Yesterday the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) held it 35th Anniversary Annual Conference at the Marriott in Marlboro. This is how a conference should be run!
Registrations were from 8:15 to 9:00 a.m. but people were still signing in late morning. One hundred and seventy-five people registered for the conference and only a few could not make it at the last moment because of illness.
A Continental Breakfast was available for everyone and plenty of coffee all day long. Nice!
The day opened with welcoming words from the president Pat Stano followed by reports from the president, recording secretary and treasurer. It was then time to vote on changes in the by-laws. Because there were quite a few changes to vote on, the rest of the annual meeting was postponed to 2:45p.m. at which time, and after ample discussion of some changes, a vote was taken around 4:00p.m. to accept the changes as presented by the by-laws committee. This committee really did its job well and the members should be grateful for the time and deliberation they put into their work. I have been on by-laws committees and it is usually a thankless job.
This coming year there will be committee work on policies and procedures to be presented at next years annual meeting. Some of what was removed by the by-laws will go into the yet to be created policies and procedures where it truly belongs.
There were really great vendors who were part of the conference. I was pleased that I could speak with representatives from the National Archives, Waltham and the Massachusetts State Archives respectively. Other vendors: Barefoot Books, "Reflections", Massachusetts Genealogical Council, New England Association of Professional Genealogists, Jonathan Sheppard Books, Michael's Arts & Crafts, Heritage Makers.
All of the MSOG chapters: Bristol, Martha's Vineyard, Merrimack Valley, Middlesex, Worcester had display tables and raffles. Everyone did a great job!
A main raffle was also held as well as a silent auction. Another highlights were the Family Tree displays and the souvenir book. Many worked so hard to make this conference the success that it was.
Also new to this year's MSOG Conference was the Ancestors Road Show that I was pleased to co-chair with Margaret Dube. NEAPG (New England Association of Professional Genealogists) provided consultants for the road show. Twenty-two people signed out to meet with consultants. First time out I believe this was a great success and something to carry forward in future conferences.
The speakers were as follows:
Dick Eastman - "The Organized Genealogist"
Gary L. Hylander, PhD - "A Pilgrim Thanksgiving"
Leslie Albrecht Huber - "The Journey Takers: An Inside Look at Immigration Research"
Sharon Sergeant - "The Road Less Traveled"
Gene Vogt - "A Personal Family Search: Following Threads to Find Out Where You Come From"
Meldon J. Wofgang III - "So, you think you know all about city directories?"
Great speakers all and terrific presentations to help researchers at all levels.
The day ended with the slate of officers presented by the Nominating Committee being accepted. There were no nominations from the floor and the officers were unanimously voted into office. Officers for the Board of Directors 2010-2011:
Patricia M. Stano-Carpenter, President
Richard Wetmore, Vice President
Michele Simoneau, Treasurer
Janine Penfield, Recording Secretary
Robert J. Bartlett, Corresponding Secretary
Elaine Benjamin, Arcivist/Historian
Genevieve De Haan, Membership Director
Carol Gafford, Past Times Editor
Hope Tillman, Webmaster
The Chapter Presidents also sit on the Board of Directors.
The Chapter Presidents also sit on the Board of Directors.
We wish them a great year as they work to move the society forward.
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Lucie's Legacy
Lucie LeBlanc Consentino
7 November 2010
