KNOXVILLE GEM and MINERAL SOCIETY
Minutes of January 2004 Meeting
by Patsy Monk, Vice President

A general meeting of the above society was held on January 15, 2004 at the Brehm Animal Sciences Building, UT.  President Daniel Miller opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

We welcomed several new members and several visitors.

A very interesting program was presented by Robert Burpitt on Zeolites.

Reports:

•Treasurer: Albert Ingram gave a balance of accounts and reminded us that dues are due.
•Education: David Hackett is still working on the Oak Ridge Children’s Museum and needs help managing the exhibit.
•Field Trip: Danny gave information on the Sunday, January 18, 2004 field trip to Douglas Lake to hunt crystals.
•Library: Travis brought a selection of books from the library and announced the addition of 3 new books donated by Janice Erickson.

Unfinished Business: John Teague requested that the board members discuss the possibility of returning to the $1.00 off coupon for the show in October. This will be discussed at the board meeting on January 17, 2004.

New Business: Danny presented the possible theme for our show – Pearls. No other themes was presented. David Hackett made a motion to accept Pearls as the theme, it was seconded and passed by the club.

Any Other Business: Jim McCutcheon reminded everyone to bring their stamps for the Stamp Program.

Door Prizes: Door prizes were won by: David Hackett, Jim McCutcheon, Janice Erickson, Frances Owen, Leroy Crawford and Joseph Elwartowski.

The next meeting will be February 19, 2004.

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Groundhog’s Day

The earliest roots of celebration can be traced back to the ancient Celts, who celebrated Feb. 2 as the first day of spring, which they called “Imbolog”, meaning ewe’s milk as it marked the beginning of lambing season. The celebration was picked up by the Romans and carried back to the European continent. When Christianity became popular in Europe, the celebration of
Imbolog began to merge with the Christian ritual of Candlemas. Both represented the “coming of light”. We can thank the Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch) for bringing the celebration of Groundhog’s Day to the U.S.

Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.  Actually, Feb. 2 is a “cross-quarter point” or the mid-point between the winter solstice (when winter begins) and the vernal equinox (when spring begins). Regardless of whether the groundhog sees his shadow, there will still be six more weeks of “winter”, astronomically speaking. The Germans based their predictions on the behavior of hibernating animals—they tend to hibernate longer in harsh winters and come out of hibernation earlier in milder winters.