Minutes of the September 18, 2010 meeting of the Tampa Chapter SAR

President Luke Lloyd called the meeting to order at 12:01. Jack Bolen offered the invocation. The President led the pledge to the flag and the pledge to the SAR.

Members present: Marty Miller, Terrell Sessums, Chuck Hawley, Robert Koehler, Dick Young, Chuck Copeland, Ira Ward, Alan Bell, Jack Bolen, Luke Lloyd, Paul Farley, Robert Yarnell, and Kevin Yarnell.

Welcome guests:

Wives: Lissette Young, Judy Copeland, Jeanne Lloyd

Other guests: prospective member Leo Kelly and Gray Reece (Gray’s application has been approved and we look forward to receiving him into chapter membership when the paperwork arrives.

The President and members introduced our guests.

The minutes of the May meeting were approved.

The secretary read some correspondence from members unable to attend and a thank you note from the Brandon cadet who received our JROTC award last year. He also reminded the membership of John Skillman’s request nominations for SAR medals.

Our Treasurer, Chuck Copeland, reported expenses for summer picnic at $148 leaving a balance of $2,719.05.

Alan Bell, the registrar reported on the status of several applications. We have one membership and two supplementals pending at National and many more in various stages of completion.

Alan Bell, our color guard commander, reported that on our annual participation in the Lutz 4^th of July parade. Four members attended. On Oct. 7^th the color guard will be presenting the colors for the Sun City Center’s Wounded Warrior Program.

The joint DAR, SAR, CAR picnic held on Sat. August 14^th was a great success. President Lloyd reported that 12 SAR, 9 DAR, and 11 CAR members were in attendance and he thanked the cooks and other members for their support and participation.

The President reinforced John’s Skillman’s requests for medal nominations especially encouraging those with military service to apply for those awards.

The secretary presented President Lloyd with a certificate and oak leaf cluster for his Liberty Medal. Luke earned this award from the National Society for being the first-line signer on 10 approved applications. The reader may recall that Luke served the chapter as registrar prior to be elected president. This award is a small testament to the success of his work in that office.

The chapter by-laws require that a nominating committee be formed at the September meeting. Nominations were suggested and subsequently approved by the membership. Alan Bell will chair the group. Jack Bolen and Kevin Yarnell will assist.

The President then presented an approved supplemental application to Dick Young proving his ancestry to Silas Veatch. The approved membership for Dick’s son was also presented. Robert Koehler also had a supplemental applications approved based on his ancestry to Severinus Cook. This was also presented.

Under new business the members discussed Officer and Director Liability Insurance. The Florida Society is in the process of purchasing this for their leadership. As part of the package, local chapters may, at their option, elect to participate in the insurance at a cost of $350 per year. Terrell Sessums was able to bring his law experience to the discussion. Since the exact nature of the policy and what it would cover was not available, Chuck Copeland moved, with second from Bob Yarnell, to table the issue until the October meeting. This passed.

The meeting recessed for lunch.

Our speaker for the meeting was Vice President Yarnell who filled in at the last minute for the speaker previously scheduled. Bob pointed out that the American Revolution was unique in that it did not have as its ultimate goal radical change as was true in the French revolution and others. Rather, the colonist goal was to reclaim the freedoms they possessed in the 1750’s.

In the 1750’s the colonist were perhaps the most free people on the planet. They paid taxes but only to state legislatures they had elected. The body of law at the time was very small so there was not likely to run afoul of a law not known to him. Economically, the colonists were in good shape and government intruded only to a slight degree with business and commerce.

Following the French and Indian War all of this began to change. Britain’s victory gave them a world-wide empire and they needed to govern and garrison it. Parliament became, in some respects, a world government and that detached rule became evident in their subsequent laws. Bob worked through a series of Parliamentary acts that limited or took away rights the colonists had previously enjoyed. Thus, England changed the political situation and by 1776 the colonists sought a separation so that they might return to the limited government they had experienced in the 1750’s. In essence, England’s desire for change put them in the role of the true revolutionary. The colonists on the other hand, sought only to keep what they already had.

Bob pointed out that the same political leadership that was in place in the 1750’s returned to leadership in the 1780’s following the war. This is a clear indication of the thesis of the talk.

A number of questions were posed and answered.

Our president won the 50/50 and donated his half to the chapter. Thus the treasury was enriched by $6.50.

The President led the recessional, Jack Bolen gave the benediction, and the meeting adjourned at 1:39pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin Yarnell

Chapter Secretary