by Robert A. Lewis
As I turn over the reins of leadership to my brother David, I submit this report on the past two years during which I have served as president of the John Clough Genealogical Society. One way to sum up the past two years is to say that we’ve had our ups and downs. The 2009 reunion was definitely one of the high points. Our new two-volume genealogy was completed and those who attended the reunion were able to pick up the copies they ordered. Those who ordered the new book set, but who were unable to attend, were mailed their copies of the new book. Many thanks to Sheila Andersen for the time and energy she put into this project. The accolades she has received bear witness to the gratitude that many people feel. I’ve referred to the new books many times for information about my Clough line and for information about some of my other lines. These two volumes will serve us well for a long time to come. The attendance at the 2009 reunion was another high point – the highest attendance in many a year. And how about Clark Whelton’s Revolutionary War presentation? If we didn’t burst the seams of the room where we met at Stripers, we came close to doing so. The trip to Salisbury Plains Cemetery to see the new gravestones – a project headed by Gwen Bronson – was the frosting on the cake. I won’t pretend that 2008-2009 was an easy year without tension, but when the chips were down, folks pulled together and what needed to be done got done. 2009-2010 has been a slower and quieter year, but some significant things happened nevertheless. One significant project was the work that Langdon Clough did on preserving historical documents. Also, both the bulletin and our website took on a new look and the response to both has been gratifying. Nevertheless, what goes up must come down, or so it seems. After the “high” at the 2009 reunion, we definitely experienced a letdown in 2009-2010. Several tensions came to a head as the 2010 reunion drew near, leading some longtime and some relatively new Society members to pull back from work in the Society and from leadership positions they had held, in some cases for many years. Many of us, as we arrived for the 2010 reunion, did so with more questions than answers about the future of the Society. We wondered how low a point the 2010 reunion might be. I won’t say that we were needlessly concerned, but early that day, beginning with the Board meeting, our apprehensions were quickly relieved. Attendance in 2010 was about half of what it had been in 2009, but among those who attended, including some brand new Society members, there definitely was a sense of pulling together and a sense that the Society can look to a bright future. If any feel that we were down for the count, we at least got up before the count reached ten. Some new people assumed leadership positions and some others took on various special projects which will help a great deal right away and in the years to come. One project that will go forward is the production and distribution of the errata for our new two-volume genealogy. Some folks are working on that and they’ll have more to say about this project. Also, the work of checking the lines of potential members and helping them fill in the missing links, will go forward. It’s sometimes said that things have to reach a certain low point before they can turn around and go back up again. While we did experience some low points during 2009-2010, we didn’t hit bottom. Things turned around and started back up before we hit that far. Inevitably, we’ll face problems or challenges as time goes on. That goes with the territory, but whatever those problems and challenges might be, we have people in place who are committed to dealing with those problems and challenges and who will continue to act in the best interests of the Society. We’re looking forward to a good year in 2010-2011 and many more good years to follow. We’re also looking forward to having some gains and some plans to celebrate when we meet in Rhode Island for the 2011 reunion.
Respectfully submitted, Robert A. Lewis