Perpetuating the memory of the men who achieved the Independence of the country; commemorating the anniversaries of Washington’s birthday and of significant events connected with the War of the Revolution; preserving records and artifacts relating to that period; and rekindling in us the fire of imagination, courage and foresight of the men who created this country — these are the purposes of our Society and the forces that drive our calendar of events and our special projects.

Since the last Annual Meeting, held on 9 April 1998, your Board of Managers has met to transact the Society’s business each month, except the months of July, August and September.

The 110^th Annual Church Service, commemorating the encampment of the Continental Army at Valley Forge and remembering those members of the Society who died during the preceding year, was held on Sunday afternoon, 3 May 1998, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Lafayette Hill. The service was based on the Lutheran liturgy of 1748, created by Reverend Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, founder of Lutheranism in America and the founding pastor of St. Peter’s. Reverend Michael J. Carlson, Pastor of Christ’s Lutheran Church in Oreland, Pennsylvania, delivered the sermon. Following the service, 126 members and guests, including 11 young children attended a reception, with buffet supper, at the Eagle Lodge, also in Lafayette Hill. The sun chased the rain clouds away so that members and guests were able to enjoy the food and the views both inside and outside and the children had space to run and play. President Lloyd and George Shaffer Wood, III, who serves as Chairman of the Valley Forge Commemoration Committee, deserve credit for planning this engaging and enjoyable event.

The 30^th annual Independence Day observance and Bell Ringing Ceremony at Independence Hall was impressive and dignified. The pageantry began with music provided by the Independence Hall Jazz Band and the Fairmont High School Marching Band. The Second Pennsylvania regiment of the Continental Line, the 111^th Fighter Wind Honor Guard and Drill Team, and the Colonial Philadelphia Fife and Drum Corps all arrived in the Square before the Society’s Color Guard, led by Captain Andrew Jackson Salisbury, II, paraded the colors through the center of the crowd. General Colin Powell, US Army (ret.) and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had recorded a message for the occasion, which was played for those present and broadcast to a nationwide radio audience. Major General Garry L. Parks, representing the current Joint Chiefs of Staff, was your society’s guest speaker. At 2:00 p.m. sharp, the Centennial Tower bell in Independence Hall tolled thirteen times, while youthful descendants of two Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Middleton, gently tapped the Liberty Bell itself. That symbolic ring resonated across the country as more than 10,000 sites, including Arlington Cemetery, Old North Church in Boston, and the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, participated in the bell ringing. The effort of your Society and its Color Guard in building this national event merits the membership’s recognition and appreciation.

As many of you know, Washington Square is being restored prior to its incorporation into Independence National Historical Park. The Let Freedom Ring program was therefore conducted in its entirety on Independence Square. President Lloyd delivered an address on the historical significance of Washington Square and Mayor Rendell presented remarks on the restoration work proceeding there and the scheduled incorporation of this square into Independence National Historical Park in 2000. The conclusion of the ceremony was punctuated by a precision drill by the 111^th Fighter Wing Honor Guard’s Drill Team, "Amazing Grace" played by a sole bagpiper, a cannon salute by the Second Pennsylvania Regiment, taps and a fly over of four A-10 "Warthogs".

President Mark Frazier Lloyd ably coordinated the Let Freedom Ring portion of the event for your Society and again received excellent assistance from the personnel of Welcome America. Chairman Joseph Charles Byrne organized the Society’s luncheon, which was held again at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel. The 190 members and guests who attended appreciated their fine work.

Beginning this year, your Society has agreed to enter into an even more advantageous collaboration with Welcome America, Inc., the city agency that promotes and manages the City’s week long July 4^th celebration. Welcome America has agreed to handle all planning, promotion and fulfillment for both the local and national celebrations of the "Let Freedom Ring" event for the same cost that the Society has paid to Advertising Collaborative in the past. Moreover, Welcome America is willing to incorporate promotion of our local Independence Square program into its publicity campaign for the city. Significantly, Welcome America has agreed that our Society will control the entire Independence Square program. President Lloyd sees this alliance as another example of his effort to link the mission and work of our Society with other prestigious professional organizations. By doing so your Society reaches a far greater audience than it ever could on its own and simultaneously realizes organizational efficiencies, as these partnerships reduce the burden of administrative detail work on our small office staff.

The Lancaster County Chapter of your Society performed an outstanding job hosting the General Society’s 108^th Annual Board of Managers Meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lancaster from Friday, 25 September to Sunday, 27 September. The meeting drew 199 members and guests from 16 State Societies — the largest attendance at a General Society Board meeting in at least thirty years. Lancaster Chapter Regent John Stager Shirk and his local arrangements Committee deserve our appreciation and admiration for their hard work and excellent achievement.

The Musket Ball, commemorating the victories of the Continental Army at the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown, was held on Saturday, 7 November 1998, at the Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne. Historian John Marshall Groff provided a brief historical summary of the events which surrounded these two battles. Francis Joseph Bowden, III, chairman of the Younger Members Committee, presented an overview of his committee’s activities to an audience that included a significant number of younger members. About 200 members and their guests enjoyed a delicious meal and dancing to music provided by Jack Keller and his orchestra. Chairman Howard Randall Morgan, who was able to joke later that the party had been a success even though he was able to attend, deserves credit for the planning and execution of this event.

Under the active leadership of Chairman Stephen Paul Hoyt, the New Citizens Reception Committee hosted two events for newly naturalized Americans at the United States District Court. On Wednesday, 17 June 1998, as U.S. District Court Judge Louis H. Pollak presided, the Committee assisted in welcoming 89 new citizens and on Wednesday, 18 November 1998, under the direction of Judge Bruce W. Kauffman, the Committee participated in a naturalization ceremony for 100 new citizens. On the latter occasion the new citizens had originated in no fewer than 30 different countries. To witness people reaching the culmination of their choice to become United States citizens is always inspiring.

Washington’s Birthday Party was held on Saturday, 20 February 1999 at the Union League of Philadelphia. The program included a brief interpretation of the public image of Washington by our Society’s Historian, John Marshall Groff. Jeff is to be congratulated for his scholarly account of the changing image of Washington over the course of American history, as well as his perceptive comments on the opportunity provided to all Americans in the bicentennial year of Washington’s death. 1999 was an ideal year to rediscover the true man and his immense impact on the history of this country. The guest of honor was Thomas J. McGuire, historian, teacher, and writer, who has served as spokesman for the Paoli Battlefield Preservation Trust in its campaign to save that open space from suburban development. 200 members and their guests attended and enjoyed the evening, with excellent food and the dance music of Jack Keller and his orchestra. Anthony Morris, VII took the reins of the Washington’s Birthday Committee this year and he and his committee members performed admirably in continuing the fine traditions of this major event.

Your Society’s Color Guard, under the leadership of Captain Andrew Jackson Salisbury, II, has had an unusually active year. Not only did it parade the colors at the five customary events — the Annual Meeting of the Society, the Church Service and Valley Forge Commemoration, Independence Day, the Musket Ball, and Washington’s Birthday Party — but also on two other, special occasions — at the General Society’s Board of Managers meeting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and at Cliveden, the Philadelphia historic house museum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In Lancaster the Color Guard paraded the flags at the banquet on Saturday evening, 26 September and again, the following morning, "Capital Day" in Lancaster, when Guardsmen paraded twenty-five flags while leading Society members and their guests from the ceremony at Penn Square to the church service at the First Presbyterian Church. At Cliveden, just on a week later, on Saturday, 3 October 1998, the Color Guard paraded twenty-six flags at the re-enactment of the Battle of Germantown. The performance of the Color Guard on all occasions was excellent and without question, well appreciated.

The Younger Members Committee, chaired by Francis Joseph Bowden, III, Assistant Secretary of the Society, continued to sponsor a number of events aimed at those in the 20s and 30s. Over the past year, these have included a tailgate picnic at the Radnor Hunt Club; a Sangerfest Party at Lemon Hill Mansion, in conjunction with the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter II; and a Champagne Tasting event at the Racquet Club. The Committee also encourages attendance by younger members at Society events by offering discounted subscriptions to each event.

The Membership Committee, which is primarily engaged in recruiting new members and the Admissions Committee, which concerns itself with judging the qualifications of the candidates for membership continued as a team to strengthen the membership base of the Society. Harvard Castle Wood, III, chairman of the Membership Committee has developed and implemented a program of genealogical assistance for men proposed for membership. Vice President Richard Renato Paul Di Stefano, chairman of the Admissions Committee, has taken a number of steps to coordinate his Committee’s work with that of the Membership Committee and to simplify the admissions process.

The number of new members this past year rose considerably to 24, but total membership in our Society, including 23 Junior Life members, now stands at 1,088 members, down from 1,098 at the 1998 Annual Meeting. In addition to membership recruitment, membership retention will be emphasized in the coming year, as a significant number of members are dropped from the roll each January for failure to pay their annual dues.

The Newsletter Committee, chaired by Robert Reynolds Van Gulick, Jr., published two newsletters this year, keeping the membership well informed about the Society’s activities and accomplishments.

Since the 1998 Annual Meeting, the Society has engaged in a number of public programs and special projects. Together the Society and the Color Guard contributed $15,000 to Cliveden of the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support the re-enactment of the Battle of Germantown on 3 October 1998. A local business, which had sponsored the event for a number of years, was not able to do so in 1998 and Cliveden was therefore in danger of being forced to cancel the program. Your Society and Color Guard provided the support necessary to help Cliveden bridge this emergency and have an appropriate lead time to obtain new sponsorship. The re-enactment, of course, provided a perfect blend of your Society’s mission and Cliveden’s goals. The Society received ample publicity for its sponsorship and thereby extended an extraordinarily effective history lesson the War of Independence to approximately 5,000 people who would not otherwise have benefited. In a further demonstration of the synergy of your Society’s partnerships, the National Constitution Center, at our request, made 3,000 copies of the Constitution booklet available to the diverse audience at the re-enactment.

Under the leadership of Historian John Marshall Groff, the Society completed a special project to document the fine and decorative arts collections of the Society and its Color Guard. The Society engaged Elizabeth Laurent, a curator and collections manager at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as project curator. She prepared standard, curatorial descriptions of all objects in our collections, documented the objects with color photography, and submitted duplicate copies of a binder with standardized catalog sheets and photographic documentation. One of these binders is available for study at the Society’s office. The photographs and information about the collections are also available on the Society’s web site, fulfilling the Society’s goal to make the collections more accessible to our members and the general public. Because most of the Society’s objects are on loan to various historical sites and museums, the completed work, documenting all our collections, will strengthen our management of these collections in the future. It should also be noted that simultaneous with Ms. Laurent’s work, the Society obtained market-value appraisals on every item in the collections. The Board has updated all valuations for insurance coverage purposes.

The Technology Initiative Committee, chaired by Vice-President Leroy Moody Lewis, III, has contracted with Miller DesignWorks to design, launch, and maintain your Society’s world wide web site. The site’s Internet address is www.amrev.org and an impressive amount of information may be found there. In addition to the color photographs and curatorial descriptions of the historical collections previously mentioned, the Internet user may find the Society’s "Object," its "Qualifications for Membership," its Charter and Bylaws, and an online proposal form. President Lloyd composed a brief narrative of the Revolutionary War in the middle Atlantic states for our web site with links to the web sites of many of the historic house museums and historic sites associated with the Council on American Revolutionary Sites in the Delaware Valley. This new feature has just been added to the web site. President Lloyd also foresees our web site as possessing the potential to facilitate the admissions process and to assist in transacting a portion of the business of the Board.

In the year since the last Annual Meeting, your Board of Managers has authorized or participated in the following additional public programs:

Support, matched (and thereby doubled) by the Color Guard, in the amount of $5,000 to the publication of the Volume Three of Lawmaking and Legislators in Pennsylvania, a Biographical Dictionary. The third volume will include biographies of all members of the colonial Pennsylvania Assembly who served between 1756 and 1776, many of whom, of course, are among our eligible ancestors.

Support, matched by the Color Guard, in the amount of $2,500 to the Moland House of the Warwick Township Historical Society, Bucks County for restoration of the country house which served as George Washington’s headquarters in August of 1777.

Support, matched by the Color Guard, in the amount of $2,500 for a scholarly exhibition at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in center city Philadelphia. The exhibition, entitled "Becoming George: The Life and Letters of George Washington," was one of several commemorative events in Philadelphia honoring George Washington on the 200^th anniversary of his death.

Pledge, matched by the Color Guard, in the amount of $2,500 for educational markers and programs at the Paoli Battlefield. 1998 was the third and last year of a three-year special project, by which a total of $15,000 was reserved for use in educating the public about the Battle of Paoli, contingent upon the ability of the Paoli Battlefield Preservation Trust to obtain title to the land where the battle was fought.

Support, matched by the State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania, in the amount of $4,000 for a named, biennial dissertation fellowship at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. The two societies contribute a total of $16,000 on a two-year cycle which funds fully the Society of the Cincinnati / Sons of the Revolution Dissertation Fellowship. The Society will host the recipient of that Fellowship at its Annual Meeting in 2000.

Support, in the amount of $1,000, for the ongoing restoration of Benjamin Franklin’s house in London.

Support, in the amount of $300, to assist in the re-creation of an 18^th century brick walkway at Bartram’s Gardens.

Support, in the amount of $500, for the Carpenters’ Company Master Builder Award event.

In partnership with the National Constitution Center, the distribution of Constitution booklets to schools upon request.

Purchase of 150 copies of a new scholarly history of Fort Mifflin, Fort Mifflin of Philadelphia: An Illustrated History, by Jeffrey M. Dorwart, to be distributed to free-of-charge to Philadelphia-area libraries and historical repositories.

The Visitors’ Center in Valley Forge National Park continues to show the Society’s Valley Forge encampment film.

It should also be noted that your Society continues to play a significant role in the General Society. James Thorington, a Past Captain of the Color Guard, is President Emeritus of the General Society and chairman of its Nominations Committee. James Goddard MacBride, a former member of the Board of Managers, is in his twelfth year as Assistant General Secretary. President Lloyd currently serves on the Executive Committee of the General Society. At the General Society’s Board of Managers meeting in Lancaster this past September, the Executive Committee appointed him its fact-finder in the difficult conflict between the California Society and the General Society. In January he traveled to Glendale, California where he interviewed individual members and officers, met in private with the California Society’s Executive Committee and attended the Society’s Annual Meeting. His mission was to study the operations of the California Society, gain all points of view on the allegations which have been made against it, and present a report and series of recommendations to the Executive Committee for its review and action. The goal, of course, is to help begin the process of healing of the divisions that have hampered the relationship between the California Society and the General Society.

 

I wish to express my thanks to my fellow Officers, the Society’s Managers and to our Executive Secretary, Martha Taylor, for assistance in gathering the information presented in this report.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Theodore Clattenburg, Jr.

Secretary

 

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I am pleased to be able to continue the tradition of reporting that the Society’s financial affairs are in good order. You should each have a summary of the report I will present tonight. The Society’s independent auditor — Zelenkofske, Axelrod & Co. — has provided me with the financial figures in the report. Although the audit is not complete, I do not expect substantial changes in these numbers.

In Fiscal Year 1998 there was a combined fund net surplus of almost $1,185,000, resulting in a year-end combined fund balance of $7,368,000, an increase of more than 19% for the year. This follows an increase of more than 20% in 1997.

Total combined revenues from interest, dividends, mutual fund capital gains, membership fees, Rorer Trust income and merchandise sales was in excess of $615,000, an increase of 41% over 1997. Net realized and unrealized gains in the various funds declined by 16% for the year, due in part to the mutual fund capital gains being reported with dividend income.

1998 was a year in which the Officers and Managers of the Society brought about significant reductions in expenditures. 1998 was not a year in which the Color Guard traveled to a triennial meeting of the General Society, but it was a year in which the Lancaster Society hosted the General Society’s Board of Managers meeting. As a direct result, the Society’s total expenditures declined 10% and the Color Guard’s total expenditures declined 31%, but the expenses of the Lancaster County Chapter were up 46%. Total combined expenditures of $334,000 represented a 19% decline from 1997.

I would like to make particular note of the Society’s adherence to its budget. For the first time in several years, the combined income of the General and Permanent Funds was greater than expenses. In addition, the Society’s spending under the total return basis by which it manages its investment portfolio, was just 1.4%, where 4.5% to 5.5% is the norm among non-profits. These two guidelines — strict adherence to cost containment and frugal spending on a total return basis — have been significant contributors to the excellent result achieved in 1998.

The $1,185,000 operating surplus meant an increase in net assets of the General and Permanent Funds of 17%; an increase in the net assets of the Color Guard Fund of 20%; and a decrease in the net assets of the Lancaster County Chapter Fund of 3%.

I would also like to mention the teamwork that goes into the financial affairs of the Society. In addition to the several chairmen of standing committees, each of whom is responsible for adhering to the budget established for a given activity or function of the Society, there is also the Budget Committee, chaired by Vice President Benjamin Charles Frick; the Finance Committee, chaired by Vice President Harland Wetmore Johnson; our Executive Secretary, Martha Taylor; Dr. W. Steven Mark, Quartermaster of the Color Guard; and John W.W. Loose, Treasurer of the Lancaster County Chapter. I extend my thanks to all of these people for the many hours they have devoted to the Society.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Ward

Treasurer

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Again, it is my privilege and pleasure to bring greetings from the 89 members of your Lancaster County Chapter, of whom 15 are here today. I pause to ask them to stand. Seven of our Chapter members were admitted to the Pennsylvania Society within the past year. Three of them are already Life Members. We have also added a new Junior Life member. Thus the Chapter has contributed four new Life members to the "100 for 2000" program.

This has been a "banner" year for the Lancaster County Chapter. Hosting the 108th Annual Board of Managers Meeting of the General Society on behalf of the Pennsylvania Society was a "special" honor and a "heck of a lot of fun." The weekend began with Friday evening dinner at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum at Strasbourg. Saturday was filled with business sessions and historic local tours for the ladies. The formal reception, dinner and dance capped Saturday evening with the Color Guard participating, under the leadership of Captain Andrew Salisbury.

On Sunday, 27 September, two companies of the Color Guard, with 25 Revolutionary War flags, led the colorful procession to Lancaster's Penn Square to celebrate Capital Day. It was the 221st Anniversary of the meeting of the Continental Congress on the same spot, making Lancaster the capital of the fledgling nation for one day. Lancaster’s Mayor Charlie Smithgall paid homage to the brave men and women of the Revolution and fired one of his antique cannons in their honor. The President of Franklin and Marshall College, Dr. A. Richard Kneedler, a member of the Lancaster County Chapter Executive Board, and the President of the Pennsylvania Society, Mark Frazier Lloyd, marked the occasion with appropriate remarks.

Immediately following the brief ceremony, Fife and Drummers and the Society's Color Guard paraded to the historic First Presbyterian Church. Leading the Service was the Pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. Randolph T. Riggs, assisted by General Society Chaplain the Rev. W. Ramsey Richardson. Dr. Riggs tailored his sermon to fit the special occasion. Following the service, attendees and their guests retired to the Hamilton Club, next door, for the traditional farewell sherry and light luncheon.

It truly was a significant event in the 73-year history of the Lancaster Chapter. With 199 registrants, it is reported to be the largest recorded attendance at a General Society Board Meeting. The Lancaster County Chapter accounted for 28 registrants. With strong and close supportive leadership from the Pennsylvania Society, we are proud to report that we were able to provide discounts in registration fees to the Color Guard participants. We were also able to close out the books with several hundred dollars in the black to turn over to our parent groups.

Otherwise, activities of the Chapter generally followed the pattern of recent prior years. Dr. Francis Bremer, Professor of History at Millersville University and editor of the Winthrop Papers for the Massachusetts Historical Society, spoke at the Chapter Annual Meeting. His presentation, "The Revolutionary Choice: Conscience and Courage among the Sons of Liberty," has been reprinted in the current issue of the General Society’s Flintlock and Powderhorn.

On July the Fourth, several members attended the emotional and spectacular Let Freedom Ring ceremonies at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. At the Fall Meeting of the Chapter, held in November, local writer and author, Ed Klimuska spoke on "The Story of Lancaster County - The Whole Story," noting especially the county’s cultural and historical diversity. At the October and April naturalization ceremonies at the Lancaster County Court, the Chapter presented copies of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution to the new citizens.

The General Society Board Meeting, with the spirited participation of the Pennsylvania Society’s Color Guard, created a most fitting celebration of Lancaster's being a Revolutionary War capital of this infant nation. To further enhance the record, the Chapter published four pen and ink sketches of historic Lancaster sites drawn by our past Regent, Dr. Paul Ripple, and also published in booklet form his excellent treatise Revolutionary Lancaster. Copies of both the sketches and the paper were given to registrants at the General Society weekend.

The Pennsylvania Society has given generous and enthusiastic support. We thank you because you have made possible most of what we have done. Especially, we want to thank President Mark Frazier Lloyd; Vice President Harland Wetmore Johnson, who serves as liaison to the Lancaster County Chapter; all of the Officers and Managers of the Pennsylvania Society; and its Color Guard. You have been with us every step of the way; without your splendid support, our accomplishments would have been negligible.

Finally, the Lancaster County Chapter invites each of you to our Chapter Annual Meeting for brunch at 1:00pm on Sunday, May 2nd, at the Lancaster Country Club. We are very pleased to announce that Mark Lloyd will speak on "A ‘New’ History For Our Times: The American Revolution on the World Wide Web."

Respectfully submitted,

John Stager Shirk

Regent

Lancaster County Chapter

 

 

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A few days ago an Inquirer reporter called me, asking if the Sons of the Revolution would contribute a 250-word letter to the Community Voices section of its Memorial Day edition. He said that the Sunday, 30 May issue would contain perhaps as many as a dozen letters on the significance of the American Revolution. In particular the writers were being asked to answer one of the following questions: what individual or event do you think Americans should most remember about the Revolutionary War era? or, how have the sacrifices of your Revolutionary War era ancestors affected your life? When I heard the caller was representing the Inquirer, I was initially skeptical. I am not a fan of the media. But neither of these questions seemed trite to me; in fact, as several responses ran through my mind, it became apparent that both questions required serious answers. I agreed to submit a letter before the early May deadline.

The teachers of undergraduate American history courses at Penn often ask their students who they think were the most important of all historically significant Americans. George Washington is usually the winner, followed by Abraham Lincoln. But when we ask who the most important historical American woman was it might surprise you to know that the winner is almost always Betsy Ross. Even in an age when we hear that American history is degraded in American public schools, the lasting significance of the American Revolution is still foremost in the minds of our youth. As we approach the beginning of a new century and all the unknowns it will entail, this is a reassuring sign.

When we think of the events which Americans most often associate with the Revolutionary War, we can be sure that it is the Declaration of Independence, the victories at Trenton and Princeton in January 1777; the victory at Saratoga in October of that year; the Continental Army’s hard winter at Valley Forge; and the final victory at Yorktown. Three of those five events took place here, in the Delaware Valley and this Society has been instrumental in keeping them before the public.

As you have heard from the reports of the other officers, this past year has been one of extraordinary activity in public programs. I can assure that in this coming year the Society and its Color Guard will not shrink from our task. We have reached an agreement with the Paoli Massacre Preservation Trust to publish Tom McGuire’s history of the Battle of the Clouds and subsequent Paoli Massacre. With the campaign to save the site of the Paoli Massacre hitting its stride, the Preservation Trust believe that a well-designed, well-written, professionally-published volume will appeal to donors at all levels and help put the drive over the top.

We are sponsoring an exhibit at the Rosenbach Library and Museum on the 200^th anniversary of the death of George Washington. The Board will meet there next month and enjoy a private tour of the exhibition. The entire Society is invited to the formal opening of the exhibition at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, 6 May.

We have entered into a new relationship with Welcome America, the city agency that organizes Philadelphia’s celebration of the Fourth of July. The Society and its Color Guard are now sponsors of the Let Freedom Ring / Independence Day ceremony and will enjoy the full range of promotional skills offered by the City Representative’s office. I am confident that the Society’s program will recruit more bell ringers and greater national and local press than ever before. We will return to Bartram’s Gardens again this summer to lend our hands a second time to the ongoing restoration effort there.

I hope that most of you have visited the Society’s world wide web site. As I promised you two years ago, the Internet is rapidly approaching television as Americans’ chief source of news and has already surpassed all branches of the media in providing reference information. The Society’s web site is now the current source of news and education on the Society and its programs. If you are interested in the historical collections of the Society and the Color Guard, they are fully inventoried, described and beautifully illustrated at our web site. If you wish to read a brief narrative of the history of the Revolutionary War, with hypertext links to virtual walking tours of Revolutionary War sites, our web site offers it. The Officers and Managers now read the minutes of the Board on a password-protected page within the Society’s web site. The Society’s proposal form and lineage papers are available from the site. We are in the midst of an extraordinary transformation in technology and the Society and its Color Guard are riding on the crest of change.

I hope my enthusiasm and love for the Society is evident. I am thoroughly enjoying my tenure as President. I will leave you with one more example of the high profile our public programs have earned us and I think you will see it offers both fun and furtherance of our charter purposes. Just this week the Society has been asked to send "Ten Descendants of our Country’s Founding Fathers" to New York to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman is hosting a "Philadelphia Only" show that night and will introduce each person with the invitation for that individual to state his case for inclusion on a light-hearted list of "Top Ten Perks About Being a Descendant." I am not certain yet that this is a sure thing, that they are approaching us alone and intend to honor their offer. But you can bet that I hope to be one of those who appears on Letterman, because we have something to say, not just for him, not just for the Inquirer’s Community Voices page of Memorial Day Sunday, but to our entire nation.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Frazier Lloyd

President

 

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President Lloyd appointed President Emeritus Joseph Louis Loughran to act as Judge of Elections and relinquished the chair to him.