Tag Archives: Washington State Genealogical Society

Susan Boatright Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Susan Breshears Boatright of Yakima, Washington, who was nominated by the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society. She was recognized for her enthusiastic commitment to educate and share with others.

Since retiring from a gratifying teaching career, Susan has been involved in genealogy. She appreciates the academic research and learning involved, as well as participation with YVGS’s many active volunteers.

Susan Breshears Boatright

Susan Breshears Boatright

Susan served her second term as recording secretary at YVGS in 2015. In addition, she hosted a twice-monthly writing group at the society library where she encouraged members to write about their life experiences or family members with the goal of passing these memories and discoveries on to their families. Nothing gives her more satisfaction than helping a “newbie” make connections with previously unknown family members.

Susan promotes genealogy and YVGS at every turn and is an appreciated volunteer. Those qualities illustrate that she richly deserved being a recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

How to Post to the Blog

by Roxanne Lowe

Do you want to broadcast information about your local society, workshop, genealogical tip, or a research query? Just post to the WSGS Blog!  You can reach hundreds of genealogists from around the state. Just email a Word document, text file, PDF or graphic to WSGSBlog@wasgs.org and the blog masters will do the rest.

We’re always looking to publicize local events and workshops, feature stories, updates from your society, and other genealogical information that might be of interest to our many subscribers.

We hope to hear from you soon! And don’t forget to encourage your Society members to subscribe to the Blog for the most up-to-date information from around the state.

You may manage your subscription options from your profile.

Janette and Tony Named Outstanding Volunteers in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Janette and Tony Birch of Cheney, Washington, who were nominated by the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society (EWGS). They were recognized, among other contributions, for their commitment to make new society members feel welcome and part of the group.

Janette and Tony Birch

Janette and Tony Birch

This dynamic duo has been members of EWGS for nine years, and have been “The Greeters” at society meetings for more than three years. Besides producing tags for new members, they help people find their name tags, answer any general questions, help enroll new members, assist newcomers find a person who can answer questions, and point out who the officers are. Sometimes they are affectionately called “The Information Station.”

Besides their welcoming role, the Birch’s wrote an article about Theodore Roosevelt and his 1903 Washington State train tour for the EWGS online Digital Digest. When the EWGS surname database was first started, they helped create and maintain the online database of members’ ancestor surnames which can be found on the EWGS website.

Mr. and Mrs. Birch are a treasured team at the EWGS, and demonstrate that they richly deserved being recipients of WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Awards.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Happy New Year

by Charles Hansen

Happy New Year

This has been a learning year for me, Charles Hansen and the WSGS team of bloggers, Donna Potter-Phillips, Roxanne Lowe and Susan Faulkner. Word Press is a lot different than blogger and so we were feeling our way around the WSGS blog for months, tweaking and adding plug ins to make it work better and easier for everyone.

Our top ten articles for 2015 were:
1. Seattle Genealogical Society Tip of the Week
2. Northwest Genealogical Conference August 2015
3. 2015 Seminars
4. Subscribe to Blog Updates
5. Oregon Burial Site Guide for just the Cost of Shipping
6. 2015 WSGS Annual Conference
7. Do Records Matter?
8. Veronica Anguiano Honored as 2015 Outstanding Volunteer
9. WSGS Blog Promoting the Preservation of, and Access to, Genealogical information in Washington State.
10. Seattle Genealogical Society

Many others were popular also, which one was your favorite.

One of the best part of blogging is reading the comments, but we get so few comments, so I guess we are doing a great job? Anything we can do better in 2016?

Margie Beldin Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Margie Beldin of Richland, Washington, who was nominated by the Tri-City Genealogical Society (TCGS). She was recognized for her dedicated, enthusiastic efforts to educate members of her local Society.

Margie Beldin

Margie Beldin

Ms. Beldin has distinguished herself in untiring support of the TCGS as its Education Chair for many years. In that position, Ms. Beldin has made many classes on a wide variety of subjects available to the membership. Ms. Beldin has not only coordinated setting up classes and programs, she has taught numerous classes herself, as she actively increased her knowledge and capability through attendance at genealogical conferences and classes outside the TCGS. She is always willing to share the knowledge that she gets from these events.

Ms. Beldin is a valued and hard-working member of the TCGS, and illustrates that she richly deserved being a recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Beverly Bakos Named Outstanding Volunteer in 2015

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers and teams, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing Beverly Bakos of Freeland, Washington who was nominated by the Genealogical Society of South Whidbey Island (GSSWI). She was recognized for her commitment and enthusiasm to educate society members.

Beverly Bakos

Beverly Bakos

Eager to share her knowledge and expertise, Ms. Bakos has taught “The Basics of Genealogical Research” which has attracted more than just beginners. In fact, some of the society’s long-time members attend Ms. Bakos’s class to re-familiarize themselves and learn new techniques and resources. Ms. Bakos also has made herself available for one-on-one mentoring with new members.

Ms. Bakos hosts a study group featuring award-winning genealogical researcher and author Thomas Jones’s book Mastering Genealogical Proof. She has also been on the GSSWI Board of Directors as director of publicity for a number of years.

Ms. Bakos enjoys passing on her knowledge to others and is always approachable and enthusiastic about genealogy. Because of these qualities and all she does for the GSSWI, she richly deserved being a recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Kittitas County Library Team Named 2015 Outstanding Volunteer Team

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers and teams are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received the 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer and Team Award.

Today we’re introducing the Kittitas County Library Team, who was nominated by the Kittitas County Genealogical Society (KCGS). The team was selected for its dedicated volunteer efforts to maintain and promote the society’s library and services.

Kittitas_Bakke_Photo

Erik Bakke

Kittitas_Brown_Photo

Marilyn Brown

Kittitas_Clayton_Photo

Judy Clayton

Kittitas_Howard_Photo

J.C. Howard

Kittitas_Kelly_Photo

Kathy Kelly

Kittitas_Large_Photo

Julie Large

Kittitas_Spellman_Photo

Karen Spellman

Kittitas_Wieking_Photo

Bob Wieking

Mary Christensen

Mary Christensen

Tuck Forsythe

Tuck Forsythe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kittitas County Genealogical Society Library team includes Erik Bakke, Marilyn Brown, Mary Christensen, Judy Clayton, Tuck Forsythe, J.C. Howard, Kathy Kelly, Julie Large, Karen Spellman and Bob Wieking. This team of committed volunteers maintains the society’s unique collection of print materials of interest and value to researchers, as well as computers with subscription databases. The society’s efforts to inform and educate the community about the value of pursuing the study of genealogy would be severely limited if it could not rely on the support and dedication of these vital volunteers who keep the doors open on a consistent basis.

The members of the KCGS Library Team deserve being recognized with a WSGS Outstanding Team Award for making themselves available to the serious researcher and just curious; a personal service not found online.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Veronica Anguiano Honored as 2015 Outstanding Volunteer

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received a 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Today we’re introducing Veronica Anguiano of Richland, Washington, who was nominated by the Tri-City Genealogical Society (TCGS). She was recognized for her commitment to researching and sharing information, even outside her local society.

Veronica Anguiano

Veronica Anguiano

Ms. Anguiano has distinguished herself in untiring support of the TCGS as its research chair and helping research Benton and Franklin county histories. Ms. Anguiano has responded willingly and efficiently to numerous requests for information from outside her local society.

Ms. Anguiano has become heavily involved in re-cataloging the TCGS library holdings so the holdings can be searched from the FamilySearch Library Catalog. As the holdings are re-cataloged, the new numbers are uploaded to the FamilySearch system, making them searchable from FamilySearch’s online site.

Ms. Anguiano is a respected and diligent member of the TCGS, and richly deserves being a recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Wanda Alderman Honored as 2015 Outstanding Volunteer

by Roxanne Lowe

Since 2003, the Washington State Genealogical Society has recognized more than 450 outstanding volunteers, nominated by their local society or genealogical organization for their service and dedication. These volunteers are the backbone of their local society, giving their time and expertise, to the organization and the field of genealogy. In the coming months, you will be introduced to each of the 2015 award recipients and learn why they received a 2015 WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Today we’re introducing Wanda Burke Alderman of Steptoe, Washington, who was nominated by the Whitman County Genealogical Society (WCGS). She was recognized for her exceptional efforts to preserve important historic images and records in the Whitman County area.

Wanda Burke Alderman

Wanda Burke Alderman

Ms. Alderman has been instrumental in preserving the heritage of Whitman County for Washington State’s Rural Heritage Collection. Working with the Whitman County Library for more than six years, Ms. Alderman has located images, interviewed contributors, documented critical cataloging information, and provided community programs. Thanks in large part to her efforts, the collection now contains more than 3,000 images and is the most popular in Washington State averaging 4,500 site visits per month.

Ms. Alderman has also volunteered for Find a Grave for 14 years, inputting 1,240 grave entries for Bethel Cemetery at Steptoe, and has transcribed records for Washington State Digital Archives and donated time and resources to St. John Historical Society.

Ms. Alderman is a respected and diligent member of the WCGS, and richly deserves being a recipient of a WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award.

For more information on the WSGS Outstanding Volunteer Award program, visit the Recognition page of the WSGS website or contact Roxanne Lowe, Recognition Chair, at Roxanne@thekeeffes.com.

Shutterbugs Wanted

by Roxanne Lowe

Did you notice the latest photos in our Blog banner? They’re part of a rotation of photos submitted by you — our enthusiastic readers — and we’re hoping you’ll send us your favorite photos of our beautiful state.

Rural cemetery near Hartline in Grant County. Photo by Donna Potter-Phillips.

Rural cemetery near Hartline in Grant County. Photo by Donna Potter-Phillips.

This latest batch of photos was submitted by Donna Potter Phillips, WSGS Vice President, Eastern Washington Genealogical Society President AND avid photographer. On a rotating basis, you’ll see Donna’s photos of a rural cemetery (pictured here), sea urchins at Salt Creek Recreation Area near Pt. Angeles, Lake Crescent, Mt. Rainier, Stevens County, and the Eastern Washington Branch of the State Archives.

Donna’s photos are part of our Blog Banner Photo Challenge — photos you’ve taken of scenes in our great state of Washington. There’s still time to send us your favorite photo for the Blog banner. For more details, read the 08 July 2015 blog post or enter “Blog Banner” in the search bar on the right.

Where are your photos? We hope to see them soon!