April 2022 President’s Report

APRIL 22, 2022

President Report

As we close out the first quarter of this year there has been much accomplished in the preparation for the remainder of the year. We have a load of activity scheduled and we need the membership to step up and support the mission of the Armed Forces Heritage Museum. We are planning the official opening of the Lawrence on June 12, 2022, and this will require total cooperation of everyone to ensure it is a success. The schedule for the deployment of the Mobile Museum is beginning to fill in and the next few months will be busy, and I appeal to the members to plan to provide support for the coming events. A schedule will be prepared in advance to allow members to identify what event or events they can support.

Starting with the monthly meeting last month we will continue to have membership meetings and feature a speaker to provide briefings of interest to the attendees. Reports of the committees will be submitted by the chairpersons and allow questions to be presented if required, at the membership meeting. We will revert to scheduling Board of Director meetings to conduct the business of the organization. This will in effect reduce the time of the meetings to allow everyone to enjoy lunch.

Work at the Lawrence House under the direction of Roy Plummer is coming together nicely. Roy has been scheduling work parties for the past several months and the participation has been outstanding. In addition to the work that is being completed I am impressed with the new talent that is being provided by individuals who are interested in what the AFHM is doing. Bryan Branson has been Roy’s go to guy when drapes need to be hung or other “Manhattan Projects” that Roy Plummer produces. Colin Zimmerman and Rich Hill have provided outstanding work with preparing displays and uniforms. They have been providing personal items to make the museum an interesting facility to visit.

Bryan Branson has been preparing the Mobile Museum for upcoming events. The first event will be on Saturday April 23, 2022, at the Pemberton American Legion. During May there will be several events schedule so stay tuned for announcements requesting members to come out and volunteer for a few hours. Through the efforts of Marc Iroff, we will be participating in May and June at two events in Pennsylvania. Roy Plummer has arranged for an event with the Legacy group at a golf outing in May. These are all great opportunities that should increase our visibility and potential to raise funding for the AFHM.

Bob Vonbargen continues to execute the Living History events. He videoed the construction of the Revolutionary War Exhibit and it is a wonderful addition to the Lawrence House. He also videoed the presentation of a special Civilian Award presented posthumously to Oren Carrol on April 8, 2022, at the Joint Base, McGuire, Dix, Lakehurst. Marvel Carrol received the award, and she made an excellent acceptance speech. He is also finalizing the God Star Mothers video and scheduling some upcoming interviews. Also, Bob will be receiving an Award at the Burlington County Historical Society Annul Award presentation in May date to be announced. Thanks for all you continue to do to support the AFHM Bob, your efforts are deeply appreciated.

Marc Iroff has conducted two planning meetings at Joe & Joanne Tilghman’s home, and we are off and running with the Annual Dinner scheduled to be conducted at O’Connor’s on October 29, 2022. The Tilghman’s continue to provide an excellent meal at every meeting. We will be producing a Commemorative Journal again, so we need members to work on getting ads and boosters for this publication. Roy Plummer and Senator Troy Singleton are the honorees for this year’s event.

Sandy Conville continues to effectively manage the Membership, social media, and Website Programs. Myra Wille works closely with the membership program and is working on incentives to reward members who join the organization. Myra also is managing the Marketing Program and continues to conduct meetings to move the organization forward. She and Ron Hathaway are updating the Brochure to include newly established programs.

David Jost and Roy Plummer have been working on publishing a children’s book with events of the Revolutionary War. They have collaborated with an Illustrator and have it in a draft form to be reviewed prior to printing. The book features an Eagle as a hero. We are launching a contest to name the Eagle with a $100 award to the winner.

In closing I want to thank all the Officers, Board of Directors and members for the outstanding volunteer work they are putting forth to promote the mission of the armed Forces Heritage Museum Your efforts are deeply appreciated, and we should all be proud of what we are accomplishing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Respectfully Submitted,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Robert S. Dutko, Sr.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                AFHM President