SOUTHWEST GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Volume 57, No.6 June, 2015 P.O. Box 17323 San Antonio, Texas 78217 0323 Our Website: www.swgemandmineral.org NEXT GENERAL MEETING: TIME: 6:15 PM 8:00 PM USUAL MEETING PLACE: St. Paul s Episcopal Church 1018 E. GRAYSON STREET SAN ANTONIO, TX DIRECTIONS: (traveling south on IH35) Exit #159A, turn right at N. New Braunfels Ave., Continue on to E. Grayson St and turn left. Address will be on the left. Entrance will be through door marked OFFICE. ~ ~ ~ Refreshments Committee ~ ~ ~ Orvis, Charles & Norma; Parra, Rafael & Christine; Pegram, Justin & April; Pelikan, Don & Donna; Perkins, Norman & Michelle ~ ~ ~ President s Message ~ ~ ~ We will be having a most interesting speaker next week at our club meeting on June 11th. A professor from UTSA will be speaking on 6,000 years of habitation on the Balcones Escarpment. Please make an effort to be at our meeting. One item of importance that has just been decided by your board is having a hiatus of club meetings for the months of JULY and AUGUST; i.e., NO CLUB MEETING IN JULY OR AUGUST. The reason for this is that speakers are very difficult to get during the summer months due to the college school term recess and also our members attendance is also down quite a bit along with several of the club officers and directors due to travel. This was brought up to the club members at our last meeting with no objection.
WE WILL HAVE A CLUB MEETING ON JUNE 11TH. We will continue to send out our monthly Newsletter during the summer hiatus. I am also pleased to announce that the club has received a contract from the San Antonio Event Center, so we do have a site for our 2016 Fiesta of Gems. The other site we considered turns out to be inadequate. It is a former bowling alley and cannot accommodate our dealers needs. Bob Bowie ~ ~ ~ Program ~ ~ ~ For the June meeting our speaker will be Clint McKenzie, Project Archaeologist for the UTSA Center for Archaeological Research. Mr. McKenzie s presentation is titled: Fool s Rock Shelter: 6000 Years of Human Habitation on the Balcones Escarpment. This will be a fascinating look at the tribes that once lived in this area. You don t want to miss it. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Show Dates Around Texas ~ ~ ~ June 13 14, 2015: Grapevine, Texas; Grapevine Convention Center July 4 5, 2015: Fort Worth, Texas; Cowtown Gem, Mineral & Glass Society, Brookhaven College August 8 9, 2015: Baton Rouge, LA; Baton Rouge Gem & Mineral Society, Baton Rouge Marriott, 5500 Hilton Drive August 15 16: Bossier City, LA; Ark La Tex Gem & Mineral Society, Bossier City Civic Center August 22 23: Jasper, TX; Pine County Gem & Mineral Society, Jasper Events Center ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please review these web sites and click on the newsletter link to review various shows scheduled. South Central Federation of Mineralogical Societies http://www.scfms.net/ http://www.scfms.net/newsletters/2014_may_jun_scfms_newsletter.pdf SHOW LISTINGS FOR ALL 50 STATES http://www.rockngem.com/showdates/ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ In Other Club Related News ~ ~ ~ The SWGMS Newsletter will continue monthly through the summer hiatus. If anyone has tips, tidbits, trips or other information of interest please send your information to the editor, Joe Noonan, via email as listed on the last page of the newsletter. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Advertising ~ ~ ~ Our organization offers space in our newsletter as a source of advertising for businesses related to our fields of study. A $60 annual price is a bargain for the exposure received!! Interested? Contact Lonnie French or Joe Noonan. ~ ~ ~ Classified ~ ~ ~ Club members who have related items to sell may advertise here for free. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Field Trips & Hunts ~ ~ ~ The rock hunt to Eagle Pass scheduled for Saturday, May 30th was canceled due to an unspecified emergency at the site which required its closure. A few members attended a hunt sponsored by the Geology Club at the Tessman Ranch near Floresville. The weather was hot and sticky and in some places the ground was muck. However, perseverance was rewarded with beautiful pieces of petrified wood in a variety of colors. Pieces ranged from tumbler to fist sized, with a few larger pieces. Some were not agatized but made nice specimens. The hunt took place generally around (and in) the the (very) large stock tank. These hunts are open to all members of the Geology Club. Just as with our club, membership is required because of the liability insurance needed to access any site. Joe Noonan Hunt Chair, Sam Rodgers buckrodgers000@netzero.net [210] 240 7721