In a message dated 9/28/2006 10:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Good morning, That is correct. There is no reciprocity between the states for life memberships. This is a General Society ruling and not one of the states. A member with life membership may join another state as a dual member but is required to pay dues to the new state. I am a life member in MA but a dual member with Florida and have to pay dues to the Florida Society. Relatively yours, Muriel Curtis Cushing _____________________________________________________ Ladies and gentlemen-- A Mayflower Descendant has the option to purchase a Life Membership in their state society. Most Descendants who purchase Life memberships do this with the understanding they will no longer pay annual dues, which is very nice during retirement. Some parents purchase Life Memberships for their children to insure that those children remain members...even when they don't pay dues...and many do not pay if the parent secures their regular membership. If a Descendant (or Descendant's parent) pays the lump sum for a LM, GSMD continues to "tax" that state $11 per year for that member for the balance of their life. Does it seem fair to a Life Member, when she/he decides to remove to another state, the lump payment for Life Membership goes down the drain? Would it not be delightful, if when a person pays from $400 to $2500, to state society for a Life Membership, that state society would make it clear to that person (could be retired and on SS), that the LM is non-transferrable. To rectify this, Life Memberships should only be sold by GSMD, and then, GSMD would have the funds and would no longer need to tax the state society $11 per year for that member, as GSMD is presently doing. This way all LM's could remove to other states without the present penalty. With a Mayflower Descendant's smile, Ed Sherman South Carolina