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Compatriots,
It’s great to see the reports of all the George Washington Birthday and President’s Day celebrations by our Compatriots around our state. Thanks to everyone who took part in remembering our country’s first President.
I want to thank two of our Compatriots who have volunteered to serve as Committee Chairman for two new CASSAR committees. Brandon Villardi has agreed to serve as Chairman of the CASSAR Americanism Committee, and Mark Torres has agreed to serve as Chairman of the CASSAR Patriot Chest Committee. Please support these Compatriots in fulfilling their duties, and if any of you are interested in serving on these committees, please contact these Chairmen to indicate your interest in serving.
A number of your CASSAR State and Chapter Officers have recently returned from the SAR Spring Leadership meeting at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY. The Spring and Fall Leadership meetings are an opportunity for leaders of all the State SAR Societies to meet in person to discuss and develop plans for the National SAR Society. In addition to the numerous committee meetings on Thursday and Friday, the Trustees met on Saturday to vote on proposals submitted to the organization. SAR President General John Dodd from our California Society SAR presided over the Trustees meeting. A number of actions were taken which I will report next month in my Trustee’s report.
Finally, please register for our CASSAR 149th Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Burlingame, CA on April 26-27, 2024. This is an important time for us to get together as a Society to learn from one another and socialize. The meeting will be structured as it has been in the past. There will be a Public Service Luncheon, a Youth Programs Luncheon and a Gala Banquet to celebrate our accomplishments during the past year. This is our meeting of the CASSAR members, so please plan to attend as much of the meeting as you can. There is a link below in this newsletter.
Thank you for your service to SAR,
Jim Klingler, President
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"We will remember our compatriot brothers with thanksgiving."
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Rooms $158/night and $10/Day Parking | | |
We have a great meeting planned in a gorgeous venue!
In addition to the two hotel luncheons and Saturday gala banquet,
we have arranged for a optional off-site dinner Friday evening
in the Tuscan Room of Il Fornaio, in Burlingame.
The Tuscan Room
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Be sure to book your spot for just $75 per person. Seating limited to 42.
Kick back, relax, and have great conversation with other compatriots.
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There's no more beautiful spot in the country to watch planes takeoff and land than San Francisco International Airport.
The Hyatt Regency sits just 2 miles south of the airport.
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American Patriot
SAR Honors Andrew Jackson
SAR President General John Dodd presided over the dedication of an SAR plaque at Andrew Jackon's home the Hermitage in Nashville, TN. The marker commemorates Andrew Jackson’s sacrifice during the American Revolution as a Courier, Scout, and Prisoner of War. Joining PG Dodd are Kent Gregory, SAR Chairman of the Museum Board, and John Ferris, CASSAR VP South.
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The Admiral William R. Furlong Memorial Award is presented to Societies that have over half of their chapters presenting at least one Flag Certificate.
This year the California Society presented over 100 flag certificates from 14 of 24 chapters to the outside community. An excellent achievement. Flag certificates provide the easiest way to celebrate the patriotism already being displayed in our country.
For any questions concerning the Admiral William R. Furlong Memorial Award, please contact John Ferris at jrf1776@outlook.com.
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Have you seen the latest release from the SAR concerning America 250?
america250sar.org/rd/?mc_cid=4800c213c8&mc_eid=11ca9f8bff
2023 was the beginning of the "Decade of the American Revolution.”
Beginning with the Boston Tea Party and ending with the Treaty of Paris, there will be one big focus on a seminal event every year. This year, as you all know, is the First Continental Congress.
California SAR is celebrating the Decade of the American Revolution by offering a new California SAR challenge coin.
| The coin is expected to be in circulation by this fall. Inquires concerning ordering coins may be sent to John Ferris jrf1776@outlook.com | |
America 250 SAR has just made it very easy for you to give a presentation to your chapter or any outside group.
Click the link to be directed to 3 brand new PowerPoint presentations:
america250sar.org/decade-links/?mc_cid=588d2394d2&mc_eid=11ca9f8bff
- The Boston Tea Party,
- The First Continental Congress
- Lexington & Concord.
The first of three years in our Decade of the American Revolution.
Check it out and if you have any questions,
contact John Ferris at jrf1776@outlook.com
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Massing of the Colors
Forrest Lawn Memorial Park
Hollywood Hills, CA
February 18th, 2024
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In honor of George Washington’s birthday and the Armed Forces of the United States, the Sons of Liberty Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution once again hosted the Massing of Colors and Salute to the Armed Forces. | |
The event featured a large parade of color and honor guard units from local schools, ROTC units, military branches, historical societies, as well as representatives from each branch of the military service. | |
The event also featured a Warbirds fly-by with missing man formation. | |
The assembled SAR Colorguardsmen with
CAR State President, Sophia Kaufman (red dress) | |
News from Around the California Society | |
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Coachella Valley Chapter
Officer Installation
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(L-R) Curt Lane, Secretary; Dave Arthurs, Registrar; Bill Haines, Treasurer; Ray Allen, Vice President; and Chris Cerillo, President.
CASSAR Vice President South John R. Ferris installs Coachella Valley Chapter officers for 2024 at Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage.
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Eagle Chapter
Flag Certificate
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(L-R) Shelby Breck with Benny White
On February 4, Benny White, Eagle Chapter SAR, presented the
SAR Flag Certificate to the Temecula Valley Museum.
Receiving the certificate for the museum is intern Shelby Breck.
Shelby is a student at Mt. San Jacinto College, Menifee, CA.
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February Meeting
(Clockwise from front left) Bob Martin Scott Mann, Stephen Wright Mark LeTourneau,
Karl Blackmun, John Murphy, Mathew Rogers, Robert Martin, Benny White.
Missing from photo: Wayne Roger
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Harbor Chapter
Caroldale Learning Community
Carson, CA
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(L-R) Kevin Bidenkap, Lucas Villardi, Alexa Villardi (CAR), Brandon Villardi, Kyle Puro
On February 12th, compatriots of the Harbor Chapter visited the fifth-grade classes of Caroldale Learning Community.
They gave an America 250 presentation to approximately 90 students discussing the Boston Tea Party along with an introduction to the 5th Grade Poster Contest and Valley Forge Teacher Program.
We also brought along several artifacts from our Patriot Chest for the kids to hold and look at. In Picture 6 you can see the young man is wearing one of the SAR 250 stickers that were made and handed out to the students.
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Mother Lode Chapter
Officer Installation
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(L-R) Mother Lode Ppresident Steve Belden, Founding Member & Registrar Tom Douglas,
CASSAR EVP and Dual Member Don Littlefield
On February 27, Don Littlefield had the privilege of swearing-in
Steve Belden and Tommy Douglas as Mother Lode Officers for 2024.
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Orange County Chapter
New Member Induction
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(L-R) Nathan Hittle, Laurence Stratton, Lou Carlson
OC Chapter President Laurence Stratton and Past NSSAR Chaplain Lou Carlson swear in new Orange County Chapter compatriot Nathan Hittle.
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Redwood Empire Chapter
Poster Contest
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(L-R) Dan Van Valkenburg and Bill Nay
Redwood Empire Poster Chairman Bill Nay with the help of Vice President Dan Van Valkenburg, and Bill's wife Karen Nay, conducted an America 250 presentation with a focus on the Boston Tea Party to the classes at University Elementary School at La Fiesta. Each teacher and assistant received an America 250 pin and the Teacher/Coordinator was presented a CASSAR America 250 coin. Redwood Empire Chapter donated 100 pieces of posterboard for the poster contest.
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Sacramento President Jon Wroten presents Craig Anderson with a SAR Certificate and tokens of appreciation for his service to the Chapter. | |
President Wroten presents Compatriot Larry Brasher with the
SAR America 250 Bronze Medal.
| Sacramento President Jon Wroten presents Compatriots Roy Adkins and Larry Niekamp with the SAR America 250 Bronze Medal | |
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San Diego Chapter
George Washington Birthday Gala
Green Dragon Inn
Carlsbad, CA
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The program kicked off with a three round musket volley outside the venue. | |
The Color Guard marched into the venue with the accompaniment of the
San Diego Chapter's drummer and fifer, Gene and Claudine Moore (far left). | |
SAR President General John L. Dodd, Esq.
gave opening remarks.
| CASSAR President Jame Klingler and Vice President South John Ferris. | Kent Gregory, Chairman of the S.A.R. Museum Board, provided the
keynote address on the Art and Artifacts of the George Washington era. | Brenda Kaesler presented a DAR Certificate of Appreciation and Certificate of Recognition from Senator Brian Jones to Chapter members Michael Hirman, Duncan Campbell, Gene Moore and Jim McAdory for their efforts supporting the Boston Tea Part Reenactment in December. | Chapter President, Jim McAdory, presented a Certificate Appreciation to
Tyler Jones of Endependence Financial
for his sponsorship of the 2023 and 2024 dinner. | |
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San Francisco Chapter
George Washington Birthday Celebration
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The San Francisco Chapter held their February meeting on George Washington's birthday, February 22, at the beautiiful Presidio Golf Club, in the Presidio, San Francisco, CA. Guest speaker was SAR Historian General Brooks Lyles, Jr., who appeared via Zoom. His topic was "A Planter's Life" a discussion of George Washington's life at Mt. Vernon. | |
Don Littlefield (left), a dual member of the San Francisco Chapter with
Steve Welch (center), the newest member of the San Francisco Chapter receiving his Membership Certificate and Record Copy from
San Francisco Chapter President Andy Martinez (right). | |
Steve Welch (left) was sworn in as San Francisco Chapter Secretary by CASSAR Executive Vice President Don Littlefield (right). | |
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L/R: Kevin Forrest(South Coast) Brandon Villardi (Harbor),
Mike Miller (Orange County); Jim Hernandez (South Coast)
On Wednesday, February 28th, a combined Color Guard (South Coast, Harbor and Orange County Color Guard) presented the colors for the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 6-2 in Huntington Harbor, California.
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Thomas Jefferson Chapter
Officer Installation
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CASSAR VP North Dhindsa (far left) installed the slate of 2024 Thomas Jefferson Chapter Officers: (L-R) Chaplain Bob Vernagallo, President Glenn Martin, Secretary/Treasurer Stephen Renouf, Registrar Derek Brown, Immediate Past President Dan Shurtz, and Historian Tom Silva.
VP Dhindsa presented the gavel to President Glenn Martin. President Martin presented the Past President Pin and Certificate to Dan Shurtz.
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SAR Bronze Good Citizenship Medal Presented to Brendan Hurd
President Glenn Martin (left) presented guest speaker, Brendan Hurd (right), an 8th grade teacher of history (US History and Geography) at Walnut Creek Intermediate School in Walnut Creek, CA, with the SAR Bronze Good Citizenship Medal for his quarter century of teaching American History to intermediate school students.
| President Glenn Martin presents the
SAR Chapter Past President Pin and Certificate to Dan Shurtz. | |
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History Day at Tulare County Office of Education
Scott Nichols (left), Jim Riley (right) joined Bill Nay (center), President of Redwood Empire Chapter, SAR to answer questions of 4th-12th graders from various schools in the Tulare County Unified School District.
Bill Nay was the keynote speaker for the event.
| Presidents day Celebration
Clovis Senior Activity Center | |
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(L-R) Jim Riley, Scott Nichols, Harlie Smith, Randy Dhindsa, and Jon Russell.
Yosemite Chapter Color Guard presenting Colors at the
USAA annual President’s Day Celebration
| Presidents day Celebration at Clovis Senior Activity Center.
Randy Dhindsa quoting an American President during the ceremony. | |
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(L-R) Harlie Smith, Scott Nichols, Jim Riley, Amy Hance,
General Services Manager, City of Clovis, CA, Jon Russell and Randy Dhindsa.
Presentation of Flag Certificate to the Clovis Senior Activity Center.
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Scott Nichols talking with three classes of 5th graders at
Fresno Christian School on how to do the Yosemite Chapter’s Poster Contest. | |
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PG Manning’s America 250 Daily Minute
If you want to find out how your chapter can be apart of this celebration, contact John Ferris, Chair, America 250 SAR, at jrf1776@outlook.com .
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America 250 SAR Update
There is new information on the America 250th SAR website. I hope you will be impressed at what you will find. Please visit the America 250 Programs Library.
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SAR Tab:
185 Programs on the Revolutionary War, 225 videos, podcasts, and YouTube Videos, 175 website programs that you can use from the SAR, DAR, PBS, History Channel and the Museum of the American Revolution.
Educational Tab:
1900 Lessons on the Revolutionary War, 150 videos, podcasts, and YouTube videos, 175 website programs.
Color Guard Tab:
SAR Color Guard Handbook, Magazine and Reporting Forms, Download Color Guard Programs and News Releases, Color Guard Training videos and YouTube videos on uniforms, ceremonies, how to load and fire your musket, and the Baron de Steuben manual, YouTube Website links to the National SAR Color Guard Committee, State Color Guard Sites and the Baron Von Steuben's Revolutionary War Drill Manual
After you have perused the content, reach out and let me know what you think. I'd like to know if you used any of the information to help you or others on your America 250 journey. For any questions concerning America 250th SAR or the America 250th Anniversary Recognition Program, please contact John Ferris at jrf1776@outlook.com.
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April 26-27, 2024 — CASSAR Annual Meeting, Burlingame
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May 15, 2024 — All Regulatory Filings Must be Complete
- June 14, 2024 — Flag Day
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July 4, 2024 — Independence Day
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Every member who participates in SAR programs and interacts with youth under the age of 18, is required to successfully complete SAR Youth Protection Training. Training is online, takes about 20 minutes, and is valid for 3 years.
Send your certificate of completion to Dan McKelvie: mckelvie@sbcglobal.net.
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Cyber Scams
If you receive an email, text, or voice mail from a purported Officer or Compatriot seeking any kind of financial transaction, consider it a hoax. Phishing messages are very sophisticated and may include the unauthorized use of the SAR logo, a compatriot's name, or a pseudo SAR email address. Stop — Think — Verify !!!
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2024 Editor
California Compatriot
Experienced newsletter editor for editing and writing content for a diverse audience of 1500. Experience with Constant Contact, HubSpot, or Mailchimp, et al., is a plus. In addition, you must be adept at editing photos and other imagery in Adobe Photoshop or other photo editing software. This position would be best performed as a single focus, volunteer position.
Contact: Don Littlefield for more details.
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CALL FOR ARTICLES — March 20, 2024 Deadline
Please send news of events and high resolution digital photos to
Don Littlefield at dblittlefield@4July1776.US
— RELEASE FORMS —
All photos or or other materials that show or name any
minor under the age of 18
must be accompanied by a signed Release Form.
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The California Compatriot is the official newsletter of the California Society, Sons of the American Revolution. Unless explicitly stated, the opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the California Society SAR.
Editor: Donald B Littlefield
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