Annual Meeting and Luncheon – 2005 – The Society of Indiana Pioneers

Conner Prairie
Noblesville, Indiana
Saturday, October 29, 2005

Submitted by Robert H. Everitt

The 90th Annual Meeting of The Society of Indiana Pioneers was held at Conner Prairie near Noblesville on Saturday, October 29.

Following the 11:30 business meeting led by President Leigh E. Morris at which the Governors and Officers were elected, the 70 members and guests in attendance viewed a slide show of the 2005 Hoosier Heritage Pilgrimage, “Taggart’s French Lick and West Baden.” The trip featured stops at both hotels and a history of Thomas Taggart’s connection with the area given by Dr. James P. Fadely, a member of the Pioneers Board of Governors and author and expert on Thomas Taggart. The newly elected President, Dr. Jamia J. Jacobsen, paid tribute to Leigh Morris for his enthusiastic leadership, which resulted in great accomplishments for the Society during his tenure.

2005-06 Society Officers (left to right): Mary Ellen Simpers, Registrar; Tom Fisher, President-Elect; Dr. Jamia Jacobsen, President; Leigh Morris, Past President; Joan Everitt, Yearbook Editor; Bruce Oakley, Treasurer; Ruth Dorrel, Genealogist/Office Manager; Bob Everitt, Secretary.

A family-style lunch followed, featuring traditional Hoosier dishes. Former President Allen Moore did the roll call and a moment of silence was observed, paying tribute to those members whose deaths had been reported since the last annual meeting.

President Leigh Morris recognized Office Manager/Genealogist Ruth Dorrel for her years of faithful service to the Pioneers as she prepared to retire and presented her a copy of the recently published “A History of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, 1916-2005”. He also recognized Mary Glenn Yeager Smith, who had traveled from Houston, Texas, for the meeting.

The program that followed featured a tour of the Conner Home, the Conner Barn, and the Loom House led by Conner Prairie interpreters.