The General George Rogers Clark chapter has released their quarterly newsletter.  Previous editions of the newsletter are available at ​http://www.ggrc-sar-il.org/newsletters.html.  You can also find additional updates and information on the GGRC Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ggrcchapter/. 

Independence Day--July 4th
          Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of
Independence 241 years ago on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared
that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the
United States of American, and were no longer part of the British Empire. From
1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American
independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades concerts and family
gatherings.
          During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen
Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second
Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been
proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States
independent from Great Britain’s rule. After voting for independence, Congress
turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement justifying the
break from Great Britain, Congress appointed a Committee of Five, with Thomas
Jefferson at its principal author. Other members of the Committee included John
Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of
Pennsylvania and Robert P. Livingston of New York. On July 2nd, the Continental
Congress voted for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York
delegation abstained, but later voted affirmatively). On July 4th, the Continental
congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence.
          Following the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence,
festivities including concerts, bonfires, parades and firing of cannons and muskets
followed in celebration. Philadelphia held the first annual commemoration of
independence on July 4, 1777, while Congress was still occupied with the
Revolutionary War.
          After the War of 1812, in which the United States once again faced Great
Britain, patriotic July 4th celebrations become more widespread. In 1870, the U.S.
Congress made July 4th a federal holiday. The most common symbol of the holiday
is the American Flag, and a common musical accompaniment is the national
anthem of the United States, “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
          Regardless of how you spend your Independence Day, at a parade, barbecue,
picnic, concert, baseball game and or a family gathering, remember the reason
behind this holiday. Many of our ancestors fought or gave aid during the war.

This is a day to be proud American and celebrate our country’s rich history. Enjoy
your 4th of July!
​
Yours in Patriotism,
J. Michael Tomme, Sr.
President General, 2016-2017
National Society Sons of the American Revolution

By now many of you have seen pictures of the ILSSAR 2017 Annual Awards dinner as well as the Youth and Community Awards luncheon.  If you haven't, pictures of the event are available on our web page or can be accessed via the ILSSAR Facebook page.  There are too many awards to name in a single blog post but to name just a few:

• Gordon J. Bidner of General James Bartholomew Chapter (Chapter of the Year)
• Jon Fixmer of Fox Valley Chapter (Color Guardsmen of the Year)
• Garry Grugan for Man of the Year
• Mike Campagnolo (Patriot Medal)
• Don Hyland (Patriot Medal)
• Gary List (Patriot Medal)

You can read though the entire list of awards here.  It should be noted that the evening would not have been possible without the hard work and determination of Wendy and Franz Herder.

The Director of Operations of the National Society passed on that the following updates and fixes to the NSSAR website (sar.org):

Additional information add to the Application Status report page - 1/10/2017
Added the 2016 winner on Orations Contest - 1/21/2017
Updated Genealogist General Email report - 1/28/2017
Updated email contact on ShareFile page - 2/2/2017
Various Contest contact updates - 12/2016 - 2/2017
Americanism Poster Contest Rule updates - 2/7/2017
Updates to various Registrar Forms to include chapter references - 2/9/2017
Medals and Awards forms update - 2/9/2017
Americanism Contest Score Sheet update for 2017 - 2/10/2017
Published the Meet our Members page - 02/10/2017
Reworked the Meet the SAR menu - 02/10/2017
     - shifted "SAR History" options under "Who We Are" 
     - moved "SAR Mission & Goals" under "What We Do"
Administrative side of the Donation system launch - 2/14/2017
Application system fixes for saving generations and deleting multiple applications - 2/15/2017
Various fixes to the Member's Portal after Donation system add - 2/15/2017 - 2/24/2017
Issues with different browsers used when accessing the site - 2/21/2017
Updated various Committee pages - 2/21/2017
Added additional materials to the Eagle Scout page - 2/22/2017
Relocated the FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) to the top menu - 2/22/2017
Added a new listing of Robert E. Burt Award recipients (Eagle Scout) - 2/24/2017
Store issue on sale item - 2/24/2017
Reworked and update language in the "Membership Process" options - 2/28/2017
Added definition to page descriptions in Search results - 2/28/2017
Updates to the Strategic Planning page - 2/28/2017
Updates to various contact list with recent officer changes - 2/28/2017
Updated the Robert B. Vance Website Award form - 3/6/2017
Update the Premium Medal Committee information - 3/6/2017
Added the Mentoring Program Checklist to the Membership Committee - 3/6/2017

More updates are coming!  If you come across an error, please send an email to support<at>sar.org with a full description of the issue that you are experiencing.