Meeting Minutes

 

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April 11th, 2010:

Marietta, GA Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

Brief Meeting: President: Anita gave a very brief address to the MAG members to allow ample time for our guest speaker. Outreach: Anita gave a talk on meteorites to the Columbia, SC rock and gem club and 2 talks over two days (on meteorites) at the Jackson, Mississippi show. She just came back from a week at a lapidary school in Young Harris, Ga. where she also gave a talk on meteorites Treasurer: Wayne gave the treasurer's report and collected fees for renewals and new members that joined during the meeting. Next Meeting: The event was adjourned around 4:30 p.m. The next MAG meeting will be in July. Date, Time and Location to be announced. Guest Speaker: Dr. Tom Bopp, co-discoverer of comet Hale-Bopp, Flew in from Phoenix, Arizona, to share his discovery story and the amazing details of what turned out to be the comet of the 20th century! 1:00 pm - MAG members arrive for our April meeting in the main auditorum 2:45 pm - General seating began for Thomas Bopp's presentation 3:00 pm - Thomas Bopp presentation 4:00 pm - Thomas Bopp was available for a meet & greet immediately following his presentation, and signed images of comet Hale-Bopp

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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January 10th, 2010:

Marietta, GA Floor Expo Board Room

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

Brief Meeting: President: Anita had no reports or announcements and requested brevity in other reports to allow ample time for our guest speaker. VP: Sean asked new members to supply him information for name badges and certificates. Treasurer: Wayne gave the treasurer's report and kept track of renewals and auction items sold during the meeting. Guest Speaker: Jack Schrader, from Arizona This presentation to MAG was the first in history of the Whetstone meteorite fall. Jack gave a fascinating talk on his experiences being the first one to discover the Whetstone Strewnfield (Arizona) and finding the first meteorite from the field 44 hours and 58 minutes after the meteor was seen over southern Arizona. Jack was presented with an honorary MAG Lifetime Membership award. Auction: Dave donated a signed, numbered monograph on the Whetstone meteorite recovery, complete with complimentary micrometeorite from that location. It sold for $115.00 and the money was donated to MAG. Thanks Dave! Martha Brown donated 3 books to the MAG auction. Thank you Martha! John Iacullo donated $10.00 cash to MAG. Thank you John! Jack Schrader Autographs: Jack Schrader signed copies of the Whetstone monograph, and had his picture taken with many delighted MAG members. Surely because he was our guest speaker, we had over 36 members and guests in attendance. A record! Next Meeting: The meeting was adjourned around 3:30 p.m. Snacks were provided by Anita & Carl. The next MAG meeting will be in April. Date, Time and Location to be announced. Dave is working on another great speaker.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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November 1st, 2009:

Alpharetta, GA Dave Gheesling residence

Meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m.

MAG Duties: Anita requested assistance with maintaining the MAG duties she covers as president (Taking minutes, finding speakers, finding places to meet, creating agendas, etc.) We discussed spreading the responsibilities to other active members. Calendar Proposal: Anita volunteered to create a "Calendar of Events" listing things we're involved in on a yearly basis: Norcross Show in December, Astronomy Day at Tellus, etc. We may also want to consider some of the events GMS participates in: Mother's Day gem show in May, GSTA in Savannah/Jekyl Island, Stone Mountain rock day, Earth Day at Zoo Atlanta, Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, Shade Tree Festival in Grant Park, etc. Volunteers: Anita asked for volunteers to help her staff the MAG booth at the North Atlanta Trade Center in December. Membership Outreach: Dave Gheesling agreed to take on "Member Outreach" and see how we could get more people to attend our meetings, with Carl's help and input. Carl suggested we start listing MAG events in the GMS newsletter and e-blasts. Treasury report: Wayne reported our current balances and will remain as treasurer for MAG. New VP position: Sean is doing a great job as our WebMaster. He asked that we all look over our website and send any corrections, ideas, etc. to him. Sean agreed to serve as the unofficial VP (we're currently defining his duties as VP). He will continue to create certificates and frame them for our members and guest speakers, provide name badges, etc. Secretary position available: Anita will continue to take meeting minutes and create the calendar until someone else volunteers. Newsletter: We briefly talked about creating a newsletter to go out between formal MAG meetings (3 times a year) to keep the enthusiasm going. Along with meteorite-related articles, we could do a write-up of the upcoming speaker, have cartoons, puzzles, recap of past events/mtgs. feature a member with their picture and describe their interests, etc. Have door prizes and highlight the winner with a picture and a "see what you missed at the meeting" theme. Events Schedule: We agreed to go back to our original meeting scheudle: Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct. An occasional field trip or other event can be added in as needed. Show/Tell/Trade: At the conclusion of the meeting, BUYING, TRADING AND VISITING with Dave Gheesling's Falling Rocks collection commenced. Subsequent discussion notes... : On Nov 23rd, at Anita's house, Carl, Dave, Sean and Anita reviewed the new positions formed at the Nov. 1st meeting. Meetings: We're going to have four "Formal Meetings" in 2010, scheduled in the second Sunday of January, April, July and October. First meeting is scheduled for January 10, 2010, at FEI Group's offices in Marietta. For the April, July and October meetings, a holiday audit needs to take place before we run with the second Sundays of those months. We will run with this schedule in the first newsletter and reaffirm the schedule at the January meeting, and we will try to secure locations as well (Tellus should be one, etc). Outreach: We are currently leaving educational outreach for now with those members who already do this in schools. As for public Outreach, Carl suggests that a MAG article (or better, series of articles) for GMS and other rock club newsletters might be a good idea for free publicity. Each article could be sent to several clubs. Also, we may be able to book meeting space in a public library, Tellus, Fernbank or other venues which might allow for more people? With more space, we might want to work on getting free meeting notices listed in various publications. One place could be the same rock club newsletters where we plan to write articles. Newsletter: We plan to distribute these in printed form via a mailing to all members prior to the then-forthcoming meeting, and they will include highlights of the upcoming meeting's agenda. Other ideas included: a four-page "magazine" appearance (I might suggest a black background with white or off-white font and images overlaid directly onto the black so we don't get a "choppy" look that club newsletters tend to have), a current event or breakthrough ("Meteoritenow?"), a Featured Member section, a cartoon from Jerry, a photo of the winner of the last door prize (with the door prize... might ask Noah to take one of himself from the last one I recall from 2009?), a puzzle, an image from Tom Bopp, etc. Website: Sean asked that we audit the website and come back with comments. We can investigate using a blog page with the ability to add/post comments. This could potentially fill in that blank as far as a MAG-only maining "list," so to speak. Sean will check with Wayne about potentially adding a PayPal feature to our site for membership fees. Membership: Dave Gheesling will focus on our membership drive, and will work with Carl. Phase One: reinvigorating the existing membership. Phase Two: growing the membership. The key here will be to announce meetings with agendas well in advance of meetings, be sure that the agenda has value in it, and then individually market the meeting to members to be sure that we're driving attendance.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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August 15th, 2009:

Cartersville, GA Tellus Museum

Event began at 9:00 a.m. with registration and refreshments

The Annual Mineral Symposium Meteorites: The Annual Mineral Symposium - Meteorites was held at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville, in conjunction with the Southeast Gem and Mineral Show at the Holiday inn adjacent to Tellus. The symposium started at 10am with 3 great speakers: Robert Ward, meteorite hunter Scott Harris, impact structures expert and our own Dave Gheesling with his "Meteorite 101" talk. Thanks to those who attended! It was a great symposium, and very well received.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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July 26th, 2009:

McDonough, GA David Hardy's house

Meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m.

Happy 2nd birthday MAG! David Hardy collection: Visit w/David Hardy and his collection. [Awesome! Makes Anita's look like construction debris.] Meeting Frequency: Still meet 6 times a year but not all of them should be formal w/an agenda, etc. Have some just for fun! Vote for new President: No nominations from the floor. Dave Gheesling suggested Anita serve a second 2-year term. Motion carried, Hal P. started to object, but thought better of it. Memberships: We have a new Student Membership category: $10 a year w/student ID. Treasurer's Report: Wayne Dodd reports no additional activity since the last MAG meeting. Website: Sean reports that We can pursue creating a mail listserv for the group if we register another domain name. Sean suggested www.maofga.org and will work on setting up the domain and the Linux mail list application. He also requested that any members with meteorite related photos send them in for the gallery. If you have written any articles, we can post them on the website as well. Meteorite Symposium: Julian Gray talked about the upcoming symposium in conjunction with the Marty Zinn Gem and Mineral Show in Cartersville. The symposium will be August 15th at Tellus. Arrive at 9am. Symposium starts at 10am with 3 great speakers: Robert Ward, meteorite hunter, Scott Harris, crater expert and our own Dave Gheesling with his "Meteorite 101" talk. Don't miss it! Log on to the Tellus website for info. on how to register. General news: There's a new book just out called "The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars". It's looks like a good one. You can get it 1/2 price from Strand Bookstore in NY (via the internet). Auction: Dave Gheesling donated some very fine material for the auction as always. This time he brought a Lunar meteorite to tempt us. It sold for a goodly sum, but still not as much as it was worth. There's a special place for Dave in the Asteroid Belt! (Sorry to single you out Dave, but "facts is facts.") Others brought goodies including a Pultusk commemorative coin, a nickel test kit, a first day issue stamped envelope of the 20th anniversary of the moon landing, a Sikhote-Alin meteorite in a Riker Mount, a chondrulicious NWA 869 in a Riker Mount, and some high-energy drinks. Forgive me if I have forgotten your donation. The auction produced income for MAG of $335.00!! Thanks to all of the donors. Please help us continue this success at our next meeting! Show/Tell/Trade: At the conclusion of the meeting, BUYING, TRADING AND VISITING commenced. Carrot Cake and General Frivolity Followed...

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President (again!)

 

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May 2nd, 2009:

Cartersville, GA Tellus Museum meeting room #2

Meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m.

National Astronomy Day: At the invitation of Tellus, MAG members were invited to participate in National Astronomy Day. Those attending were treated to free admission to the museum that day. MAG members who attended and gave their time to talk to the public were: Dave Gheesling, Barry Gheesling, Hal Povenmire, Sean Murrary, John Iacullo, Richard Graveline, John Krebs and son, Jerry Armstrong and Judy, Anita Westlake, and probably others I have forgotten! Fellow member David Dundee was there doing his thing with the Planetarium and the Tellus telescopes. I want to personally thank everyone for coming and showing the world (or at least Cartersville, GA.) how committed we are to educating the public. We set up two tables in one of the museum's labs and brought meteorites and flyers about MAG. Richard brought candy which was a big hit with the children. We showed off pieces of our collections and talked about why we thought meteorites are so fascinating. I believe the public really enjoyed our being there, and many thanked us for our time. We had no formal business meeting. Anita announced that MAG had a little over $1,000 in the bank. Part time staff and explainer/volunteer schedule Event Overview, TELLUS National Astronomy Day, May 2, 2009

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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March 22nd, 2009:

Atlanta, GA Emory's Math/Science Library

Meeting was called to order at 12:00 p.m.

Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker was our own Dave Gheesling. He gave a talk and slide presentation on "Meteorites 101" which was geared towards the beginner enthusiast but covered all the bases in a fascinating and humorous way. Dave is a great speaker, who brings along specimens from his own collection to make us drool. Visitor: Visitor "Shane" and his daughter were guests. Shane thought he had found a Georgiaite but it turned out to be quartz. New members: New members attending were Bill Hart and his wife. Annual dues: If you have not paid your annual dues by this meeting, you are past due and will no longer receive minutes and notices of future meetings. Treasurer's Report: Wayne Dodd announced that we had $661.00 in the bank. After today's successful auction, we made $479.00 so now our total is $921.00! Way to go! Thanks so much to everyone who brought something to auction off. MAG T-shirts: Anita announced that we still have MAG T-shirts for sale for $10.00 Friends of Mineralogy: She also announced that the Friends of Mineralogy, annual Fall Symposium will be held again this year at the Tellus: NW Georgia Science Museum on August 15, 2009 in conjunction with the Marty Zinn mineral and gem show. The symposium will be on Meteorites! Tellus Museum Report: Julian Gray, curator of Tellus, and fellow MAG member announced that the museum was celebrating National Astronomy Day on May 2nd and asked MAG if we would like to participate. We would give two 10-minute talks out in the museum as well as staff a MAG information table all day. We all agreed that both Tellus and MAG would benefit from such an arrangement and thanked Julian for the offer. Auction: Our 2nd MAG AUCTION was a great success. The March auction raised $479.00. Please help us continue this success at our next meeting! Show/Tell/Trade: At the conclusion of the meeting, BUYING, TRADING AND VISITING commenced.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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January 25th, 2009:

Atlanta, GA Emory's Math/Science Library

Meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.

Please share this with others who may not be on the MAG list, or others who may be interested in what we're up to! Guest Speaker: Our GUEST SPEAKER was Susanna Widicus-Weaver, Asst. Professor of Chemistry at Emory University, and 1st winner of the Shoemaker Crating & Impact Award. She gave a great presentation on her research at Emory. She is studying what happens in the star cloud after the star explodes but before it begins to spin into a planetary disc. Her talk was quite interesting and engaging. Many members said it was the best talk ever. (Sorry some of you missed it!). Dues & Membership: We had several NEW MEMBERS in attendance: Noah and Rhonda Daleo. We met them at the December 2008 North Atlanta Trade Center gem and mineral show where our MAG booth snagged unsuspecting new members. Alex Langoussis, Astronomy instructor at Emory University was also attending his first meeting. If you did not pay your 2009 MAG DUES by the January meeting, this is the last newsletter you will get. You will miss out on some great talks, great friends and great collecting opportunities. We have added 10 NEW MEMBERS since our last meeting. Treasurer's Report: Wayne Dodd presented the TREASURER'S REPORT. After paying off our debts, we are still in the black, but just barely. We need more income! The auction helped quite a bit and I hope we can do something similar at every meeting to raise money. David Hardy was kind enough to burn about 20 CD's containing several meteor/rite related videos. He donated all proceeds back to MAG. Jerry Armstrong has promised to donate one of his original cosmic paintings (yet to be painted) to a MAG auction. Believe me, you will want to be there when it goes on the auction block. Advertising MAG: We discussed ways to get our message out there. We talked about putting an ad in Rocks & Minerals, and Mineralogical Record, as well as making flyers to leave at museums: Tellus, Fernbank and the Carlos museum to name a few. Anita will work on creating the flyers and seek permission to leave them at prominent points in the museums. I will also leave some in the Math/Science Library at Emory University where we meet since the Planetarium is just across the hall. All other ideas are welcomed and appreciated! Tellus Museum Report: Julian Gray, Curator at the Tellus: Northwest Ga. Science Museum, and MAG member, made a wonderful announcement: The Friends of Mineralogy, in conjunction with Tellus will hold their annual symposium at Tellus again this year. The symposium will be held during the 2nd Annual Marty Zinn Gem and Mineral Show, August 15, 2009, right next to the museum. This year's theme: METEORITES! Tellus is seeking speakers who can talk on any meteorite-related topic to present at the symposium. Please contact Julian. MAG Website: Sean Murray has done such a good job with our web site, we all owe him our gratitude and a pat (or slap) on the back. Check it out regularly, and see what's new. Sean is looking to develop a MAG listserv, but needs to find a Windows-based server, (not UNIX). If you know of one, please let Sean know. Outreach: Dave Gheesling and Jerry Armstrong continue to speak to schools about meteorites. Our future scientists are in elementary and high schools now. We need to grab their attention before they go off and do something lame like become corporate lawyers! Stop the madness! Help a kid become an astronomer, meteoritist, planetary geologist, etc. Awards: The 2008 "GAG AWARDS" from Dave Gheesling were a hammering success. Dave was kind enough to print up little award certificates for just about everyone in the association. We were acknowledged for "Most locations in a meteorite collection", "1st MAG member to find a meteorite", "Thin-Section Award" and a couple of "Nice Guy" awards as well as many other thoughtful and amusing honors. Something so little can mean so much! Thanks, Dave. Let's all try to come up with ideas for future awards/awardees so the burden isn't resting solely on Dave's broad shoulders. Survey: A MAG SURVEY was distributed to all in attendance. A more detailed report can be submitted as an addendum to this newsletter if requested. The most outstanding themes were: Most people wanted to meet every other month (instead of 4 times a year.) I'm up for that! That means that our next MAG meeting will be in March. Do you want to keep it on a Sunday morning/afternoon? Most people thought the President should stay in office for 2 years. That means that come July 2009 we need to elect a new President. Do you want to be President? Do you someone who does? Be prepared to vote at the first July meeting we have in 2009. Let the campaigning and mud-slinging begin! Door Prize: Noah Daleo won a complete slice of a chondrite as the door prize for just showing up! (hopefully we can continue doing this and hyping that something free gets raffled off...add it to the "driving attendance" file... Auction: After the meeting, the 1st MAG AUCTION was held. Approximately 15 items were auctioned off, and MAG was able to add more money to its coffers. Our new member, Noah, said he'd like to have an auction at every meeting, and I don't see why this couldn't be done. We just need more members to bring items of interest to donate. Show/Tell/Trade: The January MAG meeting was formally adjourned around 4pm and a lively period of BUYING, TRADING AND VISITING commenced. This is my favorite part of the meetings and I usually end up going home with some heavy new space objects. Next Meeting: Tentative March 22nd, Speaker TBA.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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October 4th, 2008:

Atlanta, GA Emory's Math/Science Library

Meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m.

Thank you so much for a great turn out at our quarterly meeting. Lunch: We met at Everybody's Pizza at 11:30 a.m. By the time we were all reassembled at the Math/Science Library at Emory University across the street, it was 1:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Dr. Mike Reynolds, who was kind enough to drive up with his wife, Debbie, from Jacksonville, Florida, was our guest speaker. He gave a talk and PowerPoint presentation on hunting meteorites in Antarctica. Besides seeing those lonely black meteorites on the white snow, my favorite part was the close-up of a snowflake on Mike's glove. Wow! I thought they only looked like that under magnification. (I may become a snowflake collector.) Mike also brought up a bunch of books and meteorites for sale. Though we were a little rushed, I think most people got to rummage through his offerings and come away with a new meteorite or two. Quarterly Meeting: After the presentation, I gave Mike a framed certificate and name badge, (courtesy of Sean Murray), designating Mike an "Honorary Member" of MAG. We are honored to have him counted among us. Our other honorary member, Hal Povenmire, was also in attendance. He, too, brought meteorite goodies for sale and many of us helped lighten his load back to Florida. I brought my 12g Georgiaite for Show and Tell and Hal was immediately able to identify where it was found, and by whom. That's a pretty tall order since there have been 2,000 Georgiaites found. Hal said it was free from inclusions and a very fine specimen with great color. (I let Sean, whom I have dubbed "Tektite Breath", touch it briefly). Hal has an article in the current issue of Meteorite magazine on the Georgia Astroblem. Jerry Armstrong brought in a new painting he did entitled "The Bruderheim Meteorite" as it streaked across the sky on March 1st, 1960. It had snowed the night before in Bruderheim, Alberta, Canada, and Jerry painted a beautiful snowy scene that looked prettier than a Hallmark Christmas card. This was a commissioned work for Patrick Herman in Canada. Jerry reported that his collection of SNC's is now complete. He has over 20 Martian meteorites, but got his final "snick" at our meeting. R.J. Philips brought in some meteorites he recently bought. We all admired the beauties as well as the wonderful wooden cigar box in which they were nestled. Tim and Bunty Cantwell arrived after lunch and searched high and low for our meeting place on Emory's campus. Many apologies to them and anyone else who couldn't find us. I never thought about putting up directional signs. We eventually connected and Tim got to enjoy a shortened version of Mike's presentation while Bunty babysat for some beautiful doggies in the van. Fortunately, they didn't drive from Tennessee to Georgia just for the meeting. They stopped by on their way to Florida. I hope by January 2009 Tim and Bunty will resume speaking to me! (Just kidding; both were very gracious considering my blunder.) MAG T-Shirts: Dave Gheesling brought in the MAG T-shirts his friend made. They are beautiful black shirts with our MAG logo on the left-hand side. Thanks to Dave for getting this together! This is just another way to advertise who we are whenever we're out and about. Those, along with our new membership badges should really get people talking. Don't forget to wear one or the other whenever you visit gem shows, mineral meetings, etc. We now have several Tennessee members and several Florida members. Let's see if we can get Alabama people on board. After all, their car tags say "Stars Fell on Alabama". (No connection with meteorites however...). Meteorite Magazine: Dave also had a great outreach article published in the current issue of "Meteorite" magazine. If you aren't a subscriber yet, you're missing half the fun. I find most of the articles fascinating and quite readable. Sure, there are a few that are "over my head" but what do you expect from meteors? Here's the information on how to start a subscription: Meteorite Magazine Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences 202 Old Museum Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 USA Phone: 479-575-7625 Fax: 479-575-7778 metpub@uark.edu Membership: Sean Murray has been working overtime: he has updated our membership list to include what "type" of membership a person holds, the dates we joined, what membership number we were assigned, as well as creating and printing our membership certificates and name badges. This is in addition to all the web work he continues to do for us. He has put up a new "Resources" page that is fantastic. Next time you see Sean, give him a good pat on the back for all his efforts, but make sure he's not holding a tektite at the time. Wayne Dodd not only serves as our Treasurer, but he has agreed to be in charge of Membership too. Wayne and I will be looking forward to your input and ideas on developing a "Membership Packet" for new members, sort of like a "Welcome Wagon." We'll want to include information about MAG, how and why we formed, etc. We'll also include the url to our awesome web site. Maybe toss in a NWA for their first of many new meteorite acquisitions. What else? Minutes from previous meetings? Fernbank "MarsQuest" Presentation: We did not have time for our usual "official business meeting". After Mike gave his talk, about half the members drove over to the Fernbank Science Center to see the presentation "MarsQuest". Some stayed behind to do more meteorite shopping and visit with Hal and Mike. Outreach: Please tell your friends, family and co-workers about MAG. It's not that people aren't interested in meteorites; it's that they don't know our association exists. As further outreach, I plan on putting in a meteorite display case at the Cobb County Gem and Mineral Show in November. I am also going to put a display case in the Math/Science Library reading room to coincide with Dr. Richard Williamon's Astronomy class on meteorites in a couple of weeks at Emory. In addition, I will ask for a couple of tables for a MAG booth at the December Show at the North Atlanta Trade Center like we did last year. That's how we met Sean Murray and what a gift he has been to MAG. If you would like to help in any of these endeavors, or have ideas of your own, tell me about it! Dues & membership Categories: Dues are due by the end of December 2007. Dues are set according to the type of membership you apply for: $25.00 - Regular annual individual $40.00 - Regular annual family $200.00 - Lifetime individual $320.00 - Lifetime family --- Send payment by check or money order to: Meteorite Association of Georgia 10495 Stonefield Landing Duluth, GA 30097 If we haven't received your membership dues by January 17, 2009, we will remove your name from our email and membership lists. Next Meeting: I think the meeting space was fine for the size of our current membership. I can use that space whenever we need it and it has a screen, computer and projector. The only problem with it is you have to park about three counties away. If you have any suggestions for a bigger, better place to meet in January, please let me know. Speaking of our January meeting, I've had a couple of requests to meet on Sundays (instead of Saturdays when a few members have to work). I will contact everyone to discuss an alternate meeting time in January for our next meeting.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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July 20th, 2008:

Cartersville, GA Tellus Museum meeting room #2

Meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m.

Brief Meeting: As promised, we had a brief business meeting in July. We acknowledged our Web-Master Extraordinaire, Sean Murray for all the hours of work he's put in on our web site. If you haven't updated your membership listing yet, you'll be sorry! Wayne Dodd gave a Treasurer's report. (We need to come up with some fund-raising ideas! Jerry Armstrong said he would do a painting for us that we could auction off) I introduced a brand new Georgia "Hammer" but it went over like a lead balloon. Thanks go to Tellus for allowing us to have our meeting there. I sent them a card thanking them for their hospitality, for the tour, and for cooking those wonderful hamburgers and hotdogs! Lunch: What a feast! You guys were so generous with the food you brought and the homemade desserts! Good-bye diet. I told my doctor I went off my liquid diet just so I could enjoy the picnic and she said "Oh, was it one of those picnics where they hold you down and force food down your throat?" And I said, "Yes, and I hate it when that happens!" Next year, I'm going to bring a cake that looks like it was hit by a meteorite. (Come to think of it, all my cakes look like that.) Anyway, thanks again for your contributions. Tellus Tour: Next, Jose Santamaria, Director of the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum, and Julian Gray, Curator (and member of MAG), gave a tour of their incredible new facility. We lingered over the area where the meteorites will be displayed (of course) and had the best time traveling through space with David Dundee, Astronomer (and member of MAG) guiding us. Hal Povenmire: After we walked off the calories, we enjoyed a fine presentation by Hal Povenmire. He talked about the Georgia tektites, "Georgiaites" and the ever-widening strewn field where they are found below the "Fall Line" (Columbus to Macon to Augusta). He encouraged us to volunteer to make a field trip to south Georgia and see if we could find any tektites and broaden the field. Hal said in the beginning the strewn field was around 500 square miles. Now, with Hal's diligent research and hundreds of miles walked, it's over 8,550 square miles. Originally, the Georgiaites were found in only 2 Georgia counties; now it's 22 counties. Years ago, the number of Georgiaites found were only 200. Today, over 2,500 specimens have been found and identified. They are of Upper Eocene time period, around 35.5 million years old. Hal said these Georgia tektites are now linked to the Chesapeake Bay Crater. I awarded Hal an Honorary Membership Certificate designed and framed by Sean Murray. Hal can be reached in various ways: Snail mail: Hal Povenmire, 215 Osage Dr., Indian Harbour Beach, FL. 32937 Phone: Home(321) 777-1303 Cell (321) 794-0807 Email (thru his wife): katiehall@yahoo.com Hal also talked briefly about the Woodbury, GA crater and showed us on a topo map the outlines of the crater. A visitor, (and new member?), Scott Harris, a geologist, also talked about the Woodbury crater in some detail. Show/Tell/Trade: After the meeting, we enjoyed looking through the tektites, meteorites and books Hal brought with him. Many of us bought specimens and his books which Hal was kind enough to autograph for us. I bought a shatter-cone from Germany. We had a great time mingling, talking and shopping. Dave Gheesling brought a mountain of meteorites for us to drool over and purchase. Julian Gray finally kicked us out around 5pm. I told him we liked to linger! New Business: A couple of people mentioned during the meeting that it would nice if MAG members could have their own membership certificate. Once again, Sean has come to the rescue and created one. They will be available at the October meeting, along with membership cards for your wallets. We have decided to have several levels of membership: Founding Members: Those at the first meeting at Jerry Armstrong's house Charter Members: Those who joined during the first year (July 2007-July 2008) Lifetime Members: Pay $200.00 and never have to bother with renewals again! Honorary Members: People like Hal Povenmire who give talks and have given so much to the field of meteoritics I'd also like us to have membership badges. Sean thinks this is a little geeky... but I can just imagine how useful they'd be. Say you're at a rock and mineral show with your MAG name badge on. Someone comes up to you and sees "Meteorite Assn. of Ga." and says "Wow! I didn't even know there was such an organization. How do I join?" Next Meeting: Was tentatively scheduled for Oct 11, 2008 but since that announcement, several people have told me they can't attend. I'm trying to reach Dr. Mike Reynolds, our speaker for October and see if he can change the date. I'll send an email as soon as I know. Dr. Reynolds is the Associate Dean of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Florida Community College at Jacksonville. He's also a really nice guy. He wrote the book Falling Stars. Our own member, Jerry Armstrong, illustrated the cover. Dr. Reynolds will give a talk on his Antarctica expedition and will also bring his book to autograph as well as some meteorites for those of us who can't get enough! Next Meeting Place: Undecided. If you know of a large place where we can meet, please let me know! Dr. Reynolds said "With gas prices approaching that of lunar meteorites, it might be cheaper to meet on the Moon." (That's an option.) As always, I look forward to seeing you all again. Let me know if you have any agenda items for October.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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April 26th, 2008:

Marietta, GA Floor Expo Board Room

Meeting was called to order at 11:20 a.m.

MAG Officers: Anita asked for volunteers to fill the following positions: VP (no volunteers), Treasurer (Wayne Dodd), Recording Secretary (Anita will continue for now), Membership Secretary (Richard Graveline), Webmaster (Sean Murray). Term of Office: for President and other positions was not determined at this meeting. Cobb County Civic Center Mother's Day Show: Anita will put in a display on meteorites for MAG. Anita (and others) will staff a table at the show and talk about meteorites, bring hand samples, have membership applications available, etc. We will also have applications at the front desk where grab bags are sold. Jerry Armstrong donated a meteorite for the Saturday afternoon auction. Anita will make a card saying who donated it, and add "Meteorite Association of Ga" on it. Dave Gheesling said he has some meteorites to donate as door prizes. Other Publicity Opportunities: Harlan suggested we put in a display case at one or more local libraries. This venue is more likely to be seen by younger adults and students. Security has not been an issue in the past as the display cases are lockable. Speakers: Since the last meeting, David Hardy spoke to 75-80 5th graders at Eagle's Landing Christian Academy. Dave Gheesling spoke to 400 East Cobb Middle School children and about 150 Kennesaw Mountain high school kids. Dave has a small display of meteorites at the Elachee Nature Center. Jerry Armstrong announced one of his paintings will be on the cover of a new book on impact craters. Anita Westlake spoke to the Montgomery Gem and Mineral Society in Alabama on meteorites, and will speak to the Cotton Indian Gem and Mineral Society in May on the same topic. Anita is working on an article to be published in Meteorite magazine in the fall. Website: Sean Murray has done an incredible job on our web site. He has jumped in with both feet and has created different types of maps to display Georgia falls, finds and tektite locations. He has updated our membership page with member's interests, removed our email addresses (to avoid spam) and has in general enjoying tweaking the site. Sean is also working on a mini-meteorite list where members can write in to this private listserv. He is eligible for at least two •gold stars• to be affixed to his forehead at the next MAG meeting. Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum: MAG member, and Curator of the new Tellus museum, Julian Gray reported on construction progress. Tellus, located in Cartersville, GA. is hoping to open in the fall of 2008. They have designed a space for their meteorite collection, and are in the process of creating written panels describing their specimens. Dave and Anita have agreed to review the text for errors and omissions. MAG hopes to maintain a good working relationship with Tellus. We are currently in the process of planning our July (1st anniversary!) meeting there. Treasury: Wayne Dodd has agreed to serve as our Treasurer. Anita will remove the funds from her "Escrow" account and transfer them to Wayne to monitor. Trim Saw: Harlan brought his trim saw in case someone wanted to make big meteorites into little meteorites, but no one took advantage of this opportunity. He might not schlep it to the next meeting. New Books, Journals on Meteorites: Anita brought in a couple of articles on tektites to share. Martha Brown brought in a book on the moon. The impact book that Jerry's artwork appears on is called "The Sedimentary Record of Meteorite Impacts" ed. By Kevin R. Evans, etc. It is Special Paper no. 437 of the Geological Society of America. It has 213 pages and is in press now. Contact www.geosociety.org/bookstore to order. Announcements: Several members asked if we could change our meeting day from Saturdays to Sundays since many people have to work on Saturday. A tentative date of July 20th (a Sunday) is scheduled for our next meeting, possibly at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville. Lunch: Dave G. provided a wonderful barbeque lunch. Show/Tell/Trade: Dave G. and others brought lots of material for trading. A good time was had by all. Anita sold a duplicate Robert Haag Catalog. A couple of members got their very first meteorite at this meeting. (Warning: there's no turning back now!) After Meeting Discussions: Richard Graveline (Membership) and Anita are discussing ways to welcome new members. If you have any thoughts, please share them with us.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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January 12th, 2008:

East Point, GA Anita Westlake residence

Meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.

I hope everyone had a good time and enjoyed seeing my collections. I haven't heard about anyone dying from eating my chili, so I'd say it was a smashing success! Membership Status: I received about 6 memberships dues at the meeting, which I will deposit today. As far as I can tell, only 1 of you hasn't paid up yet. Don't make me come down to the Keys to get you! We'll have $400.00 in the bank after today's deposits. That's still not quite enough to pay for the web site, but we're getting there. We had a new member drive all the way down from Knoxville, TN! Thanks, Travis for your interest and your membership. We have 16 paid members, with about that many coming to our quarterly meetings. Speaking of which, my living room could barely contain all our members. At least one person had to lean against the wall (David Hardy) and Dave Gheesling ended up on the floor playing with his Erg Chech trade specimens. So, Dave has offered the board room in his office in Marietta for our next (and future?) meetings. There's room for all of us at the table and we can act like CEO's for a day. MAG Logo: We now have an official logo. Check it out on our web site at: www.meteoriteassociationofgeorgia.org. North Atlanta Trace Center Show: We then discussed how successful our booth was at the North Atlanta Trade Center gem and mineral show in December. I'll send a "Thank You" card to Richard Hightower, the show producer, for allowing us to have a free booth at the show. We were able to show off some meteorites, educate the public, give away samples and membership applications, and get the kids excited about our treasures from outer space. We even got a couple of new members out of it! Upcoming Talks: Along those same lines, I'll be giving a talk to the Morningside Elementary School in February on meteorites, as well as the Rome, GA gem and mineral club in March and the Montgomery, AL gem and mineral club in March. Let me know what you've been doing lately. Membership Outreach: Members brainstormed other outreach opportunities like: putting in a meteorite display in a library case, having stickers made with our logo, contacting the Atlanta Astronomy Club and Fernbank, etc. We're leaving 100 membership applications at the Georgia Mineral Society's table at the Georgia Science Teachers Association convention next week in Athens, GA. Thanks go to Carl Ziglin for jazzing up the application and making the copies. Cataloging Discussion: Dave stressed the importance of cataloging your meteorite collection, even if it is just to number the piece and/or the box that holds it. We cannot to afford to rely on our memory (especially those of us who are no longer Spring Chickens) because one day we'll forget or pass on and no one will know what we had or how much it was worth. Don't let your meteorites succumb to this disgraceful fate. Georgia Tektite Field Trip: I still haven't been able to contact Hal Povenmire for a field trip. I have taken him off our official membership and email list but will continue to try and reach him. MAG Expenses: If you have spent any money on MAG and wish to be reimbursed, you must turn in a dated receipt with a description of the item(s) purchased in order to receive a refund. If, on the other hand, you want to donate your purchase, no forms are required!!! Newsletter: Someday, I'd like to start a newsletter for MAG. Instead of incurring postal and paper costs, I could send an electronic version to members. If you have anything you'd like to see in a newsletter, (cartoons, articles, buy/trade specimens, etc.) please drop me an email and I'll get it out to you one way or the other. Savannah Trip: Before the official meeting ended, we talked about possibly going to Savannah in April to see fellow member and all-around good guy, Walter Branch. He is still recovering from a severe auto accident and maybe we'll catch up with him in the fall. Travis Paris, our Tennessee member suggested we might want to come up his way in the fall and go on a field trip or two to see some meteor craters. Although we're called the Meteorite Association of Georgia, we're really hoping to welcome and include members from all over SE United States and then some. Statesboro Meteorite: For those of you who haven't heard, Dave Gheesling pulled off the biggest purchase in recent memory! He bought the un-buyable, not-for-saleable STATESBORO meteorite. Come to the next meeting and hear how he did it. He may even let you touch it. Next meeting: April 19, Marietta. Please send me agenda items for the next meeting. Details to follow.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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October 6th, 2007:

Alpharetta, GA Dave Gheesling residence

Meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m.

The October 2007 meeting at Dave Gheesling's house was a blast! We all enjoyed drooling over his meteorite collection, had a great time visiting with each other, snuck in a short business meeting, cut some meteorites and had a fine time all the way around. If you left early, you missed the bacon-wrapped scallops. Some of you may still be trying to find your way out of his massive subdivision. Next time, leave a strewn field of bread crumbs to get back to the main road. Guests: We had two visitors: Eileen and CR from Prospector's Pouch in Kennesaw. Logo Status: Dave showed us a logo he was working on for our association, and Carl sent an idea for one via email. Ideas are encouraged. A final decision will be made at the next meeting. Georgia Meteorites Document: Anita distributed free copies of "Georgia Meteorites" generously donated from our own Walter Branch. Everyone appreciated the gift, and most members did not previously have a copy in their collection. Introductions: Per Dave's suggestion, we went around the room discussing "why we were here" (why we wanted to be part of a meteorite association.) Thoughts included: camaraderie among like-minded people, the chance to be educated by others in the group, and to educate the public, a chance to see other members collections, the opportunity to buy/trade/sell at every meeting, the opportunity for field trips, developing opportunities to speak with groups and especially children, and using the group as a way to share news, updates, etc. about the meteorite world (recent falls, finds, auctions, etc.) Meteorite Central: Anita mentioned the meteorite list-serve she has belonged to for years: "meteoritecentral.com" Membership Dues: We discussed membership dues (and later decided) that $25.00 a year would be a reasonable amount. Application Form: Anita developed an application form and passed it around the room for comment. The only change to the form was to add the word "Planet" under City, State, Zipcode. Ha Ha. Website Progress: Dave mentioned developing a web site and getting that up and running as soon as possible. This is one of the best ways to increase membership and consequently, money coming in. He is working on getting the web site up and running and will lay out the initial cost (to be reimbursed after the membership dues start rolling in.) MAG Official Status: Anita is doing research on creating a real, live association through the state of Georgia. Fees, forms and finalization will be discussed at the next meeting. Voting for President: A brief discussion took place about the qualities of a good president: one who has the time, the energy, and the inclination to serve. As things are going along quickly, we should probably do an email blast to the members and see if we can get consensus on a new President via email. Dave will coordinate this. Next Meeting: We adjourned before discussing the next meeting. Here's hoping January 12th at 11am at Anita's house in East Point will work for most of you. I will have a roaring fire in the fireplace (hopefully it will be cold enough), will make home-made chili and cornbread, and will serve red wine for those inclined. Next Agenda: Getting a post office box, Volunteers for Secretary and Treasurer, Deciding on a logo, More as things come up... Please feel free to add to this list.

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President

 

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July 14th, 2007:

Winston, GA Jerry Armstrong residence

Meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m.

Thanks everyone for a great 1st meeting! The barbeque was rivaled only by the enthusiasm of the group. And that took a back seat to the AWESOME specimens we got to drool over. (I hope we didn't drool on any "rusters.") I really appreciate every one taking the time and trouble to make the first meeting, and share your ideas. We had folks come from as far away as Dahlonega! (Tim and Bunty) and one member who called in from England! Don't forget to talk us up to your friends. The more the merrier. Field Trips: Hal Povenmire (who wants to be part of our group, but I have temporarily misplaced his email address) has offered to take us Georgia Tektite hunting this coming November!!! More information forthcoming. Distribution List: If you want to be removed from this list, please email Anita at and she shall remove you - no questions asked! Member Contact Info: We distributed the names, phone numbers and email addresses of folks who attended our first meeting (or wanted to). If you can fill in some of the blanks, please do so and resend to the group. Next Meeting: Our next meeting will be October 6th, at Dave Gheesling's house in Alpharetta from 11am-3pm. Contact Dave for directions. (I'm not going to post people's home addresses here for security sake.)

Anita D. Westlake, MAG President