Beginners' Center Happenings

Submitted by: Host GFS Kate
Beginners' Center Manager/Team Leader

June, 2002

 

Beginners' Center Objective

The Beginners' Center is dedicated to providing resources devoted to beginning genealogy research, including clean, friendly chat rooms.

Beginner's Star of the Month

June's Beginner's Star of the Month is Host GFS Teri. Host GFS Merle nominated Teri.

My nomination is for Host GFS Teri. Although we were in training at the same time, we really didn't get to know each other until we started hosting the Thursday night Beginners' chat from 8-9 pm ET. Teri and I hit it off immediately. We not only work together in our chat, but we have become great friends. She has helped me learn Power Tools. She is great with new genealogy chatters and very knowledgeable; I learn from her. And she is always smiling from the wrists down. As I don't have a real life sister, I personally feel that I have found a "forever" friend and a heart sister.

Kate's comments: Teri is one of the faithful who steps in at a moment's notice to help out. She is very unselfish, giving, and a joy to have on the Team. She is reliable, always on time for her chats, and is one of our most popular hosts.

If you know of a host who deserves special recognition, I'd like to hear from you . Send me an e-mail at HostGFSKate@aol.com and tell me all about it. Who knows, maybe that host will be a future Beginners' Star of the Month because of you!

Each chat we have, a "room report" is sent to me. This is done for many reasons and the best reason is that I get to hear of all the good things that are happening in our chats. I get the warm fuzzies when I read something like below from a chat.

"I helped a person look for her half brother whom she hadn't seen for 28 years he was 12 she was 2. All I suggested was Keyword:Roots>resources>addresses and try his name...She left then came back in and said she found him and thanked me over and over for the suggestion....I have chills when this happened. It was a truly great night." -- Host GFS Flicka

And another:

"We had a chatter from Germany, who I think will be back :-)" -- Host GFS Dash

Yes, me!!! I have been involved for the last couple of years with therapy dog work. Katie, one of my Australian Cattle Dogs, has been certified through Therapy Dogs, International (TDI) since 2000. We visit hospitals, nursing homes, and do some one on one work with autistic children (via doctors' referrals). During this time, we also discovered she has the gift of predicting seizures. She has predicted three seizures so far. Katie has just been awarded an advanced rating for the number of "visits" she has performed. She is now known as "Cattle Kate, AKC, CGC, TDIA". She has reached the second level of excellence (there is only the third level to attain, and we are working on that).

Just a funny note about Katie to keep this to a genealogy subject......last summer I took her with me on a genealogy trip to Illinois. I had been looking for an ancestor's grave for years with no luck. I was given a lead on an old, HUGE cemetery in the area, so I took Katie with me and we started "walking" the cemetery (there were no records for that area of the cemetery, so I didn't know where to look). I was starting to get frustrated, and looked up to see where Katie was....and she was standing on a grave, doing a "dog" thing.....and guess whose grave it was? Yep, it was my 3rd great-grandfather. Katie is now an accomplished "grave finder". <giggle>

Last summer, I rescued/adopted a 2 year old Australian Cattle Dog from a scheduled death and named him Cody. The reason he was to be put down was that his elderly owner had passed on and the survivors didn't want him. Since then, Cody has gone through some intense obedience training through Phoenix Field and Obedience with me as the owner/handler and we recently completed his advanced obedience class. He passed the American Kennel Club's CGC test on April 13, 2002. He passed the Therapy Dogs, International test on May 15, 2002 and is also now internationally certified, just like Katie.

Cody, (with my husband as his handler) will join Katie and me in dog therapy work here in Arizona and during trips to visit my dad in Illinois.

2002 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Conference, Milwaukee WI, May 15 - 18, 2002

Host GFS Pilgrim and Host GFS Darla Jo traveled to the NGS to see what true Wild Bunch members could possibly absorb from a national conference (and what mischief could be stirred up). There were over 85 speakers, and over 35 classes offered each day. Pilgrim and Darla Jo certainly attended their share of sessions to enlarge their brain cell knowledge. Host GFS Taz came to visit on Thursday, but she certainly didn't squelch the mischief! <EG> The Traipsing Trio invaded the exhibit hall and certainly made a dent in the boxes of books that the vendors will be taking home.

Kate's note: Now let's make sure they share all this new knowledge when they get back to the Forum <g>.

Host GFS KenR

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Host GFS KenR has joined the Beginners' Team. Ken will be hosting with Host GFS Peggy on Wednesday nights from 11 PM to 12 AM ET. Welcome aboard, Ken! Welcome to the Wild Bunch. 

© 2002 GFNEWS, a monthly publication of the Golden Gate Genealogy Forum, Inc. of Franklin, MA.
(America Online Keyword: roots.) The Editors welcome your ideas and articles,
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