CSG 2008-2009 Officers & Board of Governors

Officers and Board of Governors
CSG is grateful for the voluntary contributions from each board member to serve since 1968. Following are the Officers and Board of Governors for the membership year May 2008 - April 2009.

President — Janet H. Wallace, Vice President — Edwin W. Strickland II, Secretary — Helen S. Coty
Treasurer — Gregory E. Thompson, Assistant Treasurer — David A. Strong

At Large Governors -
Nora Garvin, James A. Leatherbee, Margaret H. Limbacher, Donald A. Naples,
Olivia G. Patch, Janet F. Pestey, Anne Raver, Edwin W. Strickland II, Frederick T. Strong,
Richard G. Tomlinson, Lisa M. Vasas

	Janet H. Wallace — President Janet has been a member of CSG since 1976 and on the Board since 1997. She is also a member of several other genealogical societies (NGS, NEHGS, CPGC and DFAW) and serves as the Archivist/Historian for the South Congregational Church in Hartford. She has served as the Queries Chairperson for the last three New England Regional Genealogical Conferences. Janet and her husband of 52 years, Bruce, reside in Wethersfield where they raised two children. When not pursuing her genealogical interests, she enjoys dressmaking, tailoring, embroidery, rubber stamping, ice dancing, cross-country skiing, cooking, personal traveling and spending time with her two granddaughters.
	Edwin W. Strickland II — Vice President Ed came from a family of packrats on one side and a family of true Yankees of the other (use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without). In 1973 he was searching for the unique wedding present for his brother that could not be returned. He settled on copying his grandmother's information on his paternal line. In short order, two great aunt's supplied material on five more ancestral lines. As they say, the Hunt was a Foote! He joined CSG in 1974 and began working on the other female lines. In 1983, he served on the committee to establish The Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, where he has continued as genealogist for 16 years and is a past president. With his retirement from the University of Connecticut Health Center in 2000, he has turned his attention to editing, teaching, lecturing and serving the greater genealogical community.
	Gregory E. Thompson — Treasurer Gregory was born and raised in the New Haven area and has been interested in his family history since a child. A direct descendant of the Indian Princess Pochahontas and several Mayflower Passengers, he teaches a class on genealogy at the Milford Public library. An Economics and accounting major from the University of New Haven, he has been the general manager for several restaurants during his career. He is the archivist for the Ct Society of Mayflower Descendants, the Historian of the Elder William Brewster Society and a board member of several Genealogical and Historical Societies, and is a member of many other societies as well.
	David A. Strong — Assistant Treasurer David Strong resides in Watertown and has been doing genealogical research since the mid seventies. He has been a member of the Board of Governor's since 2000 and is active in the Society of the Cincinnati as a member of the Committee on Pretensions. David is also a member of the Mayflower Society, the Founders and Patriots Society, the Strong Family Association and is active in the Hotchkiss Family Association. He is a retired mathematics teacher, former athletic director and coach of basketball and is a past president of the Ct. High School Coaches Association. His retirement has allowed him to spend more time in the pursuit of elusive relatives.
	Helen S. Coty — Secretary Helen has been a member of CSG since 1969, joined the Board of Governors in 1991, and served as President from 1998-2000. She grew up in Central New York State, is a graduate of SUNY at Oswego, taught in LaFargeville and Clifton Springs, New York, and has lived in Connecticut since 1962. Her ancestors came from the New England States as well as New York. Helen's interest other than genealogy include volunteer work for the Meriden-Middlesex Ostomy Chapter, serving as treasurer and writing the group newsletter. Some day Helen hopes to find her 4th Great Grandfather Dudley Williams ancestors.
	Nora Garvin — At Large Governor . . .
	James H. Leatherbee — At Large Governor Jim was born in New London CT, probably imprinted from birth with history and genealogy, but actually started doing genealogy in the late 1970s. He is named after his grandfather and a long line of first born males named James dating to the mid 1700s. The family name, Leatherbee, is listed by James Savage in "Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England" as a "perverted" form of Larrabee, and indeed goes directly back to Stephen (1625-1676) of that name. Jim was raised in Hadlyme, where he still lives - the 10th genetation in the immediate area. His areas of research are primarily New London and Middlesex Counties and the Connecticut River Valley. Jim's roots include much "Yankee", including "Mayflower", Irish, German, and even an "Indian Princess". He also has an interest in cemeteries. Jim spent many years in the printing industry, but is now employed by the United States Census Bureau.
	Margaret H. "Peg" Limbacher, FSA Scot — At Large Governor Peg began her hunt for her Scottish ancestors in 1975 while on a trip to Scotland where her mother was born. After meeting a couple of elderly great aunts, it dawned on Peg (who is an only child, only grandchild on both sides and an only niece) that she must have some relatives in Scotland, who were just waiting to be found. She has found several cousins in Scotland, including one who is a genealogist. As to her German side, she has yet to make the break-through on the birth of her great-grandfather in New York City, but she has re-united with cousins on the West Coast who are working on the same line, so hope continues. Peg has taken a number of genealogy courses, including a one week course at the University of Stirling in Scotland on “Researching your Scottish Ancestors.” Peg is an active member of numerous genealogy and heritage societies.
	Donald A. Naples — At Large Governor Don completed a 30-year career in 1990 as a U.S. Coast Guard officer, specializing in electronics engineering and information systems. Since then he managed the Communications Department of a large County in California, was co-owner of a computer business in Newington, and works independently as a computer and telecommunications consultant. He has pursued genealogy as a hobby for many years and enjoys helping others get started in ancestry searches. Don is a Connecticut native, born and raised in New Britain, where his Italian and Irish ancestors settled in the mid-to-late 1800s. He is a long-time member of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. He was elected to the CSG Board of Governors in 2004. His extensive, practical computer experience has been very valuable in assisting with technology planning and implementation for the Society.
	Olivia Patch — At Large Governor Olivia is a retired grade school teacher with an extensive background in the field of education, including a Masters in Reading and Elementary Education. Born in Hartford CT and raised in Manchester CT, she has also lived in Virginia, Washington, Wyoming, and New York. Olivia now resides in Tolland CT where she has made her home for more than two decades. A seasoned researcher, Olivia has more than 35 years of genealogical experience and is familiar with repositories in CT, MA, VT, and RI. She has conducted research professionally, written articles for genealogy periodicals, and has also shared her experience through speaking engagements. In addition to her participation at CSG, Olivia is also Recording Secretary and registrar for the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor (DFAW).
	Janet Pestey — At Large Governor Janet is a retired educator and second generation Irish and Eastern European (Slovak and Ukrainian). She speaks on different topics, including basic research techniques, Irish, German and Slovak research. She volunteers at the Woodbridge Family History Center and is a member of many genealogical societies and groups.
	Anne Raver — At Large Governor Anne has lived most of her life in the Ansonia-Derby area, where many of her Irish ancestors had settled in the mid-to-late 1800s. She has been involved in genealogy since the late 1980s, and belongs to several genealogical and historical societies. She is researching her Irish, Scottish, and German lines, with varying degrees of success. She has been an insurance representative, an office manager for a paper products company, a real estate agent, and a computer operator for an architectural firm, and currently works for Yale University. She has a BS in Business Administration from the University of New Haven. Anne is looking forward to the day when she can work on her genealogy full-time, and perhaps finally find the home in Ireland of Maurice Connors, her elusive great-grandfather.
	Frederick T. Strong — At Large Governor Frederick T. Strong resides in Woodbury and has been a member of the Board of Governor's since 1976 and was the 6th President of the Society. He has been actively involved in genealogy since the early 60's and is a member of many hereditary organizations including the Mayflower Society, where he is a past Governor of the Connecticut Society, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Descendants and Founders of Ancient Windsor, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Founders and Patriots Society, the Strong Family Association, and the Hotchkiss Family Association of which he has been the treasurer for many years. He is the first and only Historian for the town of Woodbury having been appointed in 1988 when the program started in the state of Connecticut. Frederick is active in North Congregational Church in Woodbury and has been their historian for many years. He just completed his 60th year as a member of The Woodbury Cemetery Association, the last 50 of which he was the President of the Associaton. He is also the co-author of 3 books including Homes of Old Woodbury written in 1959 in conjunction with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Woodbury.
	Richard G. Tomlinson — At Large Governor Dick is a descendant of Henry Tomlinson, an early settler of Milford and Stratford, and is related to CT Gov. Gideon Tomlinson. Interested in family history for over 40 years, he is a founder of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc. and has served as an officer or Director nearly continuously. He is the creator of the CSG Literary Awards and has published several books including, "Witchcraft Trials of Connecticut". He is a former Vice President of United Technologies Corporation and a former Senior Principal Scientist in the UTC Research Labs. In 1985 he founded the Connecticut Research, Inc., a management-consulting firm. He holds a PhD the Ohio State University, an MS from Case-Western Reserve University, an MBA from RPI.
	Lisa M. Vasas — At Large Governor Born and raised in Bridgeport, Lisa spent ten years in the computer industry first as a programmer and later as a database administrator before getting the chance to pursue an interest in genealogy that was sparked by a college anthropology class. Her research has taken her from various cities in Connecticut to Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, French Canada and records of the former Austria-Hungary Empire with the promise of Galicia, Poland, Russia and Albania yet to come. In addition to her CSG board and committee positions, Lisa served as liason for the New England Regional Genealogical Conferences in Portland and Hartford. For the Hartford conference, Lisa was responsible for producing the written syllabus given to attendees.