93rd Annual Meeting and Luncheon

Saturday, November 8, 2008
Meridian Hills Country Club,
Indianapolis, Indiana

More than seventy members and guests of the Society of Indiana Pioneers met on Saturday, November 8, at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis for the Society's 93rd Annual Meeting. Members greeted one another and inspected the interesting array of items that Chairman Marcia Krieg and her hard-working committee had gathered for sale at the Society’s first silent auction.

In his State of the Society report, President Tom Ewbank commended Dr. Mary Alice Hines for her work as Marketing Committee Chair and highlighted the work of Mary Jane Meeker in revitalizing the Speakers Bureau. Registrar Mary Ellen Simpers presented her final report concluding thirteen years of service to the Society.

Nominating Committee Chair Lisa Liles put forward a slate of candidates for positions on the Board of Governors for terms expiring in 2011 which were unanimously accepted by the membership:

• Maxine Fosta Brown, Corydon
• Catherine Walker Carvey, Indianapolis
• Robert William Dora, Noblesville
• J. Nelson Price*, Indianapolis
• Richard O. Ristine, Jr.*, Indianapolis
• Judson Richard Scott, Carmel
• Mary Ellen Simpers, Crawfordsville

*Elected to serve a second term.

Newly Elected Board Members - Class of 2011.  (left to right)
Dick Ristine, Maxine Brown, Nelson Price, Mary Ellen Simpers, Bob Dora. 
Not pictured - Catherine Carvey and Jud Scott.

The newly constituted Board of Governors then convened for a brief meeting and accepted the slate of officers for one year terms:

• Thomas P. Ewbank, President
• Kenneth L. Beasley, Vice President/President-elect
• Robert H. Everitt, Secretary
• Bruce W. Oakley, Treasurer
• Marcia A. Krieg, Registrar
• Joan R. Everitt, Yearbook Editor

Newly Elected Executive Committee for 2009. (left to right)
Bob Everitt, Secretary; Joan Everitt, Yearbook Editor; Tom Ewbank, President;
Ken Beasley, Vice Pres./President Elect; Marcia Krieg, Registrar;
Bruce Oakley, Treasurer

Following a brief recess to make final bids on items in the Silent Auction, members enjoyed a delightful luncheon prepared and served by the Meridian Hills staff. Vice President Ken Beasley offered a tribute to the members whose deaths were reported during the past year and Honorary Member Evie Rhodehamel led the traditional Roll Call where members’ ancestors were identified by the time period during which they settled in the state of Indiana. Special note was made of the Dora family whose qualifying ancestor lived in Indiana prior to 1725, at least a century prior to the arrival of many of the other proven pioneer ancestors.

Education Chairman and member of the Board of Governors Jim Fadely introduced Mark Furnish, doctoral candidate at Purdue University, and winner of the 2008 Society of Indiana Pioneers Fellowship to promote the study of Indiana history of the pioneer period. Mark spoke of his research on Michael Garber, a newspaper editor in Madison in the mid 19th century and an early proponent of the Republican Party of the Lincoln era. Mark expressed his appreciation for the monetary award and related how it had helped him expand his research.

Following a slide presentation of the 2008 Pilgrimages to Lafayette and South Bend/Lake Maxinkuckee by Nelson Price, Marcia Krieg announced the final results of the Silent Auction which netted more than $1,000. Following tradition, the meeting was adjourned with the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana”.

- Submitted by Robert H. Everitt