Ed Root, substituting for Barry, opened the meeting with a retrospective of the history of the roundtable and the impact on it by George Seligman, to whom the June meeting is dedicated. He talked of the peak interest in roundtables and the slow decline of many, including our own. He spoke of the need to increase fees, attract more members and make other changes for the future.
We held our monthly book raffles - winners pictured below; and also held the yearly preservation raffles. Check the sumer newsletter for a list of winner. Prizes are depicted at the bottom.
Our featured presentation was by General Grant (aka Ken Serfass) talking about developments in railroad technology and utility before and during the Civil War. Gen. Grant related his own experiences with trains and railroading from his youth through becoming the victor of the Civil War through stories and artifacts from the period.
Serfass, from Bethlehem, PA, had a career as a US Marine from 1984 to 2004. He is a former reenactor and now a first-person impressionist with 52 years studying his hero, US Grant. As a full-time living history story-teller he presents from 11 to 20 programs monthly, February through December.
Winners of the Monthly Book Raffle for Preservation
Prizes for the Annual Preservation Raffle.