The Spring 2006 SSpurpur and PPhoenixhoenix Chief: The Right Honourable Earl of Annandale and Hartfell merica Plans for Tartan Day Announced Tartan Day planning starts earlier each year. Since last September, there has been a A flurry of activity in getting ready for Tartan Day 2006. Since the year 2006 is the 230th anniversary of the country’s founding, even more emphasis is being placed on the signifi- cance of the date. The popularity of David McCullough’s book, 1776, gives further evi- dence of that recognition. Robert Murdoch, national chairman of Tartan Day, said the annual Tartan Day award will be presented at the Eleventh Annual Scottish Symposium during Tartan Week in Washington, D.C. Because of work schedules, most organizations around the country celebrate Tartan Day events during the entire period (April 1-10), rather than just on April 6th. Robert Currie has announced The Clan Currie will again highlight the Ellis Island Im- migration Law Museum in Washington, D.C. The New York City Tartan Day Parade will take place on Saturday, April 8. In Louisiana, despite the ravages of the hurricane, Mon- ton/e in ton/e roe Stewart of Monroe, LA, reports the Scottish Society of Schreveport will be having a S Scottish Festival at the farm of Dr. Alan Cameron. And there will be the annual Kirkin’ Service at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Monroe. On the small island of Martha’s Vineyard, seven miles off the coast of Massachusetts, there will be an exhibit at the Vine- yard Haven Library of famous Scots such as James Naismith, the inventor of the game of basketball, John Logie Baird, the inventor of television, Juliette Gordon Low, the founder ohn of the Girl Scouts of America, and others. The celebration of Tartan Day provides an umbrella for all persons with Scottish inter- J ests to come together and honor their heritage. There are jobs for all: handing out litera- ture at shopping malls, post offices and other traffic-heavy locations; preparing news re- leases for the media; arranging for proclmations from governors; rounding up dance groups and pipe bands for special performances. Although some prefer a simple observance, such as a backyard barbecue or a Scottish tea, others are more elaborate. This year, one of the more spectacular events will be the lan lan celebration planned by the Minnesota Tartan Day Cooperative, chaired by Dana Drazan of Minneapolis. The list of events includes a Grand March at the State Capital with the Duluth Scottish Heritage Pipes and Drums and the Duluth Scottish Heritage Highland C Vol.26 Dancers.(Continued on page 5) No.1 Quarterly Newsletter of Clan Johnston/e In America, 215 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary, NC 27511 Genealogist: Spring 2006 Council of Officers Barbara Hockman 6927 Rene Court Newsletter Team Shawnee, KS 66216, USA Editor: Telephone: (913) 268-5683 President: e-mail: [email protected] Jackie Johnston Stephen A. Johnston, Ph.D. Authors/Contributors 215 S.E. Maynard Road Members-at- Large: Steve Johnston Cary, NC 27511, USA Carol Koeslag Billye Tellinger Telephone (H): (919) 380-7707 Billye Tellinger Telephone (W): (919) 541-5885 7473 Dale Court Dennis & Betty Watts Westminster, CO 80030 USA e-mail: [email protected] Bart Johnston Telephone: (303) 427-6769 Margot Johnston e-mail: [email protected] Vice President (East): Jackie Johnston Pat Johnston R. Bartlett Johnston Carol Koeslag Duncan MacDonald 19 Doon Road 301 Engleburn Avenue Harold Johnston Underhill, Vermont 05489, USA Peterborough, ON K9H 1S8, Canada David C. Johnston Jr. Telephone: (802) 899-3015 Telephone: (705) 741-4185 Will Johnstone e-mail: [email protected] Lindsey Johnstone Joseph Johnston Kathleen Sloan Vice President (West): 1-1171 Meadowlands Drive East Ruth Parnell Lindsey Johnstone Ottawa, ON K2E 6J5, Canada Andy Johnson 2119 Aberdeen Avenue NE Telephone: (613) 226-1192 Renton, Washington 98056, USA e-mail: [email protected] Thanks to Dee Johnston for her services typing and (425) 271-7783 forwarding articles. [email protected] Immediate Past President: Jeffrey M. Johnstone, Esq., FSA Scot Secretary : 62 Babcock Drive Please contact CJA if Dennis Watts Rochester, NY 14610, USA you have a change of e in America in e 240 Lexington Circle Telephone (H): (585) 473-0404 address. For each in- Telephone(W): (585) 899-1400 / Athens, GA 30605, USA correct address, the Telephone (H): (706) 549-0130 Fax: (585) 461-1194 Postal Service charges e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] 70 cents to give us the correct address. Treasurer: Honorary President Katherine Bailey-Mathae Arthur W. Johnston, FSA Scot Visit us at 4027 N. 20th Rd. P.O. Box 71 Arlington, VA 22207 USA Goffstown NH 03045-0071, USA www.clanjohnston.org email: [email protected] Telephone (W): (603) 497-2897 Clan Johnston/e in America is an Telephone (H):(603) 497-3281 educational and charitable organi- Fax: (603) 497-8085 zation that is exempt from taxation Registrar: e-mail: [email protected] Margot Johnston under Section 501(c)(3) of the US. P.O. Box 71 Internal Revenue Code. It is also Goffstown, NH 03045-007, USA classified as a public charity. Con- (603) 497-3281 Important Notice tributions to Clan Johnston/e in e-mail: [email protected] America are tax deductable under From the Editor U..S. law. Newsletter Editor: I still haven’t sold my home and do not Clan Johnston/e in America pro- Jackie Johnston know where I will be for the next dead- duces the Spur & Phoenix on a non- profit basis for the information of 4590 S. Lake Sarah Drive line so please continue to send articles & photos to my daughter, Dee Johnston, its member. The Newsletter Editor Maple Plain, MN 55359, USA has compiled the contents with due Telephone (H): (763) 479-2610 5285 Manchester Dr. Apt. 310, Maple care and in good faith from sources e-mail: [email protected] Plain, MN 55359 or email them to: that are believed to be genuine and [email protected] accurate. The views expressed by any of the authors of articles are not National Membership Com. and copy them to me at Debra Johnston necessarily those of the Newsletter [email protected] Editor, the Council or the mem- 7779 N. 95th Ave. W. bers of Clan Johnston/e in America. Baxter, IA 50028, USA Next Newletter Deadline http://members.aye.net/~autumn/gengraphics.html Clan Johnston Clan 641-227-3477 May 6, 2006 Clan badge designs, copyright Romilly Squire & Gaelic Themes Page 2 Dear CJA Members, I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday period in December and January, and that you were able to use this time to celebrate family ties and renew your energy level for 2006. I also hope you will be able and inclined to share with CJA some of your energy, enthusiasm, talent, time, and whatever else you can spare. To that end, I would like to challenge each of you to set some goals (resolutions?) for your involvement in CJA. As you know, we are a volunteer organization, and no one gets paid for his or her contributions (or as some would say, in my case I get paid what I’m worth). And as with any volunteer organization, what you get out of it is not so much what services the organization provides, but what you put into the organization. So I ask each of you to increase your level of participation in CJA, not just for our success, but also for your own sense of accomplishment. How can you participate? There are many ways. I mentioned several in the previous Spur and Phoenix—you can serve as tent sponsors, committee members, contributors to the Spur and Phoenix, etc. We also have several states and provinces that don’t have commissioners currently, and we need these commissioners to work with our National Membership Chairperson, Debra Johnston, and our tent sponsors. There are several other ways to increase your involvement. As a 501(c) (3) organization, any donations you make to CJA are tax deductible. CJA itself makes several donations each year to worthy organizations with Scottish (and often Johnston) links, and we operate a scholarship program that offers scholarships in the Scot- tish arts (dancing, piping, drumming, singing, Gaelic, etc.) You can donate to CJA for these purposes, and you can also donate to our Memorial Fund in memory of a family member, friend, or acquaintance who has passed away. You can also help at the creative level — we welcome any of your ideas for new initiatives. We need your help with membership too. You can help by letting our Registrar, Margot Johnston, know when a member has moved or passed away. We also need your help in recruiting new members and help CJA grow. How about setting a personal goal to bring at least one additional person or family into CJA in 2006? We need to grow not only in terms of number of members, but also in terms of youth, young adult, and young-at-heart members. Are you interested? I surely hope so. Do you have questions? Feel free to e-mail, call, or write me — see my contact information in the Council of Officers list on page 2. Will you regret it? No way, just the opposite! In closing, I hope I’ll have the opportunity to see you at one of the Scottish games this year. I also hope you’ll be able to attend our 30th anniversary celebration at the Stone Mountain (GA) Highland Games October 20-22. Please make your plans for this now – details are provided elsewhere in this issue.