Well, Orrin Hatch is still in there pitching, drumming up business of making genealogy #1 although it is only presently in #2 status of recreational/hobby importance. http://hatch.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=178829 Wednesday, September 26, 2001 - SENATE PASSES HATCH BILL TO COMMEMORATE OCTOBER 2001 AS FAMILY HISTORY MONTH WASHINGTON - By unanimous consent, the Senate today approved legislation introduced by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch to designate October as "Family History Month." "Millions of Americans are researching the history of their families," said the Utah Republican. "Experts say that in the United States, genealogy is now the second most popular hobby next to gardening. It is believed that more that 80 million Americans are currently actively searching for more information about their ancestors. "It is only natural that we want to find out more about our ancestors," Hatch continued. "What better way to bring families closer together than by discovering more about the story of their own family? Like it or not, who we are today is in large part, a product of our ancestors. Hatch's bill (S.R. 160), which was co-sponsored by Robert Bennett (R-Utah), commemorates October as Family History Month and encourages President Bush to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month of October with appropriate ceremonies and activities. "With the advent of the Internet, there has been an explosion of interest in family history," Hatch continued. "Last month alone, more than 14 million Americans used the Internet to research their family history. Genealogy Internet sites are some of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web. My church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has family history information on nearly 500 million individuals on its family history web site (www.familysearch.com)." "Essentially, we are all immigrants to this country. Our ancestors came from different parts of the globe," Hatch said. "By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family. S.R. 160 had 84 co-sponsors and was approved by unanimous consent. "Researching ancestry is a very important component of identity. It can lead to long-sought-after family reunions or allow for life saving medical treatments that only genetic links will allow," Hatch said. "For all of these reasons, I encourage people across this nation to find out more about where they came from." -----Original Message----- From: Chris & Tom Tinney, Sr. [mailto:vctinney@dcn.davis.ca.us] Sent: Monday, July 16, 2001 11:48 AM To: AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [A-REV] Re: [genealib] Family History Month Orrin Hatch did this before in another area, with [a Congressional Resolution declaring a "National Women's History Week." It succeeded in 1981, when Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution.] It created an [Overwhelming Response As word spread rapidly across the nation, state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women's History Week as an effective means toward achieving equity goals within classrooms. Before long, many states developed and distributed curriculum materials to all of their public schools. Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women's History Week, supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress. Entire Month of March In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, National Women's History Month has been annually proclaimed by either the Congress or the President. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared.] http://www.slinfo.com/features/articles/enw/enw_3_01/hispanic.htm Senator Orrin Hatch wants to make this "hobby" a "much more important social, political and economic [issue] for people to focus on." Genealogy will be "supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors, city councils, school boards, and the U.S. Congress", with the potential for many states to process "developed and distributed" genealogy and family history "curriculum materials to all of their public schools". http://www.ancestry.com/library/view/news/articles/4225.asp Think of what this would do for the correct study of American Revolutionary War History. Respectfully yours, Tom Tinney, Sr. Genealogy and Family History Internet Web Directory http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/ "Free Coverage of the Genealogy World in a Nutshell" Who's Who in America, Millennium Edition [54th] - Who's Who In Genealogy and Heraldry, [both editions] ------------------------------------------------ "Erickson, Arthur" wrote: > Folks, > > The following is a political opinion. However, it is > relevant to our work. > I have kept it brief deliberately, so please do not flame > me for lack of > detail and argument. > > In "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter" I just read > about an effort to > declare October as "Family History Month". The article is > clearly in favor > of the concept. I expect that genealogical societies and > other groups will > start writing their congressional representatives in favor > of the move. > > Despite my position as Genealogy Librarian, my initial > reaction is against > the idea. Granted, genealogy is a growing and extremely > popular hobby. > However, it is just that-- a hobby. There are much more > important social, > political and economic issues for people to focus on. > Genealogy does not > necessarily need governmental endorsement in this form. > Indeed, I am > considering writing my state senators in opposition (as a > citizen, not as an > employee of my library). > > I think that is important to at least consider why we > would endorse this > move. Working in a subject area does not automatically > commit librarians to > all forms of advocacy for that subject. > > Arthur > > Arthur Erickson > Genealogy Librarian > Greensboro Public Library > 219 N. Church St. > Greensboro, NC 27402 > > (336) 574-4099 > arthur.erickson@ci.greensboro.nc.us > http://www.greensborolinbrary.nc.us ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== ============================== Visit Ancestry's Library - The best collection of family history learning and how-to articles on the Internet. http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library