| December 1, 2019 -- I can’t believe its December already! Where has this year gone? As the Pomona and Subordinate Granges are having their holiday meetings and parties, don’t forget the unfortunate people at this time of year.
Sharon and I attended the 153rd National Grange Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the first week of November, starting on Monday night with our committee meetings and ending on Saturday with the Seventh Degree.
We were kept busy during the week so there wasn’t much downtime. Sharon served on the Education and Health Committee and again this year I served on the Conservation Committee. Each committee had several new resolutions to work on along with coming up with Policy Statements for each committee.
The resolution that the Connecticut State Grange sent out to National Grange was School Bus Safety. This resolution was put in the policy statement. The resolution on Removal of Public Monuments Memorializing Notable People From Public Spaces was adopted as amended.
The committee chairman asked me to withdraw the resolution on Support for Family Farms because most of it was already policy.
In our last resolution, Sale of Grange Property, there were two other State Granges that submitted their own resolutions on Sale of Grange
Property. One was for $5000 and the other was $10,000 like the resolution we submitted. The committee recommended for $5000 that would be returned to the Grange on sale of property. This needed a 2/3 vote to pass and unfortunately the resolution didn’t receive the 2/3. This resolution was rejected and we will have to try again next year.
This was the year for election of officers. Betsy Huber was reelected President/ Master of the National Grange. Master Betsy Huber is from the State of Pennsylvania. Phil Prelli was reelected Overseer and was named chairman of the Board of Directors for National Grange. The only two changes in the slate of officers was Karen Overstreet, State Master of Texas, was elected National Lady Assistant Steward and Sherry Harriman, State Master from Maine, is the new National Treasurer. Congratulations to all the officers of the National Grange. Elections of The Assembly of Demeter were held at the annual Convocation and Business meeting. Bruce Croucher from New York was elected to another term has High Priest of the Demeter. The other officers elected to the Assembly of the Demeter were Priest Archon Roger Bostwick from Kansas and Priest Annalist Martha Stefenoni from California.
Martha Stefenoni replaced James Owens from Maine as Priest Annalist. Brother Owens has Held this position for the past eight years. I would like to congratulate Miss Brianna Gervais for being selected as one of the National Junior Grange Ambassadors. Brianna is a member of the Ekonk Community Junior Grange from Connecticut. Mr. Bryce Danko from Pennsylvania was also selected as an Ambassador. Brianna also received several other awards at the Junior Breakfast. Brianna is going to have a busy year ahead of her and I know she will be a great representative for the Junior Grange and Connecticut.
Sharon and I would like to wish you all a joyous and safe holiday season and hope that the New Year, 2020, will be a prosperous year for our Grangers in Connecticut.
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