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In fulfillment of the California Genealogical Society Bylaws, Article VII, Section 1, President Jane Knowles Lindsey has appointed the 2009 Nominating Committee. General members are Dick Rees and Lorna Wallace; director Chris Pattillo will act as the committee chair.

The committee is seeking nominees for two openings on the board of directors. They welcome suggestions of candidates or volunteers to serve. Nominees must be members of the California Genealogical Society. Please e-mail Chris with your suggestions.

The full requirements as stated in the society bylaws, page 3, are as follows:

ARTICLE VII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members to be named not less that ninety (90) days prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The President shall appoint the Nominating Committee. The chairperson of the committee shall be from the Board of Directors and additional committee members from the general membership.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall submit its report to the Board of Directors and the Board shall give timely notice of nominations to the general membership prior to the Annual Business Meeting.

Section 3. Following the Nominating Committee’s report to the membership at the Annual Business Meeting, the floor shall be open to additional nominations, provided nominees have given consent to serve if elected.

Section 4. Nominees shall be members in good standing in the Society.

Section 5. Members in good standing who are present at the Annual Business Meeting shall elect the Directors. A plurality vote shall elect.

Section 6. If there is only one candidate for an opening, the ballot may be dispensed with by general consent and the election held by voice vote.

This month’s second Saturday membership meeting on July 11, 2009, was a high tech show-and-tell by CGS member Steve Danko. Genealogist, blogger and specialist in Eastern European research, Steve recently earned his Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS) with specialties in both United States and Canadian records from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies in Toronto.

After some society business by CGS President Jane Lindsey and the unveiling of the new iceberg poster by Tim Cox, Steve presented Genealogy Gadgets and Gizmos: New Technology to Help in Your Research. He brought along lots of his favorite genealogy toys for a grown-up version of “show and tell.” Tim got a shot of the collection of electronic devices that Steve brought to share.

Steve’s Genealogy Gadgets and Gizmos.

Any regular reader of Steve’s blog knows that he is one organized guy so it was no surprise that his presentation was well-ordered and his delivery crisp. Steve divided his gadgets into different categories of “family history” aides: gizmos for learning, for “finding your way,” for recording, preserving, presenting and even “dressing for family history.”

Steve and the 2GB Pulse SmartPen.

I won’t go into detail about the items that Steve presented. He covered an impressive amount of technological gear and I don’t even want to think about how he keeps track of all those power cords.

Steve spoke to a full house.

Needless to say, Steve’s use of audio-visual aides gets an A+. (He even brought his own InFocus portable projector.) If you missed Steve you’ll get another chance next year when he’ll be presenting Genealogy Gadgets and Gizmos to the San Mateo County Genealogical Society on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 7:30 p.m.

Photographs courtesy of Tim Cox and Kathryn Doyle, 7/11/2009, Oakland, California.