St. Andrew’s Society Banner, 1825, front side.
Julius Ruben Ames (1801-1850)
Banner of the St. Andrew’s Society of the
City of Albany, oil on silk, c. 1828.
Albany Institute of History and Art, gift of the
St. Andrew’s Society of the City of Albany.
The fall season began with a flurry of activities. We enjoyed the Officers’ BBQ headed up by our Second Vice President who was helped by all of your Officers, making it a memorable evening. Thanks to all who helped in a variety of ways.
The September meeting was especially interesting with important business conducted.
– We voted to receive a Resident Member and an Honorary Member.
– Thanks to a very generous gift of a Society Member, we now have among our art collection 19 framed prints of Scottish Officers in Full Regimental Dress. These beautiful color prints represent various Scottish Regiments dating from the early seventeen hundreds up and through the mid-nineteen hundreds. Painted by the late Col. P. H. Smitherman (1910 – 1982) who, in addition to a distinguished military career in the British Army, became famous during his lifetime for his depiction, in painstaking detail, of British military uniforms. On the back of each print is a brief history of each regiment and lists many of the famous battles these regiments fought. This gift is a wonderful addition to the Society’s art collection. Two of the prints are shown here.
– We heard a preliminary report from the Special Committee on the Comprehensive Plan of the Society. The report has now been forwarded to the Board of Managers for review and implementation of the recommendations.
– We approved an increase of dues for Resident Members from $125 to $250 per year and Resident Members under 35 years of age to $150 per year. There is no change in the Non-Resident dues. The increase is effective for the 2013 dues which are payable on November 1, 2012.
Military Print Gift
1959
Officer, The King’s Own Scottish Borderers
– We approved the recommendation of the Board of Managers to discontinue the position of Resident Manager and to use volunteers to fill those responsibilities.
Other important work is progressing.
-In response to the recommendation of the Special Committee, the Board of Managers voted to proceed with the renovation of the third floor. The project will include repair, painting, and carpet installation on the stairway and throughout the third floor. The cost of the project is less than $13,000.
The November meeting agenda will include the election of officers and a further update on recommended amendments to our Society’s Constitution.
Planned Giving – You should also know that we are working on a planned-giving program for the Society. As you remember other non-profits in your will, trusts, and other advanced and planned-giving programs, please start thinking about our Society. There will be more about this after the first of the year.
Year-End Gifts – All of us receive solicitations for year-end gifts from a variety of entities. Make your St. Andrew’s Society one of those non-profit entities on your list to receive year-end gifts. This year is particularly important as the Board of Managers approved the expenditure for the work on the third floor. Please consider making that gift so that we will not have to dip into our endowment.
Military Print Gift
Officer, The Black Watch