Mark these dates!!!
The Jewish Historical Society of Southern Arizona announces A Season of Sephardim, 2003-2004.
Sunday, January 25, 2004 - Trudi Alexy, author of The Mezuzah in the Madonna's Foot and The Marrano Legacy: Jewish Identity in a Hostile Climate, 11:30 a.m. Luncheon at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch.

Sunday, March 21, 2004 - Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, Temple Emanu-El: The History and Song of the Sephardim, 1:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El.

Last year's winner of the Judge Marcus and Bernice Calhoun Memorial award for Grade II Piper was 14 year old Jennifer Ewing of the John Mohr MacIntosh Pipe Band (Atlanta). Presenting the award is past Society President Skeets Cahoon.

Richard A. Wallace of Marysville, California, a Director of the Clan Wallace Society Worldwide, was invited to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the statue of William Wallace in Aberdeen, Scotland in August 2003, the occasion being the anniversary of the murder of William Wallace. Richard Wallace, representing the Clan Wallace Society, presented a check to Peter Licari for $500 to further the efforts in 2005 of the Wallace 700 group of Aberdeen in commemorating the 700th year anniversary of William Wallace's murder.

Presenting the Clan Wallace Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard A. Wallace (center) and his wife, Janice Wallace, is Marcus J. Wallace, president of the Clan Wallace Society Worldwide, during the 3rd Biannual International Gathering of Clan Wallace in Reno, Nevada, in July 2003. The award included a silver Quaich. The prestigious award has been given only three other times in the history of the Clan Wallace Society.

Researching North Carolina? Here's help!
Granville County Heritage, North Carolina, Volume I, 2002 is a collection of Granville County's past and present, compiled and written by and about Granville County and its people. The business histories, tributes and memorial section honors very special people and an integral segment of their society. Throughout the book there are wonderful photographs of buildings, landmarks and people.
Copies of the book may be purchased for $68.50 by contacting Granville County Heritage Book Committee, 322 Aiken Avenue, Creedmoor, North Carolina 27522-9186.

The mystery flower saga continues . . .
Trevia Wooster Beverly, who is with Tejas Publications & Research in Houston, Texas, wrote to say: "The name of your 'mystery flower' is Alstroemeria pelegina - Peruvian lily.
My mother had them for years and her, too, grew at the base of an old pecan tree and flourished. Before she died I brought some home with me, but they do not do as well as hers. I think it may be the soil conditions - the leaves contain tannic acid and I presume the tree may also. Whatever the reason is that the ones I brought home do not do as well, I will be looking for a more suitable place. Of course, it may also just be that she had a wonderful 'green thumb.'"

Genealogy conference is hosted by Angelina College
Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas will hold its 8th annual Summer Genealogy Conference Thursday through Saturday, July 22-24, 2004. The conference will once again feature a cadre of experienced instructors presenting an academic interdisciplinary approach to genealogy, history and preservation of family artifacts and documents. A session will also be presented on related computer technology and a host of other genealogy-related topics.

To receive a conference registration packet to be mailed in the spring, please contact Angelina College Community Services, Attention: Genealogy, at PO Box 1768, Lufkin, Texas 75902-1768 or via e-mail to abrowning@angelina.edu. You may also visit http://www.angelina.cc.tx.us/genealogy.htm. 2004 conference coordinator is Melvin C. Johnson, PhD, of Nacodoches, Texas.

POINT will reduce its annual dues
POINT (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together), THE American Network of Italian Genealogy, has announced that starting with its 2004 membership year, annual dues will be significantly reduced. Dues for those members with a United States mailing address will be $30 per year, and for those living outside the United States, dues will be $50 per year.

Since 1987, POINT has been the premier network for those who are interested in their Italian roots or their Italian heritage, and who want to trace their Italian family tree and pursue their Italian family names. POINT members (who are called POINTers and whose level of expertise ranges from beginner to very experienced) freely and eagerly share their knowledge with one another in the pages of the quarterly journal, POINTers, and through various other means of communication.

The POINT Italian Surname Data Base currently contains over 23,000 Italian surnames submitted by some 2500 active members from all 50 states and several countries around the world. These surnames originated in over 3500 Italian cities and towns.

POINT is the first organization dedicated to Italian genealogy and Italian family history.

POINTers (THE American JOURNAL of Italian Genealogy) has been published quarterly - and on time - since 1987. It is the preeminent source of Italian genealogical information. Each issue contains an average of 60 pages of Italian genealogical material. POINTers has been named the best Italian genealogy publication five years in a row. For a sample copy of POINTers, send $3 to the address below.

For more information about POINT, write to POINT International Headquarters, Box 14966 (Dept. PR), Las Vegas, NV 89114-4966, or visit the POINT website at http://www.point-pointers.net

Missouri site for the 2004 POINT conference
POINT (Pursuing Our Italian Names Together) will hold its 4th biennial national conference on October 7-9, 2004 in Kansas City, Missouri. Conference headquarters will be the beautiful Westin Crown Center Hotel in the Hallmark Crown Center.

Thursday, October 7th, will be sign-in and welcoming day, with the conference opening on Friday, October 8th, and closing on Saturday, October 9th. The conference will feature lectures and workshops on Italian genealogy both for beginners and for those more advanced in the search for their Italian family roots.

Presenters will include Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, Suzanne Russo, Dan Neimiec, Lou Alfano, Joseph Mastrangelo, Ugo Perego, Mrs. V. G. Johnson, Gary Toms, Mary Burtzloff and Marilyn Finke.

Cost to register for the conference will be !75 (before May 31, 2004). After May 31, 2004, the registration fee will be $200. Registration to the conference includes the syllabus, a continental breakfast each morning, mid-morning and afternoon refreshments both days, and a Kansas City strip steak dinner at the conference banquet on Friday evening.

For more information or to receive a registration form, contact: Danny Zangara, Box 2441, Kansas City, Kansas 66110-0441, e-mail pointkc_2004@yahoo.com or Joseph LaBella, president, Holy Rosary Credit Union, 533 Campbell Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Or you may visit the POINT website at point-pointers.net for the latest information.

Innes Clan Society elects new officers
The Innes Clan Society held its 19th annual general meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on September 27th. The meeting was held in conjunction with Bethlehem's 16th Annual Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival, which has grown to become the largest free Highland Games and Festival in North America.

At the business meeting, Von Innes of Lincoln, Nebraska, was elected president of the Innes Clan Society, replacing Andy Innes of Palm Desert, California, whose term had expired.

Also elected was Steve Innes of Westminster, Colorado, as vice president; Larry Innis of Fort Worth, Texas, as treasurer; and Chuck Mitchell of Long Beach, California, as secretary.

It was also decided at the meeting that the next annual general meeting will be held in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival and Games, May 14-16, 2004.

A banquet was held following the meeting at the Minsi Trail Inn, Bethlehem, where a delicious meal was enjoyed and awards were presented to the outgoing officers and chairpersons continuing in their present capacities. Each of the recipients were given a hearty round of applause for their hard work in serving the organization over the years.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by James Ruhf, a well-known Bethlehem piper, and one of his students They played a series of well-known Scottish tunes before returning to entertain at the Celtic Festival.

The evening concluded with a presentation of an engraved crystal beer mug to Andy Innes, the outgoing president, for his leadership over the past three years.

Dr. Ellis J. Jones retires from Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association
On August 31st Dr. Ellis J. Jones retired as executive director of The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association. Beginning September 1, 2003, the new executive director is Dr. John Ellis.
The new address of the international headquarters is The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, PO Box 215, Hartland, Michigan 48353-0215. The phone number is (810) 632-7850, toll free is (800) 477-0090, and FAX is (810) 632-7805. You may also e-mail at wngga@comcast.net

Tulsa has a new genealogy center
A new 5,500 square foot facility located at 29th and Harvard in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is the site of the new genealogy center in Tulsa. The genealogy center, which opened in September, is part of the Tulsa City-County Library system and one of the largest genealogy collections in Oklahoma. In addition to Oklahoma and American Indian, there are a large number of materials covering Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.

They are open Monday through Thursday 10-7, Friday and Saturday 10-5, and Sunday (September-May) 1-5. Check out their website at http://www.tulsalibrary.org/collections/genealogy/genealogy.htm