The regular meeting of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter, SAR, was held following dinner at the Golden Corral in Chillicothe, Ohio. President Donald Martin called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Pledge to the SAR. Curtis Fleisher gave the invocation. There were 11 members and 8 guests present.

Secretary-Treasurer Shawn Cox distributed the minutes of the June 2009 meeting and the treasurer’s report. There were no corrections to either report. There was a motion to accept the Secretary and Treasurer report as distributed by Robert Grim and seconded by Dr. Michael Geron. Motion passed. Secry-Treas. Shawn Cox reported that he will be selling raffle tickets for $5 for a 50/50 split the pot. This is a fundraiser sponsored by the Ohio Society to help defray the cost of hosting the National Congress in 2010.

President Don Martin reported that he and Secretary Cox had attended the Summer BOM meeting and Fort Laurens ceremony at Bolivar in July and received a streamer for the flag. He then reported that our chapter awarded two Flag Certificates this past year and reminded everyone of the criteria for the Flag Award and asked everyone to look for candidates to nominate for next year. The theme for next years poster contest will be the Battle of Bunker Hill.

President Martin announced that the next meeting will be held on 21 October at the Bell Tower in Bourneville and it will be a joint meeting with the DAR. The guest speaker will be Jeffrey Gering, director of the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. Reservations are to be made through the call committee with Secretary Cox having the final tally by 14 October.

Robert Grim’s “Grim Glimpse of History” covered the Constitutional Convention and recounted some of the experiences of the delegates to the convention.

Bob Fetters reported for the Graves Registration Committee that there is a double Revolutionary War grave marking ceremony being planned for sometime in May 2010 for two patriot brothers, Bartholomew and John Baker, both buried in the Ater Cemetery in Ross County.

Lee Vititoe gave a report on the SAR booth at the Ross County Fair. He reported that he has six prospective applicants that may be interested in membership in the SAR.

After some discussion, it was decided that our chapter would like to enter a float into the Circleville Pumpkin Show Parade on Friday evening, 23 October. Marvin Spradlin made a motion to participate in the parade and Tim Barada seconded. Motion passed. Dr. Geron made a motion to seek financial assistance from the State to help sponsor a float in the parade and Marvin Spradlin seconded. Motion passed. President Martin appointed Tim Barada, Bob Fetters, David Rieder, Marvin Spradlin to serve on the Parade Committee and appointed Curtis Fleisher to chair the committee.

Robert Grim made a motion to increase our dues by $5 to cover the $5 increase that will be paid to the National SAR. It was seconded by Curtis Fleisher. Motion passed.

Robert Grim, chairman of the Awards Committee, with assistance from Ross County Sheriff George Lavender, presented the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal to Randy Sanders of the Ross County Sheriffs Department.

President Don Martin presented the program for the evening. In “Signers of the Declaration of Independence” he spoke about the men who signed the Declaration and what happened to them during and after the war. Many fought in the war and were captured or died from wounds or hardships of war. Many more had their homes looted and burned and their possessions stolen and they died poor.

With no other business, President Don Martin closed the meeting with the SAR Recessional.

The regular meeting of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter, SAR, was held following dinner at the Golden Corral in Chillicothe, Ohio. Vice President David Rieder called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Pledge to the SAR. Chaplain Tony Robinson gave the invocation. There were 11 members and 25 guests present.

Secretary-Treasurer Shawn Cox distributed the minutes of the May 2009 meeting and the treasurer’s report. There were no corrections to either report. There was a motion to accept the Secretary and Treasurer report as distributed by Tony Robinson and seconded by Dr. Michael Geron. Motion passed.

There was no Presidents report due to the absence of President Don Martin and Vice President David Rieder had nothing to report.

Ohio Society President Tony Robinson reported that he has named Robert Grim as Chair of the Grants Committee and reminded the chapter that the Fort Laurens BOM and Wreath Laying Ceremony is scheduled for July 25th at the site of Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort in present day Bolivar. Tony then reported that the Ohio Society Color Guard will be at the Ashville Fourth of July Festival on 28 June for a church service that will feature Patrick Henry Jolly, a descendant of Patrick Henry.

Robert Grim’s presentation on the Battle of Bunker Hill and Breed‘s Hill was this months installment of the “Grim Glimpse of History”.

Dr. Michael Geron, chair of the Flag Committee, introduced Curtis Fleisher who sponsored this years award winner. Curtis presented the Flag Award to Charles & Becky Holloway, of Fayette County, for correctly displaying the American Flag at their home at all times, day or night.

Bob Fetters reported that Dee Hathaway of the DAR invited our chapter to share a booth at the Ross County Fair in August. The membership felt this was a good idea and VP Rieder asked everyone to consider volunteering some time to help the DAR with the booth.

Tony Robinson, on behalf of the Awards Committee, with assistance from Fire Chief Barnes presented the EMS-Fire Award to Mark Gray, of the Chillicothe Fire Department.

Vice President David Rieder presented Bob Fetters with his 39th supplemental ancestor certificate for his patriot ancestor, William Reeder. Bob then introduced his grandson, Matthew Billock, who is the newest member and first junior member of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter. Matthew has joined based on the service of his patriot ancestor, George Fetters.

Dr. Michael Geron introduced the speaker for the evening, Joe Forte, who presented the program “America’s First Veterans”. Joe Forte began his discussion with a review of the history of early colonial wars and continued with the Revolutionary War focusing on the Western Theater. He discussed the soldiers of Pennsylvania who served under General McIntosh and marched out of Fort Pitt and built Fort McIntosh and Fort Laurens. These men were then stationed at Fort Laurens suffering through a very cold winter, starvation and constant attacks from Indians.

With no other business, Lee Vititoe moved and Tony Robinson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. Vice President David Rieder closed the meeting with the SAR Recessional at 7:55 pm.

The regular meeting of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter, SAR, was held following dinner at the Golden Corral in Chillicothe, Ohio. President Donald Martin called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Pledge to the SAR. Chaplain Tony Robinson gave the invocation. There were 13 members and 14 guests present, including 7 Ohio Society officers and the Camp Charlotte Chapter President, Richard Hartinger. President Martin introduced the Immediate Past Ohio Society President Tim Ward who in turn introduced the other 6 Ohio Society officers. They were: Trustee Dick Fetzer, 1st Vice President John Franklin, 2nd Vice President Jim Fast, Treasurer/Registrar Gregg McCullough, Past President Paul Wilke, Past Secretary Jack Langlitz.

Secretary-Treasurer Shawn Cox distributed the minutes of the April 2009 meeting and the treasurer’s report. There were no corrections to either report. There was a motion to accept the minutes as distributed by Robert Grim and seconded by Dr. Michael Geron. Motion passed. Then a motion was made to accept the treasurer’s report by Robert Grim and seconded by Dr. Geron. Motion passed.

President Martin reported that he had attended the Spring BOM Meeting on 2 May 2009. Our chapter Eagle Scout Representative, Peter Tyree had won the state competition but could not attend the BOM Meeting. Our chapter Patriotic Poster Contest winner, Taylor Bentley came in 2nd in the state competition, but could not attend our meeting to receive her award. President Martin will be giving the awards to these students at their school award ceremonies.

Robert Grim’s “Grim Glimpse of History” covered the Patriot George Taylor, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Taylor was relatively unknown and today is almost forgotten because he was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Continental Congress for only a few months when he signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Dr. Geron, chairman of the Flag Committee, announced that he is still accepting nominations for the Flag Certificate Award to be awarded in June.

Robert Grim announced that Curtis Fleisher awarded the JROTC Medal to Phil Townsend at Laurel Oaks on 29 April and Don Martin announced he awarded the ROTC Medal to Michael Mays at Paint Valley on 14 May.

Prospective members Roger Brewer and Bob Blue were introduced.

Past Ohio Society President Tim Ward awarded Marvin Spradlin with a Past Chapter President certificate.

Ohio Society Past President Tim Ward and Ohio Society Trustee Dick Fetzer installed Tony Robinson as the new Ohio Society President. After the installation ceremony, Tony gave a few remarks beginning by thanking his wife, the Ohio Society officers and his home chapters for all their support. Tony then announced that he had created a new committee to work with grants and the monies the SAR provides for scholarships and other programs. He has also created a committee called the Spirituality of Our Founders. This committee will explore the morals and standards of our founders so that they may be emulated by today’s leaders. Tony also announced that he will continue to award the Distinguished Chapter Award and that he wants the Veterans Affairs Committee to be active in remembering and working with our veterans. Tony then announced his new slate of chairmanships for all society committees.

Tim Barada introduced the speaker, Bob Blue, who presented a program about the history of aviation in Ross County and the history of the Chillicothe airport on North Bridge Street. He then provided information and stories about some of the local aviation pioneers of Ross County.

The regular meeting of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter, SAR, was held following dinner at the Golden Corral in Chillicothe, Ohio. There were 12 members and 3 guests present. President Donald Martin called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Pledge to the SAR. Chaplain Tony Robinson gave the invocation.

Secretary-Treasurer Shawn Cox distributed the minutes of the March meeting and the treasurer’s report. There were no corrections to either report. There was a motion to accept the minutes as distributed by Dr. Michael Geron and seconded by Tim Barada. Motion passed. There was then a motion to accept the treasurer’s report by Dr. Michael Geron and seconded by Curtis Fleisher. Motion passed. Secretary Shawn Cox then reported that he had begun working on a website for the chapter. He then gave a description of how the website will be set up and invited everyone to check it out and report back to him with any comments or suggestions on what should be added. The new web address is:

Vice President David Rieder was absent due to a conflict with his work schedule so there was no Vice President report.

Tony Robinson reminded the membership that the annual Ohio Society State Conference is coming up on May 1, 2 & 3, 2009 and that our chapter’s Eagle Scout essay contest winner, Peter Tyree, has won the state competition and will be honored at the conference.

In Robert Grim’s “Grim Glimpse of History” he discussed the Revolutionary War history associated with the month of April. On April 19, 1775, the “shot heard round the world” was fired at Lexington which is now called Patriots Day. The Continental Congress approved the preliminary treaty ending the Revolution on April 15,1783. The Treaty of Paris was officially signed by the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France on Sept. 3, 1783. With the Treaty of Paris, the U. S. was officially recognized as an independent nation, establishing our boundaries, permitting fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada and allowed Loyalists to reclaim seized property from the war.

Bob Fetters reported that the grave of Thomas Oliver was already marked as a Revolutionary War Patriots grave and doesn’t need a rededication.

Judging was held in the Chapter Patriotic Poster Contest and the top three were announced. They were:

President Don Martin presented the War Service Medal to Lee Vititoe.

President Don Martin presented the Military Service Medal to Tim Barada.

President Martin presented the program for the meeting discussing the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. He discussed the modern day school textbook interpretation of the amendment and compared that to the original intent of our Founding Fathers. He then clarified the true purpose of the 2nd Amendment by citing the speeches and writings of many of our leading Founding Fathers.

With no other business, President Donald Martin closed the meeting with the SAR Recessional at 7:40 pm.

The regular meeting of the Arthur St. Clair Chapter, SAR was held following dinner at the Golden Corral in Chillicothe.  There were ten members and six guests present.  President Donald Martin called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Pledge to the SAR.  The invocation was delivered by Chaplain Tony Robinson.

Officers Reports
There was no Vice President report due to the absence of VP David Rieder.

Secy-Treas. Shawn Cox distributed the minutes of the previous meeting and the Treasurers report to the membership.  As there was no corrections, a motion was made to accept them by Dr. Geron and seconded by Curtis Fleisher.  The Secretary-Treasurers Report was then approved as delivered.

President Martin reminded everyone that our April meeting will be at the Golden Corral on the 15th, instead of holding a joint meeting with the Camp Charlotte Chapter.  He then reminded the membership that we needed a program for that night.

President Martin reported that he will be presenting ROTC certificates and medals at Laurel Oaks Career Development Center on 29 April and at Paint Valley High School on 14 May.  Curtis Fleisher will be assisting with the presentations.

It was reported that in response to an inquiry by a compatriot from Louisiana, about the grave of Thomas Oliver, a Revolutionary War veteran buried at Mt. Zion Cemetery, that Oliver does already have a grave marker stating he was a Revolutionary veteran.

Curtis Fleisher asked that the Call Committee keep the Chapter informed on the health of our members that cannot make it to the meetings.

Robert Grim presented his “Grim Glimpse of History” on the evacuation of Boston on 17 March 1776.  On 4 March, George Washington ordered fortifications to be built on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston so that cannons could be brought up from Fort Ticonderoga to fire on the British in Boston.  The British had hoped to use their ships in the Boston Harbor to attack the American position, but a storm had prevented this from happening.  So after the Americans had their guns in place on Dorchester Heights, the British agreed to surrender Boston.  On 17 March 1776, the British evacuated Boston.  In addition to St. Patrick’s Day, that day in Boston is now known as Evacuation Day.

Marvin Spradlin was awarded the Bronze Color Guard Medal and a Past Chapter Presidents Pin and Certificate.

President Martin awarded Fire Chief Mike Stanley, of Waverly, Ohio, the Fire Safety Commendation Award.

Curtis Fleisher introduced the guest speaker, Lauran Perrill who presented the slideshow program, “Abraham Lincoln’s Life in Pictures”.  Her program covered Lincoln’s entire lifetime, from his birth in Hodgenville, Ky., in Indiana, New Salem and Springfield, Illinois and through the White House years.  She concluded with his death on 15 April 1865 and burial in Springfield.

As there was no other business, President Martin adjourned the meeting with the Recessional at 8:00 pm.