I would like to say a special thank you to Dennis Urban for his outstanding leadership as the KCWRT President these past three years. He has set a high bar for future presidents to follow.

In way of introduction of myself, my family and I moved to Knoxville from Minnesota 25 years ago. I retired from Y-12 Federal Credit Union last July where I served as their CFO for 21 years. In addition to my accounting background, I have a degree in history. As a result, I’ve always had a strong interest in the Civil War and other historical topics and events.

Speaker Meeting Attendance

At the June meeting 69 diners, including members and non-members, were served. In addition to the diners, we had many others who attended Brian McKnight’s presentation on Champ Ferguson. I thoroughly enjoyed Professor McKnight’s presentation on Champ Ferguson and thank him for an outstanding presentation. I plan on learning more by reading his book on Champ titled “Confederate Outlaw: Champ Ferguson and the Civil War in Appalachia”.

Please be sure to make your reservation for the July 12th meeting by calling in your dinner reservation before 11 a.m. on Monday, July 11th. July’s speaker is John Marszalek, Mississippi State Professor/Author. His topic is “Sherman: A Soldier’s Passion for Order”.

Events

The Knoxville Civil War Roundtable will be participating at the East Tennessee Historical Society, First Families of Tennessee Reunion, on August 19-21, 2016. There are a number of events that are planned during the days of the Reunion. I would encourage you to attend if you are interested. I’m sure it will be an enriching experience.

Mark your calendar for the Fort Dickerson Living History weekend on October 28-30, 2016. The event will be highlighted with re-enactors and artillery pieces on display. Volunteers are needed to help at this event. Please see myself or any of the KCWRT board members if you wish to volunteer. This is a fun and exciting event for everyone so make plans to attend.

Membership

The KCWRT membership drive for 2016-2017 is currently underway. Membership in the KCWRT offers insight into the Civil War at a great value. The presentation last month by Brian McKnight about Champ Ferguson is just an example of the quality of speaker we can offer because of your membership in the KCWRT.

Jerry Patterson, Director of Membership, would like to share the following comments regarding KCWRT membership. “We have been fortunate to have a number of new members sign up so far for this fiscal year (1 July 2016 – 30 June 2017). Most of these new members had been guests in the past and enjoyed our monthly meetings and activities. Please welcome these new members and make them feel at home within the KCWRT as you did when they were guests. Treating guests well is a splendid way to get new members. As members renew, they might consider adding family members to their membership. This is a good way to help the younger generation (children, grandchildren) learn about the Civil War.

Each family member having an Internet address gets their own Scout’s Report, which always has good Civil War information in it. As more and more history gets crammed into school curriculums, the time spent teaching about the Civil War keeps getting less and less. Involving the younger generations in KCWRT activities is a good way to supplement their Civil War knowledge and appreciation of how our country evolved to what it is today.” Thank you Jerry, for all the good work you are doing to help keep our current members and attract new members to the KCWRT.

Consider upgrading your membership to a family or sustaining or higher for this coming year. I am honored to serve as your president for the next year. I hope to see at you at upcoming meetings and events and a special thank you for your continued support of the KCWRT.

John Stegner, President