Me with President George Hatzfeld. Another memory captured by Richard M. Trivane, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Bala Cynwyd - Narberth. |
It
is hard to believe that it has already been over a year since I was last at
Aldar Bistro in Bala Cynwyd. It was a drive full of memories as I made my way
into town and almost all of those excellent meetings rushed back as soon as I
walked through the doors of the restaurant. Actually, many of those
remembrances came to me when I was greeted in the parking lot by the restaurant
manager who, somehow, still remembered me after all this time. It had been too
long and it was great to reconnect with many of the people whom I used to see
every week and also speak with a number of people whom I was meeting for the
first time.
The
purpose of my return has been long overdue and required some time to arrange my
calendar. I was asked several months ago to come back as a speaker/presenter
but given my schedule it has been difficult to find a Wednesday that worked. But,
I was finally back at a meeting and, per a request from the club, ready to talk
about a passion that has occupied much of my time over the past few years…
genealogy.
While
presentations are usually about 30 minutes in length, the minutes seemed like
seconds as I gave an overview of my journey of discovering my Revolutionary War
ancestor and my recent acceptance into the Sons of the American Revolution. I
reviewed not just what is required regarding proof but also some of the
challenges that I have faced along the way especially given the fact that
Native American genealogy has its own set of challenges (particularly in the Commonwealth
of Virginia). Not surprisingly, especially for those who know me, by the time I
got around to answering questions nearly 45 minutes had passed.
Having
been away from the podium for so long it was a great feeling when the
presentation when so smoothly and I was able to keep the attention of those in
attendance. And the questions that were posed afterward were both thoughtful and
showed a deep interest of those in attendance of the work that it takes to
prove ones lineage through the centuries. It is good to know that I still have some,
albeit limited, ability to offer a compelling presentation.
Another
pleasant surprise during this gathering was the fact that the incoming club
president purchased 15 copies of my book about my experiences with Rotary. It
seems as though both my presentation and my book struck a chord with him and
the club. Now, I have to make a more concerted effort to return to the club in
the near future and not allow my absence to grow so long. And, of course, I
will have to figure out what my topic will be the next time around as well but
I am sure that I will have some help with that from those I met yesterday.
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