The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society will present its monthly meeting and program Saturday, January 7 at 10:00 am. The public is welcome at 1901 S. 12th Ave. in Union Gap (509-248-1328 for further information) The program presenter will be Judy Schuster speaking on “Immigration Policies”
The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society is holding its annual Christmas party at 10:00 am at the library on Saturday, December 3. This will be in lieu of the regular business meeting. Refreshments will be served and gifts for the library will be presented. Call 509-248-1328 for information.
Now is the time for genealogical societies and organizations to select their local outstanding volunteers and teams so they can be honored at the WSGS Annual Meeting on April 22, 2017 in Yakima. The annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society’s Spring Seminar.
Each year, the State Society recognizes local volunteers and teams nominated by their society or organization at the annual conference. In 2016, more than 20 local volunteers and four teams from 20 organizations were recognized for their support and dedication to their society and the researching public.
The process for this year’s Outstanding Volunteer Award program is much like last year’s – no significant changes. In addition to the traditional Outstanding Volunteer Award program, there are three other recognition awards: Outstanding Project, Outstanding Communication, and the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. Information about those awards will be forthcoming, but should not impact organizations’ Outstanding Volunteer Award nominations.
Letters to local societies and organizations, with additional details, have been emailed to society contacts. If you have not received that information, please contact Roxanne Lowe, WSGS Recognition Chair. The milestones for this year’s nomination process are:
• No later than January 15, 2017: Submit the name(s) of your honorees to the Recognition Committee.
• By February 15, 2017: Submit a narrative (approximately 150 words) explaining the accomplishments of your nominee and why you are honoring him/her. Include a good quality digital photograph (at least 300 dpi).
• April 22, 2017: Formal announcement and presentation of certificates at the Annual Meeting in Yakima.
Additional details and deadlines, plus indexes and narratives of accomplishments of past honorees, since 2003, may be found at the WSGS website here.
Please contact Roxanne Lowe at roxanne@thekeeffes.com if you have questions or suggestions.
Do you know who’s running the show at the Washington State Genealogical Society? Did you know we have an Executive Committee, six standing committee chairs and three appointed non-elected officers? Who are all these people? In the coming months, we’ll introduce them to you, so you can say “hi” the next time you see them.
Sue Ericksen
In today’s “Meet the Board” series, we’re introducing you to Sue Ericksen from Zillah in Yakima County. Sue is WSGS’s Treasurer, but her involvement has been longstanding: WSGS’s President from 2009 – 2012, membership chair, web manager and Region 5 representative.
In addition to her WSGS dedication, Sue is an active member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, currently serving as its vice president and web manager. She was also a major player in YVGS’s recent acquisition of the massive Yakima Family History library collection that used to be housed in the LDS Yakima Family History library (approximately 6,000 microfilm and 6,000 microfiche). You can also add presenter to Sue’s long list of credentials. She will be presenting a talk on “Copyright vs. Plagiarism” at the February 4, 2017 YVGS meeting.
Susan Bernice Semenza was born to Norman and Sallie (Gallupe) Semenza in National City, California, not far from San Diego. Sue has researched her family lines for many, many years, following their migrations and journeys through Germany, Italy, England and Canada. When she does find time to do her research, she often uses Ancestry.com.
Sue married William Leroy Ericksen on 18 Sept 1965 in Wapato (Yakima County). They celebrated 50 years of marriage before his passing earlier this year. Together, they were successful orchardists in the fertile Zillah area, growing apples, peaches and pears. They are the parents of three children and grandparents of five.
A few other tidbits about Sue:
• Hobbies besides genealogy – reading, bird watching
• Favorite color – yellow
• Favorite dessert – cherry pie
• Word that best describes her – busy!
Now you know a little more about one of the WSGS Board members. The next time you see Sue, say hello and thank her for her service to the WSGS.
The Yakima Valley Genealogy Society is holding a general business meeting Saturday, November 5 at 10:00 at the library at 1901 S. 12the Avenue (off Washington). The public is welcome. The presentation will be “Accessing State Archives and Genealogical Society Libraries Online.” Call 509-248-1328 for information.
Take a road trip to Yakima on Friday, the last day of September and enjoy the Union Gap Agricultural Museum tram tours on a beautiful fall day. Then, Saturday October 1 attend the Yakima Genealogy Society fall workshop 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Mt. Olive Church 7809 Tieton Drive. 12 separate genealogical classes.
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Sue Semenza Ericksen has been appointed by WSGS President Mikal McKinnon to take over the state society’s treasurer’s duties. Sue replaces Kathy Bowen who moved out of the state to be closer to family.
Sue’s presence in WSGS is long-standing. She is Immediate Past President and previously served as membership chair, web manager and Region 5 representative. In addition to her WSGS dedication, Sue is an active member of the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society, currently serving as its vice president and web manager.
A routine audit was conducted on the WSGS finances and all was in order. A big thank-you to Sue for stepping into this important position.
The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society is holding its general meeting Saturday, September 3 at the library at 1901 S. 12th Avenue in Yakima. The presentation is on special censuses. The public is welcome. Call 509-248-1328 for more information.
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 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.
If you need yet another good reason to visit the stupendous genealogy library housed in the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society headquarters building, here it is! Better make travel reservations at a local hotel for one day in this library (just like potato chips) is not nearly enough!
Union Gap, WA. – The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society has recently been donated the Vernie Smith Bennett Collection, a major and significant collection of genealogical research material, by a benefactor in Texas. The collection consists of approximately 670 bound volumes of genealogical books and records. The donated material mainly covers the southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas) but does include some books with records from the northern states. This is a major addition to the existing collection which already consists of over 18,000 bound volumes on the shelf, 6,000 microfilm and 6,000 microfiche. The Yakima Valley Genealogical Society operates a library in Union Gap, Washington. It is one of the largest genealogical libraries in the Pacific Northwest and is open to the public free of charge 6 days a week. For the catalogue of the society holdings, the library address and it’s hours of operation you can go to their website at yvgs.net.