I am looking forward to our Fall Board of Managers Meeting in November. The Mission Inn is full of history and art from all over the world; and members of the Riverside Chapter have been working hard to make sure you will have a good time. President General Davis Wright will be in attendance along with other National Officers so bring your uniform since this will be a National Color Guard event.
There will also be a Changing of the Guard Ceremony on Saturday evening as our State Color Guard Commander Mark Kramer of the Riverside Chapter, passes Command to Brandon Villardi of the Harbor Chapter. We will also have a special showing of the CASSAR America 250 Public Service Announcement written and produced by David Gillard; and funded by David Gillard and John Ferris.
Meeting information and Registration Forms are available on the CASSAR Website. Please make your hotel reservations and mail in your registration form now. Early registration ends October 5th and forms mailed after that date are subject to a higher cost.
See you in November,
Brian Stephens
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
BEGINNING JANUARY 1ST 2022, WE WILL DISTRIBUTE THE CALIFORNIA COMPATRIOT IN ELECTRONIC VERSION ONLY, AND IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE. WE WILL NOT MAIL HARDCOPIES OF THE CALIFORNIA COMPATRIOT NEWSLETTER TO OUR MEMBERSHIP.
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Summer has faded into fall and we’re getting excited about football, Halloween, and cooler temperatures. The Delta Variant wave is receding in most of California. But coronavirus will be back. In my view, SARS-CoV-2 is essentially endemic, meaning it’s not likely to go away. We will all likely see it someday. My view is that it is better to have some immunity on board before that encounter, especially if one is high-risk. The vaccines work well at preventing severe disease and hospitalizations. Some of that effectiveness has waned with newer variants. Some are more effective than others. Also, these vaccines don’t prevent all transmission as I had originally hoped. The boosters can raise effectiveness in at-risk people. The jury is out what a booster means for younger, less at-risk people. There are very few true contraindications to receiving immunizations to SARS-CoV-2. As an allergist-immunologist, I have helped many with concerns or reactions with covid shots. The risk of adverse effects of these vaccinations is extremely low. But it's not zero. I have seen people who have experienced severe reactions to these vaccines. These are very rare. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. I approach such discussions in an open and non-judgmental manner, just as I do with every other health care discussion. My job is not to dictate what I want you to do. It’s to give you the best data and advice that I can and allow you to make your own informed decisions. That’s what I owe to everyone, from my patients to my compatriots. But I also must be honest. I’ve seen a few patients die of COVID-19. None were vaccinated. Deaths in the previously vaccinated can happen. But they are much less common in vaccinated people, like by an order of magnitude or two at this point. The rates of adverse effects of these vaccines are much less than the ravages of COVID, especially for the highest risk amongst us. The illness will stop for most, but I have cared for a few patients with "long COVID" that has lasted for a year. Those Americans who had COVID infections have “natural immunity” that in some data sets looks to be better than vaccine-mediated immunity at preventing subsequent infections. We don’t know how long that effect will last. Would I as someone who works with sick people and has my own risk factors choose to get COVID over getting vaccinated? Absolutely not. Further, I lament that our ancestors did not have the choice of potentially life-saving interventions and instead died of diseases we now take for granted. However, at some point, we need to get back to living the lives our Founders envisioned. That should be considered once everyone in our society who can be safely immunized has the choice to do so. That time is soon.
Matthew Bowdish, MD
Surgeon, California Society Sons of the American Revolution
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Congratulations! Welcome to the California Society, Sons of the American Revolution. We are honored that you have elected to join our society of descendants of those patriots and heroes who gave us our freedoms. The California Society conducts many patriotic, historical, and educational programs in our communities, and we rely heavily on our member volunteers to keep them strong and vibrant.
If you haven’t yet been, you will shortly be contacted by a representative of your chapter; I urge you to meet your fellow compatriots, join them in their chapter programs, and become an active member of your chapter and state society. I am looking forward to meeting and working with you in the future.
D. Craig Anderson, Executive Vice President, California Society
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Garrett Franklin Jackson
CASSAR Life Member and Past CASSAR President Garrett F. Jackson passed away on Sunday September 26, 2021, He was born on September 2,1955 and became a member of the SAR on October 9, 1989. He was awarded the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal in 1996, the Patriot Medal in 1997, and was selected for the Minuteman Award in 2005. He served as President of the California Society during 2002-2003.
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CASSAR Secretary, Fred Schuster will host a series of virtual sessions for chapter secretaries and other interested chapter officers each month on Zoom. The next session will be on October 13th at 6:30PM.
The October session will review the year-end reconciliation report in detail. This will be a great opportunity to get your questions answered and to keep current on changes within the SAR; please don't miss it! The link below is applicable for all eight meetings.
Meeting Schedule
SAR Secretary Forum/ Training monthly on the Second Wednesday:
- Oct 13, 2021 06:30 PM
- Nov 10, 2021 06:30 PM
- Dec 8, 2021 06:30 PM
- Jan 12, 2022 06:30 PM
- Feb 9, 2022 06:30 PM
- Mar 9, 2022 06:30 PM
- Apr 13, 2022 06:30 PM
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147th Annual Meeting
The 147 Annual Spring Meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Downtown-Arena on April 21st through 23rd 2022. Room rates are $129 per night and parking is $10/day. The Holiday Inn Downtown-Arena is located adjacent to Golden One Center and is within easy walking distance of shopping and historic “Old Town Sacramento”
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The National Society, requires that all members who participate in SAR youth and education programs that interface with students under the age of 18, successfully complete SAR Youth Protection Training. We had formerly utilized the training offered by the Boy Scouts of America, but subsequently, the SAR has developed its own training program that is geared specifically to the programs that we conduct. The process is very simple; the training can be taken on-line in about 20 minutes, and the certificate is valid for three years.
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On September 11th, Lee's Legion of the Orange County Chapter paraded and presenting the colors at the Pacific Symphony, Costa Mesa Fairgrounds. The symphony was attended by over 4,000 patrons and concluded with a firework spectacular during Tchaikovsky‘s 1812 Overture. The attending color guard include Dan McKelvie, Brian Stephens (Riverside Chapter), Jim Klingler, Kent Gregory, Marc Torres, Spencer Torres, John Blake, John Ferris, and Larry Wood. The Color Guard paraded in to the music of John Williams theme from saving Private Ryan. It was noted to be a very solemn and special presentation. |
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YOSEMITE CHAPTER
CONSTITUTION WEEK EVENTS
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The Yosemite Chapter SAR and the Fresno-Yosemite Chapter DAR attended the Fresno County Board of Supervisors Meeting on September 7th in celebration of Constitution Day. Chapter President Randy Dhindsa, along with compatriots Stan Day and Scott Nichols and the ladies of the DAR presented the Board of Supervisors with a SAR Flag Certificate and SAR Certificate of Recognition for their unwavering support of the principles of American freedoms. Supervisor Sal Quintero made a motion to permanently display the SAR flag certificate and certificate of appreciation at the entrance to the county Board room! The motion was unanimously approved!
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The Yosemite Chapter presented the Colors at the Clovis City Council Meeting on Sept 13th. Clovis Mayor, Flores, has asked the Yosemite Chapter to return and he would like to make it a common occurrence for SAR to present the colors at their meetings. Chapter members attending were Al Ludwig, Stan Day, Scott Nichols, Jackson Dhindsa, Tighe Dhindsa, and Chapter President Randy Dhindsa.
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On Sunday, September 12th, the Sacramento Chapter Color Guard posted the colors at the inaugural meeting of the Charlotte Parkhurst DAR Chapter in Granite Bay, CA.
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On Friday, September 17th, the Sacramento Chapter posted the colors and a Constitution Day event hosted by the Gold Trail Chapter DAR. Left to Right: Pat Pedersen, Regent, Jim Faulkinbury, Don Littlefield, and Enie Garcia. |
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Craig Anderson and President Michael Hull presented SAR Certificates of Patriotism to Ed Comingore Jr. and Sacramento Registrar David Cofer. Ed Comingore received Certificates of Patriotism and a War Service Medal for his service during WWII and Korea. David Cofer received a Certificate of Patriotism and Military Service Medal for his military service. Left-Right Craig Anderson, Ed Comingore Jr., President Michael Hull, and David Cofer. |
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PRESIDENT
BRIAN R. STEPHENS
briandi777@aol.com
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
D. CRAIG ANDERSON
craigandersonsar@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT, SOUTH
JAMES KLINGLER
klingler@sbcglobal.net
VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH
WILLIAM VAN VALKENBURG
VICE PRESIDENT, MEMBERSHIP
James C. Bunker
jmbnkmailbox-californiaSAR@yahoo.com
SECRETARY
FRED SCHUSTER
schuster6789@aol.com
TREASURER
JOHN FERRIS
Jrf1776@outlook.com
REGISTRAR
OWEN R. STILES
ostiles45@gmail.com
CHANCELLOR
JOHN L. DODD, ESQ.
johnldodd@twc.com
GENEALOGIST
TERRY L. BRIGGS
tlbaia@comcast.net
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HISTORIAN
SCOTT KNECHT
knechtsh@gmail.com
CHAPLAIN
RT. REV. LOUIS V. CARLSON, JR.
loucarlson@sbcglobal.net
SURGEON
DR. MATTHEW BOWDISH, MD
matthewsbowdish@gmail.com
TRUSTEE OF THE INVESTED FUNDS
(2020-2023)
STEPHEN RENOUF
usina@aol.com
TRUSTEE OF THE INVESTED FUNDS
(2019-2022)
DR. M. KENT GREGORY
drkentgregory@earthlink.net
TRUSTEE OF THE INVESTED FUNDS
(2021-2024)
JOHN L. DODD, ESQ.
johnldodd@twc.com
PAST PRESIDENT
DONALD B. LITTLEFIELD
NATIONAL TRUSTEE
ROBERT TAYLOR
tartar-taylor@att.net
ALTERNATE NATIONAL TRUSTEE
BRIAN STEPHENS
briandi777@aol.com
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Cyber Scams
If you receive an email from a purported Compatriot in need of help that is unsigned, with no personal contact information seeking contributions to any type of fundraising site; or an email ad-dressing you by name from another member of your Chapter requesting the expenditure of funds or the purchase of gift cards consider it a hoax. These messages are getting more sophisticated and may even include the unauthorized use of the SAR logo and/or a pseudo SAR email address.
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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: D. Craig Anderson
craigandersonsar@gmail.com
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