still exist today. They stand as a testament to the enduring presence of the Revolution and its widespread impact on American thought and history. PPP During the six months before December of 1776, commanding Gen. George Washington had retreated from nine consecutive battles with the British in New Jersey and had lost 90 percent of his army. Brig. Gen. Arthur St. Clair answered the call with fresh troops, took over the leadership of a brigade, and suggested the strategies of stealth that enabled Washington's army to win the next three battles over the British in just nine days after Christmas in 1776. In Arthur St. Clair: The Invisible Patriot, Compatriot Dick Phillips examines the man who helped drive the British out of New Jersey and avoided what could have been the end of the American Revolution. St. Clair walked with the giants of the American Revolution—Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Greene, Lafayette and others. And yet, for more than two centuries, history has been reluctant to mention that St. Clair: n Became one of Washington's most trusted of only 30 major generals. n Built four armies for Washington. n Was the military strategist who helped Washington defeat the British in 1776-77. n Was president when the U.S. Constitution and the Northwest Ordinance were drafted. n Was America's first and last foreign-born president. n Stopped the Virginia governor from annexing what is now Pittsburgh (1774). n Protected Pennsylvania settlers from Indian attacks incited by the British (1764-69). n Assisted Gov. Penn with development of Bedford and Westmoreland Counties (1764-74). n Renounced his allegiance to Great Britain to become a colonel in the Continental Army (1774). n Established a judicial system for six states of the Northwest Territory. Books for Consideration