CALL TO ORDER: President John Corbett called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. at his home at 6314 West Park. Eleven members were in attendance: Bob Corbett, John Corbett, Tom Corbett, Lucy Corbett, Tom Haller, Henry Herbst, Rose Kennedy, Bill Miller, Gerry Miller, Sally Sharamitaro, and Joe Weisbrod.
Minutes of Last Meeting -A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the last meeting held on April 12, 2008. A vote was taken, the motion passed and the minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report - Bob Corbett, Treasurer, presented the current 2008treasurer’s report. The beginning balance was $3,893.93. Deposits totaled $100.00; expenditures totaled $300.00 (insurance), resulting in a new ending balance of $3,693.93. A motion was made and seconded to approve the treasurer’s report. A vote was taken, the motion passed and the treasurer’s report was approved.
GENERAL BUSINESSArchives/Donations– –John Corbett announced that a partial grave stone was offered as a donation to the DHS by Mrs.Virginia Bohler. The stone is one that has fascinated Mrs. Bohler since it was found years ago in her back yard on Lloyd Ave. With the help of her children, they moved the stone to her current home on West Park where its been all these years. The stone resembles a military grave stone, but because it’s only a partial stone the name of the veteran is not identifiable. It was not a Bohler family member. Photographs of the partial stone were emailed to members of the Dogtown email list in the hope that someone might be able to locate the name, family, etc. So far no one has been able to recognize the veteran from the information on the stone.
Century Home Committee -Bill Miller reported that the committee is working on an updated list of Century Homes.
Living History - – Tom Haller announced that Gene Meyer died, and Tom asked if interviews had been done with Chester the barber, the Domijans or the Rupps? He mentioned too that there have been several “neighborhood street stories” published lately. He suggested several Dogtown streets, ie, San Jacinto, that might provide interesting “neighborhood street stories’. Membership Update - No ReportNomination and Election of Officers – 2008 Election of Officers and Board – Nominations were accepted for candidates whose terms expire in 2008.
THE CURRENT OFFICERS OF THE DOGTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETYOfficers are automatically members of the board for the duration of their terms as officers.
Term expires 2008
Term expires 2010
The two officers; John Corbett for President and Sally Sharamitaro for Secretary agreed to be nominated for re-election.
The names of the first four of the five board members listed were also nominated for re-election, with the name of our youngest member, Joe Weisbrod, placed into nomination to replace the fifth board member.
A motion was made to adopt the slate listing the above names for election and re-election for officers and board. A vote was taken and the slate was approved. A motion followed that all nominees for election be elected by acclamation. A vote was taken and all nominees were elected by acclimation. A new listing of officers and board members will be posted on the Dogtown Historical Society website.
After discussion of the difficulty to achieve a quorum for voting, Bob Corbett made a motion that an election subcommittee be created to address these problems and pose suggestions that might be useful in the future.
Lecture Series - No ReportBench Project - No Report
Ghost Sign Restoration Project – No Report
Route 66 Signs – No Report
Historical Markers – A question was asked about the Dogtown “flags”, the response was that the proposals for the new “flags” are still in committee.
NEW BUSINESSSoldier’s Memorial plans - Bill Waterhouse, Alderman of the 24th Ward, met with the owner of the “candles” lot about the possibility of a Soldier’s Memorial to be built and/or created around the area of the gazebo. The owner agreed with the suggestion. If the concept is carried out, John feels that Memorial Day might be a good target for a dedication of the newly renovated memorial at the site. The members discussed how the DHS could be involved in the new memorial in the name of the military veterans of Dogtown who died while in service.
Growing the organization – Bob opened the floor for ideas as to how the DHS might attract more interest and better attendance at meetings. He wondered if emailing agenda items to the Dogtown mailing list prior to the meetings might work.Tom Corbett suggested a newsletter. At various times the DHS talked about and even attempted newsletters, and found it to be lots of work for the few members who remain active. Discussion followed about maybe a bi-monthly newsletter.
Joe Weisbrod, our newest board member, offered his help in the event we do decide to have a newsletter. Tom Haller suggested, if it happens, that it might be worthwhile to drop off newsletters for local Dogtown businesses.
As for notification, John Corbett continues to maintain a phone list and utilizes it for notification of the 24th Ward meetings, etc. It’s a possibility for the DHS meetings also, all John needs is an updated membership phone listing.
A lively discussion followed on other ways to increase interest in the DHS. Other members suggested more involvement in various neighborhood projects; gazebo clean up, Villa hill clean up, soldier’s memorial clean up, festivals that could be held, etc. All ideas and suggestions are welcome.
The meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, November 8, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., St. James Rectory 6401 Wade Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139
Respectfully submitted
Sally Ryan Sharamitaro
Secretary, Dogtown Historical Society
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