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| Governor Ginny Gotlieb |
We’ve had a busy, productive winter and spring and have interesting events coming up.
DATES: Mark your calendar for the following dates:
June 8-10, 2012 – Southern California Genealogical Society’s Jamboree at Burbank Airport Marriott. (See our May 24 post for details.)
June 30, 2012 – First California Company Annual Meeting and Installation of Officers, Sarducci’s Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, 10:30 am Board Meeting, 11:30 am Luncheon and Installation of Officers. (See the Next Meeting list.)
June 30, 2012 – The Queen’s Jubilee High Tea and Garden Party in Hancock Park, Los Angeles (invitations have been sent to Southern California FCC members)
October 20, 2012 – First California Company Luncheon at San Diego Yacht Club with a talk on Stephen Hopkins by Jamestowne Society member Beverly Nickerson and California’s Mayflower Society Governor Kenneth Whittemore. (See the Next Meetings list.)
November 3, 2012 – Jamestowne Society Luncheon at the Commonwealth Club, Richmond, Virginia
If you have not received your invitation to the June 30th Annual Meeting, please contact Phyllis Kinzle, Membership Chair and Data Base Manager at fccjamestownemembership@gmail.com. Reservations and the $23 meal charge should be sent to Treasurer Harry Holgate, at 115 West Fourth St., #208, Long Beach, California 90802-2312
ANNUAL MEETING
The highlight of our annual meeting will be the installation of officers and a hearty thank you to the outgoing board. We all appreciate the commitment of time and energy generously given by the 2010-2012 board, councilors, and committee chairs:
Linda Ramos, Harry Holgate, Pat Fleming, Cathie Matranga, Joanne Murphy, Scott and Sandy Krutilek, Martha Gresham, Barbara Skimina, Jim McCall, Tesa Gorszwick, Martha Gresham, and Phyllis Kinzle.
Nominees for the 2012-14 Board are:
Governor Ginny Gotlieb
Lt. Governor Donna Derrick
Secretary Julie Plemmons
Treasurer Harry Holgate
Chaplain Martha Gresham
Membership Phyllis Kinzle
Historian Jim McCall
CHURCH TOWER
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| Interior of 17th Century Bell Tower |
Governor Ginny Gotlieb will report to members at the annual meeting on highlights of the national Governors’ Roundtable meeting in Williamsburg May 11, 2012. Of greatest significance is the decision to take a request from Jamestown Rediscoveryfor support for the preservation and restoration of the Jamestown Church Tower to Jamestowne Society members. This is the oldest above ground edifice, and the oldest religious building structure, in the US. Mortar in the church tower is crumbling or missing and in one place plants have rooted high in the wall (as in the photo.) If it is not stabilized soon, it may need to be closed to the public within a few years. You will hear more about this in coming months.
NEW COMPANIES
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| Cathie Matranga receives Golden State Company Charter |
The Jamestowne Society is steadily adding members in California. Cathie Matranga served as the First California Company Membership Chair for some years, aiding members interested in proving their Jamestowne ancestor. As a result of this growth, the Golden State Company was chartered at the national meeting in Williamsburg May 12, 2012. Cathie Matranga is the Organizing Governor. This company will draw primarily from Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Louis Obispo, Kern and other central California counties. Those interested in the Golden State Company may contact her at genecathie@earthlink.net.
Progress is also well underway for the establishment of a company in Northern California where we have a number of loyal members who we have not been able to serve well. It is anticipated that they will be chartered at the November 3, 2012 national meeting. An organizing meeting will be held in July. Michael Phelps of San Francisco is the Organizing Governor. Those interested in this new company may contact him at phelps@alumni.princeton.edu.
With the creation of the Golden State Company and a Northern California company, the First California Company will become a Southern California company. I hope that in the future our three California companies may occasionally collaborate on big event programs that can be offered statewide, capitalizing on the strength of membership in California, while offering convenient regional gatherings on a more frequent basis. We on the West Coast could enjoy a mix of Jamestowne Society opportunities similar to East Coast company members who are able to attend the national luncheons in Richmond and Williamsburg and their local company activities and fellowship.
QUEEN’S JUBILEE
The English Speaking Union has spearheaded a fundraising celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s sixty years on the throne of England. A garden party and high tea will be held in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles from 3-6 pm on June 30, 2012. The British Consul is expected to attend. We will conclude our luncheon in San Juan Capistrano in time that members may go straight to this event. All Southern California First California Company members should have received an invitation by email.
I have served as a liaison with the ESU and will represent the Jamestowne Society at the event. We will display a poster highlighting the Queen’s award to Dr. William Kelso of the highest honor possible for a non-British subject, Commander of the Order of the British Empire. The poster will tell of Dr. Kelso’s archeology work and show a photo of when he toured the Queen at Jamestown in 2007. (See our forthcoming article on Dr. Kelso’s career and the status of archeology at Jamestown.)
The ESU is an international educational charity with branches in Britain and over fifty other nations. The Southern California branch is based in Pasadena. The ESU encourages the effective use and spread of the English language through debates, speaking competitions, student exchange programs, and scholarships. By establishing the model for English colonization, Jamestown contributed to the establishment of English as the dominant global language. We are honored to participate and to have this opportunity to further promote the importance of Jamestown and Dr. Kelso’s role in discovering and reinterpreting the true history of these first English settlers in America.
OUTREACH AND REPRESENTATION
The First California Company has represented its and the national Society’s programs at a number of events this spring. The Governor was recognized at the California State DAR convention as the Jamestowne Society representative and had the opportunity to speak with individuals informally about our activities. She attended the Jamestowne Society’s Governor’s Roundtable, serving as Secretary-Treasurer. (Editor’s note: see a recap of the Society’s Spring Meeting at http://www.jamestowne.org/Jamestowne_Society_May_2012_Meeting_Recap.htm)
Susan and Harry Holgate and Phyllis and Doug Kinzle are staffing the First California Company/Jamestowne Society table at the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Jamboree. Nancy Kilbourn, Cathie Matranga, George Horn, and Ginny Gotlieb were among the FCC members attending the Conejo Valley Genealogical Society’s annual seminar where our brochures were displayed. Martha and Charlotte Gresham staffed a table at the Escondido Family History Day fair. Our brochures have been placed in eleven major genealogical libraries throughout the state and in several Family History Centers. We were mentioned in the spring issue of the Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society newsletter. If you have a local library or organization that would be an appropriate distribution point for our brochures, let me know (fccjamestownegov@gmail.com) and I will get some to you.
It has been a very busy and productive time! Thank you for your continued support of First California Company.
