The General Smallwood Chapter, MDSSAR Quarterly Dinner Meeting

September 4, 2014

General Smallwood Chapter 2014 Quarterly Report

Period from October through December 2014

Michael A. Saunders, President

October 2014

The General William Smallwood Chapter’s regularly scheduled quarterly dinner meeting was held September 4, 2014 at the Knights of Columbus Council, Silver Spring, Maryland. Michael Saunders, chapter president, presided. This meeting was the first to be held by the chapter in the Knight’s of Columbus banquet room.

The following 22 members and guests were in attendance:

The General Smallwood Chapter, MDSSAR Quarterly Dinner Meeting

September 4, 2014

LEE BABCOCK

DOROTHY BARNES

SABRINA BARON

BARBARA BRYAN-WILSON

JACK CARSON

JIM HARDTER

DANIEL KLEIN

JONATHAN KLEIN

MICHELLE KLEIN

TIMOTHY KLEIN

CLARENCE LEE

BRENDA CLARK LEE

JAMES PERRY

KAREN PERRY

MICHAEL SAUNDERS

KEITH SILLIMAN

JOHN VANDEGRIFF

PAT WARNER

CHARLES WELLS

ROBERT WILSON

STEVEN WOOD, SPEAKER

DAN ZIMMERMAN

Mr. Saunders called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm. John Vandegriff offered the Invocation. Members and guests were led in the Pledge of Allegiance (Bob Wilson), the SAR Pledge (Michael Saunders), and the American’s Creed (Jack Carson). Compatriots and guests were introduced.

Approval of Minutes: The June 5, 2014 quarterly meeting minutes were approved by unanimous vote.

President’s Report: Mr. Saunders welcomed all members and guests. The 2014 Patriot’s Ball of the MDSSAR will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Hilton Garden Inn in White Marsh , MD. Compatriot Edward Foremen, Jr. Is the Chairman of the 2014 Patriot’s Ball Committee and Mrs. Sasha Atherton Quillan is the event’s Debutante Coordinator. More information will be forthcoming over the next few months including a mailed formal invitation. The chapter website has moved to a new location: The 125th SAR Congress will take place from June 25, 2015 through July 1, 2015 at the Galt House in Louisville, KY. Chapter Secretary Jack Carson recently visited the Monocacy Cemetery in Beallsville. Based on his research to date the Monocacy Cemetery contains the greatest number of patriot interments and headstones (nine) of any cemetery in Mont. Co. The purpose of the visit was to record the GPS coordinates for each patriot gravesite and marker, and photograph the six new markers with the SAR logo installed this summer by the cemetery. The results of this data collection can be seen by going to the Patriot Cemetery Inventory on the chapter website.

New Members Installation: Mr. Saunders conducted the installation ceremony for Lee. H. Babcock and son Arno James Babcock (in absentia).

Unfinished/New Business: Pat Warner provided a brief history of the local community and noted the area’s ties to the Carroll family. Mr. Saunders inquired as to whether there were any objections to the selection of the Knights of Columbus banquet room as the venue for future chapter meetings. No objections were voiced. Mr. Saunders stated that the banquet room management can provide a much broader menu for a $5 per meal increase to $30. A motion was made to increase the per meal charge to $30. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Duane Tackitt is convalescing from a recent hospital stay. Chapter members are encouraged to send him a note. Don Bean, a longtime and at one time very active, chapter member, passed away recently. A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously to make a $50 chapter donation in Don’s name to the NSSAR Library Fund in Louisville, KY. An additional $100 was collected from chapter members, including $26 from Bob Wilson who generously donated his entire 50/50 raffle winnings, bringing the total chapter donation to $150. John Vandegriff read a letter received from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School recent graduate, Ms. Helen Hennessey, expressing her appreciation for receiving the SAR Good Citizenship Award. Her letter is appended to these minutes.

Featured Speaker: Mr. Saunders introduced Mr. Steven Wood, a former ranger at Ft. Frederick State Park. Mr. Wood, who was dressed in period attire, provided a very informative and entertaining presentation on the living conditions of a typical Rev. War soldier. Following his presentation, Mr. Saunders presented Mr. Wood with a SAR Certificate of Appreciation.

Announcements: The next meeting of the Gen. William Smallwood Chapter will be December 4, 2014. The 50/50 raffle was won by Bob Wilson. The Benediction was conducted by John Vandegriff. The Recessional was led by Mr. Saunders. The meeting adjourned at 9:10pm

December 2014

The General William Smallwood Chapter’s regularly scheduled quarterly dinner meeting was held December 4, 2014 at the Knights of Columbus Council 2169, 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. Michael Saunders, chapter president, presided.

The following 37 members and guests were in attendance:

ROBERT ABEL

ANNE ALLNUTT

DOROTHY BARNES

SABRINA BARON

JAMES BATTLES

BARBARA BRYAN-WILSON

JACK CARSON

DAVID JONES

JAMES JONES

DAVE KING

CLARENCE LEE

EILEEN MCGUCKIAN

TERI O’BRIEN

BRENDA ROUNDY

JOSEPH ROUNDY

DANIEL SEARLES

DAN SEARLES

EDNA SEARLES

EDYIE SEARLES

MARK SEARLES

PRENTISS SEARLES

SUSIE SEARLES

THOMAS SEARLES

MICHAEL SAUNDERS

SHARON SAUNDERS

KEITH SILLIMAN

EUGENE STOHLMAN

JOHN STOHLMAN

LAUREN STOHLMAN

JUAN LUIS TORRES

LINDA TORRES

JOHN VANDEGRIFF

GLENN WALLACE, SPEAKER

PAT WARNER

NATALIE WAIBEL

ROBERT WILSON

DAN ZIMMERMAN

Mr. Saunders called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm. John Vandegriff offered the Invocation. Members and guests were led in the Pledge of Allegiance (Michael Saunders), the SAR Pledge (Pat Warner), and the American’s Creed (Michael Saunders). Compatriots and guests were introduced.

Approval of Minutes: The September 4, 2014 quarterly meeting minutes were approved by unanimous vote.

President’s Report: Mr. Saunders welcomed all members and guests. The MDSSAR semi-annual meeting took place in Annapolis on Oct. 25. The Smallwood Chapter received an award for Partners in Patriotism for working with other organizations supporting veterans. CAR reports are deferred until the March 2015 Smallwood chapter meeting.

Special Recognitions and Awards: Mr. Saunders presented the SAR Certificate of Distinguished Service to Sugarloaf Monuments (Brenda Roundy accepting) for the company’s role in producing grave markers with the SAR logo for six patriots buried at the Monocacy Cemetery in Beallsville. Mr. Saunders presented SAR Flag Display awards to:

Juan Luis and Linda Torres, 900 Elm Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Brad and Mindy Tuttle, 714 Auburn Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912 (not present; Jack Carson accepting)

New Members Installation: Pat Warner conducted the installation ceremony for Thomas Daniel Searles, Thomas Daniel Searles II, Mark Daniel Searles, Prentiss Eugene Searles, Daniel Prentiss Searles, and Eugene Martin Stohlman.

Unfinished/New Business: Mr. Saunders noted that the Smallwood Chapter dues of $10 per year are the lowest in the MDSSAR and raised the prospect of increasing the dues to $20 annually. Following discussion a resolution was passed to have the chapter treasurer conduct a cash flow analysis and report on the results at the March chapter meeting, at which time discussion of this issue will resume. Mr. Saunders reported that Pat Warner, Duane Tackitt, and Keith Silliman will form the Nominating Committee for the 2015-2016 chapter officer positions.

Featured Speaker: Mr. Saunders introduced Mr. Glenn Wallace, registrar for the Monocacy Cemetery in Beallsville. Mr. Wallace provided a remarkable talk and slide show presentation on his nine-year effort to document the over 5,000 burials at the Monocacy Cemetery, including family genealogy and photographs. Earlier this year Mr. Wallace and Chapter Recording Secretary, Jack Carson, worked together to identify patriots buried in the cemetery and arranged for the installation of granite grave markers at six patriot burial locations. Each marker is engraved with the SAR logo and includes the text, “SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.” Following his presentation, Mr. Saunders presented Mr. Wallace with the SAR Bronze Good Citizenship Medal..

Announcements: The Patriot’s Ball will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13 in Baltimore. The next meeting of the Smallwood Chapter will be Thursday, March 5, 2015. The 50/50 raffle winner was drawn and proceeds distributed. The Benediction was conducted by John Vandegriff. The Recessional was led by Mr. Saunders. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Michael A. Saunders

Chapter President