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Meetings

August 4, 2007

Dear Fellow Crispell Family Association Members,

First, let me say how sorry I am that I can't be with you today. I had a prior commitment with a different type of family - the wedding of a young woman who is like a big sister to my children, whose mother has cared for my children since infancy. They are more than neighbors and friends; they are truly family to us.

I'm sure you all have ties that like as well, people with whom you are very close even though there is no blood relationship. I have found bonds like that even within this very extended Crispell family, with some of the people here today and those who could not attend.

There are many ways to define families, and this organization represents a very important aspect of family to me - family history. For most, if not all of us, our connection to the Crispell family is probably the best documented piece of our heritage that we have. And we are fortunate to have this, because most people don't. In my case, I speak on my husband's and children's behalf because I'm a Crispell by marriage. I can trace my own genealogy back only about four generations on my mother's side and three on my father's. Which is a lot of the reason why I appreciate so much what the Crispell Family Association brings to my life and my family's.

And now, to the present. I would like to highlight a few things that have gone on during the past year and make a few remarks about where I see things going in the future.

The past year has been a quiet one overall for CFA. Sharon has continued to maintain the family genealogy and produce the newsletters. We have tried to keep our web site up to date, although that has been a bit of a challenge. As most of you know, we helped sponsor a series of musical concerts this spring in the French Church here on Huguenot Street.

As president, I have been attending (by phone) meetings of the Huguenot Society's Development Committee. Along with other family association delegates, we offer the families' perspective and advice on issues related to strategy. For example, we have been trying to make sure that any outreach the HHS does, such as in its annual appeal, makes an effort to align with the interests of the families.

In a similar way, our treasurer Gar is our delegate to a new HHS group, the Family Collaboration Committee.

This relatively quiet year has followed a flurry of activity the previous year when we released a new printing of the family genealogy, which was a huge effort on Sharon and Roger's parts and a really valuable contribution to the entire family. Since then, we have been, I think, catching our collective breaths, and trying to think about what comes next.

We have not articulated a new goal to pursue as an organization, and this is the key thing I would like to identify for the coming year. In the past, we have talked about membership, bringing new people in, bringing more young people in. But we have not decided how to do this in a concrete way.

Another thing we have discussed is what should be the Next Big Thing - a tangible goal that can inspire us and motivate us to achieve something of lasting value. We already maintain the family genealogy and French Church. What else can we do? Does it have to involve a lot of money? A lot of time? Both of these resources are so scarce.

I would like to merge these two issues into one. I would like us to try to bring people into the organization by asking them to get involved in a possible new goal. We have recently learned that the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, under which Antoine Crispell and his wife Maria are buried, is undergoing some structural issues; these were relayed in our June newsletter. There is a possible opportunity for the CFA to get involved in the restoration effort. I will appoint a committee to learn more about this over the coming year and make a recommendation. If you would like to be involved, please let me (or someone at the meeting today) know.

I have also asked Rachel as chair of the Duzine to appoint a By-Laws Committee to review our by-laws and make any recommendations for revisions. This will also be a year-long process, so if you have any ideas today or in the future, please pass them on. For example, it's come to our attention that some of the other family associations are no longer having annual meetings. Our current by-laws require us to do so. Is this something we should change to give us more flexibility?

Finally, in the near term, I would like to ask people to think about getting involved with the upcoming HHS Old New Paltz Day festival to be held on September 8th. Although the date and name of this event have changed over the years, we have always managed to have representatives of the CFA present to help out in some way and keep us visible among those who visit this historic district.

In closing, I would like to thank the members of the CFA Board and Duzine for working on all the tasks that keep this organization going, both ongoing ones like the membership and newsletter, and occasional ones, like this meeting. A round of applause, please, for all of you. I hope you have a great day. And please, take lots of pictures to share with the rest of us.

My Very Best Regards,
Diane Crispell
President, Crispell Family Association

Senate House Museum -Aug Tour Site
312 Fair Street
(845) 338-2786
April - October 
Sunday 1-5pm; Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 5 pm

The first New York State Senate met here in September and October 1777 when the building was the home of Abraham Van Gaasbeek. Built in 1676, it is the oldest public building in America. Descendants of the original builder, Wessel ten Broeck, occupied the residence until they deeded it to New York State in 1888. The adjacent museum, built in 1927, contains the largest collection of John Vanderlyn paintings, drawings and papers in the country. The Crispell Family Association Toured the Senate House in Aug 2007.