A Genealogy Community Necrology for 2012

Marcia Rice with the War of 1812 Quilt
FGS 2012 Conference, August 2012, Birmingham, AL

As 2012 winds down to an end, many of us focus on setting goals and resolutions for 2013, some even related to genealogy. In addition, we have a tendency to look back at not just our accomplishments, but those family members and friends who left us during the year.

Many genealogists know the importance of a “necrology” which would be prepared at year’s end and posted in the local newspaper. The list would usually be organized in date order listing who had died, their age and perhaps some other information useful for family history research. A necrology was also a way to pay tribute to those that were lost during the previous year.

Honor Those We’ve Lost

One way that you can honor any person – a loved one, a favorite ancestor, a member of the genealogy community – is by contributing to the Preserve the Pensions - War of 1812 Digitization Fund and utilizing the Honors and Tributes section of the donation form:

All donations are tax deductible and each time a genealogist uses the War of 1812 Pension Files, you’ll know that you helped make such access possible.

In Memoriam

• John Humphrey, 64. A well-known and respected professional genealogist, John’s most noted contributions were as an author, educator and speaker. He produced the fifteen-volume Pennsylvania Birth Series, and focused on Pennsylvanian, German, Welsh and Moravian ancestry. Read the full obituary here.

• Kim Kasprzyk, 57. A long-time volunteer with the Illinois State Genealogical Society as well as FGS, Kim was instrumental in the success of the FGS 2011 conference in Springfield, Illinois. Kim was passionate about her family history research and will be missed by many at ISGS and FGS. Read the full obituary here.

• Marcia Rice, 64. A well-known volunteer with various FGS conference and projects, Marcia was loved and respected for her enthusiasm for family history, and the work of various genealogy societies. Marcia passed away suddenly on October 12, 2012. Read the full obituary here.

• Louise B. Stern, 101. The wife of noted genealogist and historian Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern, Louise Bergman Stern passed away in February 2012. The Stern-NARA Gift Fund, administered by FGS, was named to honor the late Rabbi Stern. Read the full obituary here.

In Memoriam Kim Kasprzyk - Former FGS Treasurer and Director Passes

August 7, 2012 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Kim Kasprzyk former FGS Treasurer, FGS Director and Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) board member who died on Sunday, August 5, 2012, surrounded by her family. Services will be held in Libertyville, Illinois beginning on Wednesday, August 8, 2012. Please see Kim’s obituary for more details.

At FGS, Kim was instrumental in the success of the FGS 2011 conference held in Springfield, Illinois when she served as Registrar for the conference. According to Pat Oxley, President of FGS, “Kim was so efficient, conscientious and even-tempered through the whole process. She worked in parallel with Cath Trindle, our out-going Treasurer in training to be our new Treasurer. Kim was willing to help with any task put before her. I cannot say enough about what a warm, wonderful person she was and how much I loved working with her.”

At ISGS, Kim was the Newsletter Editor since 2008 and was also responsible for maintaining the society’s Military Certificates program.

Kim was passionate about family history and when asked to describe herself, her work and what mattered most, she said:

Genealogy has been a part of my life for over 22 years, way before computers and the luxury of doing research in the comfort of my own home. Since then my “addiction” consumes almost as much time as a full time job. Besides trying to do my own research I’m active in the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the German Interest Group of Wisconsin and I run the Cook County, Illinois GenWeb page. My real full time job is as a nurse auditor in the emergency room at a local hospital. I’m married to a musician and have 4 step-children and 3 step-grandchildren. Besides genealogy I enjoy travel, weaving, gardening and reading.

The FGS and ISGS organizations, as well as the entire genealogy community, will miss Kim including her smile and her passion about genealogy. Her contributions to family history will live on through her good works and the many lives she touched.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

FGS Announces Sandra H. Luebking Memorial

For Immediate Release
22 February 2011

FGS ANNOUNCES SANDRA H. LUEBKING MEMORIAL

Now Accepting Contributions to the War of 1812 Digitization Project

22 February 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the establishment of the Sandra H. Luebking Memorial as a way of remembering the work and achievements of an influential leader in the genealogy community, the late Sandra Hargreaves Luebking.

With Sandra’s passing on 17 February 2011, we lost a teacher, a mentor, a colleague and a dear friend who made numerous contributions to the field of genealogy and family history.

Those who wish to remember Sandra and to help improve access to genealogy research records can now contribute to the Sandra H. Luebking Memorial to help make War of 1812 pension files available to researchers. As an active member of the FGS family and as Editor of FORUM from 1990 to 2010, Sandra was a huge supporter of the Preserve the Pensions project (http://www.fgs.org/1812/). This project was one of her personal choices as a memorial should anyone choose to honor her after her passing.

The Preserve the Pensions project is a national fund-raising initiative to raise $3.7 million to digitize of the War of 1812 pension files. The digitization process will enable online access by historians and family researchers to the memories and biographies of those who fought to protect our nation’s independence.

The pension records for the War of 1812 consist of more than 7.2 million documents in 180,000 files. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) receives more than three thousand requests per year for War of 1812 pensions, placing them among the most requested sets of records. Digitizing these valuable records will preserve the originals by removing them from continued heavy use. It will also make the images of the records much more widely available. NARA reports these important historical records already have been conserved and readied for digitization, so scanning could start as soon as funds are received. With the cost for digitizing and saving a single page from a pension file being fifty cents, supporters will see progress from the earliest days of the fund-raising initiative.

To make a contribution as a memorial to Sandra H. Luebking, visit the Preserve the Pensions donation page (https://www.fgs.org/1812/donation.php). The names of donors will appear in FORUM and a notice will be sent to Sandra's family.

Memorial Service for Sandra Hargreaves Luebking

The family of Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, who passed away last Thursday, February 17, 2011, has announced the following plans for a memorial service:

Saturday, April 2, 2011
10:00 am
Chapel Hill Gardens West
Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois

Directions to the service can be found here.

In Memoriam: Sandra Hargreaves Luebking

IN MEMORIAM: SANDRA HARGREAVES LUEBKING

Noted Genealogist and Former FGS FORUM Editor Passes

17 February 2011 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, noted genealogist and one of the genealogy community’s best leaders who died on Thursday, 17 February 2011 at Lemont, Illinois, surrounded by her family. Funeral arrangements are still pending at this time.

A nationally known author, editor, instructor, lecturer, and researcher, Sandra was the editor of the FGS FORUM for over 22 years. Known for her radiant smile and helpful ways, almost everyone who was a member of or worked with a genealogical society, or attended a conference knew Sandra. In nearly three decades as a professional genealogist, she presented over one thousand lectures.

Beginning in 1979, Sandra taught annually at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and twice accompanied their British Research tour. From 1990 to 2007 she was Course I Coordinator for IGHR. From 1994 until its close in 2005, Sandra was Intermediate Studies Coordinator for the Genealogical Institute of Mid-America (at the University of Illinois, sponsored by the Illinois State Genealogical Society). With Loretto Dennis Szucs, Sandra co-edited three award-winning books, including two editions of The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy; and The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches. Sandra also wrote two chapters for Professional Genealogy (Elizabeth Shown Mills, editor) titled “Genealogical Education” and “Fee Setting.”

Helping thousands of people to find their Chicago/Cook County roots, Sandra conducted research projects for the Smithsonian Institute, numerous publishers and attorneys, and an international clientele from Australia, England, Finland, Germany and Sweden. She was a past trustee for the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and a volunteer research assistant at the National Archives—Great Lakes Region.

Sandra’s honors included the Professional Achievement Award from the APG (2008); the Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award from FGS (2008); lecturer for the Richard Slatten Lecture Series by the Friends of the Virginia State Archives (2003) and, lecturer for the Willard Heiss Memorial Lecture at the 79th Annual Indiana History Conference (Indiana Historical Society) (1999). She was a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association (1996) and was named Outstanding IGHR Alumni by Samford University in 1995.