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Rio Grande ResearcherVolume XXXV | Number 4 | December 2006
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NavigationPresident Archives Jack Austin - 598-1422 Education John Miller - 565-4416 RGR Editor John Miller - 565-4416 Programs - Hospitality Yolanda Perez - 594-2948 Telephone Yolanda Perez - 594-2948 CD Librarian Bill Hilbert - 772-6139 Webmaster Barbara McCarthy - 584-2339 BOOKS for sale  Births, Deaths & Marriages from El Paso Newspapers Vol 1 --- -$ 35.00 each Vol II ----$ 30.50 each Vol III ---$ 39.00 each Vol IV ----$ 50.00 each Set -------$140.00 including shipping TO ORDER CONTACT:Sandra Lewis11100 Leo Collins El Paso, TX 79936-0307 Tel: (915) 599-1168  EPGS DUES$15.00 single, $23.00 familySend to: Sandra Lewis Treasurer, EPGS 11100 Leo Collins El Paso, TX 79936-0307 EL PASO LIBRARIESMemorial Park3200 Copper Ave. 566-1034 Cielo Vista 8929 Viscount Blvd 591-6812 Clardy Fox 5515 Robert Alva Ave 772-0501 Doris Van Doren 591 Red Road 875-0700 Lower Valley 7915 San Jose 591-3391 West Side 125 Belvidere 581-2024 Ysleta 9321 Alameda 858-0905 Literacy Center 5515 Robert Alva Ave 779-2400 EPCC Northwest Campus Community Library 6701 S. Desert Blvd. 831-8840 |
Downtown El Paso Public Library Now Open; Genealogy Section Welcomes EPGS Members; Volunteers Needed!Early November 2006 saw the grand opening of the expanded and remodeled El Paso Downtown Public Library, a beautiful new facility for library patrons and the El Paso community. Old time genealogists will find the Genealogy Section still on the north side of the building, but getting there will be a new adventure. The main entrance is now on Cleveland Square Mall on Santa Fe Street, not Oregon. Construction is still going on around Oregon and Franklin, but a short trip around the area will help visitors find the best parking for the new library entrance. The new entrance is a great improvement over the old one. Take a few steps (or the ramp) down into the main door and enter a spacious modern lobby with a circulation desk on the left. One is tempted to request a hotel room for the night instead of directions to the genealogy area. The Southwest Collection is straight ahead with the genealogy materials on the far left side. Marta Estrada and Terry are there to show new arrivals how the collection is organized. Much of the original material is organized by regional areas as previously. They are in the process of re-labeling some materials which are still organized as in the past. There is room in the stacks for expansion. The staff would welcome EPGS volunteers to help visitors, especially during weekend hours. Staff will also provide EPGS a box in the office at the back to receive snail mail, queries and other correspondence. Jack Austin has already appeared on the scene and hopefully more will be coming to help advance EPGS and the genealogy cause in El Paso.Getting EPGS reestablished at the library will take some effort and understanding as the library staff gets settled in their new facility. EPGS needs to have its own program at the library organized so commitments we make can be honored. The Board�s willingness to stay on communicated that its members get along, have a sense of working together and want to help EPGS. That also solves the problem of officers and board members for the coming year, but it presents another problem to the membership. Forewarned is forearmed. Health issues not even considered, no member of the board has agreed to stay on after December 2007. Now is the time for others to step forward, show interest in EPGS operations and offer to assist with making things work. The Society has ten months to find new prospective officers and help them make the transition easier for the good of the Society. JKM The El Paso Genealogical Society Officers, Board of Directors and Committee Chairpersons for 2006Elected OfficersPresident Betty Owen 857-1325 Vice-president Sam Weldon 592-6935 Secretary Norma Frye 633-6877 Treasurer Sandra Lewis 599-1167 Committee Education John Miller 565-4416 Chairpersons Hospitality Yolanda Perez 594-2948 EPGS Webmaster Barbara McCarthy 584-2339 CD Librarian Bill Hilbert 772-6139 Newsletter Editor John Miller 565-4416 The El Paso Genealogical Society NewsletterThis newsletter is published quarterly by the El Paso Genealogical Society in the interests of its members and in contributing to the advancement of genealogical knowledge and education in the El Paso area. The EPGS Newsletter encourages submission of articles for publication with the understanding that articles may be edited for brevity, clarity and typographical or grammatical error. Neither the publisher nor editor assumes responsibility for content, opinions, statements or implications by individuals in this newsletter. The EPGS is a non-profit, non-political, non�sectarian organization dedicated to genealogical collection, preservation, documentation, research and education in the El Paso Borderland area. Editor may be reached at [email protected] or John K. Miller, 2916 Federal Ave, El Paso, TX79930Membership in the El Paso Genealogical Society Membership is open to any person upon payment of annual dues of fifteen dollars ($15) for single membership and twenty-three dollars ($23.00) for family membership and cover the period from January 1 to December 31 of each year. Dues are not prorated regardless of when members join. New members receive a copy of all newsletters for the year, any no fee publications printed by the society during the year, a copy of the society's Genealogy for Beginners and access to our collection of materials in the Baldwin CD library. "Members helping members, the basis of a great society" is one of the goals of EPGS. Guests and new members are always welcome. General Meetings Regular Monthly meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Parrish Hall at All Saints Episcopal Church, 3500 McRae, El Paso, TX. They normally consist of a brief business meeting followed by a program led by members or invited guest speakers. In April and September potluck dinners are held beginning at 6:30 PM in the Parrish Hall. The December meeting is an end of year social and induction of new officers. The Board of Directors normally meets on the First Monday of each month with the time and place being determined by the President. Any member is welcome to attend our board meetings. Formal Mailing Address: El Paso Genealogical Society Genealogy Department El Paso Public Library 501 N. Oregon El Paso, TX 79901 Births, Deaths and Marriages in Early El Paso Newspapers, Vol. I-IV by Jane Beard, Contact Sandy Lewis to purchase this collection.Dues Due; Do Dues December; That�s All The Doo Doo About Dues DueJust a reminder that your 2007 $15.00 single ($23.00 Family) dues can be mailed or given to Sandra Lewis, EPGS Treasurer, 10768Janway Drive, El Paso, TX 79935-2906, and you will have that little task out of the way for another year. We have had some excellent programs this past year and want to encourage membership and attendance. Even if you cannot attend our general meetings because you live too far away (as in California, Maryland, Dallas on just down the street), your dues go to a worthy cause and there are plans afoot to expand our efforts in education, special projects, and other activities. El Paso needs a good strong genealogy society. JKM Texas State Genealogical Society (TSGS) NewsThose with TSGS Membership who have not already received renewal notices should note that new annual dues for 2007 will be $25.00 after December 31, 2006 and $20.00 if paid prior to that date. Anyone interested in membership should apply prior to that date to receive the lower rate. TSGS can be reached at sites.rootsweb.com/~txsgs/.The 2007 47th Annual TSGS Conference will be held in Tyler, November 9-10, 2007. Featured speakers will be George C. Morgan and Drew Smith, AKA �The Genealogy Guys. TSGS will increase their awards for winners of submitted articles. TSGS is also looking for material for publication for its Quarterly publication Stirpes. Information from Jeanne Thompson Summary of Secretary and Treasurer Reports for October and November 2006The Board meets at 5:30 PM on the first Monday of every month at the Basset Center Food Court. Members are welcome to attend board meetings. Formal minutes of Board, General Meetings, and Treasurer�s Report are available and normally distributed at General Meetings. This is only a brief summary.In September the Board asked for volunteers for a nominating committee. There being no volunteers for either the nominating committee or for candidates for office, the Board, in October, acting as the Nominating Committee, agreed to present the existing board members to the general membership for re-election for the year 2007. In November at the General Meeting the membership voted unanimously to elect each individual presently serving on the present Board to serve for the year 2007. The Board tried to connect with the public library as it planned its opening and we attempted to get a library speaker for a program. Plans were made for the December general meeting. In November at the general meeting, Barbra McCarthy gave an outstanding presentation on her Irish research and travels. We will try to get some of these presentations summarized and documented in hard copy for members. Other major action taken was the purchase of a DLP projector that can be used with a computer for public and member program presentations. This decision was made by the Board after the subject was discussed at the November general meeting where no decision was made either way and because an opportunity came up to get a projector at a sizeable discount. Treasurers Report for the 11 months January- November 30, 2006 Receipts................................... $1078.56 Disbursements.......................... 1003.74 Receipts over Disbursements....... 74.82 Total Cash (Nov 30. 2006)... $4525.21 |
New EPGS Board is the Old EPGS BoardWhile November 2006 saw local, state and national elections which often indicated change in their future and a �throw the bums out� attitude among the electorate, EPGS apparently decided to �Stay the Course� for the year 2007. The election of 2006 Board of Directors to carry on in 2007 was without the fierce debates and controversies upon which professional politicians seem to thrive. Suffice to say any board member would have welcomed the opportunity to be challenged for office and might have looked forward to losing. At least one member would plead guilty to any accusation of failure to perform so long as it did not imply fraud, money laundering and malfeasance or jail time. A little �risqu� gossip would have at least added some excitement to the EPGS elections so long as it didn�t affect domestic relations. Beyond EPGS business at board meetings the main subject seems to be who is taking which medicines and what side effects they are experiencing from them. Apparently the most risqu� gossip about the EPGS Board is that during 5:00 PM meetings at the Bassett Center restaurant mall, Norma and Betty have been seen to eat ice cream cones, thus �spoiling (or in place of) their dinner.� Since they didn�t use EPGS funds for their risqu� behavior they are still qualified to remain in office. Besides it�s only gossip. JKMAn End of the Year Letter from Our EPGS PresidentDear EPGS Colleagues,It is that time of year when we reflect on the past and plan what we want to do for the future. It is no different for us in genealogy. Looking back for me personally it was a hard year as my health was not what I wanted to it to be and I am not a patient person when it comes to illness. Others also had health problems and family losses, but thanks to its loyal and understanding members, EPGS, as an organization, continued on, held its own and even made progress. I think we had a well-rounded year. Jack Austin shared with us the history of who and what we are and how the El Paso Genealogical Society was created. Barbara McCarthy ended up the year with her adventures in Ireland and Scotland. Our year was a good one but I want to plan for a more active year in 2007 and I think we now have some of the tools to do so. Our downtown public library is now open. We are going to need volunteers to help there and this is a very important source for our growth. Also, I am hoping our people will share with us the work they have been doing about the cemeteries. I want to be sure that Patricia and the Concordia people are receiving anything they might need from us. Also, I want to thank our past board (which is our new board). Thank you for hanging in there and being flexible with your time. I want to give special thanks to Yolanda Perez and Margaret Saavedra for their time and contributions in helping our organization with meals, refreshments and reception. So are we ready now to meet the New Year 2007? You bet we are! Our library is open. Sandy has a new toy for us to help with our lectures. I hope also to plan some sort of a trip to an archive or library or perhaps even Salt Lake. So let 2007 roll in�let�s embrace the New Year! And a final note. Let us know what talk you want to give this year about your experiences in the world of genealogy. EPGS is not just a collection of individual genealogists; we are a knowledgeable society of family historical detectives. So share your work, your adventures and genealogical sleuthing into family mysteries so that we may also learn from them. Welcome 2007! Betty Owen President EPGS HOLIDAY MEETING & POTLUCK SUPPER
Our annual potluck supper will include a brief Show & Tell, a summary of the 2006 Year in EPGS and thoughts on the coming year. In the interests of guests and those who have overindulged during the dinner hour, business will be limited while everyone is awake. Guests and old timers are welcome. Questions: Contact Yolanda Perez
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