NEWSLETTER FOR MAY 2005

Editor: Steve Pearce spearce@knology.net

Camp website: http://pvtrichardtaylor.bizland.com/

Commander: Talbot Hackett genberry@msn.com

There will be no regular stated meeting for the month of May. The Memorial Day ceremonies will substitute for it.

We will be holding a special Memorial Day service for Brother J.P. Johnson at the Valhalla Cemetery at 9 A.M. on Monday, May 30^th. The Brothers of the Helion Lodge # 1, F.&A.M. have been invited to attend. Brother Johnson was also a member of their distinguished order. His service will be followed by a second ceremony at the graveside of General Gilbert M.L. Johnson at 1O A.M.; Section 2, Lot 15 in the Maple Hill Cemetery.

The Department of Tennessee 10^thAnnual Encampment badges are available for all members who were in good standing at the time of the Encampment. If you would like one, contact Brother Secretary Hintze. He has ordered some for the Camp and can order more if necessary. The cost is $10each.

Our By-Laws were approved by a vote of the Camp at the last meeting and were approved by Department Commander Atchley on April28^th.

Congratulations to Brother Karl Ryan and his new bride, Wendy. They were wed on Friday May7. Karl tells us that she has caught the Living History fever and has already participated in several events.

Your biographies are needed. Brother Pearce is continuing to compile the Camp’s history and needs your help. Our goal isto not only have a comprehensive history to submit to the National HQ, but to also put everything on a CD to be given to the Huntsville/Madison County Library. As researchers, you know how frustrating it can be to keep hitting dead ends. If we provide the library with our history in an electronic format we will prevent the same headaches we face for a future researcher. If Steve doesn’t have a short biography of yourself and your Civil war ancestor(s),please consider submitting them to him at soon as possible.

Also, your DD 214s would be very helpful to researchers wanting to know about your military service. Please send a copy of those to Brother Secretary Hintze, for inclusion into the Camp records and history.

A warm and hearty welcome to our newest Brothers, Kent Wright, Karl Ryan, and Chad Ryan. They were initiated in the long form on April 25^th. Following their initiation, we had a spaghetti dinner for the Camp and our guests from the Tennessee Valley Civil War Roundtable.

We will be having another initiation and dinner at our June stated meeting. Tod Jenness of Decatur has applied for membership to our order and we will be initiating him then.

On May 9^th, Brother Greene and I had the privilege to attend the Honor Court for Boy Scout Troop 142 in Decatur and present the SUVCW Certificate of Commendation to new Eagle Scout Wesley Honeycutt. Wesley is a remarkable young man and exemplifies our tenets of Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty. I have extended an invitation to him and his Troop to attend our initiation of June 25^thso that the entire Camp can meet him and his Troop. We were impressed with each and every one of them.

Next meeting, Valhalla Cemetery at 9 A.M. on Monday, May 30^th.

Respectfully submitted in F, C, and L,

Talbot Hackett-Commander

Geoffrey Hintze -Secretary/Treasurer