PRESIDENT’S REPORT

SPRING 2008

As I write this report, a flock of approximately 100 robins are in my Rutland backyard, on the one patch of ground that is not snow covered. Spring must in the air somewhere, despite the 3 foot snow banks that currently surround my deck.

In Rutland, there are two historic cemeteries that are in need of much repair including several veteran burials. Many of the veteran’s stones no longer exist or are so badly damaged that they cannot be deciphered. My father, Cliff, has been actively researching the Revolutionary and Civil War veteran military records of these veterans so these stones can be replaced. We are currently awaiting the arrival of 10 replacement stones due to his research and the efforts of my wife, Barbara, who has also spent many hours helping to document the veterans interred in both cemeteries. If you have a veteran’s monument that is in need of replacing, the Bureau of Veterans Affairs in Washington D.C. will replace them at no cost with the appropriate documentation of their military records. The forms are available on line.

VOCA has been in the press quite regularly this year, thanks to VOCA member, Whit Mowry. Mr. Mowry contacted VOCA Officers regarding a legal notice in the Valley News stating that a petitioner wished to move the Aldrich-Kendall Cemetery in Hartland, Vermont. The petitioner is planning on building a house on the property and a condition of the purchase was the removal of this burial ground which included the burial site of a veteran of the War of 1812. This sparked immediate attention by the VOCA membership and the Vermont media. VOCA; the former owner of the property, who had his parents remains buried at the cemetery; veteran’s groups; and a DAR descendent of the Aldrich family protested the petition at a well-attended, standing-room only, probate court hearing in Woodstock in February. No legal decision has been determined at the time of the newsletter going to print. We will have the latest outcome in our summer publication. If interested in the press coverage of the Aldrich-Kendall Cemetery issue, you can certainly find many stories by doing an on line computer search by typing in Aldrich Cemetery and VOCA in your search engine.

VOCA members also contacted Senator Vince Illuzzi regarding the legal issues on cemetery removal and thanks to his efforts, there will be an open hearing in the Vermont State House in the coming weeks to call attention to current laws regarding burial grounds in Vermont. We will have a report on this in a future newsletter as well.

Special thanks go to Treasurer Harry Fisher who continues to do an outstanding job with VOCA’s finances and should be commended for the many hours of work that he donates to our organization.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the May meeting. If anyone has agenda items or other questions, please contact me at (802) 773-3253 or email tgifvt@msn.com.

Tom Giffin

President