National Conference of State Societies

NCSS Board Meeting is Thursday, Nov. 12 at Hall of States

  The next NCSS governing board meeting will be held at 6:30 pm in Room 435 of The Hall of States at 444 N. Capitol Street, NW on Thursday, Nov. 12th.  All state societies are welcome to send presidents, delegates, or alternates to attend.  In compliance with a new bylaws change adopted in October, twelve state societies will constitute a quorum to do business.

Funeral for former NCSS President Betty F. Spaine is Monday, Nov. 2

  Chief Warrant Officer 4 Betty Splaine, U.S. Coast Guard Womens Reserve (Spars) died on Oct.29 close to her family in Virginia.  She was 89.  Betty served as NCSS President from 1987-1988.  She was a veteran of service with the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II and has long been active with the Massachusetts State Society, NCSS, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., Spars, and the Women in Military Service to America (WIMSA) Memorial.  Her family is asking for donations to WIMSA in Betty's memory since it was an important project in her life.  A visitation will be held on Sunday, Nov. 1st at the Demaine Funeral Home at 520 S. Washington Street in Alexandria from 2 pm to 4 pm and from 6 pm to 8 pm.

The funeral mass will be on Monday, at 10:30 am at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church at 310 S. Royal Street in Alexandria.  A burial ceremony with military honors will be held on January 13 at Arlington National Cemetery. 

22 State Societies Meet to Elect New NCSS Officers for 2009-2010

This picture at left, taken in 2008, includes three new NCSS officers for 2009-2010.  From left is Brad Mantel of the Ohio State Society who was re-elected as NCSS Treasurer on Oct. 8.  Next to the right is Texas State Society President Bill Christian who chaired the NCSS nominating committee. Next to the right is John Magnusson of the Minnesota State Society who was elected First Vice President of NCSS. Next is Lorna Daniels of the Hawaii State Society who was elected as NCSS President for the coming year, at right is former Guam Society President and immediate past NCSS President Lou Barrett who passed her gavel to Lorna Daniels on Oct. 8 but remains on the executive committee as a non-voting member and advisor to the new president.  Other officers elected were California State Society Delegate Robert Hoffman as NCSS Vice President External, Maryland State Society President Suzanne New as NCSS Vice President Internal, Virginia Society President Robert Sullivan as Vice President for Marketing, and Montana State Society Delegate Athena Schritz was elected as NCSS Secretary for the coming year.  NCSS congratulates the new officers and thanks the outgoing officers for their service in the last year.  The new officers will serve until June 2010 when the current Fiscal Year ends.  Delegates of Presidents from the following 22 state societies voted in the election on Thursday, Oct. 8. A quorum was present and the 22 state societies voting included the following: Guam, West Virginia, Maine, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, New York, Alaska, New Jersey, American Samoa, Hawaii, Maryland, California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri, Vermont, Virginia, and Ohio.  After the election of officers former NCSS President Paul Sweet of California who is chair of the bylaws revision committee, proposed a bylaws change that was adopted to reduce the quorum for future NCSS board meetings from 18 to 12 state societies so that routine business may be conducted. NCSS Treasurer Brad Mantel of Ohio reported combined positive balances of $22,000 in two NCSS accounts as of Oct. 8. NCSS Acting General Counsel Kristy Tsadick of Caplin and Drysdale advised the American Samoa Society to seek legal advice on the DC regulations on how to raise money in DC for the relief of victims of the tsunami in American Samoa where at least 154 persons were killed or are missing. The next NCSS board meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Hall of States.

Please Come for Pizza and Cokes On Thurday, Oct. 8 Hall of States 6:30 PM

The next meeting of the NCSS Governing Board will be Thursday evening, Oct. 8 at 6:30 pm in Room The Hall of States, 444 North Capitol Street, NW.  Please bring apicture ID.  A quorum of 18 state societies is needed to vote on recommendations of the Nominations Committee for 2009-2010 NCSS officers.  Slices of pizza will be available if you get hungry before the meeting so come early to visit with other state society officers.

The next meeting of the NCSS Governing Board will be Thursday evening, Oct. 8 at 6:30 pm in Room The Hall of States, 444 North Capitol Street, NW.  Please bring apicture ID.  A quorum of 18 state societies is needed to vote on recommendations of the Nominations Committee for 2009-2010 NCSS officers.  Slices of pizza will be available if you get hungry before the meeting so come early to visit with other state society officers.

Thank you to the 22 State Societies who came to Remember Our Fallen

Thank you very much to the 22 state societies who helped the White House Commission on Remembrance at the west front of the Capitol on Sept.26. The state societies that came out to help included District of Columbia, Hawaii, Arizona, California, Virginia, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Montana, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Nebraska, Kansas, New York, New Jersey, and Texas.

The Gold Star Families from those states said they appreciated the welcome to DC from their state socities.

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Here below are some of the event pictures contributed by Wayne Hanson of the Maine State Society, Nancy Fetimi of the New Jersey State Society, and Robert Sullivan of the Society of Virginia.

Congressman Leonard Lance at right in picture joins New Jersey State Society officers with their state flag to welcome Gold Star families from the Garden State.

2009 Virginia Cherry Blossom Princess Christina Louise Smith holds up the Virginia flag as Gold Star families from Virginia meet Society of Virginia officers at the end of the Remembrance Day ceremony.  Virginia Society President Robert Sullivan is at left of picture in white shirt.

 Indiana Society officer John Zody, center, Chief of Staff for Congressman Baron Hill, was joined by five families from across the state of Indiana who joined to celebrate the lives of their family members who passed away overseas.

State Societies Invited to Honor Service Families Sept. 26 on The Hill

SHOW YOUR COLORS and BRING YOUR STATE FLAG ON A POLE: The special State Society Staging Area for Saturday, Sept. 26 is on the right side of this picture; or House side of the Capitol in the "EGG" which is on Independence Avenue across the street from the Cannon House Office Building and the James Madison Library of Congress Annex. PLease come not later than 11:40 am so escorts will have enough time to take you to the NCSS seating area on the West Front where the ceremony will be held. 

Speakers include JCS Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, actor Kevin Bacon, and Ross Perot.

The White House Commission on Remembrance invites Members of all State Societies to help honor lost service men and women and families from their state at the west front of the  U.S.Capitol on Saturday, Sept 26.  In 2008 at the  same event, about  20 state societies on short notice brought state flags and souvenirs for the families of fallen service men and women from their state. NCSS will get a list of all families coming from each state. Please CLICK HERE to read more about the event on Sept. 26.. Or, if your society wants to participate, please email Mark.Rhoads2@verizon.net.  Mark can send you a list of the honored guests from your state if you don't already have one.

Commission on Remembrance at NCSS on April 16

Stephanie Wang, Ceremony Cooridinator for the White House Commission on Remembrance, will speak to the NCSS Governing Board on April 16 at 7 pm in the Hall of States at 444 N. Capitol Street, NW.  Details regarding the Memorial Day observance and the Sept. 19 Day of Remembrance will be discussed. See www.remember.gov.

Proposal to Revise NCSS Bylaws

Last fall NCSS President Lou Barrett appoined a bylaws revision committee chaired by former California Society and NCSS President Paul Sweet.  Other members included Chief Three Feathers Kazemi, president of the District of Columbia State Society; Suzanne New, president of the Maryland State Society; and former Illinois and NCSS President Mark Rhoads.  The committee tried to revise, simplify, update, and shorten bylaws from the 1950s last changed in minor ways eleven years ago in 1998.  To see the recommendations for changes made by the committee, PLEASE CLICK HERE. There may be a vote to approve this report during the April, May, or June 2009 NCSS board meetings if a quorum is present and proper notice is given.  This post is part of that notice.

NCSS Board Meeting is Thursday, April 16

By Mark Rhoads

The next NCSS board meeting is Thursday, April 16 at 6:45 pm in the Hall of States at 444 N. Capitol Street, NW.  We will have a speaker from the White House Commission on Remembrance to talk about how state societies can help on the National Day of Remembrance on Saturday, Sept. 19 to honor families of military loved ones who died in the line of duty related to action overseas since 2001.  Every state society is invited to send at least one officer to attend.

Bill Christian, incoming President of the Texas State Society, is chair of the NCSS nominating committee for next year's officers.  Anyone who wants to volunteer or recommend a state society officer should email Bill Christian at wmc1963@comcast.net.  Nominations from the floor at the May 14 annual meeting are always permitted and provision will be made for secret paper ballots if there is a contest for any office. If you need a copy of the NCSS bylaws, send an email to Mark.Rhoads2@verizon.net and I will send you back a PDF file.

Mostly Sunny Forecast for the Cherry Blossom Parade on Saturday, April 4th

  Southwest Airlines Presents the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday morning, April 4, starting at 10 am.  The forecast is mostly sunny and windy with no precipitation and a temperature of about 52 degrees at parade time.  The parade will feature dozens of bands, floats, balloons, and the state society cherry blossom princesses.  The parade will proceed west from 7th Street to 17th Street, on Constitution Avenue, NW.  For more parade details, PLEASE CLICK HERE. 

After the big parade, don't forget to attend one of the largest street festivals in the country on Pennsylvania Avenue from 15th Street to 11th Street and between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.  For more details on the Sakura Matsuri on Saturday afternoon, April 4, immediately following the parade, PLEASE CLICK HERE.