Alexander Hodge Chapter No. 49
Business Meeting Minutes
February 24, 2025
The officers of the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49 Sons of the
American Revolution, gathered at Spring Creek Barbeque
located at 4895 Highway 6, Missouri City, TX. In the private meeting room,
Carl Hill called the meeting to order at 1:00 P.M.
Attending: Carl Hill (President), Don Burns (Vice President)
Michael Green (Registrar) Jim Penny (Newsletter and Web Master), Don Rollins
(Sgt. Of Arms) and Steve Barber (Secretary)
Secretary Report: Steve
Barber provided copies and reviewed the Chapters January 28, 2023 Chapter
meeting minutes. The minutes were approved by the attending officers.
Treasury Report:
Carl Hill presented the Treasures
Report. The Chapter’s Treasury has a balance of $9,037.44. after the following
expenditures,
Expenditures Since January 1st,
2025:
1)
$85.00 To Alexander Hodge DAR Chapter – Wreaths
Across America program - 5 wreaths purchased. .
2)
$200.00 Galvez Memorial Bricks purchase in the
name of Alexander Hodge SAR and DAR Chapters.
3)
$329,00 Junior TOTC Medals purchased for 2025-
Approved and signed off by Don Burns and Steve Barber
4)
$186.19 - Various administrative expenses on
process new applicants with Registrar’s activities. Approved and signed off by
Steve Barber and Don Rollins,
The Chapter received a
donation of $125.00 from Mrs. Bernice Mistriot.
Steve Barber reported that the
State of Texas SAR office reported 24 Alexander Hodge Members failed to submit
their 2025 annual dues. This was investigated, finding the State office was
late sending out the notices in 2024 and their on-line reporting system is slow
to be update, 20 emails were sent out to listed members showing not paid,
resulting in 5 emails coming back as not active emails. One email was entered
with an error and that was corrected and sent back out after calling the
member. The other 4 members with bad email addresses shown as not paying and 2
others that had no email listed in the State roster. were contacted by
telephone. Corrected emails were provided along with commitments to pay those
dues from those 6 individuals. To this date we still have 11 members that have
not responded to the emails sent, even though the State still reports that our
Chapter still has 20 members not paying 2025 dues. To illustrate the State
Roster system not being always updated, Jim Penny, who sent his payment in
November 2024 is still listed as not paid, even though the State was verbally
contacted and it was confirmed payment was received. Will send second emails
and will completing telephone calls to those remaining 11 members shown as not
paying 2025 SAR dues.
Registrar’s Report:
Five (5) new applications have
been submitted to National SAR for Robert Rhodes, Joshua Evans, Sean Hicks and
Dr. Randal Glenn. The approval for Dr. Randal Glenn was just received. The
fifth application was a supplemental for Gayle E. Barber, father of Steven
Barber.
Three (3) applications are at
the SAR State Level for Dr. Thomas Cool, his son Jack Phillp Cool and Doug
Thorpe.
Registrar committee is
actively working on applications for Brandon Draper, Micheal Bishop and three
of his relatives, and Thomas Whitenton, the 2-year-old grandson of Tim Birtcher.
Sandy Barber, Alexander Hodge DAR
Registrar is working on the completion of a SAR application for the son of
Sylvia Garcia, who is a recent new DAR applicant and a rather difficult
application completion for. Richard Laughlin.
The committee also reports
working on 5-6 additional applications that have recently expressed interest in
joining the Alexander Hodge SAR Chapter.
Web Site and Newsletter
Report:
Jim Penny produced a 2025
Calander to track 2025 Alexander Hodge Chapter events.
Jim also presented a Mentor
Training program for new members to improve Chapter recruiting and retention of
new Chapter members. This structure program from the State SAR looks very promising
as program to adopt to improve Chapter membership and participation in Chapter
activities. This program would require active participation of existing members
as mentors to use this program to recruit new members and having new members
actively participating in Chapter events. The program has sign on paper work, a
Power Point presentation, a list of mentor responsibilities and a State lapel
pin recognizing mentors’ participation.
Jim Penny presented a short
draft of the history of the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49, recognizing that 2025
is the 32nd year of the founding of this chapter.
Other Business and Activities:
1)
Carl Hill presented the SAR Vietnam Veteran
Lapel pin to 6 Alexander Hodge Chapter members. Lovell Aldrich in honor of his
service in the US Army in Vietnam and 5 Marines is honor for their service in
Vietnam were Greg Phillips, Jim Howse, Jerry Hoffman, Bill Knight and David
Singleton.
2)
Carl Hill presented to all the Chapter Officers
present at this meeting, Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution 100
Anniversary medals (1896-1986) that were available at the 106th
State Congress in San Antonio, TX.
3)
The Texas SAR Achieves committee will be
publishing volume 3 of the Texas Society History in 2025. The last time this
was published as volume 2 was 2005. Each Chapter member is encouraged to
provider a short one-page biography and a portrait picture to Jim Penny to be
included in this publication. The Chapter had 13 members listed in volume 2. Am
example of a biography is available on request. The deadline for submittal of
your biography is July 1st, 2025.
4)
Nathan Simoneaux submitted a competitive 500-word
patriotic essay with a four-generation ancestry chart into the State SAR Eagle
Scout program, through the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49.
Upcoming SAR Chapter
Opportunities to Participate:
1) Carrie
Isaak’s has setup a VA Hospital Visit for 8 members for the Alexander
Hodge Chapter #49. The Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center is located at 2002
Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas.
This event is approved for March 11th
at 10:00 a.m. Small gift bags for the veterans have been arranged for this
event. We encourage anyone that wants to attend this event to wear their SAR
uniform or a SAR shirt. Please let Carl Hill know of your interested in
attending this very rewarding event.
2) March 1st, 2025 there is an SAR Black Powder event at the Humble Museum, in Humble, TX at 9:00 a.m. This is the annual Revolutionary Education event this year entitled “Spanish Gamble”. This event for kids is a mini reenactment event with period costumes worn.
3) April 12th, 2025, there is a similar mini-reenactment event planned at Jessy Jones Park located at 20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble, TX. Details to be announced.
4) Two Historical
Flag Presentation are being planned for the first half of 2025. One event has
been requested by the Saint Lawence Church Scout program in Sugar Land, TX. The
second event is being requested for around July 4th, 2025 at the Genealogy
Department at the George Library in Richmond, Texas. Looking for members to assist
in these presentations, Details to be announced.
Carl Hill has volunteered to
remain as Chapter President, Treasure and Registrar and will be available to assist
any one that would volunteer for any of these positions. Don Burns has volunteered to be Chapter Vice
President. Phil Whitney has agreed to
continue to be the Chapter Chaplain. Jim Penny has agreed to continue to be the
Newsletter Web-Master for the Chapter. Steve Barber has agreed to continue as
the Chapter Secretary and Don Rollins to continue as Sgt. Of Arms. Michael Shane Steele has volunteered to remain
Color Guard Commander. There are other officer and committee position available
to Chapter members. The officers list as expressed above has been sent to the
State SAR to update the officers’ roster.
END OF BUSINESS MEETING REPORT
Prepared by Steven J. Barber,
Secretary