THE BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE
Volume LIIII ----- Houston Gem & Mineral Society ----- April 2024
Club Information
Permission to use material originating in this newsletter is given freely providing that credit is given to the author and the source. Every article published in the BBG is edited for grammar and content. No flaming is allowed.
BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Articles are due on the 15th day of the month before the date on the BBG issue.
Copy is due for the next issue by the 15th of this month. Email content to editor@hgms.org
President's Message
I want to thank everyone for their hard work so far this year! We have been making great progress and have a lot more ahead of us.
We are having silent auctions at the general meeting of around 6-10 pieces. You’ll have to join us at the club to catch a chance at some of the awesome stones and minerals. We are now starting to talk about our next set of goals and look forward to announcing them soon.
I’ve gotten the chance to meet a number of our newest members recently and hope they are having fun. They definitely are excited to get to work and learn!
Vice-President's Message
by Jeanean Slamen
At the April General Meeting, Randy Carlson, Chairman of the Gemstones & Faceting (G&F) Section, will give a presentation on the latest news of lab grown diamonds. Are these new? Why are we hearing so much about them lately? Where do they come from and why are they creating upheaval in the gem markets?
Come to the meeting, or attend via Zoom (in person is better!) and Randy will first explain what they are, how long they’ve been making them and what it is doing to the diamond and jewelry market. After that we will take a deep dive into the complete & proper way to use a refractometer for gem identification.
By Materialscientist (talk). Subsequent edits by Materialscientist. – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6675941
Randy has been a member of HGMS since about 2008. He became Chairman of the G&F Section in about 2015 and held this position through 2021, when he moved up to Huntsville. He became a Registered Gemologist through the International School of Gemology in 2016. He is also a member of the GIA-Houston Chapter, where he serves on their Board of Directors as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the United States Faceters Guild. Randy came back as Chairman of the G&F Section this year, when Logan Wilcox stepped up to be President of HGMS.
The March talk, “The Peopling of the Americas”, given by Dr. D. Clark Wernecke, retired director of the Prehistory Research Project at UT Austin and the Gault School of Archaeological Research, was excellent! He presented compelling information from work done at several archaeological sites in both North and South America supporting migration by paleolithic peoples at much earlier dates than previously accepted. The peopling of the Americas did not begin with the Clovis People migrating through an ice-free corridor 12,000 years ago.
Section News
Beading – Second Saturday, 12:30 PM
Always bring beading mat, scissors, wire, wire cutter, round nose and needle nose pliers, thread, and beading needles if you have them.
At the April 13th meeting, Ann Money will teach us how to make a 3D wire tree on a rock base. Be one of only 10 people to RSVP for this class at Beading@HGMS.org.
NOTICE: Do you have a bracelet or necklace that needs restringing? The Beading Section will carefully restring your piece at an hourly rate of $15.00 + materials. Contact Beading@HGMS.org to make arrangements. All funds will go to the Beading Section.
Gemstones and Faceting – Second Thursday, 6:30 PM
At the April 11th meeting, Randy Carlson will give a presentation on Lab Created Diamonds (what they are, how long they’ve been around and why the current upheaval in the gem & jewelry markets) and then we will take a deep dive into the complete & proper way to use a refractometer for gem identification. It’s best to join us in person this month, as the refractometer study does not translate well via zoom.
This month’s talk is also by Randy and expands on this subject.
Lapidary and Silversmithing – Third Monday, 7:00 PM
Next meeting at the club on April 15th:
For the lapidary section this month we will be exploring the polishing compounds LUXI. These are different Polishing Compounds, silica-free and water-based compared to the wax-based compounds we usually use. I will bring a variety of different compounds and pieces to be worked on. Bring your silver with you if you’d like to try and polish your own.
We will also be cutting the stone of the month into pear shape cabachons to start the necklace project we will be working on.
It will feature either a lapidary project or a silversmithing project.
Email Lapidary@hgms.org if you have questions.
Day Light – First Wednesday, 1:00 PM
The Daylight Section meets the first Wednesday of the month from 1 to 3 PM.
At the April 3rd meeting, we will be teaching how to use the Rolling Mill using copper, and pressing designs on copper sheets.
Please register in advance to make sure we have enough materials for everyone. A $5.00 fee is necessary for each class to pay for materials. Register by sending an email to Nancy Searle at daylight@hgms.org. All programs are $5.00 and the fee is paid at the meeting.
Mineral – Third Wednesday, 7:30 PM
On April 17th Steve Blyskal will present a great new mineral or locality subject.
The Mineral Section has begun holding hybrid meetings; in-person attendees will have the opportunity to see and handle mineral specimens. They are much prettier in person. Email mineral@hgms.org for more information.
The link for the Zoom meeting is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4517997588?pwd=SnZjckZBTnRMbHRxZitScE9WU3RWUT09
Paleontology – Third Tuesday, 7:30 PM
We hold hybrid Zoom meetings that include members attending remotely via Zoom; if you’re intrigued by dinosaurs, trilobites, field trips to collect Texas fossils and all other paleontology-related topics we’d love to have you attend a meeting in one way or another and see what we’ve got going on. If you’d like to join the Paleo Section email list, send an email to hgmspaleosection@gmail.com and ask to be added.
At the April 16th meeting: Bring the fossils from the last field trip. Neal will supply brachiopods. We will clean specimens and you can keep what you work on. Bring toothbrush and toothpaste. We will have the air abrasive to use also. We will cut and grind specimens to show the lophophore.
Youth, First and Third Saturdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm
On April 6th and 20th we will meet. Mostly we will be working on cabochons.
Participants must be minimum age 5 to attend meetings and be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times when at the clubhouse.
Shop and Building News
The HP Grinder is ready for service – try it the all new sanding wheels. Let Neal know if you like it better than the wheels that he recoats. Warning: the wheels are rough after the factory recoat and will EAT your fingers. Dress the surface with an agate slab. Really.
Garage Lights: Some of the light fixtures in the garage area have started going out and we are looking into replacements. Please be aware that one of the bulbs has come loose and created a hazard recently. We are going to address this issue immediately.
Water control: Neal installed new water controls on the Diamond Pacific grinders and they were tested by the youth group grinders. Come check them out.
Shop Rags / Cleaning Up: Thank you for cleaning up the shop, but don’t just pile used shop rags on the chair to the right of the trim saw bench. Wet rags MILDEW if they do not dry. Take them home and wash them; it won’t hurt your machine. Or throw them out.
See Neal for instructions how to unclog the air abrasive wand. Just tap out the clog. Please don’t lose the O-ring.
Someone broke the sander belt and did not tell anyone. Come on, Neal has never eaten anyone for reporting damage. He has purchased new belts and hidden them. If you want to use this machine, ask for a belt. See Neal on Saturday.
Sharon Halton hit her head on the counterweight for the Texaco lid and reported the safety issue to Neal Immega. Last Thursday Logan Wilcox helped Neal replace the weights and results are pictured below. You will have to be taller than 6’4″ to be damaged.
Austin Celestine
by Greg Sullivan
As any rockhound worth his or her salt can attest, the best finds always happen when you are about to leave. Having spent the day canvassing the collecting localities in Travis County, my brother Ian and I were proud. We had actually found the elusive pockets our hours of internet research had indicated were present. Our finds were small, but still we had a modest ball cap full of tiny crystal-speckled specimens from several pockets. “It could be worse” I remember saying to my brother. “Yes, they could be bigger and blue”, he sniped sarcastically back at me. We both laughed and gathered our stuff to wind things down. “Well, shall we go back to the first pocket we skipped before leaving?” I nodded in agreement.
We had left a small pocket earlier due to a lack of proper toolage and were finally prepared with a rock hammer, having just stopped back at the car. Until this point, we had survived off the leverage capabilities of just a single screwdriver – not one of our finer preparation days. We started to walk over. Nearing the pocket, we began casing the tailings. Suddenly my brother dropped to his knees. “Whatcha got there?” I inquired. He held up a 3″ point of stunning, blue-tipped Celestine that was by far the best find of the day – so far!
“Nothing”, he shot back coyly. And after a few expletives of joy, we both ‘reluctantly’ agreed to look around. After following a few pieces of float we had found it – The Coconut.
Full of mud and measuring 5.5″ by 4.5″ across, it stared back at us with a blue snaggle-toothed grin. More expletives! “Well – I guess we’ll have to stay now”, I said – it was nearing dark. Over the next 4 hours we took turns with what tools we had (screwdriver and rock hammer), chiseling around the geode. 3 hours later and with much blood sacrifice, we had worked our way completely around it. It was time! We began a high angle wedge on both sides of the piece and slowly worked the piece until both fractures connected. Lifting slowly, we brought the piece out. It was intact! “How the hell did we get so lucky?” my brother exclaimed. “I don’t know, but are you ready to do it again?” We both looked in. There was a second, even bigger pocket staring back!
Second Pocket
Unfortunately, we were out of time and so we made plans to return. This time we would have the proper tools (i.e. hammer drill).
After we returned, with much effort and a similar high angle wedge approach, we were able to extract the second pocket.
This one measured an even more impressive 7″x 7″ x 5″ deep. “Well,” I said “Glad we stayed later”!
“Better luck next time” he replied. We both laughed. We will remember this trip for years!
Note: That tool in the upper right of the extraction picture is the hammer drill, which differs from a regular drill in that you can also hammer the chuck forward into hard materials like stone, brick or concrete, so it both drills and hammers.
Science Wars!
Is it Celestine or Celestite?
by Sigrid Stewart
I was interested in the controversy between the two names for the same mineral referred to in the previous article, Austin Celestine. I always called it Celestite, but my husband Steve Blyskal, who is more knowledgeable about minerals, refers to it as Celestine rather than Celestite.
He referred me to the International Mineralogical Association, website below:
This site also lists their new website: https://mineralogy-ima-wordpress.website.
The new one may still be under development (or maybe I just don’t know how to navigate it yet).
The IMA has a committee which names new minerals and determines the correct names for minerals as well, because of conflicting claims and the fact that no one person can follow all of the scientific literature available and all of the history of the 6031 currently recognized valid mineral species found on Earth.
The official IMA-CNMNC List of Mineral Names:
Updated list of IMA-approved minerals (March 2024)
This list contains names and data for minerals which have been approved, discredited, redefined and renamed and is the new revised master list of all IMA-approved and grandfathered (i.e. inherited from before 1960) minerals.
Science is not dead! It is very much alive and is made anew daily by scientists battling ignorance and … each other! It is the Scientific Method in action. Theories are proposed and defended, accepted or disproved, or further modified constantly. And the current winner gets to define terminology!
Name | CNMMN/CNMNC approved formula | IMA Status | IMA No. / Year | Country | First reference | Second reference |
Celestine | Sr(SO4) | A | 1967 s.p. | USA | Journal de Physique, de Chimie, d’Histoire Naturelle et des Arts. Dugour, Paris (1792), 150 | American Mineralogist 97 (2012), 661 |
Excerpts from the table Updated list of IMA-approved minerals referenced above.
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The upshot is that the official name is Celestine, but people will accept Celestite, which is not on the list.
Mineral Detective Story
by Steve Blyskal
For years, whenever I thought about celestine in Texas I thought of two localities – Travis County, the famous Bull Creek celestine geodes, a deep rich blue, and Lampasas County, the gray, blocky crystals in small to monster sizes to 20 cm. I knew there were other celestine localities in Travis County, all related to road construction projects over the last 30 years.
We were visiting friends in Kerrville in January 2024 while staying there for the Fredericksburg Gem and Mineral Show. Anna had gotten interested in rocks a few years ago and we met her on an agate hunt in Alpine last December. Imagine my surprise when she pulled out a small box full of pink, blue and clear colored mineral specimens, the colors arranged in layers, blue sub-parallel crystal layers, pink massive and clear terminated crystals in vugs. She asked if these were celestine. I picked one up, then another. They were heavy, much more than normal. Celestine has a high specific gravity. The crystal form was right also. Yes, these were celestine pending further testing. She showed me the GPS data for where she found these, in Brown County. Brown County? It’s 60 miles northwest of Lampasas County! I had no idea there was any celestine in the area. Anna said she had done some research about 10 years previously and found out about it, then drove there from Kerrville and drove around on the county roads near the town of Blanket in the eastern part of the county. It was all private land, fenced and there were no outcrops. She was stymied until she saw a local person using a backhoe near the road, doing some excavation on his land. She stopped and talked to him, persuaded him to let her go through the pile of dirt, and that’s where she found all of the pieces she showed me. I left with several pieces with a promise to investigate further.
Once we got home, the first step was to check Mindat.org, the world’s largest and best mineral database. Yes, there was a photo of celestine from Blanket, Brown Co., showing clear crystals in a vug of pink massive celestine, submitted by a dealer selling an old collection. So yes, celestine was found in Brown Co. Further research showed several localities surrounding Blanket, all from a 2005 USGS report on mineral resources. There were 25 localities, all listed as thin seams of barite or celestine in rocks of the Cretaceous age Trinity Group, which contains the Lower Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation.
Next, I went through my boxes of Texas specimens, to see if something I got in the 1990s or afterwards matched the photos on Mindat. A little background is appropriate here. In the early 1990s HGMS held their annual show at George Brown Convention Center. Since there was lots of room the Swap Area, which I ran, was quite a bit larger than our current space. Every year an Oklahoma collector, Joe Lobell, would show up with 100s of specimens from Oklahoma and Texas which he had field collected. He spread them all over a large portion of the floor in the Swap Area. Many dealers loaded up on these specimens, which could account for their showing up in collections from around the country. What Joe had the most of was celestine, with labels saying it was from Lampasas Co. Apparently, he was able to talk to landowners and get permission to hunt rocks on their land. I never personally talked to him about it, so I don’t know how he succeeded at this. I got a selection of specimens from him every year, trying to find different and unusual ones.
One of the local collectors who also bought many specimens was Art Smith, Jr., author of the mineral locality index for Texas published in Rocks and Minerals. 10-15 years later Art sold a number of these specimens at club auctions, and I acquired some for my collection and business (Truscon Minerals). So, these specimens were what I was looking for in the Texas Mineral flats. In among the gray, blocky crystals from Lampasas Co. were cream-colored thin bladed crystals on a matrix of pink and blue celestine! One even had a correct label stating it was from Brown Co.! After I wiped the egg off my face, I resolved to photograph these three specimens and get them up on Mindat to improve the locality information for future collectors. Apparently, Joe Lobell did his research in the 1990s and managed to talk some of the landowners into letting him excavate their land for celestine.
From the Desk of the President of the AFMS
from Roger Burford, from the April 2024 AFMS Newsletter
I wanted to write a little this month about National Monuments and what they mean to us as rockhounds. I’m sure there are many of you out there who know much more than I about this subject, and I invite your input so I can do what I can to get a handle on this and start a national campaign with the purpose of keeping these areas open to rockhounding.
The United Nations has come up with this plan known as 30 by 30 that proposes that 30 percent of the earth’s land and water would be preserved. Essentially it ends up with the US preserving all public lands in the western states.
I spoke with Lori Colman while in Tucson about the issue in the mountains around Deming, New Mexico, which is the proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument. This encompasses all of the mountains in Luna County surrounding Deming, the Florida Mountains, Cookes Range, Good Sight Mountains, and Tres Hermanas encompassing 245,000 acres. In this case, they are being told that there will be no grazing, hunting, mining, or flying over the monument. In Lori’s case, she has some mines in the mountains that would be grandfathered in, but there would be no roads to get to the mines. The ranchers would also lose their businesses because of losing their grazing
Photo by Patrick Alexander. Above, Southeast of the Florida Mountains. CC0 1.0 DEED via Flickr
District 32 State Representative Jenifer Jones, a Republican from Deming, said there has been little transparency or public involvement around the national monument effort. Proponents of the monument are expecting that the monument would increase revenue for the area due to increased visitors to the area — but that could not happen if the mountains were off limits. This is not the only land grab going on in our country. I don’t know all of them, and I invite your input so I can work on a campaign in Congress to stop what’s going on and the threat it presents to our hobby. We are having a hard enough time getting young people involved in the earth sciences without our outdoor areas being taken away from us. I will write more on this next month and would like to hear from anyone who has more information.
See https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ranchers-are-concerned-over- 245-000-acre-new-mexico-monument-proposal/ar-AA1mHqXg
THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER - President of SCFMS
from Don Shurtz, SCFMS President
Suddenly it was Monday, January 1st, 2024, and I was the SCFMS President. That, quite frankly, scares the heck out of me. What am I supposed to do?
First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I don’t know when I picked up my first rock, but by the time I was 12 years old, I had quite a collection. About that time, my father also started being interested in rocks. He bought a used rock saw, built some equipment for cutting and polishing rocks, and eventually built his own faceting machine. Best of all, he let me use the rock saw and the cutting and polishing machines – I think that was when I was officially a Rockhound.
I continued to cut and polish rocks until I left for college at the University of California with a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. Upon graduation, I was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Navy – my life for the next 20 years. My time at the University of California and in the U.S. Navy did not leave much time for Rockhounding, but the interest was still there in the background. My final duty station in the Navy was in Dallas, TX. I retired from the U.S. Navy in January 1989. I took 4 days off, then started my working life as a civilian on the same program I had been working on in my final Navy tour of duty. I have continued to live in the Dallas area since then. I am currently retired, but I am an active volunteer at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science where I am a docent in the Life, Then and Now (Dinosaur) Hall and the Gem and Mineral Hall. I have volunteered more than 500 hours per year for the last seven years, and plan to continue as long as I can.
While living in Dallas, my two daughters started picking up “pretty rocks” on the way to school, and that rekindled my active interest in Rockhounding. With a tumbler, we could make those “pretty rocks” into beautiful, polished rocks. It also provided an excuse to take weekend trips to look for rocks. With some other equipment, we could cut and polish the rocks into stones suitable for jewelry.
I joined the Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club and almost immediately became the editor of the Chips and Chatter newsletter. That led to involvement with the SCFMS for the Editor and Author Contests and later the Website Contests. In the SCFMS, I served as a District Vice President, Bulletin Editor Advisory Chair, SCFMS Webmaster Chair, SCFMS Website Contest Chair, Scholarship Chair, Executive Vice President, and now the SCFMS President.
My goals as the SCFMS President are to grow the interest of SCFMS members into becoming active in Club and SCFMS activities. We start the year without an SCFMS Secretary – a vital position that needs to be filled. We also have District Vice President positions to fill. Some Committee Chair and Committee member positions also need to be filled. It would sure be great if all these positions could be filled. We also need to support three different monetary funds that are supported by contributions. The SCFMS Endowment Fund exists to financially support the SCFMS. Each year the SCFMS Budget can request money from the interest to the Endowment Fund to balance our budget. The AFMS Endowment Fund exists to support the AFMS if financial needs occur. It also supports the AFMS Juniors programs. Finally, the AFMS Scholarship Foundation fund exists to support two scholarships per AFMS Region (except the Southeastern Federation which has its own scholarship fund). The two $4,000.00 scholarships are awarded to graduate students working on an advanced degree in an Earth Science Field. These funds are supported by donations from clubs and members. I am particularly unwavering about supporting the AFMS Scholarship fund. Please see the article titled Scholarships that also appears in this edition of the SCFMS Newsletter for a special program for this year’s donations to the AFMS Scholarship Foundation Fund.
HGMS Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes for January 3, 2023
Board Member | Section Board Member | ||
X | President – Logan (LT) Wilcox | X | Beading – Maggie Manley |
X | 1st Vice President – Jeanean Slamen | X | Day Light – Fred Brueckner |
X | 2nd Vice President – Sarah Metsa | X | Gemstones & Faceting – Turner Whitham |
X | Treasurer – Sharon Halton |
X | Lapidary & Silversmithing – Richard Good |
X | Secretary – Michelle Wilcox | X | Mineral – Ray Kizer |
X | Paleontology – Mike Dawkins | ||
Meeting Statistics:
- President’s Comments: N/A
Call to order (upon achieving a quorum) __7:40__ pm ____10____ voting members in attendance at the call to order. Non-voting member present: Nancy English, Past President
Approval of February meeting minutes
Motion to approve Rev. 1 February meeting minutes by: Sharon Halton
Second: Fred Brueckner Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
Treasurer’s Report:
Sharon informed the board of the Profit/Loss details for February 2024.
She is also working on gaining more insight into how the PayPal counts work.
Membership:
Sarah figured out a way to work off Beverly’s old membership/renewal list & update it so that it matches her current list. Renewals are due by March 31, 2024. Usually, the final list was completed by May & sent out in the E-blast. The discussion was too broad about the roster & how it should be delivered so it was tabled for a later time.
Old Business:
- Heater: one of two parts ready; waiting on the second part
Discussion: President LT announced our status and we are still waiting for the heater to be repaired. Nancy will reach out to the owner to find out what the status is on the part we are waiting for.
Remains active: Waiting on 2nd part For whom: Dean Wix
- Zettle/iPad
Discussion: Get all of the Zettle & iPads in one spot so that Ray Kizer can figure out how to use the equipment. There is a locker at the clubhouse they are to be kept in.
Closed: Yes Next action: None required
- Remaining actions for banking changes
Discussion: Waiting to get the 2nd account open at Live Oak. Transfer from Live Oak to Prosperity is in the works. Nancy will be contacting the bank to see what the hold up is with the closing of the 2nd account & opening up of the new account at the new bank.
Closed: No Next action: Have Michelle go with Sharon to the bank to place her in the accounts
For whom: Sharon & Michelle
- Tony – Jewelry shop modifications
Discussion: $2,000 budget request for renovations in the smithing room. To add ventilation to the room. Maggie will contact Tony to see what his plans are & how much is needed for the renovations for ventilation additions. Looking into putting in the ventilation like Gemco Jewelry has installed, doing it ourselves.
Closed: No Next action: Maggie to contact Tony
New Business:
- Submittal of President’s 2024 operating budget
Discussion: President LT sent everyone the proposed budget in an email. Shared screen with everyone in the meeting to discuss the proposed budget for 2024. Nancy asked if we would reconsider sending out paper copies of the roster. Nancy will discuss how to fix the post office issue with Sharon. Only the show committee will be mailing anything out.
Motion to approve 2024 budget by: Fred Brueckner Second by: Maggie Manly Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
- Light Fixtures (incident discussion and replacements) LT has already been approved due to hazard.
- Selling of Oil: Increase price from $13/gallon to $20/gallon
For Whom: Richard Good Closed: No Next action: Tabled for now since Richard was not present to receive exact details from.
Changes in club positions:
- Richard Good – relinquishing position due to health reasons. Neal Immega will take back the maintenance position.
- Michele Marsel – officially recognized By LT for the Publicity position
- Debbie Seid – recognized By LT as Social Chair for General Meetings
- Jeni Menendez – Show Ticket Chairman?
- Michelle Wilcox – appointed by the President after the resignation of Daniel Rodriguez to the Secretary position & Administrator for the bank accounts.
Motion to approve Michelle Wilcox as Secretary & Administrator of HGMS bank accounts
by: Logan T Wilcox Second: Ray Kizer Third: Sharon Halton
Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
- Amigo Energy Contract Expiring in the next 2 months
Discussion: Either renew it with the current provider or look elsewhere. Falls under treasurer: Sharon. She will look into getting a copy of the billing and costs from Amigo before making a final decision depending on the deal they offer us.
- Charter vs Bylaws – Are they both updated fully? Do we have a Charter available?
Discussion: Bylaws have not been updated with the current lifetime membership increase in price details. Michelle Wilcox will handle the reworking of the bylaws to include this information. Charter – by the state of Texas we don’t require one. No need for one at the moment. Restated articles in corporation with amendments brought to the president’s attention: updating the information. Last updated 1960. Nancy will look at getting the new form so that we can update the information.
- Homeschool opportunity and main room usage: once/twice monthly, Monday mornings. Maggie, Steven, Neal, and possibly more members are
Discussion: Nancy was contacted by a homeschool group about holding classes at the shop. The president reached back out to the group & stated that we were looking into this opportunity and we could potentially schedule something. Neil meets with the group for a trial run on Monday 3/11/24. He will let us know how it goes. President is also asking if anyone else would be interested in volunteering to teach a class or two for the homeschoolers then to please let him know. Potentially Maggie. He has approached Steven but has not gotten a response from him as of yet. Possibly to be set up as a once or twice monthly activity, and Mondays would be the day they would like to hold the classes. Have also to work out what the charges would be for the room & per student etc.Paleontology, Earth’s layers – basic science classes. Will reach out to Scott & Elsa about the education part of it, Nancy will do this.
Section and Committee Reports:
- Volunteer Committee: Nancy thanks everyone who was on the committee that was at the Clear Lake show for doing a wonderful job. Encouraged to place a small statement in the E-blast for announcements.
- Show Committee: Has a huge list of homeschoolers to contact. Nancy needs a new person to run the Dino Dig and she thinks she has found the person for the job. Would like for Debbie Seed to run the new concession stand. She is going to ask Jeni Menendez to be the new ticket chairman. Changed the ticket prices to $12 a ticket for the show this year.
- Program Committee: Jeanean has asked each section to identify at least 2 topics & presenters that they know to be invited to produce a program. She has not heard back from anyone as of yet. Jeanean asked the board if they had asked their members about presenting for us at our general meetings. Maggie will speak to her group. Fred spoke with Nancy about this and hasn’t gotten a response. Nancy responded in the meeting and let us know that they meet on Wednesday so she would approach them at that time.
Motions:
- February meeting minutes
Motioned by Sharon Halton 2nd by – Fred Brueckner
Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
- 2024 Budget:
Motioned by Logan T Wilcox 2nd by – Ray Kizer
Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
- Michelle Wilcox added to HGMS bank accounts as Administrator (Admin)
Chase: Checking ending in 7598
Chase: Savings ending in 5510
Live Oak: Business Savings ending in 5947
Prosperity: Checking ending in 8888
Motion by Logan T Wilcox 2nd by – Ray Kizer
Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
Adjourn
Moved to adjourn the Board of Directors Meeting: Logan Wilcox & 2nd by Ray Kizer. The meeting adjourned at 9:09 p.m.
Approved: Yes Yeas 10 Nays 0
HGMS General Meeting Minutes for March 26, 2024
by Secretary Michelle Wilcox
President LT Wilcox called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm. There were fifteen attendees present and nine attendees online.
PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Library changes
Re-organizing and removing some older books from the library to reclaim some space was scheduled to begin soon. Clyde McMeans wanted it noted that he thinks the board should approve/disapprove this plan before it is set in motion because the mining history section is most of what they want to dismantle. President LT Wilcox agreed to put it up for discussion in the April board meeting.
- Budget
The budget has been approved although we are still making minor changes. It is currently in a state of balance, with neither a surplus nor deficit projected.
- Homeschooling classes
The trial run on 3/11/24 ended up being a no-show by the homeschool group. To make the best use of our resources, a future policy of taking a half deposit up front for classes, in lieu of more free trials, will be discussed at the April board meeting.
In Progress:
4.
a. One to two-hour classes teaching two different subjects on the same day can work.
b. A VA group still needs to be contacted to discuss inclusion. Logan Wilcox Sr. is taking on this duty.
c. SCFMS representative
We need a new representative for the South Central Federation of Mineral Societies (SCFMS) since Sigrid Stewart accepted the role of SCFMS Vice President. If you are interested, please contact Sigrid for more information. The responsibilities are primarily to keep up on what is happening with other clubs in the district (HGMS, Clear Lake, and East TX) and report back to the SCFMS.
- Microsoft software
Within the next month, we will start rolling out Google Workspace & Microsoft 365 to the Officers; Committees; & Chairman.
- Club maintenance
The heater has been fixed & lights have been replaced special thanks go to Dean Wix for handling these issues in such a timely manner.
- Official Social Chair position
President LT made the formal announcement making Debbie Seid the Social chair for the foreseeable future, for meetings & events. Everyone clapped in approval.
- Apprentices needed
We are looking for apprentices to help with maintaining the building & shops. Contact LT, Richard Good, or Dean Wix for more information.
OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
- Ray Kizer, Chair of the Donations Committee, announced the next live auction will be on Saturday, May 18th at 2 pm. It will include a jeweler’s workbench and trim saw with an antique base.
- Nancy English reported that the Daylight Section is looking for a replacement Chair.
- Dean Wix accepted the Ticket Chair position for the Show Committee.
- The Show Committee is looking for someone to run the Dino Dig.
- Sigrid Stewart suggested that having a card reader in addition to the Zettle app on the phones of shop supervisors was more practical than a Zettle reader + iPad to keep in the shop to use for the shop charges in lieu of paying by cash or leaving IOU’s.
SECTION NEWS
None
COMMITTEE NEWS
- Sigrid Stewart won the door prize drawing for Zoom attendees, a beautiful Stilbite from Siberia.
- Ray Kizer held five silent auctions during this meeting from collections that were donated to us recently. They were a big hit with everyone.
SHOW AND TELL
- Clyde McMeans brought a box of UV-reactive rocks for everyone to see. Steve Blyskal posted items on Texas Rockhounds Facebook page for everyone to see, if interested.
The business meeting was adjourned at 7:57 pm after a motion by Fred Brueckner and a second by Ray Kizer. Everyone enjoyed refreshments provided by Debbie Seid, our Social Chair.
- A 20-minute break for refreshments
GENERAL MEETING PRESENTATION BY: Dr. D. Clark Wernecke – joining virtually
Dr. Clark Wernecke presented “The Peopling of the Americas” via Zoom from his home in Pflugerville, Texas. His talk included newly published research from as recently as 2023, helping his audience to appreciate the newest discoveries and revisions to scientific knowledge on the timing and migration methods used by Homo sapiens to populate North and South America.
Upcoming Shows
Southwest Gem & Mineral Society Annual Show
04/06/2024 – 04/07/2024
Sat. 10:00am – 6:00pm, Sun. 10:00am – 4:00pm
Morris Center at Joe Freeman Coliseum,
475 Frost Bank Center Dr, San Antonio TX 78210
Contact Robert Bowie, (830) 387-1766
krbotx@gvtc.com, SWGMS.ORG
Alpine Gem & Mineral Show
04/19/2024 – 04/21/2024
Fri. and Sat. 9:00am – 6:00pm, Sun 10:00am – 4:00pm
Alpine Civic Center
801 W Holland Ave., Alpine, TX
https://www.facebook.com/Chihuahuan-Desert-Gem-Mineral-Club-300125913343720
www.facebook.com/Chihuahuan-Desert-Gem-Mineral-Club-300125913343720/
Texas Mineral and Fossil Show
04/26/2024 – 04/28/2024
Lone Star Convention Center & Expo
9055 Airport Rd, Conroe, TX
<https://www.rmgmpromotions.com
https://www.facebook.com/RMGMmineralandfossilshows
Fort Worth Gem and Mineral Club Annual Show
05/25/2024 – 05/26/2024
Sat. 9:00am – 5:00pm, Sun. 10:00am – 4:00pm
Will Rogers Memorial Center
3401 W Lancaster, Fort Worth TX 76107
Contact Glenda Bradley (817) 229-5467
fwgmc.info@gmail.com
fortworthgemandmineralclub.org
Sublette County Rockhound Gem & Mineral Show
06/14/2024 – 06/16/2024
Fri./Sat. 9:00am – 5:00pm, Sun. 9:00am – 3:00pm
Sublette County Fairgrounds, 10937 HWY 189, Big Piney, WY
Contact Jim (jimgray@wyoming.com) or Mike (maschaffer61@gmail.com)