We will meet at Spring Creek BBQ on Hwy 6 in Missouri City at 1pm for our Regular bimonthly Business Meeting. All are welcome.
Unknown Color Guard member photos
Does anyone recognize these Coor Guard members? Wondering if any are Alexander Hodge members
Gus Sandstrom took the pictures. Don't know when. I do see Art in one.
In Memorium - Gustave A Sandstrom
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on October 20, 2024
Gustave A. Sandstrom passed away on July 27, 2024 three montha before his 90th birthday. Gustave was born on 10/31/1934 in Kansas City, Kansas. Gus was a resident of Spring, Texas. He had formerly lived in Jacksonville Beach, FL and Wills Point, Texas.
Gus was a member of the Alexander Hodge Chapter of the SAR. National # 155966. Gus was approved on June 5th 2001. Gustave's Patriot was Hermanus BRUGH/BROUGH Sr, who performed Civil Service in Pennsylvania that was a benefit to the Patriot Cause.
A Memorial Service was held at North Woods Presbyterian Church at 3320 Cypress Creek Pkwy, Houston, 77068 on October .
Gustave will be interned in the Sunset Garden at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. He will rest among his family for both his father and grandparents are buried at Memorial Park.
His published Obituary is as follows:
Gustave Sandstrom Obituary
October 31, 1934 - July 27, 2024
Gus Sandstrom, age 89, passed away July 27, 2024, just 3 months shy of his 90th birthday. We rejoice that he is perfectly healed and enjoying being reunited with his parents, Carl Martin Sandstrom and Lorene Hopkins Sandstrom, his brother, Thaddeus (Thad) Martin Sandstrom, and his beloved Lois Edwards McMillan. Gus is survived by his 3 children; Mark (Connie) Sandstrom, Stephanie (Richard) Smith, Scott (Lisa) Sandstrom, and his grandchildren; Austin Smith, Evan Smith and Ethan Sandstrom.
Gus was born in Kansas City, Kansas where he attended the historic Wyandotte High School. After high school, in 1953, he attended Washburn University where he majored in Pre-Law and minored in History and Political Science. Gus has continued to be a faithful member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and the Washburn University Alumni Association.
In 1957, Gus joined the Kansas Army National Guard where he served for 6 years. He was a senior rifleman and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
Gus began his career in the automotive industry as District Manager with General Motors and later, American Motors from 1956-1972. Over the years, he covered the territories of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas. He was particularly proud that while working with AMC Jeep, he won 8th place nationally in 1969, and 2nd place nationally in 1972. Gus was an active member of his community as a Cubmaster, the Chairman and Vice President of the Optimist Club, and a Harris County Republican Precinct Chairman and Delegate.
From 1973-1996, Gus made a career change and worked with solid, environmental, bio-medical, and hazardous waste industries as a distributor, sales administrator, contractor and consultant. He secured large bids nationally for school districts, cities and airports. For a period of time, he lived in Kentucky and was awarded the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels.
Retirement brought 3 new blessings with the birth of Gus's 3 grandsons, Austin & Evan Smith and Ethan Sandstrom. He was thrilled there was another Sandstrom to carry on the family name. In 1999, he met the love of his life, Lois Caroline Edwards McMillan. Gus always said that she allowed him to shine. Together, they moved to Wills Point, TX where Lois could be closer to help her aging parents. Sadly, Lois passed away August 2006, a loss that Gus struggled to bear. Later that same year, he left Wills Point, TX and came to live with his daughter, Stephanie, and her family in Spring, TX for 13 years. After his stroke, he was a resident of Cypress Pointe Health and Wellness for 4 1/2 years.
Gus was proud of his Swedish ancestry and their many historical contributions to the landscape of Kansas. He loved the prairies, the sunflowers and golden wheat that graced the fields. He was proud his Swedish ancestors developed and named the town of Enterprise, Kansas. Gus loved helping his Uncle Axel work the wheat fields in Enterprise where the homestead, built in 1876, was made of solid stone, hand-hewn by Swedes and still stands strong today. His love of history, geography and Kansas kept him involved as a long-time member of the Kansas State Historical Society. He would often correspond with them over historical questions written in his impeccable draftsman style handwriting. Gus was also proud of his American Heritage and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. He would often tear up when we sang patriotic songs together.
Gus had a beautiful and rich tenor singing voice. He was known for making up funny little ditties and singing them on repeat. Gus never met a stranger. He always found a connection, a common ground with people through his in-depth knowledge about Kansas and world geography. He was a kind gentleman, a gentle soul, diplomatic, always grateful and so willing to extend a helping hand. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
A memorial service will be held October 25, 2024 at 11AM with a luncheon to follow at Northwoods Presbyterian Church, 3320 Cypress Creek Parkway, Houston, Texas 77068. For those who cannot attend, there will be a Facebook live link below which can also be viewed at a later date.
A graveside service will be held October 30, 2024 at 11AM at Memorial Sunset Gardens, 3223 N. 18th St. Kansas City, Kansas 66104.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Thad Sandstrom Memorial Fund. You may call The Washburn University Foundation at 785-670-4483 or write a check to The Washburn University Foundation. In the memo, notate Thad Sandstrom Memorial Fund. Mail to The Washburn University Foundation, 1729 S.W. MacVicar Ave. Topeka, KS 66604.
Quiz (to be answered at our next meeting)
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on October 12, 2024
What does a Stagecoach and a finger have in common?!
Speaker for Sept 24, 2024 Regular Meeting - Justice Ken Wise, "Indian Raiders tried in Civilian Courts".
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on September 22, 2024
Our Speaker will be Justice Ken Wise, of the 14th Court of Appeals. His topic will be "Indian Raiders tried in Civilian Courts".
Justice Wise is frequent speaker on historical subjects. He can be found on a YouTube Program called Galveston Unscripted.
Justice Ken Wise was appointed to the 14th Court of Appeals by Governor Rick Perry in October 2013. Prior to his appointment, Justice Wise served as the judge of the 334th Judicial District Court, administrative judge of Harris County, and an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center. Justice Wise is also a former judge of the 152nd Judicial District Court in Harris County. Justice Wise is a member of the State Bar of Texas and Houston Bar Association, life fellow of the Texas and Houston Bar foundations, and a member and past president of the Executives Association of Houston. He is also a director of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Former Texas Rangers Foundation .
Justice Wise received a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.
Meeting Notice - Alexander Hodge Chapter Meeting, Tuesday Sept 24th at 6:30pm
Please plan on attending our upcoming SAR Chapter Dinner Meeting, Tuesday September 24th, at Spring Creek Barbeque. The address is 4895 Hwy 6, in Missouri City.
In Memorium - Gene Richard Briggs May 23, 2023
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on September 10, 2024
Gene Richard Briggs passed away peacefully at home on May 22, 2023. He was 87 years old.
He was born on the family farm in Noble County, Ohio to Richard B. and Mary Cleo Briggs, the youngest of their six sons. He graduated from Ohio University with a geology degree, and on being drafted served two years in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner, stationed in West Germany. His career as an oil and gas exploration geophysicist took him to many states before he settled in Texas in 1965.
Gene is survived by his loving wife and friend, Marian; it would have been their sixtieth wedding anniversary this year. He is also survived by three fine sons: Tom (Claudia), Philip (Kathleen), Jonathan and his partner, Sara, and his five grandsons- Preston, Griffin, Braeden, Evan and Henry.
To his great pleasure he kept in touch with his many nieces and nephews. Blessed with good colleagues and friends and a happy family life, Gene was a good and kind man.
Private cremation will be followed by a graveside service at Crooked Tree Cemetery, now called the Mary Reid Memorial Church, in Noble County Ohio – the final resting place of his parents .
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.settegastkopf.com for the Briggs family.
Minutes of Business Meeting on August 27th 2024
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on September 2, 2024
SAR Alexander Hodge Chapter #49
BUSINESS MEETING – August 27, 2024, 1:00 p.m.
Location: Spring Creek BBQ on Hwy 6 South, Missouri City, Texas
Treasury Report: Balance $10,318.41- All outstanding bills paid. One JROTC check for
$500.00 not paid. There are two outstanding JRPTC checks outstanding from 2023 for
$300.00 and $500.00. These 2023 checks will need to be canceled by the end of 2024.
Registrar Report: Carl Hill and Mike Green reported three new applications have been
submitted for membership into the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49 SAR.
1) Randal Glenn – Retired Dentist
2) Robert Rhodes
3) Richard Loughlin
Richard Loughlin’s application had many issues that had to be resolved due to family
history with adoptions and references to family bible. Most of the delay time in
applications, once they are submitted are at the National SAR office, is primarily due to
the high turnover rate of the Registrar at National level and budget restraints at National
SAR.
processing of new members, Applications are submitted to National, who is to send an
accepted applicant to State SAR, and then the Chapter is notified of the approved
applicant.
We have 6-7 applicants in the process of completing applications or have contacted and
shown interest in joining SAR.
Newsletter and Blog and Facebook page:
On the Web Site, the Memorial section was not working with linking up the posted
obituaries. This has been fixed.
Need more pictures for the Chapter history.
New Business:
1) Carl Hill recognized the passing of Lovell Aldrich’s wife Sharon Aldrich. Sharon
died this last week after a long fight with illness. There is a Memorial Service for
her this Wednesday, August 28 th ,2024 at 0:200 P.M. at the St. Martin Episcopal
Church located at 717 Sage Road, Houston, Texas 77506.
president and as Social Chairperson.
Library.
2) It was proposed by Carl Hill that we should have a memorial service with a tolling ringing of a bell for each passing member of the year at the last Chapter meeting of the year in November. This was seconded and passed by a unanimous vote.
3) It was brought up with all the new members and some less frequently attending members that all the pledges given at the beginning and end of the Chapter meetings are not known. Of course, all know the Pledge to the American Flag, but the pledge to the Texas, SAR flag and the SAR pledge at the end are not well known. It was suggested that this should be available in a plastic laminate for each attending member to learn and recite all the pledges.
being used. This was voted on and passed by a unanimous vote.
4) New Flag Certificates are being prepared to present to the Sugarland Police and Fire Fighting Stations. No flag retirement programs are planned for this date.
5) Planning needs to start for the State SAR Business Meeting in Houston in the fall of 2025 that the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49 and the Carrington Chapter are to host. The meeting is being planned to be help at Houston Christian College Independence Hall. WE will need a chairperson to head up the planning for this important event.
6) There is a project proposed to give a Gray Granite Bench for the 2026 anniversary from the SAR to Houston Community College to sit outside Independence Hall of the HCC campus. This $3,000.00+ will require some fund raising and multiple Houston SAR Chapters contributing.
Service Events Opportunities:
1) It was announced that there is another “Honor Flight” occurring at Hobby Airport, Delta Terminal on September 21 st at 7:00 P.M. This event happens about once a quarter where a plane full of US Veterans are flown to Washington DC to visit the Was Memorials. When the Veterans return home
to Houston, they are greeted by various patriotic groups including SAR, DAR, CAR, Boy and Girl Scouts, VFW, American Legion, etc. at the Delta terminal. There is usually an orchestra playing patriotic music during the flag waving followed by a short service with awards and recognitions.
2) We have been approached by the Boy Scout Girl Scout and Cub Scout unit associated with Saint Lawerance Church in Sugar Land to come in and present a program on the SAR or a flag ceremony. Jacob Counts is the Scout Master at phone 832-541-2789
3) The DAR Alexander Hodge Chapter has invited the Alexander Hodge Chapter to have a table presentation this fall at the Del Web Retirement community to promote the groups and solicit new members.
4) The DAR group will be having their annual Wreaths Across America Drive as their primary fund raiser. With the fund raising there will be ceremonies at the Alexander Hodge Cemetery and at the Needville, TX. historic cemetery to lay wreaths on Veterans graves. The SAR Alexander Hodge Chapter has been asked to provide a Color Guard for ceremonies at these two sites.
Dates to be announced.
5) The Alexander Hodge Cemetery in Sugar Land has put out a call for help to clean up the cemetery after the hurricane damage that occurred there in July. If we can set a date before the Wreaths Across America ceremonies and have a sign-up sheet at the next Chapter meeting to help with that
clean up at some date before the ceremonies, that would be a great service project.
Other News:
The next Alexander Hodge Chapter #49 meeting will be held at the Spring Creek BBQ restaurant on HW6 south in Sugarland, TX on September 24 th , 2024 at 07:00. Come early to eat some great BBQ and get a good seat. Carl Hill announced the speaker for the night will be Justice Ken Wyeth on Indian Raids in Civilian Courts.
End of Business Report
Minutes from Regular Meeting on July 30, 2024
Sons of the American Revolution
Chapter President Carl Hill Treasurer Carl Hill
Vice President Don Burns Registrar Mike Green / Carl Hill
Secretary Steven Barber ` Newsletter Mike Green
Sgt. At Arms Don Rollins Web Master Jim Penny
Color Guard Shane Steele
Alexander Hodge Chapter No. 49
Minutes July 30th, 2024
Barbeque located at 4895 Highway 6, Missouri City, TX.
Barber (Secretary), Don Rollins (Sgt. of Arms), Phil Whitley (Chaplain), Jim G. Penny (Web Master),
Dennis Giuffre, Rick Giuffre, John Lucey, Nate Lewis, Scott Burton, John Thompson, Bob Walzel and
Chester Barnes.
Honorary Guest: Art Byram - Our New District #7 Vice President
Sharon Rollins, Mrs. Mary Thompson.
1-Prospective Members: Emmanual Banan.
presented a memorial on the passing of the very active member of the Alexander Hodge Chapter #49,
Thomas B. Green. Tom was born July17, 1939 in Athens, Texas, graduated from Mabank, Texas High
School. In1961 he was awarded a degree in business from North Texas University in Denton, Texas.
He then married his college sweetheart Margo I. Green. He was then commissioned as an Ensign at the
US Naval Officers Candidate School in Newport, R.I. Tom served in the Navy from 1961 through 1966 as a Deep-Sea Salvage Engineer Diving Officer, receiving hazardous duty pay during his entire naval career.
Executive Officer in charge of training hundreds of military divers who served in Vietnam, including UDT. EOD and some of the first Navy SEALS.
After his Naval career, Tom had a businessmen career in retail and eventually owned his own insurance
company and ended his working career as a Receiver for the Texas Department of insurance, retiring in
1999.
Sons of the Republic of Texas (STR) and the 1812 Society. He was awarded the highest honor by the
STR being designated a Knight of San Jacinto (KSJ) and awarded the George Washington Distinguished
Service Award and Color Guardsman of the year for 2012 by the SAR. He was also recognized as an
Admiral in the Texas Navy by Governor Perry and received designations as a Colonel in the Texas Army.
In 2022, he received the highest award from SRT, a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tom was a member of the North America Virological Association promoting the history of significant flags in American history. He gave 12-25 Historic Flag Programs each year to the SAR, DRT, STR, 1812
Society, DAR and other historical societies, civic organizations, family and professional associates. His
historical flag program was given to these groups over 500 times and to more than 30,000 Texas school
children over the past 17 years. He was well known for his ability to recall historical facts and trivia
concerning his collection of over 80 historical flags.
Tom B Green was survived by his wife of 63-year, Margo I. Green and his daughter Holly A. Childs, son-in-law Brian A. Childs and granddaughter, Alicia Vancsa Childs. Carl offered a moment of silence to remember our SAR brother Thomas B, Green III.
cemetery from the damage from the hurricane.
Our new District VP Art Byram introduced himself and discussed the need to promote the SAR. The best method of advertising is for SAR Color guard to be visible to the community, at SAR events, DAR events, at the Honor Flight events, Color guard at Space Cowboy games, events at Houston Christian College, Independent Hall.
$10,289.00 We still have 1 outstanding scholarship check that have not cleared. Were reimbursed
$325.00 for JROTC metals.
process for new members. We also had four additional people expressing interest in the Alexander
Hodge Chapter #49.
Web page for more information. (http://www.hodgesar.org) Jim Penny continues his research into
Virgina Continental Uniforms worn during the Revolutionary War. This Chapter has thirty-one members
that trace their heritage back to Virginia.
Mr. Thompson reviewed the life, and many contributions made by Benjamin Franklin in his private,
business and political careers before, during and after the American Revolution. Franklin functioned as a
journalist, a Statesman, an ambassador, an inventor, a business man and most important as a Patriot in
the founding of the United States of America.
President Hill announced that the next Alexander Hodge Chapter #49 meeting will be help September24,
2024, 0:700 P.M., at the Spring Creek Barbeque restaurant on Highway 6 in Missouri City, Texas.
attend the Business Meetings.
Recessional: The SAR recessional was recited by all present.
Alexander Hodge Chapter #49
Business Meeting beginning at 1pm on Tuesday 27th
by Alexander Hodge TXSSAR on August 26, 2024
We will meet on tis coming Tuesday the 27th for our Regular Bi-Monthly Business Meeting at Spring Hill BBQ on Hwy 6 in Missouri City. Meeting will begin at 1pm.
All members are invited. Officers need to attend.





