Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/09/2024
7:00 pm - 7:15 pm
Location
Reinsch Library Auditorium, Marymount University
Categories
The Arlington His
torical Society will hold its annual meeting of members on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 7:00 pm. Members can attend BOTH on Zoom or in-person at the Reinsch Library Auditorium on the main campus of Marymount University. If you plan to attend by zoom, please register at this link or cut and paste the following link into your browser. The same link registers you to attend the Members Meeting AND the presentation which immediately follows the meeting. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfP8zs9bBAZ_DuP7zkAZ_ETtkxdloBbInsQPQSKCsL-EANA3Q/viewform?usp=sf_link
The business portion of the meeting is expected to be short. Next year’s officers and other directors will be elected and a proposed amendment to the constitution of the AHS will be proposed. The meeting will be immediately followed by a presentation titled Shotgun Justice: A Crusader Against Crime and Corruption, with journalist and author Michael Lee Pope.
Action 1.
The AHS Board has voted to propose changing Article VI of the Constitution to increase the number of at large Directors from twelve to thirteen. The only change to the wording of Article VI is to replace the word “twelve” to “thirteen.” If approved, the Article would read as follows:
The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers, the Arlington Historical Museum Director if a volunteer, and no less than four or more than thirteen additional Directors elected by the members for terms of one year, the number to be established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors. No decrease in the number of directors shall have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent Director.
Board Comment:
The Board believes increasing the number of board seats is appropriate to reflect the increasing scope of activities undertaken by the all-volunteer run organization. AHS has no paid staff, and the board is very much a working board and each member volunteers in one or more ways the Society needs. The Society currently has a very ambitious agenda. First, in the coming year AHS intends to continue phase one of the renovation of the Arlington Historical Museum, which is a once-in-fifty years preservation of the historic windows and the area around the windows. At the same time, the Society is planning, fundraising and beginning phase two, which is an extensive preservation effort of the exterior of the building, will take place. The Society will continue to operate the two museums and review and update exhibits to tell a more complete history of the county.
If this amendment is approved, the maximum number of board members will increase from 17 to 18, consisting of the 13 at large board members in addition to the four officers and the museum director (if a volunteer) who also serve on the board.
On the digital front, AHS plans to review and overhaul its digital resources, which will including a website redesign and making publicly available information about our artifact collection, while continuing to bring to the community all the social media and website content that we deliver.
Additionally, AHS has started an ambitious effort to expand its role in research projects in the community and to deepen its relationship with the County assisting the recently adopted Historic and Cultural Resources Plan. AHS is also leading the county-wide effort to organize and coordinate Arlington’s VA250 commemorations. Furthermore, the society is moving to the next phase of placing stumbling stones throughout the county for the Memorializing the Enslaved Program, while continuing to bring to the community monthly and special programs, and community outreach through exhibits and representation at community events.
All of these efforts are overseen by members of the Board. We are fortunate to have the existing board members volunteer to return to continue to serve and the nominating committee identified four great additional candidates who have agreed to join the board if the amendment is approved and the proposed slate is elected by the members.
Action 2.
The Nominating Committee intends to nominate the following for election as officers and directors at the meeting:
Officers
- President: David Pearson
- Vice President: Peter Vaselopulos
- Treasurer: Richard Samp
- Secretary: Sandy Newton
Members of the Board of Directors
- Catherine Aselford
- Duke Banks
- Annette Benbow
- Sean Denniston
- Sue Eisenfeld
- Dawn “Sunny” Evans
- Cathy Bonneville Hix
- Patrick Hope
- Jessica Kaplan
- Michael Schaffner
- Annette Scherber
- Dale Smith
- Martin “Marty” Suydam
Please click here to read short biographies on the proposed officers and the Board of Directors.