At 6: 35 p.m., President Phil Newman called the meeting to order. Chaplain Harry Boyd gave the Invocation, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the U. S. flag and pledges to the SAR and Tennessee flags. Visitors were recognized including dual member John Echerd, past state president of the Tennessee Society SAR, Hunter McLain, prospective new member Jim Edgemon and Debbie Arp.
New member Andrew Morgan was sworn in by Stan Evans. Newman then introduced guest speaker, State Rep. Kevin Brooks, who presented a talk on the history of Franklin.
The highlights of this year’s National Congress Convention, which was attended by members James Stone, Echerd and Evans, were also discussed.
This year the Col. Benjamin Cleveland Chapter was awarded the Partners in Patriotism Award. Echerd was presented the national Meritorious Service Medal.
During the convention, incoming president General David Sympson appointed Evans chairman of the National Genealogy Committee, one of the most powerful committees at the national level because it develops and approves policies the genealogy staff follows.
While at the convention, James Stone sold tickets for a Brown Bess musket, which he raffled during the event. Stone made $1,775 from ticket sales for the local statue committee, bringing total funds to 25 percent of the goal needed to build a statue honoring the city’s namesake.
It was then announced that Fort Loudoun will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Surrendering of the Fort on Aug. 6-8. The celebration will feature speakers from all over the world. The Cherokees will also have an encampment outside the fort, and buses will be take people to sites of early Cherokee villages and towns in the area.
It was also announced that the Tennessee SAR will again celebrate the Sycamore Shoals Gathering in Elizabethton, in September.
