Happy New Year to all Wing cousins! By now I hope you have all received and read the beautiful 2022 issue of The Owl. As soon as I received my copy, I read it from cover to cover. I am always amazed at the stories of our ancestors but also the happenings of present-day Wings. Thank you to our editors and to all who contributed stories to The Owl. The Owl editors are already working on the 2023 issue. The deadline for submissions is always September 30 but it’s not too soon to send a story or family update to them at: owleditor@wingfamily.org.
A good winter task is to mark your calendar and start making travel plans to attend the 2023 WFA annual meeting to be held in Merced, CA from June 23-25, 2023. The full agenda and registration form will soon be posted to our website. The reunion chairs Cynthia Doherty and Jeff Miller are working hard to plan a great weekend for us. I am looking forward to seeing (and meeting new) Wing cousins in June. Will you be the one who traveled the farthest?
I hope you were able to see the Zoom presentations given recently showing all of the fabulous changes made at the Wing Fort House. Our Curator, Christina Shipps and the Assistant Curator, Kelsey Cronin, are now hard at work planning and preparing displays there and in the Memorial History Center before we open for the season in June. The Museum Committee continues to meet weekly to discuss and help advise in this work as well as to continue working on the next MAP (American Alliance of Museums - Museum Assessment Program) module. I’m thankful for all of their hard work!
Many districts are scheduling virtual meetings with our Genealogist, Robert Wollan, to learn how to access and use the WFA Master Tree on Ancestry. It’s a great resource to see the WFA genealogy research. Our tree can be accessed, for free, by Wing Family of America members. To do that you need to receive an invitation to view it. All of this is covered in the presentations that Robert is giving to the Districts. Find out from your local District Rep. if your district is on the schedule yet. District Rep. email addresses are in The Owl and also on https://www.wingfamily.org).
Speaking of the districts there is information in this newsletter about our need for volunteers to represent Districts 4 and 11. Help us keep our cousins connected.
I am always so thankful to those who volunteer to help keep our organization running so smoothly. There are many ways you can donate your time to the Wings, in this effort, from the comfort of your own home. Take a look through that latest issue of The Owl and see if there’s an area you’re interested in or could help. I have mentioned needing a couple of District Representatives but perhaps in reading the various reports you have a special skill and could help us. I’d love to hear from you if you are interested! Reach out to your local District Rep. also if you want to help with a local gathering. Help keep the Wings flying.
Please consider a donation to the Wing Family to help with all of our endeavors. You can make a donation directly on: https://www.wingfamily.org/donate. Additionally, please consider designating a gift to the Wing Family of America in your will. If you are interested in how to do that, please contact me.
Wishing all of you a safe, warm rest of winter which will soon give way to the beauty of spring!
Beth Fisher, “Cousin Prez”
President@WingFamily.org