President General
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PRESIDENT GENERAL I would like to extent a hearty thanks to Sarah Hardy, Convention News: Awards Chair, and member of the Elizabet Ney Chap- The ladies of District IV produced an incredible 127th ter of Washington D. C. The Awards Committee pre- Convention in Addison. It featured interesting and sented thirty-five Six Start Chapter Awards. This was informative workshops on Thursday that were very an increase from last year and is very impressive. The well attended. This format continues to be popular number of other chapter awards given indicates that with members. If there are specific topics that you chapters are working to progress the DRT Mission and would like to see included in future conventions, Objectives. Thank you so much. please discuss with you District Representative. The programs were awesome, the music was great, what CRT Convention beautiful and nostalgic music. Thank you again Dis- I am looking forward to the CRT Convention in Deer trict IV, and its co-Chairs Johnnie McWilliams and Park this month. It promises to be a wonderful time. Susan Aikin. As of early June, there were about 110 members and guests planning to take the field trip to the San Jacinto As this was the bylaws convention, Friday’s afternoon Monument and the new Juan Seguin Park. session was devoted to the bylaws. Thanks to our pro- fessional parliamentarian Kirk Overbey and Bylaws RTHC Committee Chair Kay Crews we were able to get The Republic of Texas History Center Committee held through all but one proposed bylaw amendment that a program Thursday afternoon at Convention. It was afternoon. well attended. Each member of the committee pre- sented an aspect of the project from the funding to the I am excited about the three new committees ap- design. There were questions about elements of the proved, two will assist in operations and one will as- design, funding, expenditures, and timing. The com- sist with genealogical research. These committees mittee received a standing ovation at this meeting and have been functioning as Special Committees this past after their report on Saturday morning. There were year and we have seen the positive impact that they questions on the revised design of the RTHC during a have and will have. discussion of BOM actions that were not in order at this time. To respond to those questions: Last year All those who attended District Meetings heard me the RTHC presented an L-shaped design, with a red speak of the need for growth. Significant growth in roof, and limestone walls. As we progressed we found the number of members is very important to the over- two major problems with the design. The first related all sustainability of our organization both financially to fire codes which resulted in having the ground level and functionally. Registrar General Glenda Wise in two unconnected wings. The second related to cost took on the challenge of increasing membership by nd timing. With the appropriations by TxDOT of the 8%. She issued this challenge to the chapter regis- front of the current HQ site, and the projected disrup- trars. Twenty-five chapters responded meeting the tion of our functions there, a decision was made that to challenge. Those chapter names are contained in this reduce the costs of the building enabling us to begin issue. They were both large and small chapters. I building sooner. The design presented at this conven- want to commend these chapters for their assistance tion does that. Costly elements of the design were re- with this pillar of our strategic plan. This growth not moved to save construction costs. Thus, this design only helps our organization, it also helps these chap- has no limestone, an altered roof line, and a stream- ters. Thank you to all who participated, and to those lined structure. Members have expressed donor fa- chapters that grew may not have reached this “stretch tigue and just want to get this building built. Reduc- goal”. ing the cost of the building will help with this goal. It is important to get this project finished. Daughters Reflections 1 Spring/Summer 2018 Current Headquarters Building tions of Texas history. Unfor- The Headquarters Relocation Team continues to work tunately, I was not able to at- with TxDOT to prepare for the impact of site work for tend all these events and wish the flyover, The major work is not scheduled to begin to thank President General- until 2019 but some minor work has already begun. Elect Carolyn Raney for rep- Given below is a figure of the property acquired by resenting DRT at many of the TxDOT (pink) and photos of where the support for the events that I was not able to flyover will be constructed. Note that it will go attend. Hosted by District through the planter in the front of the building. Representative Mary Wieser, I was excited to attend “Dawn at the Alamo,” The Pilgrim- age, and participate in the Bat- tle of Flowers parade. I at- tended the Republic of Texas Museum annual symposium on Jose Antonio Navarro at the State Cemetery. THC presented a slide show on the Jose Antonio Navarro home and museum in San Antonio, and this officer was delighted to learn that the THC team who has FLM oversight also oversees this sight. Communication Communication with members has been a goal which has been challenging. Only 46% of the communica- tions to members using Constant Contact have been HQ Staffing opened by members. A small percentage of the emails There was a reorganization of the HQ staff with the used are returned but a considerable number, >30%, resignation of the Membership Records Clerk. The appear to be received but not opened. Staff has been addition of a bookkeeper position and the reorganiza- working very hard with the District Representatives tion of staff was done without increasing the number and chapters to update member emails. Chapter presi- of employees. To support staff and ensure compliance dents have been encouraged to send out all communi- with State and Federal laws with respect to employee cations to members to help with distribution of relations, a Human Resources Committee was ap- minutes and notices. proved at this convention. The organization is strug- gling with a fragile IT infrastructure and the new In- I wish to thank the members of the Board of Manage- formation Technology Committee is addressing this ment, committee members and chairs, and chapter issue. members who have worked so hard this year to for- ward the mission and goals of the Daughters of the Historic Celebrations Republic of Texas. Collectively, we can make a dif- I was honored to be invited to attend several celebra- ference. Daughters Reflections 2 Spring/Summer 2018 With the 300th celebrations in San Antonio this year, there a parade to the Alamo. A late afternoon program fol- was a Tartan Day celebrated by the Scottish Society. This lowed at the Alamo with Scottish dancers, singers, trib- officer dearly loves pipes and drums and had the oppor- utes to the four Alamo defenders from Scotland, and the tunity to represent DRT. The annual Tartan Day celebra- Scottish lineage for all who fought for the Republic of tion in San Antonio started at the English Pub on the Texas. There were many special messages to me about Riverwalk midafternoon and continued through the week- missing the Daughters at the Alamo and how much they end with Highlander games. She rode a barge preceded appreciated us. by a barge of pipes and drums in a River Parade with the mayor of San Antonio, Ron Nirenberg, the Very Honora- ble Viscount Dunrossil, Andrew Morrison, Former First Minister of Scotland, Henry MacLeish, and many others. After a reception at the English Pub, the group walked in Your Treasurer General presented a program on DRT Fi- nance at Convention this year. It was on Thursday, May 17th, 1:30pm, and was well attended. The program was educational and informative as it discussed the fund ac- counting and income reporting aspects of DRT finances and gave financial information for the past In February, all chapter treasurers were sent a revised copy of the Chapter Treasurer's Handbook. It contains the updated Treasurer's Calendar as well as samples of dues forms, how to file the chap- ter's IRS Form 990 and instructions for the Related Entity Form. Every In addition to recording all minutes of regularly sched- chapter treasurer should be sure to have a printed copy of this hand- uled meetings and called meet- book for easy reference. The ings, I have been working on a handbook and all forms needed by couple of other projects that did a treasurer are posted in the Forms not have a coordinator. section of our members' website. DUES COLLECTION & REPORTING: This year we I prepared an update to the Na- changed the time period for collection of DRT dues. tive Texas License Plate bro- Collection began on April 1st and all dues must be sent to chure which is now available at Headquarters by July 10th. To qualify for the Six Star HQ. I urge all chapters to get Award, the chapter's dues and reports must be mailed to Headquarters, postmarked no later than June 15th. The copies of this an place it in as change was prompted by inquires from Suzy Burt of the many public places as you are allowed. James Tilley Edwards chapter and echoed by other chap- I have completed the 2016-2017 Annual Proceedings ter treasurers. Chapter treasurers do not like to spend their entire summer collecting dues.