Compiled by Ulo Sinberg, 2005
The bicentennial of the Town of Glover was celebrate in 1983, one of the high points of the celebration being the publication of the History of the Town of Glover, Vermont with an initial print run of 900 copies. The celebration, and the publication of the history book, was conducted by the Glover Bicentennial Committee, spearheaded by Dick and Ruth Evans.
The bicentennial celebration generated a great deal of interest in the history of Glover. This culminated in the formation of a loosely-knit group called “Friends of Glover History” which held its first meeting on 1 May 1990. Present were the “founding fathers”, Martha and Wayne Alexander, Dean Bailey, Carol Borland, Alice and Don Clark, Ruth Darling, Peggy Gibson, Brendan Hadash, Betty Putney, Mazel Rogers, Dick and Ruth Evans, with Ruth Evans acting as temporary chair. A mission statement, drafted by Betty Putney, was adopted, the purpose of the organization being “the acquisition, preservation, interpretation and display of a collection pertaining to the history of Glover”.
Subsequent organizational meetings followed on 15 May 1990 and 12 June 1990, at the latter of which the name of the group was changed to “Glover Historical Society”. An anonymous “seed money” donation of $250 had been deposited in the Town’s general fund in 1987 to the credit of the to-be-formed society. A decision was now made to open an account at the Howard Bank in the name of the Society and to transfer this $250 to the new account as the first deposit, with Martha Alexander acting as the Society Treasurer — a position she held with a one- year hiatus until the summer of 2004.
The fourth meeting of the Society took place on 10 July 1990 at which several important decisions were made. A committee to explore the possibility of incorporating the Society was appointed, consisting of Randy Williams (chair), Dick Evens, and Betty Putney. The committee was to report at the time of the next meeting, which proposed bylaws and a slate of directors. (This did not actually come to pass until the 11 September and 9 October 1990 meetings.) Dean Bailey was appointed to act as Registered Agent. Membership dues were set at $5 for singles and $8 for families (and the same due rates are still in effect at this time, with the addition of the “life membership” category at $100). A bid for insurance from Kipp Insurance for an annual premium of $250 was accepted, with coverage set at $10,000 for museum contents, and $500,000 public liability. (A museum at the Glover Municipal Building had already been set up by this time.) At the fifth meeting on 14 August 1990, the decision was made to initiate insurance coverage with the 1991 calendar year (although this did not actually happen until the summer of 1991).
Additional organizational meetings were held on 2 November and 18 December 1990; by the end of the year, an amazing amount of progress had been made. An interim slate of officers had been appointed: Dean Bailey, President; Randy Williams, Vice President; Martha Alexander, Treasurer; Carol Borland, Secretary; Ruth Evans, Assistant Secretary. Four standing committees had been formed, with chairs as indicated: Finance (Bob Canosa), Acquisitions (Betty Putney), Membership (Carolyn Perron), Publicity (Peggy Day Gibson). The decision had also been made to proceed with incorporating the Society under the laws of the State of Vermont, and subsequently to apply for 501 (3) (c) status with the Internal Revenue Service which would allow the Society to accept tax deductable donations.
In addition to the organizational work, during this first year of its existence, the Society had set up its Museum at the Municipal Building, and had begun planning for its first ambitious project—the videotaping of oral histories of area residents, with the project initially guided by Wayne Alexander, Peggy Day Gibson and Randy Williams.
The second year of the Society (1991) was marked by a membership drive, and the commencement of the videotaping project under the aegis of Wayne Alexander, After a slow start, membership by the end of 1991 had grown to 75. A group had also been active in mapping cellar holes in the area, with the goal of locating “ every homesite, past and present, in Glover” naming everyone who lived here. A new project was introduced – the naming of all roads in the Town of Glover, A public meeting for this purpose was held on 12 November 1991, and the work was completed at a follow up meeting on 28 January 1992. (These road names would eventually form the backbone of E-911 road name system.) By the end of summer preparations were completed to apply for incorporation of the Society, and a Certificate of Incorporation was officially issued by the Vermont Secretary of State on 15 October 1991.
The Society’s third year (1992) saw the beginning of our publications program, which since then has become one of the Society’s most important activities. The first issue of the Society’s newsletter, Glover History, edited by Elaine Magalis and Jeannine Young, was published in the summer, and in the same issue there was a prepublication announcement of the second printing of History of the Town of Glover, Vermont, the first printing of which by the Glover Bicentennial Committee had long been sold out. The reprint of 500 copies was successfully accomplished in October of 1992, which the financial aid of 18 individuals who loaned the society a total of $3200, at no interest, with the principal to be repaid as reprinted books were sold.
The highlighted of 1993 came on 4 June 1993 with the issuance of a determination letter by the Internal Revenue Service, granting the Society tax exempt status under Section 501 (c) (3) of the International Revenue Code, along with a tentative determination that the organization would not be classified as a Private Foundation. The latter was subsequently reconfirmed in June of 1996. This completed the organizational history of the Glover Historical Society, Inc. which has carried on its work since then as a properly recognized legal entity.
The subsequent activities of the Society have been more than adequately chronicled on the pages of the Glover History newsletter, which became a biannual publication in 1996 and which continues to be edited by Elaine Magalis and Jeannine Young.
While many individuals have, over the years, contributed their time and talents to the Society, it is appropriate at this point to recognize the “movers and shakers” most closely associated with the success of our organization who guided the Society in leadership positions between 1990 and today:
1990 Ruth Evans, Chairman pro tem
1990-1991 Dean Bailey, President
1991-1992 Ruth Evans, President
1992-1994 Ruth Evans and Betty Putney, Co-Presidents
1994-1995 Ruth Evans and Wayne Alexander, Co-Presidents
1995-2001 Wayne Alexander
2001- 2010 Bob Clark, President 2010- present Betsy Day