ORSON PRATT BROWN FAMILY ORGANIZATION
Comments from members of the Gabaldon Family on 10-21-05:
Many thanks to John Klein for taking the initiative to provide the initial drafts of the Articles of Association and the By-laws.
PURPOSES of the Association. (letters correspond to the original Draft from 9-14-05)
A. We think we need to be more explicit on how we intend to promote family ties and foster loyalty and interest in family unity. We think we began with good intentions of holding reunions at family history related sites and need to refocus on making the site relevant.
C. We are happy to read that you included “Perform genealogical research to gather and preserve” but we would like it to go further and state that material gathered will be available to all family members and accessible to all family members on the www.OrsonPrattBrown.org website. Accessibility will increase the ability to connect new information.
D. States that the Association will unify and preserve all family materials. The unification and preservation center should be the Internet site because:
1. Not only does it make the family materials accessible to ALL family members, it also insures against the permanent loss of a physical item(s) if they are all in one physical location.
2. The use of the Internet guarantees the perpetuity of information.
3. Access of the Internet assists in locating lost or distant relatives who search onto our site.
4. The www.OrsonPrattBrown.org site provides a family center for password access-only news, updated directory, reunion information, etc.
F. When the Association receives pictures and other information, these materials should not be copyrighted in an individuals name or name of a personal organization, but should be part of the wealth of family materials accessible and owned by all family members in common.
DUES:
We suggest that dues could be on two levels: Research funds to which anyone can contribute at any time and where the Association can receive bequeathments, grants, gifts, donations, etc., dedicated to approved new research of family history, erection of monuments, material gifts to libraries and museums.
The second level of dues would be annual receipts for the Association Operating Costs for pre-approved governing board expenses such as mailings, printing, phone, deposits on Reunion meeting places, future Internet provider, etc.
GOVERNING BOARD:
Intra-family organizations, one for each wife, are needed to more efficiently contact members and record family heritage to pass on to future family generations. Each of the five family groups may determine how they want to nominate and elect their own representative.
- If election through a voting process for their representative on the Governing Board is chosen, a concerted effort must be made to obtain votes from as many members as possible.
- Terms of office need a begin and end date.
The duties of each of the wife's family representatives may include:
-- Update and maintain a current name, address, and telephone directory of all Gabaldón family members, including children's names and e-mail addresses.
-- To update and keep current a Gabaldón Book of Remembrance to be displayed at the O.P. Brown Family Reunions to be shared with other branches of the family.
-- To notify Gabaldón family members of upcoming meetings, reunions, research needs, emergencies, funerals, weddings, and other events that are of interest to family members; and to keep of record of these (possibly on a password protected PAF file on the website).
-- To assist in the planning and presenting of a Gabaldón Family Reunion on a to-be- determined, annual or bi-annual, schedule.
-- To assist in the planning and presenting of the O.P. Brown Family Reunion.
-- To represent the Gabaldón descendants in matters of organization, etc., that may come up with the O.P. Brown Family Reunion.
-- To be willing to assist in the work of the Family websites, book productions, and all other materials being produced for the benefit of the family at large.
-- To provide annual and/or etc. reports on fundraising, research, etc.
We think board members should have set duties and responsibilities on the O.P. Brown Family Organization that they will hold a stewardship for performing.
For instance: the Chairman would coordinate the intra-family groups.
Other board members would head up research coordination, one would be a treasurer, one would be the secretary to record meeting proceedings, changes in by-laws; another board member would coordinate delegated Reunion plans, etc.
The term of offices (concurrent with board membership) need to be defined, with definite begin and end dates.
A process needs to be defined for filling board vacancies.
Duties of each office need to align with the needs of the organization, and assigned to specific board members.
The name “Orson Pratt Brown Association” has been in use the by www.OrsonPrattBrown.org family organization for a number of years. The family could engage in discussion whether there would be any name merging requirements. Organization / Association synonymous?
BYLAWS Notes:
Members: Membership: Note: Delete “Inability to contact a Member shall be determined to be sufficient reason to drop the individual’s membership”, Each member is born into the family association and cannot be dropped. Never give up efforts to include them in the family.
10. MEETINGS
Rotate from state to state (or at least tri-state from UT, AZ, CA, and possibly Idaho).
Reunions – held in places of interest and family historical significance.
The Association should seek to have more substance. Goals, set and reviewed at each Reunion, should be set for research and for including extended members that we have not heard from for a long time, etc.
The website www.OrsonPrattBrown.org is in the process of including a password access only section for living family members benefit. If anyone would like to contribute to this section of the site, have ideas for its implementation, etc. please contact OrsonPrattBrown@gmail.com
ORSON PRATT BROWN WEBSITE HOMEPAGE
