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Council News from • for • and About Your Association Gettysburg

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Council News from • for • and About Your Association Gettysburg Photo by John Armstrong ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED BATTLEFIELD GUIDES® GETTYSBURG, PA Association of Licensed Battlefield Vol. 38 No. 5 November 2020 Guides® Battlefield Dispatch 717•337•1709 “Gettysburg proved a significant turning point in the war, and therefore in the preservation of the United States and abolition of slavery. The Civil War ® ended lingering doubts, since its conception, about whether the United States would survive.” – James McPherson, American Civil War Historian The ALBG was founded The in 1916 as the official organization to contributed by LBG Jason Hileman represent and promote licensed guiding at Council NEWS FROM • FOR • AND ABOUT YOUR ASSOCIATION Gettysburg. Interested individuals who do not hold guide licenses may join the ALBG as Asso- ciate members by submitting annual dues of GREETINGS FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. $25. Membership includes a subscription to the Battlefield Dispatch and covers the fiscal I hope that this copy of Dispatch finds you and your family doing well as we enter the year July 1– June 30. fall and winter season. Visitation to the park appears to be increasing slowly. Based on our ALBG Phone Reservation statistics and those recently shared by GNMP Superintendent EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Steve Sim, visitation appears to be around 35% of normal. The month of October has been TERM ENDING IN 2020 – LBGs the peak month of visitation the past couple years per the NPS, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed! Rob Abbott • Chuck Burkell •Deb Novotny • Therese Orr Recent discussions with our guide representatives and the Gettysburg Foundation have led to TERM ENDING IN 2021 – LBGs changes in their reservation system (Tessitura) to make same day (random) tour assignments similar Jasan Hileman • Jim Cooke to the past “draw”, whereby the order of tour assignment will remain consistent through the day. The • Eric Lindblade • Jessie Wheedleton TERM ENDING IN 2022 – LBGs Gettysburg Foundation is encouraging guides to take advantage of same day guiding at the M&VC. Les Fowler • Jim Hessler Nominations for 4 Executive Council positions were accepted through October 13. Each year, 4 Exec- •Mary Turk-Meena • Gary Vezza utive Council members term expires, and we hold an election to fill those positions. The outgoing EC members may reenter the election process by entering their names into the nominations. To review, ALBG Battlefield Dispatch c/o ALBG, Inc. your existing Executive Council consists of the following guides listed by their ending term year: PO Box 4152 • Term ending in 2020: Rob Abbott, Chuck Burkell, Deb Novotny, Therese Orr Gettysburg, PA 17325-4152 • Term ending in 2021: Jim Cooke, Eric Lindblade, Jess Wheedleton, Jasan Hileman Newsletter .... Dave Joswick (ALBG) [email protected] • Term ending in 2022: Les Fowler, Jim Hessler, Mary Turk-Meena, Gary Vezza [email protected] Watch for ballots to be made available around the beginning of November. The Battlefield Dispatch is the official com- munication of the Association of Licensed The pandemic surely has caused much disruption, but it has also revealed opportunities to better Battlefield Guides®, published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and utilize technology. The Executive Council has been conducting it’s regular meetings via Zoom during December. the pandemic and recently passed a motion to continue to do so through 2021. The Council passed Material for potential publication should the motion concurrent with our annual nomination period so that additional guides might consider be forwarded to the editor via e-mail or standard mail to the addresses listed above. becoming involved. The election will be held in November without debates or campaigning – thank Submission deadline is the 5th day of the goodness! A special thanks you to all those willing to serve a three-year term! month of the publication. All items pub- lished will be credited with byline. Articles The Tuesday evening “Walks through History” were so popular this year that the EC approved without byline are the editor’s work. a similar program to be conducted on Sunday afternoons in the fall. Fall Battle Walks started on © 2020 by ALBG, Inc. • All rights reserved. Sunday, Sept 13 and will continue into November. So far, these events have been equally as popular No part of this publication may be used or as the Summer Walks. Check out the details of these walks on Facebook – Association of Licensed reproduced without the prior written permis- sion of the publisher. Battlefield Guides. Remember that all ALBG Member Guides may attend at no cost as part of our Continuing Education programming. As a ‘newer’ guide, I personally consider this to be a fantastic LEGAL NOTICE The Association of Licensed Battlefield benefit of ALBG membership. Guides® (ALBG) website and the written newsletter known as the Battlefield Dispatch Annual Fall LBG Meeting are the only official communication vehi- cles of the Association of Licensed Battle- Guide Supervisor Ranger Angie Atkinson conducted the annual fall LBG meeting via the ALBG field Guides. Zoom account on Tuesday, October 13th at 7 pm. This is another example of technology forced upon Any officially sanctioned document, publication, class material, class schedule, us by a pandemic but arguably a much more convenient way for many guides to participate. Between field presentation schedules and commu- guides and NPS department heads who provided us with status reports of various projects around the nications—public and private—contained battlefield, more than 80 people participated in the meeting. The ALBG recorded this meeting. It is in these communication vehicles are copy- righted for the exclusive use of the ALBG available for viewing for those of us that were unable to attend. Details on how to access that record- and its members. Any unauthorized use of ing will be communicated via email. said materials for any reason without the specific written permission of the Execu- Defense of monumentation tive Council of the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides is strictly prohibited. Our Association committee on Representation has been and continues to be active in the defense of monumentation and its value to historical interpretation at GNMP. The most recent inclusion of Don’t forget to like language in HR 7608 was, to say the least, a bit alarming. If you are not familiar with the issue, that ALBG on Facebook! 2 Battlefield Dispatch The Council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 bill was introduced to address interim funding to the Dept. WALKS THROUGH HISTORY: of the Interior but included a clause directing the NPS to “remove from display all physical Confederate commemorative Continue Throughout The Fall works, such as statues, monuments, sculptures, memorials, and plaques.” Contributed by LBG Jim Cooke Imagine GNMP and other Civil War battlefields after execution of such a directive! Even as the fall season descends upon us, the ALBG is present- The leadership of the Association is continually looking for ing Walks Through History on Sunday afternoons from 2 P.M. ways to strengthen relationships with all partners of guiding and until 5 P.M. No advance registration is required. Each walk will exploring ways to further serve all LBGs in our shared passion of cost $30. Please pay on the day of the tour with cash or check. The history. If you have ideas, questions, or concerns, please reach out ALBG will not have the ability to accept a credit card payment. to your assigned representative or attend an upcoming meeting The host or a volunteer guide will collect the fee and contact via Zoom to converse with the entire council. You may do so by information (name and email address) from you. Our guide will contacting any EC member with your request. You will be placed be wearing a mask to protect your health; we ask that you do the on the agenda and receive the Zoom meeting details to join. On same. behalf of the Executive Council we thank you for your support! The schedule of the remaining walks follows: Stay well! NOVEMBER 8 - THE DESTRUCTION OF THE 141ST PENNSYLVA- NIA VOLUNTEERS LBG Stu Dempsey CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM Recruited in northeastern Pennsylvania, the soldiers of Col. Henry Madill’s regiment were in many respects emblematic of the ordinary men Will be made available reporting. We will also offer who answered their country’s call in the summer of 1862. After months in early 2021. These will be a program describing our of training and experiencing their first battle at Chancellorsville, the 141st held via ZOOM. Look for a library and the opportunities arrived at Gettysburg on the evening of July 1. The next day, the regi- presentation on income tax for educational resources it ment underwent its most severe trial of the war: when night fell, hardly a reporting and filing, as the offers. Further details will be man in the 141st remained alive and unwounded. Join us for this look at how the tragic fortunes of war descended on this small group of Pennsyl- pandemic has introduced sent to you as the time for vanians. Note: This tour involves a round-trip walk of approximately 2 some different aspects to these approaches in 2021. miles; appropriate clothing and footwear are strongly suggested. your self-employment tax MEETING POINT: Father Corby monument, Hancock Avenue. NOVEMBER 15 - “… THEY WILL COME BOOMING”: JOHN DAVE JOSWICK BUFORD’S MASTERFUL DEFENSE ON JULY 1, 1951 - 2020 1863 David A. Joswick, 69 of LBG Therese Orr Gettysburg, PA passed away suddenly on Sunday, October There are many heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg. John Buford and his 18, 2020. Born July 15, 1951 cavalrymen certainly, in my opinion, are heroes for their defensive stand in Grand Rapids, MI. He was on July 1, 1863. While JEB Stuart was riding around trying to find his army, Buford and his men did find the Army of Northern Virginia.
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