Tampa Chapter

Sons of the American Revolution

Meeting Notice and News, November 2009

Compatriots,

Our next meeting of the of the Tampa Chapter SAR will be held on November 21^st in the private meeting room of the Piccadilly Cafeteria, located at 11810 Dale Mabry Highway North, Tampa, Florida (813-963-1660). As is our custom, meetings begin at noon but members arrive as early as 11:30 for a time of camaraderie.

This month we welcome Lt. Gen. (Retired) Jim Ellis. He will speak on “The Mid-East, Radical Islam, and Terrorism”. Here’s a preview of the presentation.

"Modern resurgence of militant Islam has confounded Western leaders. The response to Islamic terrorism has been spotty and sometimes damaging to Western interests. In large part this confusion and uncertainty is due to a substantial ignorance of the Islamic religion, culture and history—especially the history of conflict between Islam and Western Civilization. My presentation will be on the 1400 years long conflict—highlighting the key events and the major shifts in the power struggle. For over 1000 years, Islam was in the ascendancy (from Mohammad’s death in AD 632 until the Turkish defeat at the gates of Vienna in 1683). For the past 300 years the West has been the dominate power in this 'Eternal War'. Now the Islamic World is attempting to regain prominence. Our leaders could respond more effectively if they understood the history of the struggle."

We hope you’ll make plans to attend. The company is always excellent and the program should prove to be most interesting.

Below are a number of items that may be of interest to you. Thanks for taking the time to look them over. I hope to see you at this month’s meeting.

Regards,

Kevin Yarnell

Secretary, Tampa Chapter

2010 Dues

Another year has past and it is time to pay your SAR dues for next year. National has increased their dues by $5, but everything else remains the same.

National dues: $30.00

Florida dues 20.00

Tampa dues 15.00

Total $65.00

Each year we collect for some other cause. The idea is that if members, as they are able, can add a few dollars to their dues check, the combined efforts can be significant. Last year we raised nearly $100 for the NSSAR Library. This year, the membership will support the “Paws for Patriots” organization. Located in Palmetto, Florida, the group provides guide and therapy dogs for veterans with visual impairments. A few of our members visited the training facility and have assured us a donation will be put to good use. You can find out more about “The Paws for Patriots” program at the website, www.guidedogs.org.

So, if you can add on a dollar or two to the dues check, we’d be grateful.

Bring the check to the November meeting or mail it to Kevin Yarnell, 7507 Summerbridge Dr., Tampa, FL 33634

Tampa Chapter Officers for 2010

The nominating committee will present the following candidates to lead the Tampa Chapter for 2010. The election will be held at the November meeting. Remember that nominations from the floor can also be made.

Luke Lloyd President

Robert Yarnell Vice President

Kevin Yarnell Secretary

Chuck Copeland Treasurer

Alan Bell Registrar

John Sessums Sergeant-at-arms

A chaplain will be nominated at the meeting.

Minutes of the October 17, 2009 meeting of the Tampa Chapter SAR

President Bell called the meeting to order at 12:04. Luke Lloyd offered the invocation. Ed Neugaard led the pledge to the flag and the President led the pledge to the SAR.

Members present: Jack Bolen, Marty Miller, John Sessums, Terrell Sessums, Allen Bell, DeVeux McLean, Ira Ward, Chuck Copeland, Chuck Hawley, Rodney Stebbins, Ed Neugaard, Milton Alexander, Cy Gamber, Bill, Floyd, Dick Young, Robert Koehler, Luke Lloyd II, Robert Yarnell, and Kevin Yarnell.

Welcome guests: June Bolen, Jeanne Lloyd, Judy Copeland, Lissette Young, and Sharon Lloyd

The President introduced the guests.

The minutes of the September meeting were approved.

The secretary reported that the membership list has been added to the chapter website. Members’ ancestors are also listed. He asked members to verify that the ancestor list is complete as those records were obtained from the state and some supplemental applications may be missing.

Dues ($30 for National, $20 for Florida, $15 for the chapter) need to be paid next month. There was a brief discussion regarding the chapter’s tradition of asking for a few extra dollars.

The Treasurer reported a balance of $2,165.07 and petty cash of $87.84.

Luke Lloyd gave a brief report on his activity as registrar. He thanked Judy Copeland for her fine work on her husband’s application.

Vice President Yarnell reported that the nominating committee had a full slate of officers which will be published in the newsletter. Speakers are nearly all arranged for the rest of the year. A speaker for May has been confirmed.

Jack Bolen gave a brief report on his new role as DAR liaison. He has made contact with the DeSoto DAR chapter as they are in our area and we already have two of their members who are familiar with us. He extended an invitation to them to attend our December joint meeting with the CAR. In addition Jack hopes we might be able to provide a color guard for one of their functions in the spring.

The Florida DAR is supporting the PAWS for Patriots program which provides guide dogs which are given to blinded veterans and other needy persons. Jack attended a presentation on this program and visited their training site in Palmetto. The organization receives no government funding and relies on private donations. Jack is working with Bob to have a speaker to attend our February meeting. Luke and Jeanne have also visited the facility and suggested that a field trip for the chapter might be worthwhile. The membership seemed interested in this project and Jack moved that any voluntary funds collected with the 2010 dues be given to the PAWS for Patriots program. The motion was seconded and passed.

The President reported that the color guard will present the colors at our December meeting. He also came across a 1995 letter asking for participation in a wreath laying ceremony at the Oak Lawn cemetery and was unsure if the event was still held. Lissette Young told the meeting that the ceremony was held last year. Alan will pursue this as an opportunity for the color guard.

Rod Stebbins gave a report on the ancestry database that had been discussed at the September meeting. After a brief history, Rod announced that Ed Neugaard has agreed to maintain this database. Rod has given a copy of the records to Ed which include 79,341 individuals and 11,243 surnames.

The secretary, in his duties as state secretary, determined that Marty Miller is celebrating his 25^th anniversary as a member of the SAR- all of which has been with the Tampa Chapter. On behalf of the chapter, President Bell presented Marty with a 25 year service pin.

The meeting recessed for lunch.

The President called on Vice President Yarnell to introduce our speaker. Rodney Kite-Powell is the Saunders Foundation Curator at the Tampa Bay History Center. Born and raised in Tampa, he joined the staff in 1994 and has written extensively on the history of Tampa and Hillsborough County. Rodney spoke on their new facility that opened on Jan 17^th this year. A slide show of the Center provided the membership with a virtual tour. Rodney offered a great deal of information on both the exhibits shown and background on the workings and mission of the Tampa Bay History Center.

Rodney’s presentation was very well received by the membership. After a question time the President presented Rodney with an SAR coffee mug in appreciation for his time and program.

Marty Miller won the 50/50 and donated the proceeds to the chapter. Thus $14.00 was added to the treasury.

The President led the recessional, Luke Lloyd offered the benediction, and the meeting adjourned at 1:59 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Kevin Yarnell

Chapter Secretary