Blog Page
Discussion Re: Revising Chapter and Nebraska State Constitution -Series of E-mails from members of the Society - Sept 2009 - current
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LaVerne,
Certainly doesn’t matter to me and apparently Bob either.
I will make the changes.
Change made to STATE SECRETARY – section
re-numbered now:
2. Dues
B. On
October 1st of each year the State
Secretary shall forward to each member of the NESSAR a dues notice for
Chapter, State Society and National Society (except SAR Life Members will not be
assessed National dues) for the following year. Dues shall be payable on October
1st of each year and shall become delinquent if not paid by December 31st of
each year..
JOHN PLEASE
DO NOT SEND OUT THE Copy of the Revised Constitution I sent on 9 Feb but use
this one dated 10 FEB use this one instead with the corrections as suggested by
LaVerne. This is the new one
Dated 10 FEB!!!!
David
From: Lavstetson@aol.com [mailto:Lavstetson@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 9:17 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net
Cc: mck16902@att.net; vdeethardt@yahoo.com; JR6@aol.com;
ChiefKnott@aol.com; lavstetson@aol.com; mrudebusch08@windstream.net;
parsoni1@qwest.net; walden@radiks.net; tgconley@Cox.net; bec_corp@inetnebr.com
Subject: Constitution
David
At our Lincoln
Chapter meeting we had a long discussion about Section H ,Number 2, paragraph
2 of the By-Laws.
The consensus
was that it will be much more time consuming for the State secretary if there
are three secretaries collecting annual dues. We don't have that many members in
Nebraska.
We do not know
for certain who the Lincoln chapter members are, or are they members at large.
Does the Omaha chapter have a roster of their members? How will each secretary
follow up with those who don't pay on time or get dropped from membership or get
reinstated. Will one secretary follow up and the other one not. Reports have to
be consolidated and sent to National.
I just seems to
add more work for the State Secretary to collect from some SAR members and then
try to get the other two secretaries to complete their collections, follow-ups
and reinstatements.
Sorry for the
lateness of this concern but our discussion was heated enough that the
Lincoln chapter is not willing to support the concepts in Section H number 2
Paragraph 2 of the proposed By-Laws.
I know you are
planning a long trip on the 20th of February. We don't want to foul up your
trip.
Would the
Constitution committee be willing to consider the following paragraph or
something similar in place of the one we object to?
On October 1st of each year the
State Chapter Secretary shall forward to each member of the NESSAR a dues notice
for Chapter, State Society and National Society (except SAR Life Members will
not be assessed National dues) for the following year. Dues shall be payable on
October 1st of each year and shall become delinquent if not paid by December
31st of each year.
I apologize for
doing this by email without a phone call but I wanted to let all the committee
be aware of our concerns. Emails never get all the details covered in one
letter.
LaVerne
 |
|
Thanks Virgil for all your help especially stepping in for
the Lincoln Chapter and working on this. Sorry about
your loss of your mother. Also thanks for your vote to
send out the Constitution and By-laws to the general
membership.
David
From:
virgil deethardt Sorry
I have not been much help. First, I have been
out of town with limited use of a computer, and
second my mother died Sunday morning. As for
the Constitution it looks good and you have my vote
to approve. Virgil D.(amned) |
From: MCK
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:16 PM
To: Lavstetson; k-d-kentsmith; vdeethardt; JR6; ChiefKnott; mrudebusch;
parsoni1; tgconley; bec_corp; walden; webb.w
Subject: RE: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday ...
Thanks
Verne. Per our phone conversation this evening, I found in the 1976
Nebraska SAR Constitution it states: “ A quorum shall be 7 members, and of the
Board of Managers three.” I will add under Article V of the Constitution:
“A quorum
for purposes of voting or conducting business at a meeting will consist of 7
members in good standing 3 of which must be members of the Board of Counselors.”
Or do you think the total will be 10 with 3 of them being members of the Board
of Counselors? We have small numbers of members who attend so we don’t
want the number to be larger than the number we usually can get to State
meetings.
As for Section #7
Officer Duties – C. Treasurer rather than “made in the same way only by
check, and” we just eliminate “made in the same way only by check, and” so that
it reads “Withdrawals should be only for payments properly supported by
vouchers, and for the purpose of the Society.”
I also can make the changes to the word object to
“objectives” in Article I.
Also eliminating #17 in the By-laws does make it clearer.
I will do that too.
Thank you again for your help and taking the time to talk
to me this evening.
I will see what anyone else has to say and then perhaps we
are ready to publish this to the general membership.
I made the corrections and published the revised document
to the Web site under Constitutions.
David
From:
Lavstetson
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:15 AM
To: k-d-kentsmith; mck; vdeethardt; JR6; ChiefKnott; mrudebusch;
parsoni1; tgconley; bec_corp; walden; webb.w
Subject: Re: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday ...
David
I have reviewed your final draft of the constitution. My apologies
for not doing a more thorough review earlier.
There are two major issues that I see.
One is there is not a sentence that tells me what a quorum is
(Article V-meetings). That needs to be stated so we can conduct business. In the
past we have stated that X members present at the annual meeting was a quorum (
I think the number was 7 but I am not sure). You have noted the number of
counselors needed to conduct business.
In 9 under Section H, it states that payments can only be made by
check. I suggest we also consider a bank card. Many places do not accept checks
today. Ordering from National is much easier and faster with a card.
There is duplication in sections 17 and 18 under H-13. I have
marked it in the edited draft attached. I also noted a few suggested word
changes.
LaVerne
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 4:42 PM
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Subject: RE: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday 2, February - Thank you
I agree – that is possible with dual membership but at this
point, I would like to just close out what we have already. If that is a
problem in the future we would need to add something in the By-laws. You
must be nominated as a delegate from Nebraska to the National meeting and we
have two nominees – Fred Walden and Tom Masters. I also think our Web site
is an instantaneous way of verifying who holds an office in Nebraska and who can
represent us.
David
From: Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 8:28 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday 2, February - Thank you
David:
There may be a loop hole in the Dual member section of the
by-laws, and that a Dual member could represent Nebraska at some of these
meetings, If National does not require credentials for those meetings without us
knowing it, or some approval from the State Society. Delegates to the National
meeting of Delegates is one area but there are other meetings. There are some
committees that would not require credentials, such as the National Eagle Scout
Committee, and others but there should be some consideration given that any
member of the Nebraska Society should have approval to represent Nebraska on
that committee. I named the Eagle Scout Committee as an example, there are
probably several other such committee's that I am unaware of.
There is an expense in attending those meetings, which the
Nebraska Society does not have funds to support and I don't know if National
Officers get any reimbursement for mileage or other expenses.
Merle
David
From:
ChiefKnott@aol.com
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:16 PM
To: kentsmith
Subject: Revised Draft #2
David,
Here are some suggestions on Titles and paragraphing for you to consider:
1. MEMBERSHIP (no change)
2. DUES
3. LIFE MEMBER
4. CHANGE IN STATE RESIDENCE
5. FORFEITURE OF MEMBERSHIP
6. CHANGE OF ADDRESS
7. OFFICER DUTIES
A. The President.........
B. The Secretary.........
C. The Treasurer..........
D. The Registrar...........
E. If a Historian.............
8. The Board of Counselors.........
No change in A thru G
9. At all meetings...........
No change in sub paragraphs 1 thru 15
10. The ayes and nays..........
11. No question involving........
12. Ten or more members......
13. The seal of the Society........
14. The seal of this Society.......
15. These By-Laws may be.......
The paragraph on the Secretary's duties show "Board of Managers" in two
sentences.
The paragraph on the Board of Counselors, sub-paragraph B, I'm not sure if the
first "of" should be in that sentence.
Bob
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 9:09 PM
To: 'William Webb'
Subject: RE: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday 2, February - Thank you
The Board of Counselors members are spelled out in Article IV of
the Constitution:
Article IV. – Officers
Section
I. The officers of the State Society shall be President, a Senior
Vice-President and a Junior Vice-President. The President shall have been
President of a State Chapter who has completed his two year term at the chapter
level. The Senior Vice-president shall be the current president of the
other chapter(s) than the current State President. The Junior
Vice-President shall be the current President of the State Chapter where the
State President had served. Other officers will be a Secretary, a
Treasurer, a Registrar, and a Board of Counselors consisting of the above
mentioned officers and the Vice-presidents of the Chapters. These officers
to serve as State officers should be elected upon ballot by simple majority of a
quorum of members present at the annual Spring State meeting of the Society.
State officers and Board of Counselors members shall hold office for two
years or until their successors shall be elected. State Officers shall
take office at the Annual State Spring meeting immediately following their
election.
The duties of the Board of Counselors is listed in the By-laws
under # 12. Mainly it is a functioning advisory body to the State
President and allows the President to conduct business using the advice of the
most committed and experienced members when we can’t hold state meetings.
Thanks Bill again for your promptness in responding and for your
work.
David
From:
William Webb
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 10:14 AM
To: David Kentsmith
Subject: Re: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE
BY Tuesday 2, February - Thank you
David,
Looks fine to me. Thank you for your efforts.
I hate to
admit it but somehow I missed the function the "Board of Counselors" play in our
organization? I have assumed what the role in reading the Constitution and
By-laws but would you explain it further. Who are members? How are
they selected?
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 11:59 PM
To: David K Kentsmith, MD; Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; Knott,Robert ;
'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch; parsoni1; Tom Conley; Tom Masters; waldent; Webb,
William
Subject: Completed Draft NE SAR Constitution & By-Laws. NEED RESPONSE BY
Tuesday 2, February - Thank you
Thanks
to each and every one of you for your work on this project. Here is
the final draft of the Constitution and By-laws we have been working on for the
last 6 weeks. Please review it and when you have, please every member send
me a written response by e-mail that you have reviewed it and approve sending it
out to the membership at large for their information. I would like to have
your written e-mail response by Tuesday 2, February.
Thank
you.
David
Kentsmith
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 2:06 PM
Cc: David K Kentsmith, MD; Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; Knott,Robert ;
'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch08; parsoni1; Tom Conley; Tom Masters; walden; Webb,
William (SAR OMA)
Subject: RE: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide feedback by 26 Jan - Thank you. ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER -
Thanks Merle. Appreciate your thoughtfulness and feedback.
You are right, we do not want to discourage anyone who wants to recognize and
celebrate the patriotism and heroism of our ancestors even if that means hanging
certificates on a wall.
I think this helps complete the task we had at hand. On
Wednesday of this week if no one else has any other comments or changes to what
we’ve done, I will send out the new Constitution and By-laws so everyone on the
Committee and Ex-officio members can read it as a whole just to make sure
it is ready to send out to the general membership for review and before the vote
in March.
Incidentally, we need to add the comment that meetings will be
conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order”. This is the standard
guide book to how meetings are conducted – i.e., that a motion takes a second
and how you call for a vote - most of you know and have used this
guide. National has the comment in their By-laws that meetings will be
conducted according to “Robert’s Rules of Order”. SEE Article V –
Meetings in our Nebraska SAR Constitution where I’ve inserted it – below.
Is this “housekeeping” action OK with all of you?
Article V. – Meetings.
The
Society shall hold two State wide meetings each year for the transaction of
business. One in the spring and one in the fall at such time and place in
Nebraska as may be determined by the Society at its meeting or by the Board of
Counselors to insure wide attendance and minimize travel distance. The
meetings shall be chaired by the State President or Sr. Vice-President in his
absence. An announcement of the meeting place, time and purpose of the meeting
with agenda will be published at least 3 weeks before the meeting.
Meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules
of Order.
Special meetings
may be called by the State President or by a majority of the Board of Counselors
in his absence for the purpose of celebrating historical events of the
Revolution, and for other patriotic purposes, and for the transaction of
necessary business.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 9:00 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide feedback by 26 Jan - Thank you
David:
It looks like
you have "covered the bases" with the issue under membership. Asking the new
member for their choice of Chapters would probably result in their intent on
becoming a member. Many do not retain their membership beyond the first year.
I recall a
lot of those who want to paper their walls with certificates. I am one of those,
but there is no way I can attend meetings in Wisconsin in two of the societies I
belong on a regular basis and some in New England states and in Washington D.C.,
are out of the reason. I have been in the Mayfair Hotel in Washington, and I
would not be eating there on a regular basis. I did have lunch and attended a
gathering there when I was on the government payroll, but not on my own.
When the Societies send out the invitation of the meeting at the Mayfair, I
would like to attend once but only when I am in the area for some other reason.
I am a life member of three societies, which have state societies, but none in
Nebraska.
Merle
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 6:40 PM
To: 'William Webb'
Cc: 'tgconley; David K Kentsmith, MD ; Deethardt, Virgil; JR6;
Knott,Robert ; 'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch; parsoni1; walden
Subject: RE: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide feedback by 26 Jan - Thank you
Thanks Bill. Really appreciate your feed-back.
I think rather than spelling out various reasons we should just
keep it simple and see how it goes among Board of Counselors members in saying
yes or no. I would think that the reasons are 1. Don’t want to
participate or attend Chapter meetings but want to be affiliated with the
Society, 2. Living in another State, i.e., retired or dual membership, or 3.
your residence is further than 50 miles from Chapters and it is a hardship to
get to a meeting. Most of the 23 people who are currently listed as
Members at Large fall into one of these 3 categories. We should be
focused on having people affiliated with a Chapter since we are so small and
can’t keep our organization going if most decided to be a Member At Large.
Sometimes it is obvious the applicant is being encouraged to record their
heritage by a DAR member and really isn’t interested in being active or may not
even remain a dues paying member after a year. That seems OK too I would
think.
David
From:
William Webb [mailto:webb.w@q.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 11:23 AM
To: David Kentsmith
Subject: Re: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide feedback by 26 Jan - Thank you
I apologize
for not responding sooner. I read the comments that everyone sent in and
found all the comments valid and educational. I believe you captured the
intent for A Member at Large. The only comment I have at this point in
time is, will the Board of Counselors have identifiable reasons to either
approve or deny an exception?
From: MCK [mailto:mck16902@att.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 6:20 PM
To: 'lavstetson; 'k-d-kentsmith; 'vdeethardt; 'JR6; 'ChiefKnott;
'mrudebusch; 'parsoni1'; 'walden
Cc: 'tgconley; 'bec_corp; 'webb.w'
Subject: RE: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide...
No LaVerne that adjective doesn’t need to be there. We can
remove “exceptional”. Thanks for the help.
David
From:
lavstetson@aol.com [mailto:lavstetson@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 5:26 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net; mck16902@att.net;
vdeethardt@yahoo.com; JR6@aol.com; ChiefKnott@aol.com;
mrudebusch08@windstream.net; parsoni1@qwest.net; walden@radiks.net
Cc: tgconley@Cox.net; bec_corp@inetnebr.com; webb.w@q.com
Subject: Re: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below
Please provide...
David
Ok except is the word "exceptional" necessary. I think they just
need a reason.
LaVerne
In a message dated 1/23/2010 11:58:17 P.M. Central Standard Time,
k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net writes:
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 11:58 PM
To: David K Kentsmith, MD; Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; Knott,Robert ;
'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch08; parsoni1; walden
Cc: 'LAvstetson'; Tom Conley; Tom Masters; Webb, William
Subject: Insert "MEMBER AT LARGE" in By-laws - see insertion below Please
provide feedback by 26 Jan - Thank you
Committee members and Ex-Officio members:
I
thought the
“A
Member At Large” question could be addressed by inserting it into the
By-laws under #1. F. see
below and please provide me with feedback if you have any.
Once we resolve this, I will send you the revised
Constitution and By-laws draft #2. We need to meet our 30 day requirement to
make
sure we get the committee approved Constitution and By-laws revision out to the
general members before our March 20 meeting.
By-laws:
#1. Membership
Section F - Acceptance
Upon receipt of any application in any of the forms above set forth,
accompanied by the payment of the admission charges and dues, the secretary of
this Society shall present the name, in proper form, to the Board of Counselors.
The Secretary will inform the Board of the candidate’s desire to affiliate with
a Chapter of the Society or in exceptional circumstances that the applicant
wishes to be A Member At Large and the reason(s) why an exception is
requested. If a simple majority of the Board of Counselors approves the
application, the Secretary shall so certify, filing one copy of the application
with the Registrar of this Society and submitting one copy to the Registrar
General of the National Society.
A new applicant shall not be deemed elected to membership until the Registrar
General shall have notified the Secretary of his approval of the application,
and of the National number assigned to the new member. Upon such notification,
the applicant becomes a member of both the State and the National Societies, his
membership dating from the approval of his application by the State Board of
Counselors. Each newly admitted member of the Society shall be issued, by the
National Society, a certificate of membership with the official seal, the
signatures of the National and State Officers, his own name and the name of his
Revolutionary ancestor printed thereon.
If at any time any of the essential
statements given in a member’s application papers are found to be untrue, then
shall the said member’s election be declared null and void? Any
applicant, failing of admission, shall be so notified by the Secretary, and the
amount of his admission charge less a small administrative cost shall be
refunded.
From: DKK
Sent: Saturday, January 23, 2010 10:10 AM
To: 'JParsons'; 'jr6
Cc: 'ChiefKnott 'walden 'Merle A. Rudebusch'; 'LAvstetson'; Webb, William
; Tom Masters; Tom Conley ; Deethardt, Virgil
Subject: RE: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
Thanks John P for your review and thoughtful comments. I
talked with the Ex. Director of the SAR Joe Harris, Jr. on Friday about this
issue. He said several State Societies who have problems with distance
from a Chapter meeting place do have a Member At Large category. Some
States like his (NC) has organized the MAL group and have a structure to keep
members involved. John Reinert commented he has tried to fulfill that
function with the MALs we have. Joe said that the MAL category has the
highest drop-out rate as one would expect because of lack of involvement.
I think after John Parsons comments I can write something into
the By-laws for everyone to review. I would suggest we set up a process to
have new applicants and members who wish to be MALs submit their request to the
Board of Counselors through the State Secretary. The section in the
By-laws can state that we have a category of non-Chapter affiliated
Membership called Member at Large and anyone who can’t affiliate or wishes not
to affiliate with a Chapter can request Member – At – Large status. The Board of
Counselors can approve that request by a simple majority vote. People
already in that category now would be “grandfathered” and we would not request
them to make any changes.
Thoughts please.
David
From:
JParsons
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 9:28 PM
To: jr6
Cc: MCK; ChiefKnott;walden; Merle A. Rudebusch
Subject: Re: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
Gentlemen,
I have read the e-mail exchanges for the past few days. It's evident that
everyone has put a good deal of thought and effort into ways to make the
Nebraska Society a more viable entity. I'd like to synopsize the major
points, as I see them, from this e-mail exchange, and then offer a couple of
suggestions as to how we might proceed.
POINTS
1. There is no provision in the constitution for the category "members at
large".
2. A large number of members of the Nebraska Society live either out of
state or outside the Omaha/Lincoln metro areas.
3. We need to make the two local chapters more vibrant and attractive to
new members.
4. We don't wish to potentially alienate members by forcing them to
affiliate with one of the two extant local chapters.
DISCUSSION
1. As has been noted, many organizations offer a membership at large.
I am personally a life "Member at Large" in both the VFW and the MOAA (Military
Officers Association of America). I did that because I wanted to show my
support for those organizations and their objectives, as well as helping to
contribute financially to meeting those objectives. I do not have
sufficient time to become involved at the local level: hence my decision to
become a member at large.
2. Many fraternal organizations, including Masonry, have members who
affiliated with a local organization and then moved out of state, or moved to an
area of the state where regular attendance at meetings can be difficult, if not
impossible due to work schedules, travel times, family concerns,etc. Yet,
these individuals feel a bond to that organization and remain dues paying
members because they support its goals and objectives. They will continue
to pay their dues unless those dues rise appreciably for no apparent good
reason.
3. I'm not sure if we have good demographic info on our members at large,
primarily regarding age. It might be nice to charter a chapter in another
portion of the state, somewhere in western Nebraska for example, but I doubt
seriously that we could get 15 or more folks to talk an active role in
establishing such a chapter and to keep it going. We could check and see what
the DAR track record has been in other areas of the state.
4. Arbitrarily assigning at large members to one of the two chapters would
be a solution but, not I believe, an optimal one. We would probably lose
some who might be concerned about a potential dues increase, or just generally
resistant to change. Alternatively, we could ask our at large members if
they would like to affiliate with one of the two chapters. That might help
attract some more members to meetings, but might also drive out of state members
to either drop their membership entirely or affiliate with a chapter in their
current state of residence. Either way, the state society will be out
their annual dues.
5. We can change the state constitution to permit the at large
memberships. This legitimizes the practice we've been using for some
years. It does not, however, solve the problem of getting more active
members into our two chapters. That project, I'm afraid, is going to be
longer term, and will involve more of a PR effort than we currently employ.
It will also necessitate holding meetings at times and places where existing and
potential members can meet, and it will necessitate having interesting programs
and good social interaction among the members and the potential
members/visitors. In other words, you can't have a lunch meeting in the
corner of a room in some all you can eat restaurant, and attract new members
(and their spouses). Getting spousal buy in is significant. Most
families today have a limited amount of time for social endeavors like this, and
it has to be perceived as being worthwhile for both the member and his spouse.
I've gone on a bit longer than I planned. Hopefully, we can come to some
general agreements on the way we wish to proceed in order to ensure the growth
of the Nebraska Society.
John
Whether the issue is addressed in the Constitution/By-laws directly
or not, since I've seen Nebraska Society listed in National's records I would
keep this over a Nebraska Chapter designation or risk adding a 5th category
(including blank).
John R
432-9168
-----Original Message-----
From: David Kentsmith <
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Cc: jr6@aol.com
Sent: Fri, Jan 22, 2010 11:44 am
Subject: At Large Members
Merle,
That was a terrific effort on your part, I am sorry it didn’t work.
What should we put in the revision
– or can we just leave it alone? I really don’t think we need a
name other than what John has been using. It seems the original Nebraska
SAR members didn’t put that in the Constitution or By-laws for a reason.
Can you and John live with it if we left it as it is ?
Also, what dues the Lincoln
Chapter charges if any should be entirely up to the Lincoln Chapter I would
think. I’d like to move on with the Revision but need to know you and John
can live with no change or must have a change and what that change needs to be.
Other members as you can see on the Blog don’t want a category of MAL added.
David
From: Merle Rudebusch [mailto:mrudebusch08@windstream.net]
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 8:43 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: At Large Members
David:
The MAL designation can be put on those who are not affiliated with
any chapter for our state records. As John states, National does not designate
members by chapters on the roster. That designation would be for local records
and allow them to be sorted out. If you need a Chapter name, just call it the
"Nebraska Chapter". Local Chapters are beneficial for members to have an local
association for fellowship. I tried to start one in North Platte at one time, as
we had a number of members in that area, but that did not happen, as to
organizer's health did not allow him to continue, and no one else picked up the
ball. That would have been good for western Nebraska members.
I don't think Lincoln Chapter is interested in having any dues at
this time. We can discuss dues at our next meeting, but we have not seen the
need for any local dues for several years. The state dues are high enough
already.
Merle
From: jr6@aol.com [mailto:jr6@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 11:59 PM
To: mck16902@att.net; k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net;
vdeethardt@yahoo.com; ChiefKnott@aol.com; lavstetson@aol.com;
mrudebusch08@windstream.net; parsoni1@qwest.net; walden@radiks.net
Cc: tgconley@Cox.net; webb.w@q.com; bec_corp@inetnebr.com
Subject: Re: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
David,
The actual mechanism by which National acknowledges changes to
Chapter affiliation, beyond what is recorded on a prospective member's original
application, is not known to me. I have reported changes in State and Chapter
officers to NSSAR and tried to report the recent Alternate Trustee change, but
beyond this NSSAR relies on my annual "drop list" to account for members who
have not paid their annual dues. Chapter affiliation is not mentioned, nor, for
me at least, is there a reconciliation of the broader membership record. The
National is interested primarily in the changes, who has dropped. Whether or how
the National Congress might take up the issue, again, this is not known to me.
Address changes seem to originate with the the members themselves,
although occasionally I am asked to submit these. I would otherwise learn about
them when undeliverable mail is returned to me. Such mailing inconsistencies
seem to account for the divergence between the record I keep and the records
NSSAR asks me to review. Again I am not asked to reconcile these in any detailed
way. When I see a member falling through the cracks, I act directly to
correct what I can. I am not always completely satisfied with the result, but
then terse messages and pointed phone calls are my best tools, 600 miles removed
from the scene in Louisville.
The password protected Member Database provides individual members
with a window onto the world of member lists, rosters, and databases, but
otherwise every other transaction I am involved with is form driven:
reinstatements, transfers, dual member, new application, deceased, etc. It might
be useful to know that I use a transmittal sheet when submitting applications to
NSSAR with fees attached. I'm sure this helps NSSAR's accounting as checks and
forms separate in their offices.
I agree that active participation in local or national SAR events
flows most efficiently from the opportunity to meet as a group in an organized
way. Leadership is best expressed through a personal connection with members of
any organization, no matter their level of activity. I'd like to think,
based upon documented feedback, that the many mailings I've issued inviting
NSSAR members to attend semi-annual events have placed all of our activities in
a positive light, especially noting the many awards given over the years and
funds raised and dispersed.
E-mail and website connections have become the de facto substitute
for a "newsletter"; and, were we to adopt a formal calendar where events are
planned and published well in advance of the event, attendence could quite
possibly improve. In 2004, I tried to get NESSAR members to attend
"Discovery Days" which celebrated the Lewis and Clerk Expedition as it stopped
near Ft Calhoun that summer, 200 years earlier. Thousands gathered, bands
played, politicians spoke, and indians dance. It was a real triumph for local
history buffs. Several dozen DAR members served cookies and coffee to something
100 people by my count in a local residence. The DAR members were from all over
Nebraska. Our SAR presence was me and about two or three others, plus my friends
Dave and Mihaela who made the drive from Omaha. It was a lovely afternoon
and I have the photos to prove it.
The National Consitution and By-laws state that 15 members can
sustain a chapter, but then defers to each State Society a final word on the
subject. Whether we use a phone tree, or get in the car to go meet our members
in the communities in which they live, these actions would certainly expand upon
what we already have in place. In addition, submitting articles to the National
SAR Magazine and listing the times and places we meet is another nearly perfect
form of advertising for NESSAR members who clearly enjoy reading about Patriot
histories from their easy chairs.
John R
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:56 PM
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Subject: RE: At Large Members
Merle,
I don’t think we should force anyone who is already “ at large”
and didn’t want to join either the Omaha or Lincoln Chapter to join since they
should be “grandfathered” in. However, I don’t like the idea of having
new members join to be “At Large”. Our state dues are $12 per year and
Lincoln chapter so far has no dues. Omaha dues are $10 per year.
Would an additional $10 or nothing for Lincoln Chapter be a hardship? For
people belonging to the Lincoln Chapter there would be no change. No one
keeps track or follows “At Large” members as they would if the person was
affiliated with a Chapter.
If belonging to the Omaha Chapter for an extra $10 per year would
be a hardship, the Board of Counselors can excuse the dues if the person
requests and they approve.
Do you know of any other State SAR Society that has the “At
Large” designation? I can’t find any so far. I am still looking for
guidance on how you would write that into the Constitution.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:40 PM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: At Large Members
David:
How do you
think anyone living in Minnesota would benefit by being forced into one of the
two chapters? They have moved away from Nebraska, retaining their membership is
welcome, but there would be no benefit to the chapter, or to them. We should
respect their membership. Are you going to charge them Omaha dues if you put
them in your Chapter? When I was Secretary, it was never an issue, and
they seemed ok with paying their dues. I am an at-large member of three
societies and none have indicated any local chapter. If they were to force me
into a chapter, I probably would find another state to be a member that had
at-large membership. We may loose members by doing this, so I am for the MAL and
against forcing anyone who is not a local member in the area of one of the
chapters to belong to. We also have some SAR members living in Nebraska that are
members in other states. They choose to keep their membership in those other
states, and that is fine with me.
Merle
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 5:30 PM
To: David K Kentsmith, ; Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; Knott, Robert ;
'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch; parsoni1; walden
Cc: 'tgconley'; 'webb.w'
Subject: RE: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
Merle,
If a person wishes to be a “member at large” , we have no way of
knowing who they are or even acquainting them with our chapters unless they
attend a meeting. I did that when joining the SUVCW - attended a chapter
meeting and then asked to be a MAL. (not a good acronym !).
I personally don’t like the idea that 1/4th of our
active members are MALs since we are such a small society and need everyone we
can get to keep our Chapters functioning.
Regardless, whatever everyone agrees to is what we need to put
in the revision since there is nothing about this in the 1896 documents and we
have apparently a large category of people who are MALs.
I looked on the National Web Site and can’t find anything on
MALs. The National reporting form for members doesn’t list MAL. I
looked at the Iowa site and can’t find anything there either. Do you know
of a SAR Society where they list that category? Wanted to see how other
Societies word it in their Constitutional and By-laws for that category.
Thanks
David
From: Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 8:30 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
David:
A membership-at-large of the Nebraska Society
category would define those members and would be proper, as all Societies have
the same situation. In the SUVCW we have created a Camp for them, the chief
officers of the Department are their officers. A Nebraska Chapter at-Large would
be another option. To assign them to a Chapter in Nebraska would also be
confusing. In the spreadsheet they can be noted as MAL. We have had many members
move away from Nebraska and move to other states and retain their membership, we
also have many members who do not live in the Lincoln and Omaha area. If they
choose to be a members of one of our two societies that is fine, but we should
not force them.
Merle
From:
lavstetson
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 10:24 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net
Subject: Re: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active M...
David
Why don't we assign them to a chapter since there are no others.
Perhaps there are enough in a western area to form a chapter.
LaVerne
In a message dated 1/20/2010 3:41:41 P.M. Central Standard Time,
k-d-kentsmith writes:
Committee members and other NE SAR officers:
After reviewing the
spread sheet
John Reinert provided
from
the National HQ SAR of
up to date dues paying
(last
year)
Active Nebraska
SAR members, I find that
23
of
our 94 members listed
are not assigned to a Chapter. We do not have a
“Member At Large” Category I can find in our Constitution and By-laws.
This is quite a large number of members.
I think this category is confusing and un-necessary.
We have two constituted Chapters and have been
assigning people to one of the two.
We would need to create in the Constitution a special
“category” other than
Chapters!
Please let me know your thoughts.
David
John,
There is no category of “MEMBER AT LARGE”. The Nebraska
Constitution does not list an “AT LARGE” membership category. It isn’t a
choice for people who are members even if they live in another State.
Where did this come from? You have the “corporate history” . Whose
decision was it to have you as the State Secretary to report members to National
as “At Large”?
We are trying to revise the Constitution and By-laws that is why
this question is raised. Do members of this committee and ex-officio
members want to have a category of “un-affiliated” or “At Large” meaning – no
Chapter affiliation? Do we need to make that change in the By-laws or
Constitution?
Personally I think having “AT LARGE” members isn’t the way to
have successful, growing and active Chapters. Obviously the DAR want their
male family members to record their linage with the SAR. Having now helped
a number of people with their SAR applications, I think we must insist the male
member needs to show interest in what the SAR is charted to do in Nebraska
at least by attending a meeting. This should be a demonstration
of interest before we go through the process of approving them for membership.
Once the applicant meets our members at a Chapter meeting , there is more of a
chance they will continue to attend and keep the SAR alive and well in
Nebraska. Our chapters need to be vibrant and active in encouraging people
to join. At the Chapter level we can help them with their applications
and insure they are welcomed into the fellowship of a Chapter and show how they
can contribute to our patriotic work in Nebraska. Besides, how can we
sponsor or co-sponsor and the Board of Counselors approve their membership if no
one has actually met the person and knows something about them?
David
From:
jr6
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:41 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith mck16902; vdeethardt; ChiefKnott; lavstetson;
mrudebusch; parsoni1; walden
Cc: tgconley; webb.w; bec_corp
Subject: Re: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat.
SAR Active Member Spread Sheet
David,
I believe that Chapter affiliation should be elective, especially
where additional dues are in play along with the expectation to attend an
occasional meeting - meetings that, in my experience, are open to all SAR
members, prospective SAR members, and their spouses and families regardless of
where they reside or when they choose to attend. As a state organization I don't
feel we are ill served to include NESSAR members on the roster who choose to
remain unaffiliated at the Chapter level. The opportunity to affiliate is
everpresent.
For all of my years living in California I maintained my Nebraska
Society SAR membership and never desired a transfer. With 25% of our
NESSAR membership currently living out of state, this attitude seems likely the
dominant one. If you're proposing that these members be asked to affiliate at
the Chapter level, this is a good idea. However, under no circumstance would I
dream of making assignments without their assent. I agree, the current
record (roster) is either incomplete or faulty at best with regard to the
affiliation question.
John Reinert
NESSAR State Secretary
(402) 432-9168
-----Original Message-----
From: David Kentsmith <
To: David K Kentsmith, MD t>; Deethardt, Virgil <; JR6; Knott,Robert <; 'LAvstetson'
<lavstetson; mrudebusch08; parsoni1; walden
Cc: Tom Conley ; Webb, William ; Tom Masters
Sent: Wed, Jan 20, 2010 3:41 pm
Subject: No Such Category As "MEMBER AT LARGE" - Reviewing The Nat. SAR Active
Member Spread Sheet
Committee members and other NE SAR officers:
After reviewing the
spread sheet
John Reinert provided
from the National HQ SAR of
up to date dues paying
(last year)
Active Nebraska
SAR members,
I find that
23 of
our 94 members listed
are not assigned to a Chapter. We do not have a
“Member At Large” Category I can find in our Constitution and By-laws.
This is quite a large number of members.
I think this category is confusing and un-necessary.
We have two constituted Chapters and have been
assigning people to one of the two.
We would
need to create in the Constitution a special
“category” other than
Chapters!
Please let me know your thoughts.
The following note dated 18 Jan by Bob Knott was just added today 21 Jan. Was sent but not posted. Sorry. DKK
From: chiefknott
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 3:37 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith
Subject: At Large Members
David,
I know this is
late but I've been thinking about the "At Large" Members and wanted to run this
by you and your Committee. I would like to suggest that we consider
eliminating the "At Large" Membership within the Nebraska Society. The
primary reason is to relieve some of the workload from the Society Secretary and
provide greater opportunity for these members to experience belonging to a local
Chapter. I would suggest that all "At Large" members be encouraged to
contact a Chapter and ask to be included among the Chapter's membership.
Current "At Large" members without a Chapter preference would be assigned to a
nearby Chapter during the dues renewal process.
I'm not sure if
anyone else has given this any thought but I wanted to at least discuss it to
see if it has any merit. Hopefully, there are some legitimate "pro's" and
"con's" concerning this subject that could be kicked around, such as "Chapter
Dues" (yes or no).
Bob
From:Bob
knott
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 6:49 PM
To: kentsmith
Subject: Re: Draft #1
David,
Please take a
look at the following lines to see if they should indicate "Board of
Counselors". They are in red.
277
278
313-314
441
Thanks, Bolb
In a message
dated 1/11/2010 5:32:13 P.M. Central Standard Time,
k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net writes:
From: Lavstetson
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 8:54 PM
To: kentsmith; mck; vdeethardt; JR6; ChiefKnott; mrudebusch08; parsoni1;
walden
Cc: bec_corp; tgconley; webb.w
Subject: Stetson comments on SAR Constitution & By-laws
David
I have read
through you draft of the revised Constitution and By-laws. I approve of the
draft with the following two comments:
Page 7 Line 236
I suggest the following for the start of the statement in parentheses "(Other
forms of electronic communication such as email may be------etc.)
Page 10 Line
373 suggest "vote thereon to the secretary in writing or by email"
LaVerne
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 6:46 PM
To: 'Bob knott
Subject: RE: Draft #1 (8 Jan 2010) Revised Constitution and By-laws of
the Nebraska SA
Bob,
Good. I’ll make sure in the next draft it says “Counselors”
in every place in the Constitution AND By-laws.
From:
Bob knott
Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 6:39 PM
To: D. kentsmith
Subject: Re: Draft #1 (8 Jan 2010) Revised Constitution and By-laws of
the Nebraska SA
David,
That's fine with me. Probably should change the Constitution.
If I remember right, there might be one or two places in the By Laws that
mention Board of Managers. Thanks, Bob
In a message dated 1/9/2010 6:33:25 P.M. Central Standard Time,
k-d-kentsmith@worldnet.att.net writes:
Merle Rudebusch wanted to change from Board of Managers to Board of Counselors.
He thought Managers sounded too autocratic. Did I make the change in the
Constitution? If not, I need to do that since it should be the same in the
Constitution as well as the By-laws. Thanks.
From:
Bob knott
Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2010 2:34 PM
To:D kentsmith
Subject: Re: Draft #1 (8 Jan 2010) Revised Constitution and By-laws of
the Nebraska SA...
David,
I've just started reviewing and noticed that the Constitution makes reference to
a Board of Managers, but the By Laws shows it as a Board of Counselors.
Just checking. Bob
From: David Kentsmith [
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2010 10:38 PM
To: Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; Knott, Robert; 'LAvstetson';
mrudebusch; parson; walden
Cc: Tom Masters ; Tom Conley ; Webb, William
Subject: Draft #1 (8 Jan 2010) Revised Constitution and By-laws of the
Nebraska SAR - Please review and comment - by 25 January 2010
Nebraska SAR Constitution and By-laws Committee members and
ex-officio members:
Here is a first complete draft of the Constitution and
By-laws with your comments and recommendations for change written into the 1896
copy we have been reviewing. I have attached it as a Word document
compatible with Word 97 – 2003. I can also just copy the draft into an
e-mail to you if you would rather print out the e-mail rather than a Word For
Windows document. Just let me know by e-mail if you want it sent to you in
the body of an e-mail.
If you have questions about the changes or further
recommendations, please let me know by 25 January. Once we have completed
this review, I will complete a draft #2 which if you approve we will then send
to all members of the Nebraska Society for their review and comments.
After we receive all comments and you review those comments, I will draft a
final draft of the document for the 20 March State Meeting and a vote at that
meeting.
Thanks to all of you for your work and helpful comments.
David Kentsmith
From: jr6
Sent: Friday, January 08, 2010 12:21 AM
To: -kentsmith
Subject: Re: Review of last 13 By-laws #s 17 - 29
Typos in #18 the word "from" instead of form, conducive instead of
conductive.
Typo in #19 the word "two" instead of to
Typo in #20 the word "They" instead of The
Strike the words "admission fees and" in #22.
All other By-laws 17-29 seems right and appropriate to me.
John Reinert
From: Robert knott
Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 7:45 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith
Subject: By Laws 17 - 29
David,
Here is my
input for consideration on By Laws 17-29:
17. I’m not so sure
we need an Historian just yet, but if we do, something simple such as:
“The Historian shall maintain a running history of the
NESSAR and do such historical research as may be assigned to him from time to
time by the President or by the BOM”.
18. Perhaps we
don’t need the sub paragraph that says:
“They shall appoint a Delegate at Large, and such other Delegates as the
Society may be entitled to by the Constitution of the National Society”.
We will have a “Trustee” representing the Society.
19. With the
Registrar, State President, Secretary and others passing judgment on the
eligibility of applicants for membership do we really need to also pass the
applications through the BOM? I
would delete the first 2 paragraphs.
We probably should keep in the 3rd
paragraph concerning suspending or expelling a member of the Society.
20.I would recommend the 2nd paragraph that reads:
“Three members of the Board
shall be a quorum for the transaction of business” be changed to read:
“Five members of the Board shall be a quorum for the transaction of
business and a majority vote of those in attendance at any meeting will be
required for the BOM to take action”.
21.
The Board of Managers shall supervise all publications issued in the name
of the “State” Society. (Perhaps we
could come up with a Society Newsletter with input from the Chapters.)
22.
No changes
I would suggest we have “one”
major paragraph for the Board of Managers and then sub-paragraphs hereunder,
instead of several major paragraph numbers.
It would make it much easier
to follow.
23.
I would suggest the following:
At all annual meetings of this Society, the following order of business
shall be observed, viz:
1.
President’s Call to Order
2.
Invocation
3.
Pledge of Allegiance
4.
Calling roll of Officers
5.
Introduction of new members and guests
6.
Reading minutes of last meeting
7.
Presentation of Awards
8.
Officers’ reports
President
Secretary
Treasurer
Registrar
Board of Managers
Other official reports
9.
Committee reports
10.
Unfinished business
11.
Election and installation of Officers and Board of Managers
12.
New business and correspondence
13.
Introduction of the speaker or program
14.
President’s remarks and thanks for program
15.
Motion to adjourn
16.
Adjournment
24. No change
25. No change
26. Add the
following: If the application to
form a new Chapter is approved by the BOM it shall direct the preparation of a
charter and shall arrange for it to be presented with a proper ceremony.
27. Suggest change
to read as follows: The Seal of this
Society shall be the same as the Seal of The National Society, Sons of the
American Revolution, except that “Nebraska” shall be substituted for “National”
and for “April 30, 1889” there shall be substituted the date of the organization
of the Nebraska Society, to wit:
“April 26, 1890”.
28. No change
29. No change
From: jr6
Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 11:22 PM
To:kentsmith
Cc: mrudebusch
Subject: Re: Review and Revision of Nebr. SAR Constitution
and By-laws - By-laws 9 - 16 Please review and respond by Saturday 2 January
2010
9.
A
member in good standing of another State Society shall, upon satisfactory proof
thereof or upon the presentation of letters demission there from, be eligible to
membership by affiliation in this Society. There shall be no fee for
affiliation other than a collection of annual dues for the current calendar
year.
10.
Any member failing to pay his
annual dues may be dropped from the membership rolls. for two
consecutive years shall forfeit his membership upon vote to that effect
by the Board of Managers. A member so dropped may be re-instated by
the Board of Managers upon payment of all arrears and all annual dues for
the current calendar year. since the date of his loss of membership, provided
there are no charges unbecoming a gentleman recorded against him remaining
undetermined or determined finally against him.
11.
If for any reason a member
demits, resigns or is dropped from the rolls of this Society, the number of his
insignia shall be cancelled, and his name shall no longer appear in the year
book of the Society as a member.
12.
It shall be the duty of every
member to inform the Secretary, by written communication, of his place of
residence, and of any change thereof, and of his post office address.
Service of any notice under the Constitution, or under these
By-Laws upon any member of the Society, addressed to him at the last recorded
place of residence or post office address, and forwarded by mail shall be deemed
sufficient service of such notice.
13.
The President, or in his
absence a Vice-President, or in his absence a Chairman, pro Tempore, shall
preside at all meeting of the Society or Board of Managers, and shall have a
casting vote. He shall exercise the usual functions of a presiding
officer, and shall enforce a strict observance of the Constitution, By-laws,
regulations and rules of the Society and Board of Managers.
14.
The Secretary shall conduct the
general correspondence of the Society, and shall have charge of the seal,
certificate of incorporation, By-laws and records of meetings of the Society.
He, together with the presiding officer, shall certify all acts of the
Society. He shall enforce a strict observance of the Constitution,
By-Laws, regulations and rules of the Society and Board of Managers. He,
together with the presiding officer, shall certify all acts of the Society.
He shall under the direction of the President or Vice-President, give due notice
of the time and place of all meetings of the Society, and attend the same.
He shall keep fair and accurate records of all the proceedings and orders of the
Society. He shall collect all moneys due the Society, giving proper
receipts for the same, and shall promptly pay them over to the Treasurer, taking
his receipt therefore. He shall keep a letter book of copies of all
official letters; a ledger to contain the accounts of the Society with its
members; a cash book, and a receipt book, in which to take the Treasurer’s
receipts. He shall give notice to the several officers and members of all
votes, orders, resolves and proceedings of the Society, affecting them or
appertaining to their respective duties, and he shall forward to the officers of
the National Society such reports and information as may be required by them.
He shall keep a correct list of the names and addresses of all members in good
standing. He shall report to the Society at the annual meeting.
In like manner he shall act as Secretary of the Board of Managers,
reporting to them whenever called upon.
He shall give such bond as the Board of Managers may require, and
on the election of his successor he shall turn over to him, within ten days, all
books, papers and property of the Society in his possession.
15. The treasurer shall receive from the Secretary the funds and
securities of the Society. They shall be deposited in some bank or savings
institute in this State to the credit of the Nebraska Society of the Sons of the
American Revolution, and shall be drawn thence for the purposes of the Society
only, by checks signed either by the President, or the Treasurer
(Secretary-Treasurer) and countersigned by. He shall keep a
true account of his receipts and disbursements, and at each annual meeting shall
render the same to the Society. He shall report when required to the Board
of Managers and shall give such bond as they may require.
His books shall at all times
be open to the inspection of the President, Board of Managers and Auditing
Committee.
16.
The Registrar shall receive review all applications
for membership and proofs of eligibility, and shall assist in perfecting and
completing the same. When the applications are satisfactory to him he
will add his signature to the application note his approval thereon
and refer them it to the Board of Managers for final action.
If the applicant is accepted, the Registrar Secretary will forward
one copy the original with the accompanying proofs to Registrar General
of the National Society. , and file the in his own office. He
shall keep While copies may be kept of original documents
of such similar documents as the owners thereof may not be willing to leave
them permanently in the keeping of the Society. He shall have the
custody of all the historical, geographical and genealogical papers, books,
manuscripts and relics of which the Society may become possessed, and shall keep
an official record of same. He shall issue certificates of membership and
insignia to members entitled thereto. He shall keep a register of the
names and dates of admission, transfer, resignation and death of members, and
shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the society or
Board of Managers.
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:18 PM
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Subject: RE: Review of last 13 By-laws #s 17 - 29
Probably would be best just to
leave it open and not name a specific person but say there should be an officer
from each chapter appointed by the State President to serve as an auditing
committee member and do that each year. In that way, chapters would understand
who pays dues and how the dues are dispersed.
As far as Chapter Membership,
I’ve been trying to support any DAR request to get their male family members
into the SAR by filling out petitions for them. I’ve also asked John
Reinert and Bob Knott to send anyone who requests help for SAR
application/membership in the Nebraska Society my e-mail address so I can help
them by typing up the petition and even looking up genealogical information if I
can for them. S W of Lincoln, is such a person I’ve helped recently and maybe
he’ll be an active member in the Lincoln Chapter. S’s application is pending
approval at National and shouldn’t be much of a problem since it is based on his
sister’s DAR application. Maybe when we receive the approved membership,
you can make sure you present it to him at one of your Lincoln meetings. I
do think the DAR applicants need to attend a SAR meeting so they can at least
get a sense of what we do and maybe we can “hook” them into active participation
that way.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 5:02 PM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Review of last 13 By-laws #s 17 - 29
David:
No Lincoln does not have a separate Sec or Treas from the state treas. I think
at one time we did keep minutes when the Chapter was larger and there was a
separate treasury, maybe someday it will grow again, but with the members that
we have that are active, I don't think that will happen.
Merle
From: Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 8:41 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Review of last 13 By-laws #s 17 - 29
David:
#20, needs to be amended to
allow online meetings of the Board of Directors. Unless all Board of Directors
are living in the same city, meeting to decide if a candidate is to be
recommended for membership would slow down the process of accepting new
members if they have to formally meet. Also I am not sure about #18. Seems
like the suggestion is that they will be monitoring the treasurers books, which
in some respects is not bad, but somewhere there needs to be a audit of the
books on an annual basis, by possibly qualified members of the Board of
Managers?
Merle
From: William Webb
Sent: Thursday, December 31, 2009 8:19 AM
To: David Kentsmith
Subject: Re: Review and Revision of Nebr. SAR Constitution and By-laws -
By-laws 9 - 16 Please review and respond by Saturday 2 January 2010
Hi David, Hope you and your wife are enjoying your visit.
I cannot find any any reason to change articles #9-16
Have a great New Year celebration
From: Robert knott
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 12:12 PM
To: David Kentsmith
Subject: By-Laws 9 - 16
David,
Here is one
version:
9.
A member of another State Society, SAR, in good standing. who desires to
surrender such membership and become a member of this Society, may be demitted
from the original State Society, on a form provided by the National Society, and
such demit, properly executed and accompanied by a copy of his original
application, shall constitute his application for membership in this Society. In
like manner, a member of the Children of the American Revolution,
having attained the age of 18, may be transferred to membership in this
Society by furnishing a copy of his original application and evidence that he is
in good standing.
10.Any member failing to pay his
annual dues shall forfeit his membership upon vote to that effect by the Board
of Managers. Any member may be
removed from membership in this Society for cause, by a two-thirds vote of the
members of the Board of Managers.
11. Delete
12. No change
13. The President, or in his
absence a Vice-President provides overall leadership to the Society in
implementing the programs that fulfill the purposes of the Society in accordance
with the policies and guidelines in the Constitution and By-Laws of the Nebraska
Society.
The President is responsible for
the conduct of the administration of the Society in accordance with the
guidelines established by the Nebraska Society. He shall preside at all meetings
of the Society and of the Board of Managers, and shall exercise the usual
functions of a presiding officer, and shall have a casting vote.
He shall be the executive head of the Society and shall enforce a strict
observance of the Constitution, By-Laws and any rules of the Society and the
Board of Managers.
14. The Secretary shall keep the
minutes, record, and conduct the correspondence of the Society and the Board of
Managers. He shall distribute copies
of the minutes of each meeting of the Society and Board of Managers to each
officer and past president of the Nebraska Society and each chapter president
within 30 days of the meeting. He,
together with the presiding officer, shall certify all acts of the Society.
He shall under the direction of the President or Vice-President, give due
notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Society, and attend the
same. He shall keep fair and
accurate records of all the proceedings and orders of the Society.
He shall give notice to the officers and members of all votes, orders,
resolves and proceedings of the Society, affecting them or appertaining to their
respective duties, and he shall forward to the officers of the National Society
such reports and information as may be required by them.
He shall keep a correct list of the names and addresses of all members in
good standing. He shall report to
the Society at the Annual Meeting.
In like manner he shall act as
Secretary of the Board of Managers, reporting to them whenever called upon.
He shall give such bond as the
Board of Managers may require, and on the election of his successor he shall
turn over to him, within ten days, all books, papers and property of the Society
in his possession.
A member of the Society may be
appointed to assist the Secretary in the performance of his duties.
15. The Treasurer shall collect
any and all fees, dues and other funds of the Society. Deposits should be made
during the same week. As well they should be made in the name of the Society,
and in a bank as designated by the Board of Managers. Withdrawals should be made
in the same way only by check, and only for payments properly supported by
vouchers, and for the purpose of the Society. He shall keep a ledger or computer
generated accounting to contain the accounts of the Society with its members; a
cash account and a receipt book, in which to keep the Treasurer’s receipts.
He shall keep a true account of
his receipts and disbursements and at each Annual, and Board of Managers meeting
render an accounting of his records. The Treasurer shall furnish from time to
time such information relative to the funds of the Society, as the officers may
require.
A member of the Society may be
appointed to assist the Treasurer in the performance of his duties.
16. The Registrar shall receive
all applications for membership and proofs of eligibility, of all applicants and
shall assist in perfecting and completing the same.
When the applications are satisfactory to him he will note his approval
thereon and refer them to the Board of Managers for final action.
If the applicant is accepted, the Registrar will forward the applications
and fees to the Registrar General of the National Society, and file a copy with
the accompanying proofs in his own office.
He shall keep copies of such similar documents as the owners thereof may
not be willing to leave permanently in the keeping of the Society.
Upon approval from NSSAR he will obtain the
signature of the President and Secretary and
shall issue certificates of membership to the Chapters for members entitled
thereto. He shall have the custody
of all the historical, geographical and genealogical papers, books, manuscripts
and relics of which the Society may become possessed, and shall keep an official
record of same. He shall keep a
register of the names and dates of admission, transfer, resignation and death of
members and at each Annual Meeting shall report to the Society the numbers for
the past year. He shall perform such
other duties as may be assigned to him by the Society or Board of Managers.
A member of the Society may be
appointed to assist the Registrar in the performance of his duties.
As far as representation at the National Meeting, we nominated Fred Walden and Tom Masters at our Fall State meeting to attend the June meeting in Ohio so we do have representation.
From: Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 6:35 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Review and Revision of Nebr. SAR Constitution and By-laws -
By-laws 9 - 16 Please review and respond by Saturday 2 January 2010
David:
#14, keeping records: That
should be modernized, as most records are managed via computer. Print outs of
reports from an Excell file or Quicken or similar programs should be considered.
I don't know if the problem
with someone representing Nebraska at a National meeting has been addressed.
Merle
From: William Webb
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 11:26 AM
To: David Kentsmith
Subject: Fw: Next Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3
- 8 by 26 DEC 09
Sorry for the delay in my response. This section looks good to me.
In the future the fees may need to be revised. Have a great New Year
From: Robert knott
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 1:06 PM
To: David kentsmith
Subject: Re: Next Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3
- 8 by 26 DE...
David,
Hope this
helps, Bob
3.
The annua1 dues of this Society shall be $42.00 which shall
include the amount of $30.00 payable by the State Society to the National
Society. National Society annual dues shall be remitted to the Treasurer General
not later than January 20th of the year for which dues are being paid.
On October 1st of each year the
Chapter Secretary shall forward to each member of their local chapter a dues
notice for Chapter, State Society and National Society (except SAR Life Members
will not be assessed National dues) for the following year. Dues shall be
payable on October 1st of each year and shall become delinquent if not paid by
December 31st of each year. Dues for NESSAR members not affiliated with a
chapter will be collected by the State Treasurer on the same schedule as chapter
dues collections.
On or before December 31st of
each year, the Chapter Secretary or Treasurer shall file with the Nebraska State
Secretary the Annual Chapter Report, along with a current chapter membership
roster and a check, payable to "NESSAR" for the State and National Dues as
outlined in paragraph one.
4.
For causes set forth in the Constitution of the National Society and for
like reasons, the Board of Managers may, in its discretion, remit the annual
dues of any member.
5. Any chapter of this society
may assess and collect from its members such dues as it may deem advisable.
6.
If at any time any of the essential statements given in a member’s
application papers are found to be untrue, then shall the said member’s election
be declared null and void.
7.
Each newly admitted member of the Society shall be issued, by the
National Society, a certificate of membership with the official seal, the
signatures of the National and State Officers, his own name and the name of his
Revolutionary ancestor printed thereon.
8.
Whenever a member in good standing changes his residence to the
jurisdiction of another State Society, he shall be entitled, if he so elects, to
a certificate of honorable demission, on a form provided by the National
Society, in order that he may be transferred to said Society; provided that no
such certificate shall be given unless all dues and fees are paid, and said
membership in this Society shall not cease until membership in the other society
be established.
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 9:14 PM
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Subject: RE: I Agree not have actual fees in By-laws, everyone pays -
Next Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3 - 8 by 26 DEC 09
You are certainly right Merle
about putting any money amount in the Constitution. I also agree on the
change in dues going into effect as the result of something in the minutes which
was what happened two years ago when they were increased. I had no idea what
the discussion had been prior to the meeting if any. I guess you’d need to
amend the By-laws when national or state dues are changed.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 8:31 PM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: I Agree not have actual fees in By-laws, everyone pays -
Next Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3 - 8 by 26 DEC 09
David:
Amount of dues should not be in the Constitution. By-Laws are less of a problem,
as there many not be much of a change for several years. There is a problem when
National changes it's dues, and that may make the State Society change their
dues, but putting the dues in the by-laws makes it more official and gives the
Secretary more authority when collecting them. Minutes can be suspect if that is
the only source for recording the amount of the dues. This last raise in dues,
was not very well discussed ahead of time.
Merle
From: David Kentsmith
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 12:21 PM
To: 'Merle Rudebusch'
Subject: I Agree not have actual fees in By-laws, everyone pays - Next
Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3 - 8 by 26 DEC 09
Merle, I think the actual sons
of Revolutionary soldiers were still living at the time the organization was
formed and that was what was meant they should be members without payment of
dues. At least that’s what I thought. I agree – no one should be a
member in good standing without paying National, State and Chapter dues.
You can’t run an organization and be expected to take money out of your own
pocket to buy supplies or pay for speakers or awards etc. We can just
remove that statement since I am sure no actual Son is still living today.
On the other hand, I don’t
think it is appropriate either in the Constitution or By-laws to put down actual
amounts of dues since that changes and we’d be revising By-laws until the cows
come home. I have been trying to think of some way to state this something
like: “ the dues will be set yearly at the Fall State SAR meeting” it would be
an agenda item and you’d record that in the minutes so the Secretary and
Treasurer would know what to bill.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2009 11:42 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Next Sections To Review for Up-date and Revisions By-laws 3
- 8 by 26 DEC 09
Dave:
I don't know what is behind the language in # 7, but I think that should be
stricken. I don't know why any member should be exempt from paying dues.
I don't know what the fees are that should be changed, but probably most of them
are out of date.
I still have problems with the term "Board of Management". Sounds too
controlling. I would suggest Council, I think that is what National uses now.
That term should also be changed in the constitution if it exists.
Merle
From: virgil deethardt
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 9:13 PM
To: k-d-kentsmith
Subject: Comments on SAR By-Laws
|
Article V---Is it needed for the annual meeting to
be held in Omaha every year? Should it not be passed around for
the good of all? BY-LAWS #2-- Do the admission fee need to be
placed in the By-Laws as every time it has to be increased the By-Laws
will have to be amended. That is all I have at this time. |
From:
Robert Knott
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 9:03 PM
To:
Subject: Article V and VI and By-Laws 1 & 2
David,
Hope this is helpful.
Bob
Article V.
-Meetings
Section 1. The annual
meeting of the Society shall be held at such time and place in
Section 2. A quorum of the
Society shall be six members, and of the Board of Managers, three.
Article
VI.-Amendments
This Constitution may be amended
or repealed, provided written resolutions to that effect are first presented to,
and approved by, a majority of the Board of Managers present at any meeting of
said Board; and provided said amendments are subsequently approved by a majority
of the members present at any meeting of the Society and provided further, that
whenever this Constitution is to be amended, repealed or in any way changed,
notice thereof, specifying said changes in full shall be sent to each member of
the Society at least thirty days before such action is to be taken.
BY-LAWS
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 - Methods
Active membership in the Nebraska
Society, Sons of the American Revolution, may
be secured by any of four
methods: 1. By original application on the forms, and subject to the conditions
set forth thereon, as supplied by the National Society; 2. By reinstatement,
after resigning from, or having been dropped by this Society; 3. By transfer
from another State Society or from the Children of the American Revolution, in
the form and subject to the conditions set forth, by the National Society; 4. By
dual membership, namely, by a member of another State Society, in good standing,
who desires to hold membership in two or more State Societies at the same time.
Section 2 - Original
Applications
Applications for membership in
this Society, from applicants, who have not previously been affiliated
with the National Society, shall
file their applications on blanks prescribed by the National Society and
furnished by the State Society. Such applications shall be duly acknowledged and
shall bear the endorsement of at least two members of this Society.
Section 3 - Reinstatement
A former member of this Society,
desiring reinstatement, shall so request in writing.
Section 4 - Transfer
A member of another State
Society, SAR, in good standing, who desires to surrender such membership and
become a member of this Society, may be demitted from the original State
Society, on a form provided by the National Society, and such demit, properly
executed and accompanied by a copy of his original application, shall constitute
his application for membership in this Society. In like manner, a member of the
Children of the American Revolution, having attained the age of 18, may be
transferred to membership in this Society by furnishing a copy of his original
application and evidence that he is in good standing.
Section 5 - Dual Memberships
A member of another State
Society, SAR, in good standing who desires to become a member of this Society,
while still retaining his original membership, may be admitted to this Society
by furnishing a copy of his original application and evidence that he is in good
standing.
Section 6 - Acceptance
Upon receipt of any application
in any of the forms above set forth, accompanied by the
payment of the admission charge,
the secretary of this Society shall present the name, in proper form, to the
Board of Managers, as represented by their Membership Committee. If the Board of
Managers approves the application, the Secretary shall so certify, filing one
copy of the application with the Registrar of this Society and submitting one
copy to the Registrar General of the National Society. The applicant shall not
be deemed elected to membership until the Registrar General shall have notified
the Secretary of his approval of the application, and of the number, National
and State, assigned to the new member. Upon such notification, the applicant
becomes a member of both the State and the National Societies, his membership
dating from the approval of his application by the State Board of Managers. Any
applicant, failing of admission, shall be so notified by the Secretary, and the
amount of his admission charge shall be refunded in full.
Section 7 - Resignation, De
mission, Removal
Resignation from membership in
this Society may be granted upon written request. A demit may be granted to any
member in good standing for the purpose of joining another State Society.
Any member may be removed from
membership in this Society for cause, by a two-thirds vote of the members of the
Board of Managers. Any member delinquent in payment of his dues shall cease to
be in good standing and shall be deprived of the privileges of membership.
Admission Fees
The regular admission fee,
payment of which shall accompany all new applications, shall be $134.00
($80.00 National application fee, $12.00 State application fee, $30.00 National
dues, $2.00 State mailing costs and $10.00 Chapter dues), which shall include
all National, State and Chapter fees for the year in which the applicant is
accepted by the National Society.
From: William Webb
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 3:02 PM
To:
Subject: Re: PLEASE REVIEW ARTICLES V & VI of 1896 Constitution and
By-laws and By-Laws #1 & 2 - Provide Remarks by 17 Dec (next Thursday) - Thanks
Thanks David. I don't feel anyone should take
money out of their own pocket. For what its worth, I believe our chapter
should bear the cost or if there is a set fee, the applicant should pay the cost
From:
William Webb
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 9:06 AM
To:
Subject: Re: PLEASE REVIEW ARTICLES V & VI of 1896 Constitution and
By-laws and By-Laws #1 & 2 - Provide Remarks by 17 Dec (next Thursday) - Thanks
David, Article V & VI and bylaws 1 & 2 look fine. Question: What is the purpose of the $3 admission fee? If it is used to defray the cost of materials (water mark paper), should it be returned if the application is rejected? All state chapters do not require this fee.
The more I read the duties of the officers the more confused I get. Give
me a call at your convenience so I can discuss with you . Thanks
Fellow Compatriots,
Returning to the 1896
Revision seems appropriate for the purpose of "grounding the constitutional
process" and reintroducing the Bylaws.
Article I. Name -
no changes
Article II.
Objects - no changes
Article III.
Membership - was age "twenty-one", is age "eighteen" in line 20
language that
adds after officer in line 23: "soldier, seaman, marine, militiaman or minuteman
in the armed forces of the" Continental Congress is optional, but this does
appear in a later Revision of the NESSAR Constitution and seems to clarify "who"
has served. Beyond Military and Naval service, Civil and Patriotic Service
is deemed acceptable when adequate proof is provided - This is per Form 0912
Completing an NSSAR Application, Step by Step Instructions.
Article IV.
Officers - The descriptions provided below do provide background as to what has
worked for the NESSAR in recent generations.
By way of
comment: perhaps Chapter Officer experience is the best way to ensure continuity
within the organization where signatures are required to conduct NESSAR business
and Officers need to make themselves available for this irregularly. Further, I
would encourage members not associated with a particular chapter to serve on the
Board of Managers, whether the number be seven or more, as a way to establish a
"Chapter Officer" qualification making them eligible for State Office.
I have no
qualms with a separable Secretary-Treasurer office; again I stress the need to
meet irregularly to conduct necessary Society business. The Registrar is
an essential function who might otherwise be tasked with maintaining the
Society's genealogical records since these become the basis for ongoing
research. The Historian should commemorate accomplishments made in the life of
our society throughout the year.
John Reinert
NESSAR State
Secretary
From:
David Kentsmith
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 11:49 AM
Cc: Tom Masters ; Tom Conley ; Webb, William ; ChiefKnott; ;
Deethardt, Virgil; JR6; 'LAvstetson'; mrudebusch; parsoni; walden
Subject: Article IV - Revising the Nebr. SAR Constitution and By-laws
Thursday 10 Dec - Ln Chapter President's Comments
Thanks LaVerne for your comments and sorry you were down with the
flu.
Regarding your question about Registrar: The position of
Registrar is supposed to be someone in the State Society familiar with the
Application process and levels of genealogical proofs needed to support the
application. There are 4 signatures required on the application and
supplementals : State SAR Secretary, State Registrar, Sponsor and
Co-sponsor (both sponsors can be any member ) to approve the Application at
State Level before we forward it on to National. I think that requires a
separate person/signature for the Registrar.
Tom Masters has been serving in this capacity for at least 10
years by tradition but usually John Reinert has been doing the review and
checking the details before Tom signs. I have been doing the paperwork
aspect and direct support of applicants now for the past 2-3 years initially for
Omaha Applicants but now have been helping with the Lincoln applicants too to
help John and speed up the process. It is a bit tedious to have all the
application details correct and is time consuming and somewhat technical so
anyone who can’t devote a great deal of time to it (like those still working for
a living) must fit such work into their “spare” time. Bottom line, we do
need to have someone elected as Registrar even if he is supported by someone
like me to do the detailed work, follow-up and review.
I think the position of State Secretary needs to be separate from
State Treasurer to insure Fiscal accountability is the sole focus of the person
handling State funds. I also think as we have seen with John Reinert –
anyone working full time to earn a living becomes overwhelmed at certain times
of the year and shouldn’t be expected to take so much of their private and
personal time to do the necessary work of both jobs. When the State
Society is stagnant and not growing, then the work of State Secretary and also
Treasurer is limited but still necessary and time sensitive. I think we
are in a growing phase currently and shouldn’t place an undue work load on
uncomplaining and hardworking people. The constitution should be flexibly
written to not prohibit holding two offices but that ought not be the
expectation.
David
From:
Lavstetson
Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 11:06 AM
To: k-d-kentsmith; mrudebusch
Cc: JR ChiefKnott; parsoni
Subject: Re: Please Review and comment suggest changes the first 4
articles ONLY of th...
Greetings
Sorry for the delay in answering. I have been out of town and then
down with a flu.
I like this version much better. Shouldn't we have as combination
secretary/treasurer. Our ?State Society is small enough that the two jobs should
not be overwhelming. What does the registrar do? do we need one in our State?
Other than that I have no comments.
LaVerne
Thanks Merle. I will try
to write this into the “Officers” section Article IV of the constitution to show
how this progression takes place.
Something like:
“Section 1.
The officers of the State Society shall be a
President, a Senior Vice-President, a Junior Vice-President –
The President shall have been President of a State Chapter who has
completed his two year term at the chapter level. The Senior Vice – president
shall be the current president of the other chapter(s) than the current
president. The Junior Vice-President shall be the current President of the
State Chapter where the State President had served
, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Registrar, and a Board
of Managers consisting of the above mentioned officers and
the 1st and 2nd
vice-presidents of the chapters. These officers should be
elected upon ballot by a majority of the members present at the annual
Spring meeting of
the Society and who shall hold office for two
years, and until their successors shall be
elected. State Officers shall take
office at the Annual State Spring meeting following their election.
Nominations for State office (excluding State President) shall be by a committee
of members appointed by the State President and evenly distributed between State
Chapters . Elections for two year terms
of office for State and Chapter offices
shall be held in the even numbered years.”
Merle, I’m not sure this is
clear. Maybe you or John Parsons, John Reinert or Bob Knott or LaVern could
word-smith what I’ve tried to capture here so it actually reflects what you all
have been doing. Since I’ve not been around long enough to know exactly
how the State Presidency Rotates between the Chapters hopefully this reflects
what you’ve done.
David
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Sunday, December 06, 2009 11:53 AM
To: 'David Kentsmith'
Subject: RE: Please Review and comment suggest changes the first 4
articles ONLY of the attached Nebraska SAR Constitution (Message #1 - 4 Dec 09)
David- It seems that
Presidents of the Nebraska Society are elected on a two year basis. They
alternate between Lincoln and Omaha, I assume unless our current State Vice
President does not choose to advance, the Lincoln President will assume the role
next year, and then the member who is the President of the Omaha Society will
become the President the following two years. The Chapter Presidents and Vice
Presidents are in office for 2 years also. As far as the Secretary/Treasurer,
that person is elected and there is a two year term. I served 3 years, but that
was because I filled in one year of Jack Walters position after he had a stroke,
and then served a two year term. I did not choose to continue on but probably if
I had declined not to serve I could have been in the role for many years. We
have history of past Sec/Treas who were in office for 10 years or more. One was
Henry Cox, that I know of. I don't know if there was anywhere that was in
writing. Right now in Lincoln after Lavern Stetson, I don't know of any
candidate for Lincoln Chapter President, but maybe some one will come long. John
is serving as Vice President for now. We do elect Presidents in an informal
manner at this time in Lincoln. More of a who will volunteer.
Merle
From:
Merle Rudebusch
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 7:44 AM
David: I don't know if you will read it before the meeting.
I have looked at the National Constitution and By-laws, and will bring to the
meeting the index, which should be a help. National seems to change the By-laws
every time they meet but they don't change the Constitution. That is why they
are posted now on the Internet, the SUV is doing the same thing for the same
reason. The SUV does have a ritual, and the Job Descriptions are separate
documents. The SAR has the job descriptions in the by-laws, which I don't think
is a good idea, while they do not change much, they are really an operational
aspect vs. law. The more you write into law the more problems you create.
We need to look at the changes in the National Constitution to update the
Nebraska Constitution. There is some wording changes there to.
We have a good example of how a Constitution can be ignored going on in
Washington right now.
Merle
From:
James Say
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 9:01 PM
T
Subject: RE: Revision of Nebraska State SAR Constitution - Please Help -
Review and Comment!
David,
Thank you for allowing me to provide input on the proposed revisions to the
Nebraska State SAR Constitution. I would have responded to you directly,
but considering that the Omaha chapter is meeting tomorrow evening, I believe it
would be helpful to move the discussion along by copying in the broader
membership e-mail.
The proposed Section 3 of Article III (Membership) is quite unusual in calling
for voting membership only for in-state residents. As I recall, there are
more than twenty dues-paying NESSAR members, including some life members, who
for one reason or another, reside outside the state of Nebraska. Some may
reside in other states for family or health reasons. Should that be
grounds for taking away their right to vote on NESSAR matters? I have
worked with a number of other State Society constitutions and bylaws, and I
can't recall a single instance where State Society voting privileges were
restricted to in-state residents. In the interests of full disclosure, I
am not currently a Nebraska resident, but I am a Nebraska taxpayer, and had
lived in the state for over 30 years.
I submit there are also technical problems with the proposed Section 1 of
Article IV (Officers). The suggested revisions have omitted when and how
the State Officers are to be elected. In addition, the National Trustee and
alternate National Trustee are not in fact State Officers, but National
Officers, subject to Bylaw No. 16 of the National Society bylaws. A state
society nominates its candidates for both positions, but the election of
Trustees and alternate Trustees takes place at the Annual (National) Congress.
The general membership of a state society does not directly elect such national
officers, only those state society delegates at the Annual Congress assembled
have that privilege.
The members of the state society should be able to nominate whoever they believe
will most ably represent their interests as a National Trustee or alternate
National Trustee, regardless of whether the Compatriot lives in the state or
not. This would include whether the candidate will attend the almost
weeklong Annual Congress, and the Spring and Fall Leadership (Trustee) meetings
in Louisville, Kentucky.
Again, I apologize for casting this among the wider group, but I was only
apprised of these amendments this morning.
Yours in Patriotic Service,
Jim Say
I agree regarding the need for someone local to “Sheppard” new applicants and
help with supplementals including printing the Watermarked final petition.
I have enjoyed doing this and will continue. I think however the title
should be Chapter Registrar at least for the Omaha Chapter. That position
can be held by a person who also holds another office –i.e., like me –
vice-president.
As far as approval of candidates for membership – I think if we have the Chapter
Registrar be the sponsor, and another chapter officer sign the application and
then the State Secretary signs as does the State Registrar – that ought to be
sufficient to indicate approval locally of the person’s membership – we could
write that into the State Constitution. Once the application is approved
Nationally, the person can be initiated into the local chapter and be recognized
as a full member in good standing as long as all dues are paid and current.
If the dues are not current, the member MAY NOT HOLD office, May not vote nor
attend meetings until their dues are paid in full or unless the State SAR Board
of Managers by majority vote makes an exception for that member.
I certainly agree with Bob about using the Annual meeting in February for
installing Chapter and State officers. (By the way, why don’t we hold the
Annual meeting sometime in the 3rd week of March or 1st
week of April to get around the weather related travel problems even though it
presents a problem with Washington’s birthday. We could leave the DAY and
exact date open and have it be on the weekend so more could attend.)
I think if you have more than the State President, the two Chapter Presidents,
two vice- presidents, State Secretary and Chapter secretaries plus the
Registrar and two National Delegates, you’d have a crowd (11) for sure at the
State SAR Board of Manager’s meetings even with that number. But then we
have some people serving in two offices at the same time as we have now which
makes it 9 people who would meet either quarterly or 3 times a year.
I also agree with the other positions name by Bob:
Flag Chairman & ROTC Chairman.
David
From:
ChiefKnott
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 9:35 AM
To: k-d-kentsmith JR6@a parsoni1@; walden
Cc: Lavstetsonm
Subject: Re: Suggested Changes in The Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution
Hi all,
I've gotten back to reviewing the State and Omaha Chapter Constitutions and I
agree that changes need to be made. Here are some of my thoughts:
In Article III, Section 2, it states (applicant) "He shall file the application
with the Secretary of the Chapter having jurisdiction over the area in which he
resides, accompanied by the admission fee and dues for the current year.
The local Secretary will submit such application to the State Secretary who will
forward such application to the Secretary-General of the National Society and
when returned by him approved the applicant shall be considered elected and the
majority of the Board of Managers present at any meeting having concurred
therein, the applicant shall be entitled to a certificate of membership."
I have no problem with doing this as the Chapter Secretary but we still should
have someone checking the application and insuring it's submitted on water
marked paper. It's a big job and David has been doing a great job insuring
all the "T"s are crossed. If we leave it up to the individual to sink or
swim I'm not sure we'll get many new members. Hopefully, David, you would
continue in that capacity but we should change the Constitution to reflect
Chapter Registrar or Membership Chairman.
A Board of Managers is probably a good thing but I'm not convinced we need them
to concur on each membership. Perhaps we could leave that up to the
individual Chapter.
Article IV (Officers). It says the Officers (8) plus six others make up
the Board of Managers. We have the officers for two years but the "six
others" we have for one year. Will it be a chore to corral six others each
year?
Article VII. I'm sure we can get this approved by the Board of Managers
before our Annual meeting and then present it to the membership at that time
(for a two-thirds majority vote).
Chapter - Article VI states that the Chapter Officers will take office at the
annual State meeting. That is a great time to recognize these individuals
(both chapters) and have a short but appropriate ceremony.
Our Chapter does have important jobs that are necessary for the smooth running
of our chapter and should be discussed to determine if they should be classified
as Officers. Never the less, I concur they should be included in our
Constitution:
Membership Chairman
Flag Chairman
ROTC Chairman
I certainly agree with the thoughts of David Kentsmith, John Parsons and John
Reinert. Bob Knott
In a message dated 9/22/2009 8:53:31 A.M. Central Daylight Time, k-d-kentsmith@
Great suggestions John R.
I think there needs to be some clarification about how the Trustees are chosen
and also how the State Presidents are chosen. Currently it seems the State
Presidents become President after finishing a term as Local President and rotate
the Presidency between Omaha and Lincoln. Probably should be made clear in
the State Constitution. I would suggest that the State Delegates are the
past State Presidents who also serve a two year term.
None of my business but shouldn’t the Lincoln chapter or any chapter for that
matter in Nebraska have a constitution?
We also need to set up a way to elect State officers – I would suggest e-mail
ballot or mail ballot for those who do not use e-mail.
David
From:
jr6@
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 1:21 AM
To: k-d-kentsmith@; parsoni1@;
walden; ChiefKnott@
Cc: Lavstetson@; bec_corp@i
Subject: Re: Suggested Changes in The Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution
David, et al.
1.) The only discrepancies I find are as follows:
Article III Section 2 of the State Constitution where it says, "in duplicate"
should be omitted.
2.) Also where our Nebraska Society
Constitution talks about "the admission fee and dues for the current year", I
would like to confirm that the National Handbook, Volume II, page 13, "New
member annual dues for that calendar year in which their applications are
approved by the National Society and is included in the application fee." is as
inclusive as it states. Translation: I can ensure that the current year
and following year are paid when submitting applications using the fee and dues
structure we've always collected: 60+30+12+2=$104 until December 31st, 2009 and
$124 thereafter. I need to confirm this, since this represents a change in
my understanding at the very least.
3.) A Board of Managers (SAR Handbook), or as the SAR
application refers to it, "State Board of Management" seems to add the State
Trustees to the mix. Were we to meet as a super executive, then Tom and I would
need to be replaced. Trustees traditionally represent state interests at the
National level, whether attending a "Leadership" conference, or in an official
capacity at the National Congress. I also note that a Trustee is senior in rank
to state officers (SAR Handbook, Volume II, page 10) - however no one has
asserted such a pri vilege in my experience. Our State and Omaha Chapter
constitutions are entirely silent on these points.
4.) The Lincoln Chapter has no constitution as I am
aware.
5.) Were we to bring our offices into alignment,
Omaha Chapter, State Society, with each other and the SAR Handbook and By-laws
this will certainly be an education for all of us.
6.) The time and place for setting the Annual Meeting
might be re-worded, even though technically we're clear in my opinion.
7.) A quorum for constitional changes at the state
level is 7, unless we establish a Board of Managers, in which case 3 is enough.
John W. Reinert
NESSAR State Secretary
P.S. It is possible that Tom M and I, not having been
elected at a National Congress, are merely "nominees". Again I reference
page 10 of the SAR Handbook, Volume II.
-----Original Message-----
From: David Kentsmith
To: 'JParsons' ; walden@; ChiefKnott@; JR6
Sent: Mon, Sep 21, 2009 4:01 pm
Subject: Suggested Changes in The Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution
John P,
I agree to everything you proposed including the=2
0annual dues for the Omaha Chapters. I do think we should formalize in
writing all changes so the constitution is a guide for the organization both at
the local chapters and the State. I do think a “board of directors” made
up of The State President as Chair, the State Secretary as Vice Chair and
comprised of the Omaha President and Vice President as well as the Lincoln
President and Vice President including the State Registrar. I does makes
sense to have the board with Quarterly meetings each year for that board
alternating between Omaha and Lincoln.
If we are to change the State Constitution, we need
to broaden the recipients of this series of e-mails – probably should have John
Reinert and Lavern Stetson along with you Bob suggest who else ought to be
included in this discussion i.e., Merle R. and Tom Masters just to name a few?
What do you think John Reinert? I would suggest whomever you all think
should be added to this e-mail string just be added by the person who thinks of
the person.
I would be willing to keep track of the discussions
for changing both the Omaha and State Constitutions and draft both the Omaha
Chapter and State Constitutional suggested revisions for purposes of having20the
membership vote on them. The Lincoln Chapter I would think might want to
consider revising their Constitution also at this time.
I would also think that we might want to use e-mail
as a way to vote on constitutional changes to make sure we have the broadest and
largest group of the organization to vote. Those voting would only be
members in “good standing” (current in dues) that vote.
David
From:
JParsons
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:05 PM
To: David Kentsmith;
walden@;
ChiefKnott@;
JR6@
Subject: Re: Suggested Changes in The Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution
Gents,
I've perused the Constitutions of both the state society and the Omaha Chapter,
and have found, as we all expected, numerous things enumerated that we are not
doing or doing differently. First, on the subject of State Officers.
I'm not certain that we've had multiple Vice-Presidents in some time, nor have
we seperated the offices of Secretary and Treasurer, nor do we have (at least to
my knowledge) a board of directors. I'd suggest that we make the state
constitution reflect reality and make those changes accordingly. Secondly,
while we alternate the office of state president between the Omaha and Lincoln
Chapters (no problem with that), that practice is not stipulated. Do we
need to explicitly state that, or do we continue to use the gentlemen's
agreement. I'm not hard over on that, one way or the other.
Similarly, in the Omaha Chapter, we need to define the chapter officers that we
really want to have. We have split the offices of secretary and treasurer
(primarily so Bob didn't get stuck with everything at one fell swoop, like I
did), but we could recombine them at some point. I've also assumed the
duties of the ROTC Medal presentation (ordering the medals and certificates,
getting them distributed, setting up presenters, etc.). While the ROTC
Chairman job should not necessarily be listed as a separate office, we ought to
acknowledge that it exists. Don Classen did a good job trying to coordinate
all of those disparate duties, but I think a little separation of chores makes
it not quite as onerous and a bit easier on all. Finally, I notice that
our chapter dues are $3.00 per year. That's the first time I've ever heard
that. I'm not averse to charging dues: in fact, the only income we get is
from the ROTC medal income, and, in my humble opinion, we should'nt be using
that source to pay for all Chapter activities. I certainly think a minimum
of $10 annually would not be out of line for local dues.
That's my two cents worth.
Cheers,
John
----- Original Message -----
From:
Kentsmith
To:
walden@ ;
ChiefKnott@ ;
parsoni1@ ;
JR6
Sent:
Saturday, September 19, 2009 10:00 PM
Subject:
Suggested Changes in The Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution
Fred, Bob, John and John,
Here are some changes I think would be appropriate to
make to our Omaha Chapter SAR Constitution to bring it up to date. You can
read the whole Constitution of the Omaha Chapter at the following URL on our
Nebr. SAR Web site: (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nesar/omaconsbylaw.htm).
Please provide your comments (reply to all ) to this
e-mail.
Thank you
David