Rose Daves hosted the Chapter’s Winter meeting in the North Georgia mountain town of Ellijay. I might also add, this was the first time we had a meeting in this northern sector of Georgia. Our Guest House for the weekend was the Comfort Inn. Rose couldn’t have picked a better inn. The hotel staff went out of their way to accommodate the Chapter’s get-together. Rose must also have had a direct line to Jupiter, the Roman God of Weather, for the weekend of 21-23 February 2020.
As the Weather people on TV say, the weekend was a number 10 on the weather scale. This was unusual since Georgia and the rest of the south had been inundated with the wet stuff for most of 2020. In fact North Georgia was supposed to get some of the white stuff that usually falls in Maine and Vermont.
The members and ladies, after securing their rooms for the weekend, filtered into the Hospitality Room for an evening of good snacks, more than enough of the hard stuff and good conversation. Dinner was on your own, but, since the ladies had brought soups, Swedish Meat Balls, cakes, cheeses and other assortment of snacks, there wasn’t a need to wonder from the comfort of the Hospitality Room. Somewhere around the Witching Hour, the group started to vacate Hospitality Room. Let’s face it, Guys and Gals, our nights of carousing until the wee,wee hours of the morning are events we can only dream of now. Hell, we’re lucky if we can last until the Witching Hour.
Lunch on Saturday was 1130-1330. Rose brought in enough trays of cold cuts, condiments, chips and nuts to feed an army. There was, of course, enough snacks from Friday to add to the lunch menu.
Our business meeting followed shortly after the noon lunch. We did’t have enough members (or proxies) present for a quorum so the Business Meeting turned into a get-together. Our condolences go out to those members who had reserved rooms but were unable to make the meeting.
We couldn't hold an official meeting, but we could discuss certain items. The number one item was the election of chapter officers. The election will be held at our Summer meeting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Right now it looks like the Chapter Secretary is the only position no one is fighting for. Let’s face it, guys. This chapter meets three times a year and none of the positions are that difficult to hold. The Chapter Secretary keeps the minutes, takes notes and does the correspondence. The position does require at least a basic knowledge of the English language. Hmmmm!
Rose had made arrangements with the Ellijay American Legion to set up an area for the chapter to partake in the Legion’s Steak Night. At 1800 (or there abouts) we occupied three very large tables and enjoyed a few hours of good companionship with the Legionaries. Fred Hensley must have really enjoyed the evening since he spent most of his time playing pool with the local members. I don’t know if they were playing for money or not, but every time Fred sat down at our table, one of the pool players would drag him off for another game.
Bill Phipps conducted the now famous chapter auction. Anne Burke donated some of Bobbie’s items, which Ridge Marriott brought with him. Billie stepped aside for a few moments so Ridge could auction Bobbie’s donations. These were bought by one of our guests, Pat Buchanan, to the tune of $670. Many thanks, Pat for the purchases. Many items went for $$150, $100, $70, and $50. In the end Bill pushed and cajoled the audience into adding $1,474 to the Scholarship fund. I have no idea what other chapters in this Association do to raise money, but I believe Chapter XXXIII holds the title of the Association’s Premier Auction House.
And, like all good things, our meeting had to come to an end on Sunday. We gathered in the breakfast area and said our good-byes over waffles, coffee, eggs and sausage. Then everyone set out on their long, or short, return trip home, satisfied the Winter meeting was one for the books. Rose Daves did a fantastic job and our hats go off to her for the effort she put into this meeting.
Which brings up where is the Summer meeting, who is the host, and what is the time frame? Chuck McNulty will host the Summer meeting in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in the June/July time frame. In case you have no idea where Murfreesboro is, it's about 30 miles south of Nashville. Now everyone has heard of Nashville. You know, the Music Capital of the world. It might be a good idea to arrive a day or so early (or stay a day or so later) just to preview the sights and sounds of the music in Nashville.
A cursory alert for the Summer meeting has been placed on the Chapter Website’s Bulletin Board. This information will be updated as Chuck sends in more information. In the meantime you can mark June and July on your calendar for the meeting.
We had three guests attend our Winter meeting and we enjoyed their company. They were: Pat Buchanan, Charles A. Raines, Member-at-large, and Phillip Hanson, Chapter 17 and his lovely wife, Bryon. We hope they enjoyed their weekend. We encourage any member of the Special Forces family to drop in at our meetings and say hello. Anyone interested can click http://www.chapterxxxiii.sfsarge.com/ on the link to access the Chapter Bulletin Board.
A few photos were taken and are placed on this page for your viewing pleasure.
Remember! Our meetings are BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle). Chapter XXXIII no longer furnishes the hard stuff. All alcohol beverages are the responsibility of each member. The Chapter will furnish the soft drinks and water.
As you know, the Nation is in the grips of a wild virus and no one really knows when it will end. I think it is a safe assumption Chuck McNulty is hunkered down in his place of abode until this epidemic is defeated. The virus may last a month, two months or maybe December. This could mean a plan for the summer meeting in June or July may turn into a fall meeting in October, November or December. Chapter XXXIII’s officers urge our members to remain indoors and stay safe.
You can return to the meeting list by clicking on the icon on the left or view the photos from this meeting by clicking on the icon on the right. Either way, hope you enjoyed your stay with our February Winter meeting.
