Governor's Message

Greetings:

Happily, 2006 and 2007 have seen record-breaking accomplishments for our Society as we have focused on the long-term viability of our organization. I shall share with you only a partial list of these successes because of space limitations. Many thanks to the many of you who responded to our annual fund appeal. To those who have not yet, there is still time. The year 2007 brought our Society a record number of new members and supplementals: 229. We are now #1 in totals of the 52 societies with nearly 3,400 members compared to California with 3,200, Illinois and New York with 1,200 each. Our goal for 2008 is 300. Membership renewals for both '06 and '07 are at a record-breaking 99%. Also, our social gatherings are setting new attendance records.

Thanks to Drew Bartley, our website has been updated and recently redesigned to be more appealing and accessible. You can check for latest news and information about our Society at www.massmayflower.org. Our publication, The Compact, for the first time is being sent electronically to many as well as by snail mail. To sign up, simply contact our office. Our education outreach is growing under the leadership of Alice Mohnkern, our education committee chair. Last November, Alice sent out about 90 packages of Pilgrim storybooks to member children in grades 1-7.

I ask each of you to recruit at least two or three new members or supplementals this calendar year to help us reach our goal of 300 for 2008. Please, dear cousins, search your hearts and family trees for sons, daughters, grandchildren, siblings and other relatives who are eligible to be members. In addition, we need a new Elder to serve on our Board of Assistants and a Director of Development. If you are computer savvy, please call Drew Bartley at the office (781-535-6159) to volunteer just a few hours a week to help with several ongoing projects.

And now, looking ahead! Your governor for the past two years has sought to embrace the concept of “change” in all that we do, from office administrative procedures to programs to how we can not only survive but thrive in a fast-changing society. As we know, many legacy organizations are very near extinction. We owe it to our ancestors and to our grandchildren and great grandchildren to make sure--to the best of our ability--that our Society exists in perpetuity. For many of us, change is difficult, but today it is an imperative if we are to survive in the long run.

I recently came across a couple of quotations about change that seem relevant. Ovid put it quite simply: “All things change, nothing perishes.” Charles Darwin said: “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Every generation of Mayflower passenger descendants will face new and unexpected challenges in the face of almost exponential changes in our world. I see renewed reason for hope and optimism that new young leaders will emerge to perpetuate the Pilgrim story and memories of our ancestors who forged a new community out of the wilderness, which ultimately led to the establishment of the greatest nation the world has ever known.

In 2020, we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival in Plymouth. Organizing efforts are underway by a state commission and a local committee in Plymouth. Check the website, www.plymouthma400th.org, for periodic updates.

The 38 th Triennial Congress of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants will be held Sept.7-9 at Plymouth. To become a delegate from Massachusetts, please call Ginny at the office. For more details, see the next issue of the Mayflower Quarterly.

And finally, a reminder to return the coupon promptly to attend the MSMD annual meeting on Saturday, April 19 at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth. Our speaker is Nathaniel Philbrick, best-selling author of Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. We anticipate a big turnout, so please make your reservations as promptly as possible.

At the annual meeting, we will vote on updated bylaws. We owe tremendous thanks to our Surgeon, Dr. Nancy Edwards, who has worked tirelessly with Ginny and Drew to review and update our Bylaws and to be sure they are in compliance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts General Laws and the Bylaws of the GSMD.

May God bless you and your family. Thank you for your support.

Cordially,

Wigmore A. Pierson, Governor