President Art Batten's Message to the members at the Annual Meeting Banquet
Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe very strongly in what I’m about to preach and that’s why I stayed on the Executive Committee through some interesting times over the last four years.
Our Virginia Society has been in the forefront of National SAR news for over 18 months now – first with the Yorktown 225th affair – then the Congress – and concluded with the elevation of our own native son as President General - and I dare say we have come through all this rather well. Saying you are a member of the Virginia Society does indeed carry some weight now and it is a well-deserved reputation.
But I believe it’s time to shift back a bit, if you will, and refocus the spotlight on what has been the foundation of that reputation for many, many years. It’s certainly not hard to identify what that is – it is a synergism of active, engaged chapters each moving at a different pace perhaps, but all working towards promoting a solid PROGRAM that advances the ideals of our Society.
I believe that we should open a new chapter in our focus as a Society. Not entirely away from the National scene of course, but different focus – a focus that goes back to including the fundamental units of the Virginia Societies’ strength – its’ chapters.
In fact we will call this new chapter The Year of the Chapters. How’s that for originality! A year when our efforts will be focused, whenever possible, on helping all the chapters reach their potential.
I’m going to start by setting what I think is a somewhat novel tone to things. I’m going to be one of the first Presidents who is not going to hammer you or your chapters about membership drives, recruitment efforts. I’m not going to scare you with statistics about the aging of our membership. You will not receive reprints of articles that say the Generation X crowd are not joiners so go out on the street and grab everyone you can. In fact, I’m going to suggest you move that long-standing effort to the back burner of your yearly program for a year – that’s right for one year. Mind you, don’t push it off the stove, but lower the heat a bit. Why would I speak such heresy? Well, as you may know Virginia has the fourth or fifth largest membership in the National Society and for years we have been bringing in a nice steady flow of members. In the last two years or so we have chartered several new chapters. So We’re doing our part.
Instead, I want Chapters to free themselves to concentrate on PROGRAMS – build up your involvement in the various National programs or even better yet, develop some exciting programs of your own. It’s been proven many times over – members will join a group faster if there is a GOOD program in place. And the opposite is just as true. Lose the program and you start to lose members.
Am I preaching to the choir? Of course I am, but you’re all I got. And even though I shudder at the thought of all of you actually singing at once, I wouldn’t mind it if you all hummed a few tunes of this message back in your chapters.
Last Fourth of July I joined the Williamsburg Chapter for their annual service at Bruton Parish Church and as is sometimes the custom, a chapter member was invited to deliver the service message. This year the speaker used as his theme the phrase:
And although he used it in a wholly different context that day, the phrase has just stuck in my mind. Four words that to me seem to be very, very powerful and sum up what I think needs to become the motto for all our chapters. We all understand the concept of patriotism and I dare say many of us could talk a snail to death about it. It’s a beautiful word. But the words and thoughts that describe what may have motivated our ancestors are not enough – they weren’t then and they aren’t now.
What is required is Involvement – no, even more than that - ACTION is Required.
It is time to think of the role of chapters in a different light. Visualize the word P A T R I O T and then follow along with me.
P certainly is for that old fashioned patriotism. Promote it. Come-on. Our Flag program is just about the easiest program we have and yet, year after year, we struggle to get half the chapters to make a single presentation – That’s right; a single, one, uno, eince, presentation. Here’s my challenge. 50% of the chapters reporting completion of that minimal, that measly, that easy requirement in six months. But focus on your neighbors, those individuals who day after day get up every morning and raise the flag in yards or on their porches and do so properly and proudly
A is Obviously Action – I hear a lot about the fact that kids don’t learn history any more, etc. etc. And you are probably right – but what are YOU doing about it? Is your chapter offering to teach even a one-hour block on even one small section of American history? Something. How many chapters are supporting the History Day program? At the semi-annual meeting I sat with a table full of middle school kids and their teacher who had participated in the History Day program. In fact VASSAR had donated money to support their travel to the regional competition. Now these kids could have cared less about sitting with an old fossil like me, but once I got them talking about their projects – whole scale transformation. I actually had to call a halt and tell them to go get seconds on the ice cream! Amazing energy, interest, and enthusiasm. About what? About History. Challenge – bug John Sinks, he’s the History Day Program Chairman, on how your chapter can participate. Participation can be as simple as volunteering to be a judge.
T is for Teaching. The SAR has been trying very hard to re-cast itself as a teaching organization. Question. Has every chapter in Virginia distributed the free material to the schools in their area or let the teachers know what’s available through Louisville? Our Teacher of the Year program has become so convoluted that it takes a computer genius to un-wind the many circuit paths. We will look at it again and try to stream line it. But you have to make it work. You have to look for and identify good teachers – it’s easy to say to a school board, “tell me who you think is the best teacher” – and sometimes that OK - but that’s not what we want.
WE want to recognize and say thank you to the BEST TEACHER OF AMERICAN HISTORY and you need to go and find him or her. Challenge – a real honest competitive Teacher of the Year contest this year with at least 5 competitors at the state level. We’ll re-look at the rules first and see if there are things that are preventing competition – you start looking for the candidates.
R Is for Reading – now this one is really, really personal. Over the last few years I have been dumbfounded by how many superb new books have been published about our area of interest, the people, the causes, the results. It’s amazing, it’s wonderful, it’s overwhelming, and I love it. I just can’t keep up with it. Every time I go off shopping by myself, my wife meets me at the door and asks how many books did I bring home – I of course reply none – then she says, “Oh really “Barn’s & Noble” just called “you left your credit card there again.” My Challenge to everyone - Read two, three, four, five NEW books on the Colonial era this year. Ok. You can re-read a good book or two and I’ll even allow a book-on-tape to be thrown in – just expand your knowledge of what may have gotten you interested in the SAR in the first place.
I is for Interaction. Interact with others and inspire the young. Sounds like a perfect Chapter motto for the year. Bring what ever program you can to the attention of the public, be it a grave marking, a picture in the local paper of a guest speaker, a full scale dedication of a monument, or one of your own members speaking before another group. I’m sure you get the picture. A little bit of self-promotion never hurt anyone and a whole lot is even better. And whenever the opportunity arises, inspire the young – walk in those parades in those woolen uniforms, go into those schools, read stories to your children, and grandchildren (or great grandchildren). What yet another challenge – find out what the initials C.A.R mean and when you do get involved. Hey, our very own Treasurer, Jeff Sweeney, started that way and see what he has done for VASSAR. No, I don’t mean the fact that he straighten out our account books. I mean the fact that he and his charming wife, Carrie, are bringing up two, not one, but two beautiful future members of first the C.A.R and then the SAR. I might add that James Monroe Sweeney joined the world only a month ago.
O Is for Outreach – bring the SAR to others. Set up a speakers group. I am constantly amazed at the expertise on Revolutionary War topics many of our very own members have. Please, don’t hide that talent – polish up your stories, practices your speaking style, then organize a Speakers Bureau and go tell the story. Just as your chapter sometimes struggles to find a good speaker, other groups do also – so offer your talents to any group that will listen to you. Outreach can be in other forms. The folks in the Thomas Nelson Chapter still host a bingo night for the Vets in the VA center in Hampton. Outreach occurs every time you get involved in any one of our youth programs. Yes, I know the oration and essay programs are difficult, but the JROTC and Good Citizenship ones are not always that difficult.
All I ask is that when you are out in public, please be sure to wear your SAR Tie, and Tie Tac, and Shirt, and your SAR socks, and have you SAR emblem on your blazer, and have your SAR baseball cap with you, and keep you speech in an SAR folder, I don’t want you to be pushy just promote the cause when you can.
T is for Together. I’ll admit it – I’ve just past 45 years of age and every now and then I like to sit down with some of you real experienced folks and listen to your tales of what it was like in the early days, the old days – when pilots wore white scarves and flew in open cockpit planes, when ladies didn’t sweat –they just felt the heat a bit. When the minutes of a VASSAR meeting were taken with a quill pen. In other words I like to socialize, talk, and let some one else do some of the heavy lifting. I just like your company and that’s as valid a reason for a chapter function as any.
Now, how am I going to inspire you to try out my approach? I can’t offer you any vast amount of wealth for sure. I doubt if any of you are swayed by oratorical prowess. But I can offer you a challenge. A challenge you and your chapters can accept if you so desire.
Each year the President can offer a Special Chapter Award to those Chapters best implementing portions of his visions.
Here it is: A chapter can earn this award if they support VASSAR in three ways:
First). By promoting and getting behind our new campaign to build the base in our Trust funds. I would really like to see the time when VASSAR could undertake a big project or perhaps make a substantial contribution to something that is important to us. Possibly taking advantage of a naming opportunity in our new National Center. To aspire to projects like this we must continue to build a solid source of wisely invested capital. This can best be done through the expansion of our existing trust funds. We are off to quite a remarkable start, but I also know that there is often a flash at the start of a long-range campaign, and then the effort starts to slow down. We cannot let that happen.
I believe we need to make The 1st Virginia Regiment a permanent way of supporting our organization. Jim Bayne and Joe Dooley gave us the idea and the mechanism, now we need to keep it in motion.
So the first challenge to the chapters is to create a Company of the 1st Virginia Regiment in each Chapter. A company consists of two officers (any rank) and three enlisted members from a small or medium chapter or three officers and five enlisted members from a large or very large chapter. Starting tonight – sorry past donations don’t count. Everyone who has already donated is being considered for a position on the Regimental staff.
Second). I believe there are still a lot of opportunities to say thank you to individuals and groups in the Commonwealth who are striving to either preserve, protect, or promote our Colonial or Revolutionary era history and I believe we should say thank you for their efforts.
Some time back, the Nation had it’s Points of Light program which was meant to point out to a broad audience that there are many, many ‘simple or quiet’ people if you will, who do wondrous things. Well, I don’t envision something of that magnitude, but I think each Chapter can probably find one individual or group who may otherwise go unnoticed to say ‘thanks for helping’ protect a bit of our heritage. Therefore, I’m offering each chapter, if it wishes, the opportunity to present one VASSAR COMMONWEALTH AWARD this year. There will be only be 29 of them. It will be a plaque with the medallion of the VASSAR seal and a plate to be inscribed.
It is not meant to be a competition of any sort. Each Chapter determines who should be so honored – or they can chose to ignore the opportunity all together.
Finally: I think a few chapters will attest that some form of old fashioned project often brings, at least for a time, a chapter together in a common cause. So I’m encouraging each Chapter to take on something NEW this year – something it can be proud of. Whether it is something substantial like a monument, or simple, like re-energizing their support of the History Day program. This is a project you will describe in your end-of-year chapter report.
Three challenges – First - Chapter Support of the 1st Virginia Regiment, Second - Your Chapter saying thanks to someone for keeping history alive through the presentation of a Commonwealth Award, and Third coming together as a chapter to work on a Chapter project.
During this year of the Chapter in Virginia I am asking all of you to think about my modern day definition of the word
PATRIOT.
Arthur D. Batten