December 2009 CMLMS
Rockhound News
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, December 17, 2009
PROGRAM: Holiday Party, Gift Exchange, Mini-Auction, New Officers
REFRESHMENTS: Everyone Please Bring Holiday Goodies
Location & Time: The CMLMS December Meeting will be held at 7:30 pm at the North School, 333 E. Miller Rd, Lansing, MI. Please get there a little early to help set up the tables. All those who can carry a tune (and some who cannot) are invited to join in singing seasonal & “rocky” carols!!!
Special Instructions for the Silent Auction [Please Read This!]
Sellers -- Come early to the meeting room to set up your offerings and make out the sale forms. Bring forms (if you have them) and enough small bills and coins that you can act as your own “banker”. Each Seller will have to settle up with the purchasers individually.
Buyers -- Bring small bills and coins so you can give the Seller the exact amount of your purchases.
The Club will NOT be acting as the “banker” for this mini-silent-auction!
Club Members – Bring your stock of auction forms and pencils!
Special Instructions for the Rocky Gift Exchange [Please Read This!]
If you want to get a gift, you must bring a gift! Gifts should be of small value ($1 at most) and should be rock-related. Gifts may be a) small rock specimens that need a new home, b) books or articles about minerals and gems, c) small tools/materials related to rock collecting or faceting, d) toys, clothing, or anything else related to our mineral interests. This is NOT a “white elephant” exchange, unless the elephant is: a) made out of minerals, or b) out collecting rocks in the jungle.
CMLMS Calendar for January 2010
January 7, 2010 Board Meeting-7:00 pm at the Okemos Library
January 21, 2010 Membership Meeting at North School
A Message from CMLMS President Milt Gere: Mutterings from Milt …….
The Central Michigan Lapidary and Mineral Society (CMLMS) had a mix of good and not-so-good times in 2009. The good was our fellowship and activities; the not-so-good was our losing some long-time members. We need to emphasize the good memories, but not forget our lost friends either.
To all of the CMLMS officers, committee chairpersons and club members, ‘Thank You’, for your help during the 2009 membership year. We’ve had good programs for our meetings, plus the banquet, several interesting field trips, and another successful ‘Gem, Fossil and Mineral Show’. None of this would have been possible without the help of many members.
I really appreciated everyone’s efforts for the club in 2009 and hope you all will continue to offer your help when Roni Sionakides takes over the presidency for 2010 at the December, 2009 meeting. Several of the committees, such as Display, Field Trip, Education and Community Outreach would really work better if there were several committee members besides the Chair to help carry out the duties. Please volunteer to help on projects and to be committee members.
Thanks again for your help and friendship. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas, 2009, and a Happy New Year, 2010, from Shar and me. Milt Gere, 2009 CML&MS President
Notice:
Annie Passaneau, a long-time member of CMLMS, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2009, at the age of 87. She lived with her son, John (also a CMLMS member), who works at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. John writes, “Mom and I have very fond memories of our years in Lansing and the CMLMS.” You may express condolences to John at jxp16@psu.edu.
A Message from CMLMS Show Chair, Roger Laylin
A Show Board meeting was held at the Laylins’ on November 23. The 2009 show was an economic and attendance success, despite the poor economy in Michigan. CMLMS will be able to award the annual scholarship, but will need to decide the amount and the school, since the MSU Geology Department is in doubt at this point. The Show Board decided to gather information on the curriculum changes in local school districts, since this was a major factor in the low attendance at the Children’s Tour on Friday morning, October 23. We also discussed: making changes in how egg-carton mineral kits are assembled; the possibility of extending each school’s time at the show to one hour; and the possibility of offering an incentive payment for school buses. The decision to hold a Show in 2010 will be made at the Membership meeting on December 17, 2009. Ruthann Lerner has volunteered to serve as Demonstrators’ Chair in 2010. Again, a Thank You to Members who took an active part in making the 44th Show a success!
Club News – Members Voted at the November Meeting for the 2010 Officers, Who Will Be Installed at the December Meeting. Officers Are:
President – Roni Sionakides; Vice-President – Richard Lassen; Recording Secretary – Sue Casler;
Corresponding Secretary – Mary Anne Smith; Treasurer – Kris Wood; 3 Year Director – David Westjohn. 2 Year Director, Mary Gowans and 1 Year Director, Bob Mosher will continue to serve.
A Message from Display Chair Dan Sine:
Dan Sine is seeking volunteers and displays for the Okemos Science is Fun Day, held in February. Please contact Dan by email or phone if you are interested in helping and turning kids on to ROCKS.
The CMLMS Club Display needs a new Manager to make sure it appears at the Shows of other Michigan clubs. David Westjohn has agreed to take on this responsibility and to develop a Display Committee to schedule the Club Display at other shows and arrange transportation & oversight.
A Message from Webmaster Lyle Laylin:
Check out the CMLMS website www.michrocks.org for all the new features and materials (information about collecting sites, for example) that have been added. Lyle is entering the website in the national federation’s website contest, and we think he has a very good chance of winning. If you don’t have a computer, just go to your local library and learn to use the library’s free computers!
New Members -- Nine new members have joined CMLMS!
David Masarik of St. Johns, Ronald Wilson of Lansing, Thomas Howe of Lansing, Marilyn Williams of Lansing, Timothy Paul of Mason, Daniel Whelpley of Warren, Steven Veatch of Florissant, CO, Joyce Lightfoot-Brooks of Lansing, & Marie Hetherington of Williamston. Welcome to you all and hope to see you at the CMLMS Holiday Party on December 17!
New Books in the Library!
Author: Dianne R. Portfleet Title: Adventure Mining Company Since 1850
Author: Roger Pabian Title: Agates – Treasurers of the Earth
Author: Scott F. Wolter Title: One Man’s Journey – The Lake Superior Agate
Author: Lawrence J. Molloy Title: A Guide to Michigan’s Historic Keweenaw Copper District
Author: Gerard R. Case Title: A Pictorial Guide to Fossils
Author: Robin C. Brown Title: Florida’s Fossils
Author: Stuart Schneider Title: The World of Fluorescent Minerals
Editor: John R. Halsey Title: Retrieving Michigan’s Buried Past
We’ll catch up on meeting minutes in 2010, when Sue Casler is doing less overtime!
Check www.amfed.org/mwf. Mt. Clemens Gem & Lapidary Society’s Rock & Mineral Workshop will be held in Roseville, MI in January and February. See the MWF website for more details.