CALL TO ORDER – President John Corbett called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m. at the home of Jerry, Theresa and Joe Weisbrod at 6525 Wise Ave, St. Louis, MO. Ten members, seven guests and our gracious hosts; Jerry and Theresa Weisbrod, were in attendance. Members: Bob Corbett, John Corbett, Lucy Corbett, Tom Corbett, Tom Haller, Bill Miller, Gerry Miller, Carol Nemeth, Sally Sharamitaro and Joe Weisbrod. Guests: Blake Bachman, Norm Merlotti, Marie and Paul Yalouris, and three special guests, who joined as new members at the meeting; 1) Scott Ogilvie, new Alderman for the 24th ward, 2) Jack McGowan, the new president of the Clayton-Tamm Community Association (CTCA). and 3) Ken Weiss, whose wife is an officer of the CTCA.
Meeting Minutes - A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2011 meeting. A vote was taken, the motion passed and the minutes were approved.Soldier’s Memorial Project – John introduced our special guest, Alderman, Scott Ogilvie, and then began updating everyone on the plans for the memorial project. He began with special thanks for the amazing research work done by Dan McGuire on the list of the Dogtown veteran names that will be etched onto the memorial stone. Dan’s newest list is posted on the Dogtown home page.
John announced that we have a very generous anonymous donor who has come forth with a matching donation offer. He will match all donations up to $2500.00. In addition, 500 Buttons showing the computer generated veteran’s park have been made and will be offered for a $5.00 donation to the stone.
John contacted a local non-profit group for information on grant money available for landscaping and will follow up for more information on the application process. And he then passed around the landscape drawings that were done of the future memorial park and discussed how he initially plans to seek three bids for the foundation and leveling work needed for the stone. The electric work, he said, will have to delayed, but the hope is that the foundation work can be completed by early May.
The first stage of the project will be the memorial stone, the second stage will be the brick walk. The target date for the dedication continues to be Memorial Day, May 30, 2011.
Further discussion followed about the project, and the foundation work. Scott Ogilvie suggested a solar solution rather than electric and will follow up on that as a possibility.
Historian/Archivist –
DHS Historian, Bob Corbett, took the opportunity to remind us all of the rotation of DHS business meetings and DHS lectures as planned for the year. And that the DHS used to have a Dogtown Historical Lecture Series Committee and formal lectures were given on the history of various areas in and near Dogtown. But that series ended when we ran out of volunteers.
Currently, Bob gives historical lectures every other month on the second Saturday of the month. He has three Power Point Programs prepared and the first two are on the History of 19th Century Cheltenham/Dogtown, Part I and Part II, the third is on the Utopian Community of Icarians that settled in Dogtown in 1858.
John wanted Bob to talk about all of the Dogtown history, photos, maps, etc on his Dogtown website and that coming soon there will be various related 19th Century newspaper articles from the St. Louis County Library research sites.
Bob and John then presented an idea for a gathering of local neighborhood associations. Their idea is to invite each group to give a presentation about their neighborhood and its history. Discussion followed on whether it might be necessary to schedule the St. James Cafeteria for such a lecture/gathering.
Dogtown Bulletin Board – John gave a follow up report on his Dogtown Bulletin Board idea. The bulletin board has been purchased and is now in place on the brick wall at the corner of Tamm and West Park.John prepared guidelines on what information may be displayed there. It will hold several 8 ½ x 11 sheets, which need to be non-business related, though non-profit businesses are welcome to submit information. School and church announcements and any historical information about the Dogtown neighborhood are most welcome. John will serve as contact person.
Street Musicians Festival 2011 – It has been decided that the 2011 Dogtown Street Musicians Festival will be dedicated to Nick Mucci, a well known Dogtowner and clarinetist in the 1990s.John announced that this year’s festival is planned for the same date as St. James Parish Carnival, September 17, 2011, and that he spoke with Bill Kennebeck, of St. James School, who thought that this might be great for both organizations.
Two possibilities for future dedications are Charlotte Peters and Julie Duane. Tom Haller thought that Charlotte Peters’ son Michael might come to Dogtown in 2012.
OTHER BUSINESSA motion was made and seconded to approve the follow up on funding for a site for the DHS archives. A vote was taken, the motion passed. John will follow up.
NEW BUSINESSThe meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m. The next meeting will be May 14, 2011 at 10:00am at 6525 Wise Ave., St. Louis MO 63139.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally Sharamitaro
Secretary
Dogtown Historical Society
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