The Official Website of West Virginia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans

COMMANDER’S NOTES

Rodger L. Ware

Commander West Virginia Division

Sons of Confederate Veterans

April 2008

Dear Compatriots,
As the West Virginia Division SCV Annual Meeting approaches, I want to take this opportunity to invite all members to attend this year’s meeting. The meeting will be held Saturday April 26, 2008 at the Days Conference Center & Resort just off I 79 at Flatwoods, WV from 12 Noon until 5 PM. This is an election year and all Division offices will be up for election.

There is much to discuss at this year’s meeting including a number of important issues regarding the upcoming WBTS Sesquicentennial in 2011. Yes, we must begin to plan now, as this will be the most important commemoration of WBTS history in our lifetime. Long- range plans include 100 and 110-year rededications of West Virginia monuments as well as ceremonies to honor prominent Confederates buried in the state. Another important item to be discussed will be an update of the proposed Stonewall Jackson license plate.

The most important Division event this year will be Mt. Iser Weekend in Beverly on October 3-5, 2008. This will be a Division sponsored event and your participation is encouraged. This event is still in the planning stages but we hope to march as a Division in the Forest Festival Parade in Elkins on Saturday Oct. 4 and hold the 100-year Rededication of the Mt. Iser Confederate Monument in Beverly, WV at 1PM on Sunday Oct 5. We will probably include a living history camp and artillery demonstrations as well. Another possibility is Rich Mt. Battlefield tours. Mark this on your calendar now. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I hope the Division will use this chance to show the state of West Virginia who we are.

There will be as many as 100,000 people at the Forrest Festival parade! We will never have a better chance to get our message out. Our float will feature the Mt. Iser Confederate Monument and we will use the float to announce the 100-year rededication to be held the next day. Our strength and future growth depends on us participating in events such as these. If your heritage is important to you, I request that you do all you can to attend these Division defining events.

If you have an issue to bring up at the Division meeting, please let me know ahead of time so we can add it to the agenda. I encourage all members to contribute ideas and there is no better time than the Division meeting to make your concerns known.

I, as well as several other WV Division members, will be traveling to NC for the SCV National Reunion in July. One of the main items of business will be a move to rescind or lower the National $10 per member dues increase approved at last year’s reunion. The increase is scheduled to take effect August 1, 2008 these efforts fail.

Please check the events page of the website as many upcoming events have been added. If your camp has an upcoming event to announce, please take advantage of the event page and post it on the website. It only takes a minute and it will encourage Division- wide participation in your local events.
It is my pleasure to announce that Berkeley Border Guards Camp # 199 Cmdr. Robbie Ambrose and wife Christen are the proud parents of a new baby son, Jackson Eugene Ambrose, born March 4, 2008. (No Robbie, you can’t call him “Ol’ Jack”). Mother and child are doing well and we send our congratulations to the proud parents!

As I finish up my term as your Division Commander, I want to thank all of you for making this a most rewarding and satisfying experience for me. I truly believe we have brought this Division back from the brink and I know we will continue to grow and prosper as long as we emphasize recruiting and service to our organization. As we approach the 150th Anniversary of the WBTS, we must do all we can to honor our ancestors during this significant milestone. The spotlight will be on us for the next few years. It is up to us to shine! I am sure we are up to the challenge.

Serving their memory,

Rodger Ware

Commander West Virginia Division

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Cavalry

They Will Never Be Forgotten!

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