Tampa Chapter

Sons of the American Revolution

September 2013

Contents

Meeting announcement

Sept. agenda items

Revolution education note

Program Schedule

Misc. reminders and information

The Sept. meeting of the Tampa Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, will be on Sept. 21st at the Piccadilly Cafeteria, located at 11810 Dale Mabry Highway North, Tampa, Florida (813-963-1660). The speaker for the meeting will be a representative from Honor Flight West Central Florida. They take WWII vets to Washington, DC for a day to see the WWII Memorial as well as other attractions of interest in the area.

The most important agenda item for the Sept. meeting is the election of a nominating committee. Therefore, we will need to take nominations from the floor and then vote for 3 if more than 3 people have been nominated. And, yes, you are to feel free to self-nominate. Additionally, we will be inducting at least three new members.

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In lieu of our usual American Revolution Notes section, this month we are pleased to be able to pass along the following report about how Compatriot Terry Doan helped further education about the Revolution.

The Tampa Liberty School (TLS) is a one-week school for children ages 8 to 12 conducted during the summer that is dedicated to educating, enlightening, and exciting students about the fundamental principles on which our nation was founded. The basic outline for the week consists of the following:

Day 1 - Fighting for Independence (Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, Taxation w/out Representation)

Day 2 - Declaration of Independence (Committee of Five, Preamble, Natural Rights)

Day 3 - Revolutionary War (Lexington & Concord, Paul Revere's Ride, Battle of Trenton, Washington crossing the Delaware, Battle of Yorktown)

Day 4 - US Constitution and Bill of Rights, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Tyranny vs. Liberty

Day 5 - Meet a Few Founders: Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock

The school strives to convey these messages in a fun, kid-friendly way and stresses that our unalienable rights come from God, not government. Clearly, the messages directly coincide with the Patriotic Goals of the SAR.

For the 2013 class, TLS faculty member, Ms. Lynn Pfost asked the Tampa Chapter President, John Skillman whether any Chapter member who had a period uniform would be able to participate in the curriculum; President Skillman forwarded the request to the Chapter members. Chapter Compatriot Terry Doan contacted Ms. Pfost and offered to participate in the first day’s curriculum; Ms. Pfost and Compatriot Doan determined that the most effective manner in which he could deliver the lesson would be for him to portray a Minuteman in the period immediately before the Revolutionary War began. With that, Compatriot Doan developed a proposed lesson plan which Ms. Pfost approved. The lesson plan is attached; the main points included the fact that Minutemen were civilians rather than regular soldiers, that their name came from their willingness to transition quickly (within a minute) from civilian duties to those of a militia member, and that their success in a large part resulted from their ability to maintain their own civilian weapons. The conclusion of the lesson stressed that the “Right to Bear Arms” enshrined in the Second Amendment to our Constitution continues to be important today and should not be infringed.

At the TLS, Compatriot Doan wore the period costume of a civilian hunter and gave his five-minute presentation to three separate groups of about 10 children each. The students participated in the class and easily answered the “Checks on Learning” with which the class concluded. Compatriot Doan had his privately-owned flintlock with him; it emphasized the points about the importance of citizens maintaining their own weapons. At the conclusion of the day, both Ms. Pfost and the TLS Director thanked Compatriot Doan for his participation; Ms. Pfost followed that up with an email again thanking him and requesting that he return and give the presentation again during the next TLS iteration. The principles advocated by the TLS are aligned with those of the SAR; the Tampa Chapter of the SAR fully supports continued participation in school activities.

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PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Below is the tentative program schedule for the 2013-2014 year. As always send along any suggestions for speakers.

2013

September - Honor Flight

October - American Legion Post #5 - Tampa to speak on the National Cemetery they care for and Wreaths Across America program

November - CAR Joint Meeting plus Law Enforcement and Fire Fighter recognition

December - Officer Installation

2014

January

February

March

April ROTC luncheon

May

Misc. Reminders and notes:

Chapter Website—always remember you can find information about the chapter and programs on the chapter website. http://www.patriot-web.com/

One of the duties of the Chapter Chaplain is to send cards to our members that are sick. If you know of anyone that I need to send a card to, please mention it at our next meeting. Another duty is to send a sympathy card to the family of a member who has passed away.

Jack C. Bolen

Chaplain