THE GENEALOGICAL FORUM’s Wednesday Evening E-News 17 May 2017
For more information visit www.gfo.org, contact us at info@gfo.org, or call our library at 503-963-1932. We love hearing from you!
Also, if you missed your free copy of our monthly Insider for May 2017, you’re in luck because we saved you a copy HERE. NOTE: The Insider issues are now located under the “Learn” –> “Our Publications” menu at our new website (still gfo.org).
Curious about the status of your GFO Membership?? We’d love to have you as a GFO Member!
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It’s GFO’s GenTalk This Saturday, May 20th, at 2pm
Don’t forget this month’s Free (don’t be silly! they’re always free) GenTalk!
WHERE: The GFO Library
WHEN: Saturday, May 20th, at 2 – 4pm
WHO: Author Zita Podany
Zita Podany will be presenting her book Vanport which is part of the Images of America series.
Zita is a longtime Portland resident with a wonderful new perspective on the history of this area that was lost so suddenly to raging flood waters on May 30, 1948.
Remember! All the GFO GenTalks are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so bring your history-lovin’ friends and family.
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Call For Volunteers – Are ya feelin’ helpful? Are ya?!
The GFO needs your help and expertise in the following areas:
1. Fall & Spring Seminar Raffle Coordinator – This is a position for someone who loves organizing all the STUFF that we get as donations for the raffles we hold at each of our semi-annual seminars.
2. Tours Coordinator – We need someone who can be the point person to receive requests for tours of the GFO Library, and who can then communicate the subsequent needs for tour guides and research assistants with our Volunteer Coordinator, Cathy Lauer.
3. Marketing Committee Chair – This has been a vacancy for some time. We need someone who is willing to put himself or herself OUT THERE to promote all things GFO. This position would include coming up with a marketing strategy and looking for ways to advocate for GFO within the genealogical community. You know you want to!
4. Obituary Editor – We need a person to coordinate the writing/editing and polishing of obituaries for our GFO members and friends as needed (usually two per quarter). Some interviewing skills recommended.
Click HERE to submit a volunteer form or to request more information. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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Birds do it, Bees do it, Every Generous Fred Meyer Shopper Does it!
Donate to the GFO while you shop?? That’s crazy!
Just link it! Linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to the GFO will automatically send a donation from good ol’ Freddy’s to the GFO, with no reduction in Rewards benefits to you. Click HERE to just link it!
How does this happen? This is part of Freddy’s very own “Community Rewards” program for sending separate corporation donations to non-profits and the like.
What if I don’t have a Fred Meyer Reward Card? Ask your local Fred Meyer checkout assistant for a Rewards Card application next time you’re at the register!
Won’t you help us get to 100? If 100 GFO members link their Freddy’s cards and continue to use them, the GFO could receive over $1,000 per year. Well!!?? What are we waiting for??
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Remembering Those Who’ve Gone Before…
The GFO Bulletin is Calling for Stories!
Next year is the 100th anniversary of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919.
The GFO is putting out a special call for articles having to do with the Spanish Flu for March 2018 Bulletin. Stories (500-5,000 words) about the Spanish Flu or how the Spanish flu touched their family.
The Bulletin Editorial Group invites readers to submit articles, essays, and other articles for publication in the Bulletin.
We look for articles that are of interest to members of the GFO and those that encourage the sharing and research of family history. We appreciate articles about families with Northwest connections, but welcome articles with other geographic focuses.
Possible topics include:
· memoirs
· personal essays
· problem-solving articles
· research articles
· source guides
· articles on family history travel
· how-to articles
· using technology
· transcriptions or extractions from original sources, i.e. Bibles
More info can be viewed here: http://gfo.org/learn/our-publications/gfo-bulletin.html
The submission deadline for the March 2018 Bulletin is January 1, 2018. Submissions should be sent to bulletin@gfo.org.
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This Week at the GFO…
SATURDAY, MAY 20th
GenTalk 9:30 – 11:30am
Nestled in the floodplain between North Portland and Vancouver, a housing project was built to help house World War II shipyard workers. Its very name, Vanport, is derived from Vancouver and Portland.
When the United States entered the war, the demand for ships and for workers to build those ships became a huge priority. Workers were recruited from all corners of the United States. Portland had a serious lodging shortage, so much so that these workers lived in cars, tents, parks, and whatever shelter could be found. Vanport, built in a little over a year, was a city that did not sleep.
In its heyday, Vanport was the second-largest city in Oregon with a population of over 40,000 residents. But on May 30, 1948, it was a city that disappeared.
This Saturday at the GFO, come hear Zita Podany discuss her book, Vanport, which is part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing, celebrating the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country.
SUNDAY, MAY 21st
Library Work Party 9am – noon
There’s another work party at the GFO library this Sunday for those of you who can make it! There’s lots to do and we’d love to have your help. Doors open at 9am and work usually wraps up around noon. Come for as long or as short as you can. Any time you can share is so invaluable. Hope to see you there.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24th
Open Late Wednesday Night 9:30am – 8pm
Did you know the GFO Library is open late every Wednesday!? What’s that? You have after-dinner research you want to do or late-evening assistance finding information within one of GFO’s online database subscription sources? NO PROBLEM!! We’re open till 8pm every single Wednesday of the year, barring catastrophes, natural disasters, and holidays.