Abilene Writers Guild Meeting Minutes

May 24, 2001, 7:30 p.m., Center for Contemporary Arts



President Stewart Caffey called the meeting to order. The minutes are now posted on the AWG web site, so reading them is waived, and the minutes are accepted by acclamation as printed. Members may examine a hard copy of the minutes, which was circulated at the meeting.

Treasurer Gail McMillan reported the operating fund balance this date is $4,056.36.

Three guests were introduced and "Brags and Sags" were reported by the membership. Among the "Brags" were notice by Jo Cox that her agent had requested the first 75 pages of her book; Jan Carrington received e-mail announcing she had won prizes in the "Frontiers in Writing" contest sponsored by the Amarillo writers group, and Marie Boswell's article "Witnessing at Restaurants" is being published in Faith Forum magazine. Other details of reported successes and challenges will be included in your next Big Country Writers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Board of Directors provides refreshments at the annual AWG "Birthday." To celebrate our 32nd year, ice cream, toppings and cookies were served before the program.

OLD BUSINESS:

Jan Carrington reported 39 already paid and approximately 50 listed as registered for the June 2 Workshop.

NEW BUSINESS:

Stewart presented the nominees for AWG's annual election: Vice-president Nancy Masters, Treasurer Gail McMillan, Mac Davis, Board member, Barbara Darnall, Board member and Elaine Coleman, Alternate Board member. A vote was called and Jan Carrington moved that these nominees be elected as presented. Paula Thomas seconded the motion and said motion passed. These officers will serve from June 1, 2001, to May 31, 2003.

Nancy Robinson presented a program on the United States Constitution in the absence of planned speaker David Crymes. Her description of the work of the Continental Congress in 1787 culminated in the story of the secretary who actually penned the Constitution and the method he used in this writing. Jacob Shallus was the man "drafted" by Benjamin Franklin to do this arduous task over a 3 to 4 month period. Jacob's 14-year-old son, Francis, penned the calligraphy work of the Preamble, while Jacob did the four-page constitution document with the help of his son and 12-year-old daughter. They stood on each side of the large vellum sheet holding a string taut to keep his pen and ink lines straight on the page. Bottom line of this story: Although Shallus gathered the Congressmen's notes daily for the duration of the Continental Congress session, deciphered, edited and actually penned the words of the Constitution, he was never given credit as the writer of our U. S. Constitution.

Stewart closed the meeting with the report of a unique book give-away he worked with recently. The "Heart of Texas Literature Center," a special project of Phi Delta Kappa at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, gave away 5,000 books to educators in 30-minutes!

Meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,


Carolyn Dycus
5-27-01


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