Annual Meeting

   The Beaver Island Historical Society will hold its 42nd Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 19th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Beaver Island Fire Hall.
     Among the matters to be addressed is the election of Trustees.  The terms of President Jim Willis, Vice-President Ernie Martin, and Art Show organizer and manager Ray Denny will expire. In addition, the position of the two members of the Board who were appointed to fill vacancies since the last Annual Meeting, Ann Broder and Rollie Cull, must be ratified even though the terms they are filling don't expire until next year. Other candidates can be nominated from the floor for any of these Board positions.
     Minutes of last year's meeting, which was well attended by the membership, will be available at the Fire Hall, as well as the Agenda.
     Another matter to be addressed is the validity of changes to the By-Laws made since the 1990 version was approved.  Specifically, three modifications were made at the 1997 Annual Meeting, but the required quorum of 15 members was not present.  One of these, the reduction of the Board to seven members, was modified (properly) at last year's meeting, when it was voted to increase the Board to nine members, so this point is moot.
     A second, to eliminate the presentation of Certificates of Membership, has received much criticism. These Certificates had become Cards, which members could show to obtain admission to the Museums. The system we have now requires the volunteer to check a list of members, which is updated every two weeks.  This is troublesome, and carries the possibility of embarrassment for recent members. The card can also serve as a receipt for tax purposes. Plus, several members have told us that they enjoyed having a card.
     The third modification concerned raising the dues to their current levels.
     There will also be a report on the progress made towards selecting a permanent Director.  Four candidates are being interviewed for this position, first by a committee and then by the Board.
     Any questions you may have can be raised at this meeting, so please try to attend.

A New Study of Beaver Island's Past

     This summer we received a two-volume hard-bound copy of Paul Connors' PhD dissertation, entitled, America's Emerald Isle: The Cultural Invention of the Irish Fishing Community on Beaver Island. This is a noteworthy work for several reasons. For one, it is a splendid overview of the many different eras through which we have passed. For another, Connors has thoroughly researched our past, finding sources for information that most of us thought were inaccessible. And he has a broad enough understanding to be able to relate what happened here to forces that were at work in the larger world.  The only slightly negative feature of this book is that reading it might somewhat dissolve the sense most of us have that Beaver Island is absolutely unique. But perhaps it's time that this romantic notion be softened by the truth.
     This 520-page manuscript might be published by a major historical press. If not, we may have the opportunity to publish and distribute it ourselves.

George Anthony

     George Anthony's book on the Beaver Island Indians may soon become a reality.  It has been difficult for him to draw the line, to say "this much material and no more" goes into the book. But he has nearly exhausted his living sources, the elders who had retained the stories of the Native American presence on Beaver Island, and he has had some health concerns, and has indicated that he is ready to begin the work of editing his manuscript this fall.  With any luck, this book could be published next year.  Many of his fans who have been waiting for his book for some time will be delighted if this comes to pass.

Work on Volume V

     Interest is growing in Volume V of The Journal of Beaver Island History. In addition to the two articles already received (Vickie Speek's' The Five Wives of James Jesse Strang and Jacque LaFreniere's Beaver Island's Loons), other writers are nearing completion of their articles. Phil Gregg has been preparing another instalment of his Beaver Island's Ferries. Henry Hill, author of Tales From the South End, is writing about the Vernon.  Kate Dudding is working on a history of Elizabeth Whitney Williams, and Mary Francis Fenton hopes to finish her research on Mrs. Redding soon.
     Other writers are working on articles about Julius Allers, the Beaver Island Railroad, the Fish Wars, and the Beaver Hotel.
     It has been suggested that we might want to bring out a book, called something like, By and About Beaver Island's Women, which might include the articles by Speek, Fenton, and Dudding, as well as stories from our oral history recordings of such Island women as Helen Collar, Isabel Kenwabikissee, and Mary Bert McDonough.
     We would like our publications to be self-supporting. We are trying to find a formula under which revenues from book sales are split between the general and the publication funds.

Proposed Budget

     On June 21st the Budget Committee prepared the budget shown below to present to the Board at the June meeting. It considered the figures from the past three years, and tried to use good common sense to come up with reasonable figures. At the June meeting, this was presented to the Board and extensively discussed. 
     The biggest point of contention was the Director's salary.  Last fall a committee had spent considerable time analyzing the situation, and had determined that the Director should work 35 hours a week for the five months of the season, for which he would be paid under eight thousand dollars. In the other seven months this committee thought that minimal work would be required.  But numbers were not put on this work; nor was the extra time required by such events as Museum Week factored in.
     There were two sides to this discussion.  One was that funds are always limited, and considering the expenses to which we have committed ourselves for such projects as the new Print Shop Addition, the completion of the Bob S, and the creation of outdoor displays at the Heritage Park, we had better be as conservative as we can.
     The other school of thought was that these things aren't just going to happen, that we can no longer obtain a large amount of volunteer help for organizing these projects, and they will require a Director's leadership to be successful. There is much work to be done. Perhaps paying a Director to work during the off-season on such projects as publications, extending the exhibits, and spearheading these other projects will almost pay for itself by increasing sales, admissions, and memberships.
     This matter could not be settled, because we simply don't know what the future will bring. We are very aware that our existence is butressed by public funds, and that we must be very cautious in how they are spent.  The only conclusion is that we will have to pay close attention to all the factors in authorizing any more than the minimum necessary off-season paid work.
     Your comments would be greatly appreciated. Obviously, as times change, institutions should evolve.  But in what direction?  This is a crucial question for all of us, so please give us your opinion.
     At the end of July, our accounts were:
Publications:  $1,584    Building:  $2,515
Checking:  $1,611  Money Market: $6,151
Endowment Fund:  $15,324 (this is invested, and has a current value of $17,834)

Networking

     During the past year and a half, we have been concentrating on "getting our house in order," but now we have have reached the point where we feel it's important to "look outside."
     One of the things we intend to do this fall and next spring is tour several comparable Historical Soceties and Museums to see how they are addressing their needs and problems. Beaver Island has traditionally been somewhat of an isolationist place, but we realize that there is much we might learn by looking around.
     The Michigan Museums Association has started a program in which small Museums are coupled with professional historians.  We have applied for inclusion, and have been accepted and assigned a woman who has ten years of museum experience and is currently working for her PhD. She will visit the Island shortly after Labor Day to see what we have.  Then we will be able to consult with her about our many projects. She will also suggest places for our Director to visit, to see how comparable situations are being managed.
     We believe that we have a good chance to get an intern next summer (and in summers to follow) from one of the Michigan Universities.  When the provisional budget was presented, there was much concern over the hiring of an assistant to the Director.  Yet during the summer there is so much that arises on a daily basis that the ongoing implementation of the Society's programs frequently becomes dormant. We re so excited about the possibility of getting an intern to do some of this work that we've already begun making a list.
     Another idea we've been considering is forming an advisory committee of Island-connected people with experience in historical research, study, and presentation.  A handful of names of people with degrees in history or museum science have been suggested.  None of them have yet been asked to serve, but we feel that this could be of considerable help. If you, or someone you know, might be a candidate for such a committee, please let us know.