President Darwin Thornton called the meeting to order at 1 PM on March 10th. He welcomed 65 members and 5 guests.

The minutes of the February 2015 meeting were approved as posted on our website Feb. 18, 2015.

The February 2015 Treasurer’s Report, posted March 6th, will be filed for audit.

ANNOUNCEMENTS – See the club website (www.scvgs.org) for links to and details for the below events:

1. Pima County GS meets Saturday, March 21st, 1–3 PM. The speaker is our club member, Lynne Brooke, on the topic “Lineage Society Proofs.”
2. Green Valley GS meets Thursday, March 19th, 1–3 PM, featuring David Fryxell on “Researching in Europe.”
3. SaddleBrooke GC meets Thursday, April 2nd at 1 PM. Their speaker, Neal DuShane, will discuss “Identifying and Finding Unmarked Graves and Cemeteries.”
4. Tucson West Family History Center, 3530 W. Magee, is holding a workshop Saturday, Mar. 28th, 1–4 PM. Steve Packer will be presenting the topic “Covering German Research.” The seminar is free. Those attending can send questions in advance.
5. The NGS (National Genealogical Society) annual conference occurs May 13-16 in St. Charles, Missouri. It will be streamed live.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Field Trips – Joan Eddy announced that she will help coordinate carpools for those wishing to attend the Tucson West FHC workshop March 28th.

SIGs – Cleo Wolf

1. DAR meets Thursday, March 19th, 1-3 PM in the club library (Havasu Room).
2. FTM SIG meets Wednesday, March 25th, 9:30-10:30 AM, in Catalina Vista’s Mt. Lemmon Room.
3. Legacy SIG meets Tuesday, April 7th, 1-3 PM in Welcome Center Room #3.

Library Committee – Mike Carroll said more books are coming. He will post information in the near future.

Membership – Mary Barr announced there are 159 members current on their 2015 dues.

Mentoring Program – Darwin introduced Holly Gibson as the coordinator of this now formalized committee. Holly said she will help connect those members who desire extra help with topics with those who are willing to share their expertise. Contact Holly at ghgibson@live.com or 520-825-8808.

Monitor Training – Joan Allen said there have been 147 users of the computer lab in recent weeks. One new monitor has volunteered. There are open shifts this week in the lab which need to be filled.

Display Case – Sue Huffer announced that Helen Jennette has volunteered to assist on the Display Case committee. Also, Sue remembered long-time member Helen Ellis who passed away two weeks ago. Helen Ellis was an active member who loved SCVGS. She helped with a past exhibit in the display case featuring the pioneer Golder family.

Hospitality – Shari Norris & Judi Fairchild thanked those who brought today’s refreshments. Three volunteers are needed for the May meeting.

Genealogy Room Photos – Karen Jonaitis said the photos currently on the Wall have been provided by the recent Beginners Class. Karen accepts copies (not originals) of old family photos, preferably 4X6, with names of the individuals, dates if known, location, other information of interest, and your name and contact information. The photos can be dropped off at Karen’s drawer in the computer room.

Beginners Class – Barbara Krecklow

1. The sign-up sheet for the 2016 Beginners class is available. Although the class is limited to 20, a waiting list will be started. In the past, many on that list have made it into the class.
2. At the Legacy Family Tree website, www.familytreewebinars.com, “Genealogy 101,” a 3-session webinar and an excellent learning opportunity for beginning genealogists, is scheduled for April 1st, May 6th, and June 3rd, all at 11:00AM Arizona time. The sessions will be available to view on the website for free the week following each session.

Program Committee – no report.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. The new poster is on the wall in the computer room.
2. Darwin introduced and thanked those who have volunteered to run for officer positions: Patrick McCarthy, president; Andrea Houston, secretary; and Karen Hasselbach, vice-president. Voting will take place at the April meeting.

NEW BUSINESS:

1. This fall marks the 25th anniversary of SCVGS. Darwin and Patrick are looking for a member to volunteer as “historian” who can assist in gathering information on the club’s history.
2. The Club’s Ancestry subscription will be upgraded to World Explorer Plus, which includes access to Fold3, Newspapers.com, and Archives.com. Research continues into whether it will be useful to keep our current Fold3 subscription as well.

Mike Carroll gave a brief presentation on using SignUp Genius. There is a new icon on the right side of the SCVGS homepage entitled “Club Room Calendar.” Click on the icon and the calendar will appear. It is now tabbed by the month. Users can check to see when the computer lab is open. Monitors can sign up for shifts. The library can be reserved for meetings. You do not need to register an account to use SignUp Genius, but having an account makes it easier to make changes if you need to modify your monitor schedule, or like having an automatic reminder about your upcoming shifts.

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Darwin announced the Volunteer of the Year (2014-2015) – Mike Carroll. He is a well-known, long-time member who has held positions of Vice-President and President. He is currently on the Board as Past President. Mike also heads the Library Committee. He is the webmaster for the SCVGS website, giving countless hours to keeping the website current and interactive. He continually researches matters pertinent to our club and genealogical research in general, generously sharing the information via postings and presentations. Volunteer of the Year is a well-deserved honor.

Today’s speaker is Suzanne Brayer on the topic “Evaluating Genealogical Evidence.”

The speaker of the April 14th general meeting is Homer Thiel on “Hidden Stories of the Pima County Coroner.”

The meeting was adjourned at 1:46 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Margie O’Hare, Secretary