President John C. Beard's Address to the 122nd Convention

 

It is truly an honor for me to serve as your President of the Texas Society – Sons of the American Revolution for the coming year.

I would like to share with you some of my background as a member of Texas SAR and the National Society Sons of the American Revolution:

  • As is probably the case with many of you Compatriots out there, my/your mother enrolled me/you in the SAR.  Mine did in 1976 in the Florida Society, hence my low National Number 111712.
    • My mother joined the DAR December 20, 1933 under Patriot Paris Pearson.  She was very active in DAR being a founding member of the John James Audubon Chapter in Baton Rouge, 50-year pin recipient and past Regent of that Chapter.  She loved the United States of America.
    • My father, who had a Masters in History, always thought that his family went back to the Revolutionary War period, but was not able to prove the lineage.  I have since proven two lines on supplemental and I will honor him with a Memorial Membership soon.

In 2009, I decided that I now had the time and inclination to get actively involved with SAR, which I did.  I am a firm believer in you get out of an organization what you’re willing to put into that organization.  This is true for just about everyone in this room tonight.

Enough history.

Now looking to the future.  Last year, President Radcliff in his address had many excellent ideas on retention and membership in general.  I will continue to focus on membership expansion and retention.

In addition, times change.  We need to have the flexibility to handle change as well.  Some of this change involves the new application software and website that our own Compatriot Bill Marrs was instrumental in launching.  As with anything new, there’s a normal reluctance to stay with the old without trying the new process or system.

We are very fortunate in the Texas Society to be blessed with many generous benefactors and hardworking Compatriots that have supplied us with time and money to help fulfil the objectives of our organization.  For all of our donors, large and small I would like to say thank you on behalf of Texas SAR.  Having served four terms a Treasurer, I know that this money is hard to come by, and greatly appreciated.  Getting back to our objectives as an organization, these objectives are spelled out in our Texas SAR Constitution which I will go over to refresh our memories:

The objectives of this society are declared to be patriotic, historical and educational and shall include those intended or designed to perpetuate the memory of those, who by their services or sacrifices during the war of the American Revolution, achieved the independence of the American People:

  • to unite and promote fellowship among their descendants;
  • to inspire them and the Community at large with a more profound reverence for the principles of the government founded by our forefathers;
  • to encourage historical research in relation to the American Revolution;
  • to acquire and preserve the records of the individual services of the patriots of the war, as well as the documents, relics, and landmarks;
  • to mark the scenes of the Revolution by appropriate memorials;
  • to celebrate the anniversaries of the prominent events of the war and of the Revolutionary period;
  • to foster true patriotism;
  • to maintain and extend the institutions of American freedom; and to carry out the purposes expressed in the Preamble of the Constitution of our country and the injunctions of Washington in his farewell address to the American People.

I would encourage each and every one of my fellow Compatriots to embrace these objectives not just this year but for the years to come.  Again, it is my honor to serve my fellow Compatriots.  If you have questions or ideas, please let me know and we will work on answering or implementing.

Thank you.