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Update -- Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I am ready to run all the way to Michigan to give a BIG hug to Marian Davis, WSCO secretary, 1979-at least the late 80’s or early 90’s, for her foresight.
While cleaning out the old metal filing cabinet in WSCO’s storage locker, I finally ran across the notebooks of meeting minutes from 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s for the Society and late-1953 through mid-1974 minutes for the Women’s Welsh Club of Columbus. I hoped that reading the oldest ones might give me the names of all those 1948 founders.
I quickly realized that someone had saved a few event programs in amongst the meeting minutes -- Hallelujah! – and Marian preserved all those records for us.
Then, in the very back of the third drawer, I found The Mother Lode of Treasure Troves (as far as WSCO event history is concerned).
It was a notebook full of event programs and the Prize of all WSCO historical treasures – the 1948 first gymanfa program, listing the names of all the people on the Board of Governors (as the Board of Directors was then called).
We already knew that the organization was formed on April 12, 1948. With the first gymanfa being held a mere six weeks later, it is likely that the 35 names listed were all founders. It is possible that the founding group asked a few others to join the Board.
I’m sure that someone before Marian started collecting event programs but, since that person is no longer around, Marian will just have to accept a hug on behalf of those who came before her.
The Welsh Singing Society Board of Governors listed in the May 23, 1948 Gymanfa Ganu program: David A. Alban, Orlando Bebb, E. E. Bright, Stanley Cherrington (Treasurer), Mrs. Stanley Cherrington, Mrs. Ada Davis (Secretary), D. Harvey Davis (2nd Vice-President), Edwin Davis, Evan T. Davis, William Davis, Hayden Edwards, Neal Edwards, E. I. “Ike” Evans, Herbert Evans, Richard A. Evans, William Lloyd Evans, William E. Jenkins, David Jerman, Dan W. Jones, Mrs. Dan W. Jones, Frederick E. Jones, Hayden Jones, Irvin Jones (1st Vice-President), John N. Jones, John R. Jones, T. A. Jones, Griffith Lewis, David E. Morgan (President), Emery Morgan, Stanley Morgan, Zeke Morgan, Ernest Norris, Howard I. Powell, John Samuel, Charles Walton.
Follow-up
| We are still searching for programs for: |
| gymanfa -- 38th through 41st, 44th, 46th, 49th through 51st, 54th, 56th, and 58 th. (We have the Columbus Nationals). |
| St. David’s Day – any before 1955, 1956, 1959-60, 1963, 1971, 1986-1987, 1989, 1991-1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2001-2007. |
Please contact (614) 470-4999 if you have any to contribute.
The Welsh Society of Central Ohio sponsored a Special Award called the “The Welsh in Ohio” at this year’s National History Day in Ohio on April 24, 2010.
National History Day in Ohio, sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society, is a yearlong program for students in grades 6 -12 and is based on historical research and inquiry. In 2009, almost 800 students across Ohio participated in the program. This year’s theme “Innovation in History: Impact and Change” encouraged students to submit historical papers, performances, documentaries, exhibits, and websites.
This was the first year that WSCO supported a Special Award for this event. Many other organizations across the state sponsor a Special Award to help recognize students in their area of interest by promoting monetary prizes, as well as having the opportunity to participate in the day’s events.
The Welsh in Ohio Award that WSCO sponsored was open to any single student project in grades 6 – 12 that demonstrated outstanding historical achievement in the areas of Welsh heritage and traditions in the State of Ohio. The student that meets our criteria wins a $100.00 cash prize and a certificate of achievement from WSCO. I would like to thank WSCO Board member Bob Donaldson who assisted me with the application process and writing the award criteria.
In 2010 only one student requested to be considered for our Special Award. After careful consideration the WSCO Board voted not to accept the project in that it did not meet our criteria of showing any tie with Welsh heritage or traditions in Ohio. We will continue to sponsor our award in the future and hope that there will be more students interested in creating their projects around the Welsh for us to consider. In the fall the WSCO Board will be sending a letter to the Ohio History Day District contacts throughout the state to introduce them to WSCO and further promote our mission and award criteria.
If any WSCO members are interested in assisting with promoting our award in the schools or would like to be a judge for the WSCO Special Award, please call the WSCO Information Line at (614) 470-4999 or email WSCO at info(at)welshsocietyofcentralohio(dot)org.
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