Jack Hume's presentation on the history of the Heather and Thistle Society given at last month's meeting was most interesting. Jack is uniquely qualified to present it - he joined the Society in 1955 just two years after it was founded and has personally known all the officers (and most of the members no doubt) who ever served. The Society began essentially as a support group for young, mostly poor immigrant families arriving in Houston directly from Scotland. At the time only native-born Scots were eligible for membership. Children were very much a part of the meetings at that time and family events like picnics and all-welcome informal dances were the main focal points at meetings. Even today as Jack said you'll hear now fifty- something members referring to other older members as "uncle" and "aunt" from those days. We have lost that aspect of the Society and that might be a mistake. Jack put a lot of work and love into this presentation, as indeed he has into the Society all these years. It was great to hear him relating amusing stories of barbequing for 300 at Bear Creek Park when raccoons stole the chickens and the like. The Burns Supper back then was held every year, but was a very small event when compared with these family occasions. Now it is the only remaining H & T event other than our normal meetings, and one that we must work hard to preserve. Thanks to Jack for being a major part of an inspiring history and for presenting it so memorably.
The March meeting is as usual dedicated to the installation and swearing-in of the officers for the incoming year. My team and I are honored to have been elected for a second year and will be proud to serve again. The reason we are having a re-run does however reveal a growing problem within our Society - a chronic shortage of new people coming up through the officers' ranks. To ensure that we will be having a presentation on the centenary of the Heather and Thistle Society it is vital that members volunteer to take leadership roles. We must also place the highest priority on attract new and especially younger members. Jack's history clearly brought out that the graying of H &T has narrowed the focus. We need to reverse that trend.
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Tartan of the Month - LargsLargs is a small seaside town on the west coast of Scotland about 25 miles north of Robert Burns's birthplace. It is the hometown of the recipients of the Society's two trophies for distinguished service by non-officers in 2008 that were presented at the Burns Supper in January. Webmaster Robin Mills won the Dixon Hedges Award for his generous work resurrecting and supporting our site and his sister and First Lassie Irene Boyd was awarded the Jack and Phemia Hume trophy for her work on the Society's hosting of the Burns Cruise last March. Robin wore the Largs Tartan when presented with his trophy. That would be a good enough reason to have Largs as the site tartan this month, but in addition many of you know that Irene Boyd has been seriously ill since shortly after the Burns Supper. She is now on the road to better health, and having Largs as the Tartan of the Month is also to wish her a full recovery. To mark Robert Boyd's new year as Chieftain but more important to wish Irene Boyd a full recovery from her illness. |
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Please send ideas to our Program Chair Dr. Gordon Macleod at gordymacus@yahoo.com.
Robert Boyd
Chieftain
