The Fort Smith Historical Society board meeting was held on April 22, 2004, at the River Front Park Events Building following the presentation of the 2004 Frontier Achievements Awards. There were 11 members present.

Jack Arnold, president called the meeting to order. The minutes were read by Chloe Lamon, Joanne Swofford gave the treasurer's report. The beginning balance was $14,850.74. Income totaled $1,180.00 Expenses were $3,987.48. Cash on hand is $13,1876.18.

Old Business:
There were questions about keys to the safety deposit box. Joanne and Becky Chancey have keys to the safety deposit box. Also, Joanne has a key to the post office box.

A membership report was not available, but there were 416 Journals mailed out, and 7 or 8 have been sold since.

Charles Raney spoke about the Arkansas Historical Association Convention. It went off without a flaw and Ft. Smith received many compliments from association members.

Several people praised the April edition of the Journal. Even though we have lost Amelia and Mary Lou, others stepped in and did an excellent job in getting it out. Chuck Raney, Ben Boulden and Joe and Lynn Wasson worked very hard. Also recognized were the board members who worked together inserting flyers and ballot forms, labeling, wrapping, and getting the journals to the post office.

New Business:
There was a unanimous vote to approve a new slate of officers. They are as follows:
Jack Arnold, President
Jerry Akins, Vice President
Chloe Lamon, Recording Secretary
Carole Barger, Corresponding Secretary
Jo Tillery, Membership Secretary
Joanne Swofford, Treasurer

There were two vacancies on the board, following the resignation of Thelma Wray and Lewis Young. New board members elected by unanimous vote and subject to becoming a member of the Society, were:
Rena Westbrook
Ben Stephens
Rena is a local architect. Ben is the chaplain of the FS Police Department. Both have ties to Fort Smith history.

As a special recognition for her significant effort in getting the Journal out for April, the Board approved a $300 gift for Lynn Wasson as a token of our deepest appreciation.

The Board was informed that in the near future, equipment to make the Journal 'print ready' will need to be purchased. This includes such items as printer, computer, scanner and software such as 'Quark' that is the major sofrware used to print such material as Journals. The amount will be in the $2,000 range.

The Historical Association suggested that the Society needs to have an office. Jack will try to find office space. The Masonic Temple and Yoes buildiing were mentioned as possible sites.

There was discussion of future topics for the Journal. Berry Dry Goods, Speer Hardware, and short human interest stories were mentioned. Jerry Cantwell is interested in writing about the history of old homes in Fort Smith. Jerry Akins is doing more research on outlaws.

Work is continuing on getting the Marshall's Museum moved to the Frisco Station in Ft. Smith.. Other cities have questioned how much money it would bring in. Ft. Smith has not asked about money, and has offered the Depot, which is now owned by the National Park Service. They are asking for family stories from descendants of the Marshalls.

The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for 2:30 PM on July 22 2004, in the Rose Room at Creekmore Park.

The meeting was adjourned by the President.

Chloe Lamon, Recording Secretary


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