As I reflect on writing this message this December evening, I was thinking about our patriots who in December 1777 were settling into Valley Forge just a few miles from the enemy in Philadelphia and were on the verge of starvation, lacked proper winter clothing, faced disease, and were on the verge of mental collapse some 246 years ago. But they held together for what would be the beginning of the new American army and formed a path to victory to create the greatest nation on earth over the next few years. So, I hesitate to say our Chapter made unbelievable accomplishments and at great personal sacrifice but…. We did accomplish a lot and I am very grateful and proud of those accomplishments by our members as our small chapter moves forward in executing our three core SAR missions of promoting patriotism, preserving history, and promoting education to our future generations. You will see great examples of some of those engagements in our community that Nick Anderson has assembled in our first Quarterly Chapter Newsletter!
I would like to personally thank those who laid the groundwork for our Chapter during this transition. Robert Patton, past President and Current Education Chair, and Bud Ayers, former Treasurer, both serving multiple terms and often doing 1–3-chapter officers’ roles to get us where we are today! THANK YOU! I am also happy through this transition to say both are still active members (along with other long-standing members) that continue to both contribute and guide us in the correct direction.
My personal focus in 2024/2025 is to build on those past successes, but my personal priorities are to expand our chapter membership and involvement (even if small), chapter succession planning, and developing a youth education program. I would like to have an organization that has a lasting and repeatable impact on our mission for decades to come. I believe it is very important to our nation’s future in understanding this critical part of history our patriots took part in. As they say, “Those who do not learn History are doomed to repeat it”!
~ Kevin Hancock
