SARATOGA COUNTY HISTORY CENTER ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 AT 2 PM VIA ZOOM

The 2020 annual membership meeting will be held through Zoom at the following link:

Topic: Annual Membership Meeting – Saratoga County History Center at Brookside Museum
Time: Nov 15, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82291533256

As we once did years ago, membership meetings are again an integral part of our history center. New by-laws adopted in May of 2020 mandate that members meet to elect board members, pass a budget for the new year, and be presented with a report which will include up-coming plans. *Complete by-laws may be accessed on our website at https://brooksidemuseum.org/about/by-laws/.

YOUR PRESENCE IS ESSENTIAL.

Because it is the first annual meeting since adoption of the by-laws, all trustee seats are up for election. A quorum of 24 members is necessary to elect trustees.   The Nominating Committee will offer the following individuals for the following terms: (A short bio of each candidate follows the conclusion of this announcement.)

ONE YEAR

Donna Dardaris

Jon Hallgren

Michael Landis

Gina Marozzi

Nora Osuchowski

TWO YEARS

Jere Blackwelder

Isobel Connell

Sean Kelleher

Maureen Walsh

Open

THREE YEARS

Cindy Corbett

John Cromie

Field Horne

Russ VanDervoort

Open

 

Additional agenda items will include a presentation of the proposed budget by Treasurer Maureen Walsh. The budget presentation will be open for discussion and questions prior to adoption. The meeting will wrap up with an open discussion of the significance of becoming a History Center and how it will affect programs, exhibits, and the use of the collection, library, and other resources.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the 15th!

 

Board Member Bios

Jere Blackwelder, a native of Georgia, was the Director of Bryan, TX’s Habitat for Humanity “Restore” Operation, and active in numerous civic organizations in Atlanta, Charlotte, and College Station before retiring to the Town of Ballston in 2011.  He has taken leadership positions here in Rotary and Ballston Spa Business and Profession Association.  He holds degrees are from University of Pennsylvania and Georgia State University.

Isobel Connell, of Clifton Park, earned her PhD in Theoretical Mechanics from the University of Nottingham, England and came to this country in 1986 and was an engineer at GE for over 25 years.  She has been active in youth activities, a founder of the Sherwood Forest Civic Assoc., and a “Brookside” volunteer.

Cynthia Corbett was Executive Director of Saratoga County Historical Society from 1985 to 1987.  She then became the Director of the Federation of Historical Services.  She recently served out her term as a board member of Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.  She has a Masters in History Museum Studies from Cooperstown.

John Cromie was the Historical Society’s first paid employee in the museum’s early days.  He served as President of the Society’s board in 1982-3.  A local attorney and historian, he has a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School, and has been on numerous local and regional not-for-profit boards.

Donna Dardaris was employed by the Veteran Administration overseeing contractual compliance for hospital building improvements throughout upstate New York.  She has helped organize Schenectady’s Scottish games, volunteers at Proctors, and Brookside, and has served as Ballston Spa Rotary President.

Jon Hallgren has lived in Saratoga County since 1957 and was employed at Curtis Lumber from 1971 to 2018. He received a BA in mathematics from Plattsburg State in 1975. At Curtis, he became a vice president in 1992 until 2018. He has served a variety of boards including the Spruce Computer, Northeast Retail Lumber Association {was chair of its executive committee}, and the Foundation Board for Northeast Lumber Association.

Field Horne was the Saratoga County Historical Society’s, first professionally trained Executive Director 40 years ago.  He holds an MA in Museum Management from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. He taught Museum Theory and Practice as an adjunct professor at Russell Sage and is an author of numerous historical works. He was curator at the National Museum of Racing and trustee for other non-profits.

Sean Kelleher has been the Historian for the Town of Saratoga for 17 years.  He is an ACE award winning television producer and has spent over a decade working on national productions including the PBS American Experience. Sean has served as a commissioner of the New York State French and Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission and as the Director of the Washington County Fair Farm Museum.

Michael Landis holds a PhD in US History from The George Washington University, and has taught at colleges in Connecticut, Texas, and New York.  Specializing in the Antebellum and Civil War periods, he is the author of Northern Men with Southern Loyalties: The Democratic Party and the Sectional Crisis (Cornell University Press, 2014), a Choice Magazine selection for Outstanding Academic Title.  He has also published articles and op-eds in The Washington Post, Texas Tribune, Times-Union, and Smithsonian Magazine.

Gina Marozzi is a property manager for her family’s real estate holdings in and around Ballston Spa.  She fabricates jewelry from precious metals and gemstones, and prior to raising a family, was the proprietor of “Fire & Ice Jewelry” in Saratoga Springs.  Gina is a major supporter and director of the MacBoston 18 Truck, commemorating fallen firefighters.  She photographs fire scenes for training, history, and investigations.

Nora Osuchowski is the Executive Director of the Ballston Area Recreation Commission, where she provides athletic, education, enrichment and arts programs for area youth and their families.  For the 20 years prior to her position at BARC, she was a non profit administrator for local non profits that provided services to individuals with disabilities.

Russ VanDervoort is a 14-year member of the Waterford Village Board.  He is president of the Waterford Canal Towpath Society, Town of Waterford Historian, author of two books, co-author of a third, and writing a fourth, all dealing with local history.  He has a long-term involvement with local and regional firefighting organizations.

Maureen Walsh, is a Milton resident and an Enrolled Agent and Registered Investment Advisor Representative at Canty Financial Management, Inc.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in history/geography from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has 37 years of experience in the tax industry including 18 years in the financial services industry focusing on investment advisory.