A Message from Our New Governor, Donna Derrick

Governor Donna Chilton Derrick

I am honored to have been elected to the office of Governor of the First California Company to serve for the term 2014-2016.  I appreciate the confidence you have shown in me to lead our Company, and look forward to working with all our members to achieve the Mission Statement of the Jamestowne Society.

Other officers elected to serve with me for the 2014-2016 term are: Lt. Governor Terry Whitcomb; Secretary Sandra Orozco; Treasurer Suzanne Leif; Historian Scarlett Stahl; Chaplain Claire Murphy; Membership Chairman Linda Ramos; Councilors Jim McCall, Anita Guenin and Virginia Gotlieb and Appointed Parliamentarian Martha Gresham.

The goal of this administration is to increase the membership of this company.  We have many prospective members interested in joining our active company and I hope each of our members can assist just one of our prospective members to achieve membership.

To this end, the First California Company will form a Committee to explore the feasibility of a Workshop to help our prospective members complete their paperwork.  Please check our website frequently for updates on this Committee.   Please contact the chair of this committee, Jim McCall, to learn more, participate or offer your help and skills.

Our Company has joined with the ‘Save the James Alliance’ to protest and try to prevent the construction of towers and electrical lines by Dominion Power across the James River near Jamestown. We feel this would obstruct the James River View Shed and further information regarding this issue will be found on this blog very shortly. As a party interested in preservation of historical things and places, I invite you to be prepared to join with us as an individual in this protest.

We are closely monitoring the situation with the help and advice of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There will soon be a good opportunity when it will be most effective to write to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to request that they deny Dominion Power’s application for a permit for construction of the towers. There is an alternative and practical method rather than the towers and electrical lines to send electricity across the river. You will receive a notice and information about when and how we all can take action.

Please check our website at www.jamestownecalifornia.org for our fall meeting date and location.  We cordially invite you to join us at our next meeting.  You will be most welcome.  See you in the fall.

Donna Chilton Derrick, Governor

First California Company Jamestowne Society