THE BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE
Volume LV ----- Houston Gem & Mineral Society ----- June 2025
HGMS Beading Section Welcomes Houston Bead Society Members
Table of Contents
Click a Table of Contents Entry to jump to that article.
Houston Gem & Mineral Society
Regional and National
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS)
South Central Federation of Mineral Societies (SCFMS)
President's Message
by LT Wilcox
No other news this month! Read about the new members from Houston Bead Society and the last Donation Sale. There is a lot going on at the Club.
Vice-President's Message
by John Moffatt
The June talk will be posted as soon as it is available. If you have an idea for a talk, or especially if you want to give a talk, call John Moffitt at 713-478-4555.
HGMS Beading Section Welcomes Houston Bead Society Members
by Maggie Manley
About 25 new and existing members attended a Beading Special Event on Saturday, May 10th. HGMS members warmly welcomed 16 new members of HBS into HGMS and we look forward to the future together. The “merger” has been in the works for a while. In existence for 30 years, the Houston Bead Society had shows at the Hess Club, Town & Country Mall, and the Heights Fire Station. Recently they faced problems with a community center not allowing them to meet and a church where they met raising their prices. They were looking for a new home. To determine compatibility, Maggie Manley, head of the HGMS Beading Section, joined the Houston Bead Society, and Joanne Koonce-Hamar, President of the Houston Bead Society, joined HGMS. Each checked out the idea with members of her Society. Before long, it was clear that everyone approved and there would be no significant conflicts. Membership in HGMS grows, and the new members have greater resources with access to a great meeting room, library, and lapidary and jewelry shops.
From 10 to Noon on May 10th, the former members of the Houston Bead Society hosted a bead exchange where attendees were able to take beads and findings, and other items spread over 8 tables at no cost. Everyone attending was amazed at the quality and variety of items offered! The left-over items were donated to a craft group at a local library. Pizza and drinks were provided at the Meet & Greet, followed by a regular Beading Section meeting where participants made multiple pairs of earrings from kits made by Maggie. Everyone worked and chatted and had a great time.
Section News
Beading – Second Saturday, 12:00 PM
- NEXT MEETING: On Saturday, June 14th, Ann Money will be teaching a wrap bracelet on leather using two hole beads. There will be a cost for supplies for this project of approximately $5.00. RSVPs are required so that kits can be purchased and prepared in advance. RSVP to: Beading@HGMS.org
- At our last meeting, we welcomed new members from the Houston Bead Society.
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.
Always bring beading mat, scissors, wire, wire cutter, round nose and needle nose pliers, thread, and beading needles if you have them.
Find out more about the Beading Section!
Gemstones and Faceting – Second Thursday, 6:30 PM
Our next meeting will be June 12th at 6:30 pm.
- To be announced.
Learn more about the Gemstones and Faceting Section here.
Lapidary and Silversmithing – Third Monday, 7:00 PM
The next meeting will be on June 16th starting at 7:00 pm.
- At our last meeting Tony demonstrated a type of bezel with stamping decoration. The Stone of the Month was Montana Agate.
Email Lapidary@hgms.org if you have questions, and check out the Lapidary and Silversmithing Section page.
Day Light – First Wednesday, 12:00 PM
The Daylight Section meets the first Wednesday of the month from 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
The next meeting of the Daylight Section is Wednesday, June 4th at 12:00 PM. For this meeting, we will be making a crochet potholder This is a great beginner project which will teach and give practice in doing a chain stitch and single crochet stitch. Experienced crocheters will love the double thickness of the design which provides extra protection. I found this pattern shortly before Covid. After I made one, I pitched all my old ratty potholders and crocheted more of these.
Crochet is a great technique to make jewelry; however, we learned in January that it is more difficult for a newbie to learn on crochet thread rather than the thickness of yarn. So come learn how to do some basic crochet and make a practical project at the same time.
Paleontology – Third Tuesday, 7:30 PM
The next meeting is Tuesday, June 17th at 7:30 pm. Topic to be announced.
Zoom link for the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86053771923?pwd=ek5lNlk5SGFYNjN6U29ONU4xVElyQT09
or
Meeting ID: 860 5377 1923
Passcode: 826994
If you’d like to join the Paleo Section email list, send an email to hgmspaleosection@gmail.com and ask to be added.
Youth, First and Third Saturdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Mostly we will be working on cabochons. Children must be accompanied by parents.
Donation Pounder Sale
by Sigrid Stewart
At 2:00pm on May 17th, we saw the culmination of a lot of work in another donation sale of material from the Gary Anderson Estate. Clyde brought in loads and loads of big flats of “A” and “B” grade petrified wood and agate from Scott’s house and sorted them into smaller flats of about 10 pounds each. Apparently, the folks at Costco think Clyde is nuts for showing up at the store repeatedly to claim the cardboard berry flats he used as he organized flats. Steve and Sigrid took the remaining “A” grade slabs, either polished by Gary, specimen pieces, or chunks of rough, and priced some individually and added others to 10-pound flats.
The result? Over a hundred flats laid out on three rows of tables at the club for everyone in attendance to look through. It got a little exciting during the first few minutes. The rule was, if there was any dispute over a flat, we would hold an impromptu auction, and in fact we did have a couple that sold for over the stated price of $30. In an hour and a half the action settled down with only a few people picking through the flats. An hour later, everyone who was buying was gone and we began to put away the flats.
Not so fast! At 4:30 two people from Austin showed up and we let them have a look at the remaining flats. They bought one flat and a few extra pieces and left happy. What a sale! We sold around 75 flats and lots on individual pieces. And there is still more material. Thanks, Gary, you are fondly remembered!
Education
Cabochon 101
Class: CABS 101 (3-dates available)
Location: HGMS Clubhouse, 10805 Brooklet Drive, Houston, TX 77099, Center Classroom/Lapidary Shop
Instructor: Sharon Halton
Cost: Member Cost $65.00; Non-Member Cost $85.00
Minimum: 3-students; Maximum: 5-
NOTE: Students must be at least 15 years old (exception with approval of instructor ONLY)
DATES AVAILABLE:
Saturday, June 28th from 3pm to 7pm
Beginning Enamel
In this class, we will cover the fundamentals of vitreous enameling. This will include metal preparation, sifting, wet-packing and counter enameling. We will be transferring the image of a simple sunflower and filling it with colors using both transparent and opaque enamels. We will also cover attaching glass balls to the enamel and using outline black to refine the piece.
This will be a two day class starting on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and continuing on Thursday, June 19, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with a short break for lunch. The cost of the class is $225.00 for members; $250.00 for nonmembers. Class size is four to make and limited to six.
You will need to bring small craft paint brushes such as these:
https://www.michaels.com/
necessities-10171138?com_id=
https://www.hobbylobby.com/
set/p/64228?queryId=
Many of you probably already have these, so they will not be provided. You will need to wear cotton clothes and closed toe shoes. You will also need to bring a N-95 particles mask.
The enamels, copper blank, a very small liner brush and all other equipment will be provided, along with an inexpensive bezel setting for the finished enamel.
Here are examples of some past students’ work:
Deborah Kirkpatrick is a former Artist in Residence at the Center for Contemporary Crafts, SNAG, HMAG,GANA, HGMS and GIA member.
Shop and Building News
The lapidary section will be doing an inventory on their cabinets and on the cabinets in the silversmithing room. To evaluate how we can use this equipment better. After lengthy discussion we have decided there are too many unauthorized keys to the cabinets so we will have the the cabinet locks rekeyed. Anyone needing a key to these cabinets please contact the lapidary section so we can get one to you.
Currently one Genie is down with a bad capacitor. The capacitor caused a breaker to flip, shutting off the sump pump. Of course, the system kept filling with water until it overflowed and began flooding the shop. An all-hands effort mopped up the water quickly preventing further problems. The Titan is also sidelined, due to leaky tubing.
Bench Tips
QUICK CLOSE-UPS
Often when trying to get a close-up photo with your iPhone or Android, you can’t magnify it enough or end up with a fuzzy, out-of-focus image. Next time try using your loupe over the camera lens. It works quickly and easily.
LITTLE BALLS
I often use little balls of silver and gold as accent pieces on my designs. They can be made as needed from pieces of scrap. Cut the scrap into little pieces, put them on a solder pad and melt them with a torch. Then throw the balls into a small cup of pickle.
If you need to make all the balls the same size, you need the same amount of metal to melt each time. The best way to do that is to clip equal lengths of wire.
But there’s an easier way to get a good supply of balls. Some casting grain comes in near perfect ball form. Just grab your tweezers and pick out the ones you need. Or if you need larger quantities of balls, pour the casting grain out onto a baking pan, tilt the pan a bit, and let all the round ones roll to the bottom. Bag the good ones and pour the rest back into your bag for casting. Balls can be sorted into different sizes using multiple screens.
Volunteers Needed for THSC Texas Homeschool Conference, June 6 and 7
The HGMS Show Education Committee requests an additional volunteer for both Friday and Saturday to help staff the HGMS booth at the THSC homeschool conference, held at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott. Our primary purpose to be at this convention is to advertise the HGMS and its educational programs, specifically the Kids Day Earth Science Program and the Scout Geology Merit Badge Program at our Annual Show. All that is required to help staff the booth is an enthusiasm for the HGMS and our educational outreach efforts. Parents and their kids see that we are excited about what we do in the HGMS and then bring their families to our show in November. Please email fossilwood@comcast.net or text 832-524-8382. Thanks!
Earthquake May 10th near Knoxville, Tennessee
by Sigrid Stewart
The ground shakes when there is a slip or break on a fault, and then energy is released in waves that travel through the earth’s crust. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake shook an area south of Knoxville, Tennessee on May 10th, 2025, and was felt by people in nearby states. Earthquakes are usually small in the East Tennessee Seismic Zone, which extends across Tennessee and into northwestern Georgia, northeastern Alabama, and southeastern Virginia. In the Midwest and on the East Coast of the U.S., earthquakes seem to be detected at greater distances than in the western half of the country. An earthquake of magnitude 4 might be felt 60 miles away.
But why are people worried about a 4.1 magnitude earthquake? It is because Tennessee is in two seismic zones: the East Tennessee zone and the New Madrid zone. And the New Madrid Zone keeps seismographers up at night as much as the San Andreas and Cascadia faults do.
Faults like the San Andreas have been studied to the point that it is possible to determine which fault in a system is at fault (groan!) but we don’t yet know that much about the East Tennessee Seismic Zone. Earthquakes there occur so far underground that they are hard to study. Faults weaken rock so that valleys form, but after the Tennessee Valley Authority flooded the valley of the Tennessee River, potential evidence was obscured.
The USGS does say that larger quakes are possible in Eastern states, but they typically occur only once every 2,000 to 3,000 years. Statistics can give you a false feeling of safety. That doesn’t mean that one will happen every 2000 years – rather that if you average the number of quakes over a LONG interval of time, you will have an estimate. Statistically, a major hurricane will strike the Houston area every quarter century, but if we’re unlucky we could get two in one year!
At 2:15 a.m. on December 16, 1811, a powerful earthquake of an estimated 8.1 magnitude hit residents of New Madrid, Missouri. The epicenter was in northeast Arkansas and the fault involved was probably the Cottonwood Grove Fault. The ground pitched and rolled, throwing furniture around, destroying homes and barns, and downing trees. Church bells rang in Boston and Charleston, and thousands of chimneys were knocked down as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio. President James Madison and wife Dolly felt the tremors in the White House. For residents of Herculaneum, Missouri, it was a severe earthquake with a duration of 10–12 minutes. For comparison’s sake, the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011 lasted 4 minutes. At dawn an after-shock with an apparent magnitude of 7 struck, with the same epicenter.
Two more major earthquakes struck on January 23 and February 7, with estimated magnitudes of 7.3 and 8.8 respectively, with an epicenter near New Madrid. Most likely both were on the Reelfoot Fault. The final quake destroyed the town of New Madrid and affected an area ten times larger than that damaged by the 7.8 magnitude San Francisco earthquake of 1906. At some point in this series of earthquakes, Reelfoot Lake was created.
Data from Center for Earthquake Research and Information at University of Memphis.
CC BY-SA 3.0 Kbh3rd – Own work
The geological structure of Reelfoot Rift, USGS, 1996 via Wikipedia
From Wikimedia Commons
Witnesses reported strange events. An 8-year-old boy saw the ground “rolling in waves.” A man saw the river rise up like a loaf of bread many feet high and appear to run backward. This was most likely a seismic seiche, a standing wave which propagated upriver. The town of Little Prairie was destroyed by liquefaction and a Native American village and its people were drowned. Thousands of north-south trending fissures split fields apart, and sand boils shot water carrying sand, mud, tar balls, and coal high into the air. Boatmen on the river reported temporary waterfalls.
Time passed and geologists began to assume that the New Madrid earthquake series would not be repeated. Twenty years ago, however, a paleoseismology expert named Martitia Tuttle and a team of other experts began examining “sand boils”, also called sand blows or sand volcanoes, in the states around New Madrid. These are mounds of sand and other materials ejected by subsurface waters forced upward by the pressure of earthquakes. The largest known one in the world is in New Madrid, locally called “The Beach”, is 1.4 miles long and covers 136 acres. The sand appears to boil up from the ground, creating a cone with a crater in the center. The process is associated with liquefaction, meaning water-logged unconsolidated sediments behaving as if they were liquid. 50 miles southwest of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, near Marianna, Arkansas, liquefaction features of the type associated with major series of earthquakes have been dated to 3500 and 4800 BC.
Tuttle’s team discovered native American artifacts of various ages in some of the sand boils, evidence that such earthquakes have happened before. Eventually they were able to demonstrate that very destructive quakes occurred around 2350 B.C. and around 300, 900 and 1450 A.D.
But why in this area, so far from the edges of tectonic plates where most earthquakes strike? Scientist don’t necessarily know where a fault is until it rears its ugly head and shakes, but it appears that many old faults are found in the interior of tectonic plates. Many are relics of past plate collisions and continental rifting that have little expression in the modern landscape.
Beatrice Magnani, a seismologist at the University of Memphis, and a team of fellow seismologists, ran a buoy with an air gun up the Mississippi River and recorded signals to map faults in the New Madrid area. They located two near Memphis. Others have found faults nearby. These newly discovered faults are outside of the immediatearea of the Reelfoot Rift, a failed 500-million-year-old rift of late Pre-Cambrian age which some geologists thought might be responsible for the New Madrid earthquakes. Due to this ancient zone of faulting, the Midwest is not the island of geological stability scientists thought it was. If there are undiscovered extensions to faults, they may still be under tension, locked and loaded and ready to produce a great earthquake.
Today millions of people and all of their fragile infrastructure fill this area, so getting a handle on risk is important. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the risk of another New Madrid-scale catastrophe in the next 50 years is about 7 to 10 percent. The risk of a smaller, though still devastating, 6.0 earthquake in the next 50 years is 25 to 40 percent. The East Tennessee Seismic Zone also poses the risk of a big earthquake of up to 7.5 magnitude. Ongoing research should help identify which areas are most in danger.
Interesting phenomena associated with earthquakes:
Sand Boils – as described above
Tar Balls – petroliferous nodules
Earthquake Lights – caused by pressure on quartz, called seismoluminescence
Warm Water – possibly heated by seismoluminescence or pressure
Earthquake Smog – gas and dust particles released by the warm water hitting cold air
Thunderous Noise – explosions and rumbles
Animal Warnings – animals nervous and excited, dogs barking, snakes leaving dens
Liquefaction – yep, as bad as it sounds
References:
Knoxville News Sentinel, Devarrick Turner
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-great-midwest-earthquake-of-1811-46342/
http://www.new-madrid.mo.us/132/Strange-Happenings-during-the-Earthquake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Madrid_seismic_zone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiche
And guess what? There have been two more 4.1 earthquakes since this article was written.
SCFMS FEDERATION NEWS
by Don Shurtz, SCFMS President
The [SCFMS] President’s Corner – Our Next Convention
from the March-April SCFMS Newsletter
Great News: Our next convention will be in Austin on October 18, 2025. The Austin Gem and Mineral Society will be hosting the convention. Their show takes place from October 17 to 19 at the Palmer Events Center. If you remember the conversation at the November 2024 convention, you may remember that downtown Austin will be expensive that weekend. Austin is hosting a Formula 1 race event and a major NCAA football game the same weekend as their show. As an example of how pricy it will be downtown, parking at the Palmer Events Center, where their show is being held, is $20.00 each time you enter – no free re-entry. The Austin Gem and Mineral Society’s President, John Connors, indicated that downtown Austin hotels would be in the $300.00 per night range.
The Austin Gem and Mineral Society is celebrating its 75th anniversary and wants to commemorate the occasion by hosting the SCFMS convention. The convention will be held in Austin but NOT in downtown Austin. Most convention events will be at their clubhouse, where the parking is free. The Awards Banquet will be at Nature’s Treasures, about 12 miles north of the clubhouse. As for hotels, I have not yet priced any of them, but Round Rock is approximately 10 miles north of the clubhouse, and Georgetown is about 20 miles north. I am
guessing that hotel rates will be considerably lower the further north of Austin you go.
More Great News: The SCFMS has a new Secretary, Becky Copenhagen from the Hi-Plains Gem and Mineral Society. She is the former President of the Hi-Plains G&MS and is now working to establish a Juniors Group. She was recommended by Erin Irwin, who recently became the SCFMS Juniors Program Chair. Erin is helping Becky establish a junior’s program for the Hi-Plains G&MS.
Even More Great News: Erin was also added as an Admin to the SCFMS Facebook page. For more information about junior activities, please visit our website and Facebook page. My thanks go out to Erin and Becky.
HGMS Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes for May 6, 2025
| Board Member | Section Board Member | ||
| President – LT [Logan] Wilcox | X | Beading – Maggie Manley | |
| X | 1st Vice President – John Moffitt | X | Day Light – Fred Brueckner |
| X | 2nd Vice President – Sarah Metsa | Gemstones & Faceting – Turner Whitham | |
| X | Treasurer – Rhett Cooper |
Lapidary & Silversmithing – Richard Good [RG] | |
| X | Secretary – Nancy English | Mineral – Ray Kizer [RK] | |
| Past President – | X | Paleontology – Mike Dawkins [MD] | |
| X | Web & Show – Scott Singleton [SS] |
2nd Vice President Sarah Metsa called the Zoom meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.
A quorum was present.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS – 2nd Vice President Sarah Metsa: Plan to work on the HGMS Bylaws.
Approval of Minutes – Secretary Nancy English
MOTION: John Moffitt moved to approve the minutes of the February 4, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting, sent to the Board on May 1, 2025. Mike Dawkins seconded the motion, and it passed.
MOTION: John Moffitt moved to approve the minutes of the January 7, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting, sent to the Board on May 3, 2025. Maggie Manley seconded the motion, and it passed.
The April 1, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting minutes are not finished.
Treasurer’s Report – Treasurer Rhett Cooper
- Rhett will send financials for April and May financials after tonight’s Board meeting.
- Rhett will be getting 2 to 3 HVAC ventilation bids in June. He thinks it will cost between $24,000 and $30,000. The Board encouraged him to move forward.
- The Bookkeeper filed an extension for the income tax report filing for 2024.
- Rhett will contact LT to work on the budget draft.
- Paleo members are working with Neal Immega and Smart Financial to add signatures to the Paleo bank accounts.
- Trouble adding signers to Section Accounts at Chase Bank. In order to add or remove a signer from any HGMS Chase bank account an Authorized Representative must be present. Nancy English asked to be elevated from signer to Authorized Representative so she can accompany new signers for Section accounts to Chase and remove old signers.
CHASE BANK
MOTION: Maggie Manley moved to make the following changes to Houston Gem and Mineral Society accounts at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
- Raise Nancy English’s signing authority to Authorized Representative on the Houston Gem and Mineral Society JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. checking account ending in 7598 and savings account ending in 5510.
- Remove Howard Hall from the Houston Gem and Mineral Society account opened in the fall at JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. for the Gemstone and Faceting Section. “I (Howard Hall) am no longer a member of HGMS. Please remove me from the Gemstone and Faceting Section bank account.”
- Add Linda Krzywicki to the Chase account ending in 8762 for the Day Light Section.
John Moffitt seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
MOTION: Maggie Manley moved to make the following changes to the Paleo Houston Gem and Mineral Society (HGMS) accounts at Smart Financial Credit Union as described in the attached letter from the Acting Secretary of the Paleo Section, Jenean Slamen.
- Remove Jim Paras and Chris Peak.
- Add Rhett Cooper, Mike Dawkins, Ray Kizer, and Jenean Slamen.
- Neal Immega will remain as signer on all the accounts.
The accounts will be closed and reopened at Chase Bank with the signers listed above.
John Moffitt seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Clubhouse Maintenance – Dean Wix: Dean has been busy.
- Dean painted the front door, purchasing the paint from Sherwin-Williams with a discount near to the original DSW discount.
- Dean reviewed the contents of the First Aid kits. He will replace the expired eyewash and old Band-Aids.
- Dean examined the defibrillator. It is fully charged. We have extra pads for adults and children. He swapped the older pads (expired 2022-08-07) for the newer ones with an expiration date of 2024-11-12. The Defibrillator is not rechargeable. The batteries have to be changed out. Batteries may be expensive.
Donations, Sales, Auction Committee (DSAC) – Ray Kizer: The Gary Anderson pounder sale will take place May 17, 2025, at 2:00.
Education Committee – Maggie Manley
Safety/Policy Committee –
Membership Committee – Sarah Metsa reported new and renewed memberships in April.
Single Adult – 159
Couples – 40
Families – 15
Youths – 11
Lifetime members – 69.
Student Membership: The Board reconsidered Tony Dincau’s request to establish a Student Membership at a discounted rate. After the discussion, a motion was made.
MOTION: Nancy English moved to establish a Student Membership.
- The dues will be $35.00 per year.
- Eligible candidates must be under 26 years old.
- Provide a current Student ID or similar proof of enrollment.
- The Student membership has all privileges and the right to vote and to hold office, subject to the provisions of Article II, Section 1 of the Houston Gem, and Mineral Society Bylaws.
Maggie Manley seconded the motion. Six members voted for, and one voted against. The motion passed.
- The HGMS Bylaws will be updated to acknowledge this membership addition.
- The HGMS.org membership page and online form will be updated so students can join online.
- The paper enrollment form will be updated.
- A formal announcement will be made when the system and form are updated.
Scholarship Committee – Mike Sommers and Daniel Rodriguez
According to Mike Sommers via email, “Emails with instructions and HGMS Scholarship applications were sent out to all the colleges last month. I have the Google Forms up and running. I set the deadline for the 16th of this month (May). We already have 3 applicants. Hopefully, we will have a few more when the deadline approaches.
Show Committee – Scott Singleton:
- This is the time of year when the Contracts are being sent to the Dealers. “Lots of dealer contacts have been coming in. I haven’t heard Steve report any backlash for the increase in dealer fees, although that doesn’t mean there isn’t any or that we won’t hear about it at the show in November.”
- The show education committee has the THSC homeschool conference during the first week of June.
- The Show Committee is meeting in June.
- The first half of the charge for Humble Civic Center for the Show is due. Cindy Folsom received the signed contract, but no check. Rhett Cooper will contact Cindy tomorrow and pay the required amount on the Chase debit card.
SECTION REPORTS
Beading Section – Maggie Manley in person: second Saturday, 12:00 p.m., May 10, June 14, July 12.
- On May 10, the Houston Beading Society (HBS) is hosting an Open House for the HGMS Beading Section and the Day Light Section. There will be pizza. The HBS is donating a lot of supplies. The group will be joining HGMS. Welcome!
- The Beading Section is attending a Weekend Bead Retreat at Camp Allen on the weekend of September 12th. In Navasota.
Day Light Section – Linda Krzywicki in person: first Wednesday, noon, May 7, June 4, July 2.
Gemstones and Faceting Section – Turner Whitham Zoom Hybrid: second Thursday, 6:30 p.m., May 8, June 12, July 10.
Lapidary and Silversmithing Section – Tony Lucci in person: third Monday, 7:00 p.m., May 19. June 16, July 21.
Mineral Section – Steve Blyskal Zoom program planned: third Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., May 21, June 18, July 23.
Paleo Section – Neal Immega in person: third Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., May 20, June 17, July 22.
Youth Section– Beverly Mace in person: first and third Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. to Noon, May 3 & 17, June 7 & 21, July 5 & 19.
OLD BUSINESS
BYLAWS review: More changes were made to the Bylaws. They will be presented to the Board for approval during the June 3 Board meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
DSW Landscaping: per Audrey Kelly via email.
· DSW is planting only 2 bushes called the Texas Sage plant. I suggest we pay them for 2 more and get 4. They are 3 gal. pots but will grow quickly.
The next Board of Directors Zoom meeting will be on the first Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., June 3, 2025.
The next General Meeting will be on the fourth Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., May 27, 2025.
Chris Garvie will be presenting A History of the Paleontological Exploration of Texas.
Adjourn: Nancy English moved to adjourn. John Moffitt seconded the motion, and it passed. The meeting adjourned at 9:14 p.m.
Respectively Submitted,
Nancy English
Secretary, Houston Gem and Mineral Society
HGMS General Meeting Minutes
Minutes for May 27th, 2025
by Nancy English
Vice President John Moffitt called the meeting to order at 7:42 p.m.
He welcomed seventeen attendees. There were no Zoom members because the Zoom call feature of our meeting was not engaged. Everyone at the meeting was a member.
VICE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS: John Moffitt praised the speaker, Chris Garvie.
SECRETARY, Nancy English: Approval of Minutes: J
- John Moffitt moved to approve the minutes of the March 25, 2025; General Meeting as published in the April 2025 BBG. David Pawek seconded the motion, and it passed.
- James Eleckel moved to approve the minutes of the April 22, 2025; General Meeting as published in the May 2025 BBG. Mike Dawkins seconded the motion, and it passed.
COMMITTEE/SECTION REPORTS
Please look for reports of future Section meetings and programs in the BBG calendar, on the HGMS Website https://hgms.org/events, or by reading the weekly Events Blast from Houston Gem and Mineral Society.
Clubhouse Committee, Dean Wix Chairman
- Dean painted the front door after the new sign (made by James Eleckel) was installed.
- He inventoried the First Aid Kits.
- He verified the defibrillator is fully charged.
Donations, Sales, Auction Committee (DSAC): Ray Kizer Chairman
The May 17 Pounder Sale of Gary Anderson’s collections of petrified wood and agates was successful. Less taxes and before PayPal fees we made over $3,800.00 mostly in credit card payments. VP Moffitt noted that there were more flats available for sale in the library.
Education Committee: Maggie Manley
John Moffitt encouraged members to follow the Sunday Events Blast for class information.
Field Trip Committee: Paleo Field Trip -Sunday, May 25, 2025 – 8:00 a.m. Mike Dawkins said the return trip to the historic Columbus petrified wood home was a success. There was a lot of petrified wood to choose from.
Membership Committee:
- Sarah Metsa reported at the May Board meeting that as of April 30, we had 375 paid members.
Single Adults–175
Students–
Couples–40
Families–15
Youths–11
Lifetime–69
- Student Membership: As of tthe May 6, 2025, the HGMS Board of Directors established a Student Membership costing $35.00 a year. Each student must provide a current student ID or similar proof of enrollment. Students are only eligible until 26 years of age.
Show Committee: Scott Singleton/Sigrid Stewart Nancy English reported:
- The contracts to dealers have been mailed.
- The Home School Conference is scheduled for the 1st week in June.
- The Show Committee will meet in June.
Vice President John Moffitt invited other Section Chairs and Standing Committee Chairs to make any additional announcements.
Beading Section Maggie Manley Chairperson
- Sixteen members of the Houston Beading Society became HGMS members on May 10, 2025. They provided pizza for an Open House party before the Beading Section meeting. The HGMS Beading Section members and Day Light Members were invited.
- The Beading Section is having a Weekend Bead Retreat the weekend of September 12, 2025, at Camp Allen in Navasota, TX.
OLD BUSINESS
Vice President John Moffitt skipped Old Business
NEW BUSINESS
Vice President John Moffitt asked for any New Business.
The next Zoom Board of Directors meeting will be on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
The next Hybrid General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
SHOW-N-TELL:
- Jerome Ramon showed a large piece of petrified palm wood and other pieces of petrified wood.
Drawing: Debbie Seid won the beautiful geode slab from Orderville, Utah. It is made of calcite, Aragonite, and limestone.
Vice President John Moffitt reminded everyone:
The break occurred after the speaker.
Debbie Seid provided refreshments. John praised her baking skills and thanked her for her continued dedication.
During the break
Feed the Kitty! Your donations go to offset the cost of the snacks.
John thanked the volunteers who made tonight possible.
Adjourn: Karl Schleicher moved to adjourn the meeting. Tom English seconded the motion, and it passed.
The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.
Vice President John Moffitt introduced the Program: Chris Garvie spoke on the geology of Texas and the men and women who surveyed it and recorded it. He referred to many monographs written by them in the 1800s and 1900s.
Upcoming Shows
- June 14-15, Arlington G&MS, Grapevine Convention Center, https://www.agmc57.
org/annual-show -
August 9-10, Baton Rouge Gem and Mineral Society, Lamar Dixon Expo Center, https://www.
facebook.com/groups/ batonrougegemandmineral/
- August 16-17, Ark-La-Tex Gem and Mineral Society, Bossier City Civic Center, https://larockclub.
com/
- October 17-19, Gem and Mineral Society of Austin, Palmer Events Center, https://www.agms-tx.
org/ - SCFMS Convention held in conjunction with AGMS Show – see article above.
- October 18, SCFMS Convention hosted by G&MS Austin, 6719 Burnet Ln, Austin, TX 78757
- November 1-2, Paleontological Society of Austin, Old Settler’s Heritage Association, https://www.
austinpaleo.org/fest.html
- November 1-2, Midland Gem and Mineral Society, Bush Convention Center, https://www.
midlandgemandmineral.org/
- November 7-9, Houston Gem and Mineral Society, Humble Convention Center, https://hgms.org/
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