September Business Meeting Summary

by Andy Thompson, MSDC Secretary

The Morefield Gem Mine, Amelia County, Virginia. The mine is considered to have the best amazonite in the United States. Photo from the Virginia Department of Energy.

President Dan Teich called the meeting to order and thanked everyone for coming. In particular, he welcomed three first-time attenders: Sara, Misty and Ms. Buchanan who shared a bit about their interest in minerals. For their past service, he thanked five former MSDC presidents who were attending the meeting. Ken Rock was applauded for editing “the best club newsletter in the nation.”

Dan asked if any changes or discussion was needed concerning the June “Business Meeting Summary” as published in the September Mineral Minutes. With none needed, he asked for and received a motion to accept the minutes as published. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved by the members.

Reports from Club Officers

Vice President for Programs Kenny Reynolds identified the upcoming monthly program speakers including

· Sept 3, tonight: Thomas Hale on the Minerals of Virginia;

· October 1 and December 3: Fred Paraskevoudakis on the Silver Mines of Lavrion, parts 1 & 2;

· November 3: Dr. Ronald A. Sloto “Classic Mineral Locations of Chester County, PA;”

· January 7, 2026: Dr. Todd Ballinger about the lifecycle of precious metals.

Former MSDC President Dave Hennessey announced a mineral and fossil show in Waldorf, MD on October 4; for more information go to smrmc.org.

Help Needed to Support MSDC at the NVMC Show at George Mason University

Secretary Andy Thompson shared that the club’s board of directors met earlier and said the club needs members’ help in the form of donation of minerals for us to sell at the November 22-23 mineral show sponsored by the NVMC and held at George Mason University (GMU). We also need help with staffing our table, especially on Sunday morning of the November 23. For donations and helping, contact Andy Thompson, Dan Teich, Susan Fisher, Kenny Reynolds, or other BOD members whose contact information is listed in the “Housekeeping Info” section toward the end of this newsletter.

MSDC Fall Party

Club members will party together on October 11 from 1 to 6 pm at the home of Kathy and Dr. Ken Hrechka. Members should have received an email invitation from our Treasurer, John Weidner. It is a potluck and so members need to bring food, folding chairs and small tables. Please RSVP with John Weidner (Jfweidner42@gmail.com) to let him know if you are coming and what food you are bringing.

Board Member Andrea Lubawy discussing a mineral specimen at MSDC's 2023 picnic.

Kathy encouraged members to bring their mineral donations to her house on the party date of October 11 where they will then be delivered to members preparing the specimens for sale at the GMU show with labels and prices

MSDC member Kathy Hrechka, host for our 2023 picnic and 2025 fall party.

Dan noted that Red, White and Blue barbeque will be provided for the party by the club. He also noted that he and Susan and Ed Fisher will prep the donated minerals for sale by providing a label for each which will identify the mineral, its price, and QR codes for info on MSDC and how to join.

Board Member Brian Silver at MSDC's 2023 Picnic.

Old and New Business

With all the above information already shared, Dan noted we had no further old or new business to discuss. He called for a motion to close the business meeting, which was voted with unanimous approval. He then closed the meeting and turned the microphone over to Laura Dwyer to introduce the evening’s speaker.