President's Report on Gathering 2002 The Fourth Annual meeting of The Ruddell and Martin Stations Historical Association was held at the 4H Fairgrounds, Cynthiana, KY at 10 AM, June 24, 2002. with a good number of members in attendance. The meeting was called to order by your President and proved to be very productive. A committee was appointed to look into the matter of By laws for the association. The Chairman of the Committee will be Fred Bobier with Mark Massman, Jim Dempsey and Jon Hagee to serve on the committee. The purpose of this committee is to research by laws to be presented to the membership for adoption and to create a mission statement for the association There was discussion of a Newsletter and is was the consensus that the Newsletter be continued if the cost is within reason. It should be about 6 pages and in black and white to keep down the cost. It should be available on the Internet and should be mailed to those members who do not own a computer or have access to one or for some reason cannot download or print a copy. Dues for the association were discussed and it was a consensus that we need dues. Various amounts were discussed ranging from $10.00 per year to $20.00 per year. A motion was made that we have an annual dues of $15.00 due on the 1st Day of January each year for that year. After much discussion a vote was taken and the motion carried by the majority present. We now have Annual dues of $15.00 payable to The Secretary/Treasure on January 1st ; We discussed the IRS tax exempt status for the Association. This should be forth coming in the next week or 10 days and will be handled by your president. It was also discussed what procedures were necessary for filing with the state Of Kentucky. It was agreed that we would meet again at 10 AM on June 28, 2003. at the 4H Fairgrounds. Cynthiana, KY; There was a discussion about redoing the Ruddell monument and adding bricks containing the family names as well as donor names. The bricks would be sold to pay for the update. We envisioned a wall for the bricks. We will have more discussion later after we have more information. I have discussed this with Neva Wigglesworth at the Cynthiana Monument Company as well as Tony Herrington. Your suggestions are welcome. Nancy O'Malley was present and gave us her report on the preliminary survey of the Ruddell Fort site. She advises that her Archaeological team form the University of Kentucky conducted a sweep of the area on Friday, June 23, and was able to establish the exact location of the Fort. Many Artifacts were found which include rifle balls, buckles, drawn nails, and pieces of iron pots. We were able to see the artifacts and hold them in our hands. Nancy advised the finds will help her to obtain the grant money to continue her studies of the fort site. An excellent lunch was prepared and served by Elizabeth Lee, your Secretary/Treasurer. Some items were brought by the members and there were many fine things to eat. There was plenty of Kentucky ham and fried Chicken to go around. One thing was quickly established, this group likes good food. It was an a very fine meal enjoyed by all. Elizabeth should be thanked for her hard work in preparing for the Reunion and the work of the other ladies in serving. After our meeting we made our customary visit to the Fort sites. Tony and his girlfriend hosted our visit to the Ruddell site. Tony worked very hard in mowing and making our visit easier. Everyone was excited about seeing where the fort stood. The SAR drill team was outstanding and included a member from the Illinois Regiment. What a great job they do. Thanks Dan and your men. We also entered the vault. Jon Hagee had his campsite set up. Mary Clay as usual was our most gracious hostess at Martin Station. We sat under the trees and Mary served cold drinks. It was such a relaxed visit that many hung around for a long visit. We gave Mary flowers and a gift. Thank you Mary. We sure do appreciate you. Don't forget. This is your organization and we appreciate your comments and suggestions. See you on June 28, 2003. Don Lee President