October 2012 Meeting Minutes


Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
October 8th, 2012

The meeting was called to order by Club Vice President, Scott Steele
12 members and 2 guests were present.

We spent considerable time discussing the results of the club’s recently completed 45th Annual Gem and Mineral show.

Proceeds from the show will support the Betty Lloyd Memorial Scholarship Fund. Betty was a long time club member, avid collector who promoted all aspects of the hobby. Funds have traditionally been awarded to a James Madison University Geology student and/or a JMU geology event. We discussed having more JMU geology student participation at the show and at future club meeting by asking students to present programs.

Show attendance was 523 people with net profit to the club of $1107.72.

We discussed various ideas/options to increase show attendance. Ideas discussed:

  • Looking into local scout troop merit badges via show activities.
  • Notifying local county schools of the show.
  • More signs in different locations. Scott Gregory will check on prices of signs.
  • New avenues of advertising such as Rock and Gem Magazine.
  • More events listed on the show flyer to include photos.
  • More advertising to other clubs.
  • Possibly moving the show date to a different weekend.
  • Possibly increasing the admission price

We also discussed options for future shows such as increasing the vendor space. Expanded use might include use of the lobby or possibly the old school gym.

We discussed the need to expand club presentations such as use of club funds to pay speakers or possibly buy films.

Jack Glenn agreed to take over and update the club web site. We thank Paul Johnson who setup and maintained the website. Thanks to Paul we were able to show prospective members photos of various club events and highlight activities. Jack will contact Paul to get the specifics of the web site.

Following the discussion Jack Glenn showed a variety of photos taken from the club show.

Preview of the November Meeting:

Our Next meeting will be Monday, 12 November , 7:30 PM
Waynesboro Church of the Brethren, 364 Bridge Road, Waynesboro VA

Speaker for the November meeting will be Mary Loose DeViney who will be speaking on “The Geology of the Building Stones of Downtown Charlottesville”.

Mary put this presentation together as one of the featured speakers for the 250th anniversary of Charlottesville. The presentation includes photographs of building, parks, and statues in Charlottesville to include rocks and minerals used in construction, building history and possible quarry sites.

Mary holds a BS in Business Administration from Mary Washington College and a MS in Mineralogy. She is a gemologist at Tuel Jewelers, a family jewelry store that has been in Downtown Charlottesville since 1945.

Dean Hostetter volunteered to provide refreshments for the November meeting.