LOWER MERION HISTORICAL SOCIETY Annual Meeting & Banquet Wednesday, April 13, 2005 The 'New' Tavern Restaurant Second Floor Banquet Room Ann Bagley was our hostess and announced that there were three events to take place during our banquet supper. Opening Remarks: Jerry Francis stated that we're here this evening to celebrate the successes of the Society. For the past 57 years, we have been busy acquiring materials that chronicle Lower Merion's rich history. Today, our Special Library is an excellent collection of over 20,000 items and growing. We now occupy the historic Lower Merion Academy as our headquarters where we invite the general public and make available to them our collection. We have built a state-of-the-art Archive Room to properly house and conserve our primary source materials. But what has made the Lower Merion Historical Society heads above any other local historical society? It's the access to our collection, we're truly educating the community. We've published the book "The First 300..." and distributed more than 3,500 copies. We've launched a website "LowerMerionHistory.org" which has grown to more than 500 visitors/day. Every year we offer to the community 50 to 60 lectures/events. In the future, we plan to expand into the video format and be a contributor to our local TV channels. The Society has grown over the years and we plan to continue to expand. What has made all this happen? It's our membership who contribute their time and money to the Society that allows us to PRESERVE and SHARE our heritage with the community. Election of Officers and Directors for 2005/2006: Ted Goldsborough, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, ran the election. The following were elected: President - Gerald A. Francis Vice President - Ross L. Mitchell Treasurer - John B. Hagner Corresponding Secretary - Betty Cannon Recording Secretary - Barbara McElroy Class of 2008 Andrew Amsterdam Denise H. Francis Bruce D. Reed Class of 2006 Lynne G. Kauffman Guest Speaker: George M. Painter III, the Vice President of "The Lower Merion Society for the Detection and Prosecution of Horse Thieves and Recovery of Stolen Horses" shared with us the history of the Horse Company that was founded here in Lower Merion in 1818. Deferred to the June Executive Board Meeting: Presentation of the "2004 Audit Report" (Phil Bagley) Review of the "2005 Statement of Financial Position" (Jack Hagner) Approval of "2005 Budget" (Jack Hagner) The next Executive Board Meeting will be Tuesday, June 7th at 7:30pm at the Lower Merion Academy.