Added “Wreaths Across America” page under “ACTIVITIES.”

It is my sad duty to report we have just learned of the passing of longtime Ben Harrison Camp Member, Past Department Commander, and SUVCW Life Member, Marvin Reed.

Born 12 June 1944, Brother Reed graduated from Indiana University and worked as a sales associate for a number of years.  He died on 3 July 2019 at the Indiana Masonic Home in Franklin, Indiana.

The funeral service was held on 13 July 2019 at Ransford Chapel at Compass Park at the Indiana Masonic Home. Burial was in Greenlawn Cemetery.  I Order the Ben Harrison Camp No. 356 Web Site and Camp Charter of Ben Harrison Camp No. 356 be draped, and that all Camp brothers attach a black mourning ribbon to their membership badges in honor of Brother Reed.  This Order shall remain in effect for 30 days from this date. James M. Floyd, Jr., PCC – Camp Commander.

Video of the parade and photographs added to Gettysburg Remembrance Day

General Order #7
Series 2019-2020
26 September 2019

1. It is my sad duty to report the passing of Sally Krantz, PNP of the Department of New York on September 23, 2019. Sister Krantz was a Past National President (2002-2003) of the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic.

2. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War’s National Web Site, Social Media platforms, and the Charters of all Departments and Camps will be draped in black. And, all Brothers will attach a black mourning ribbon to their membership badges in remembrance of Sister Krantz.

3. This order shall remain in effect for 30 days from this date.

Ordered this 26th Day of September, 2019.

Edward J. Norris Commander-in-Chief Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Heath No. 109 is remembered this month.

The meeting minutes for February 16, 2019 have been added to the Camp Meeting Minutes Page

Camp Patriotic Instruction Sheet for March 2019 about the gavel added to the CAMP PATRIOTIC INSTRUCTION page

Farragut No. 27 is remembered this month.

Brothers:

In an effort to increase communications I will occasionally compose and share thoughts via Commander’s Corner posts on the Camp website. For this CC I have two items to share:

New Meeting Location

Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting today at our new meeting location – Grindstone Charley’s. I think the private meeting room worked very well and we will adjust the room setup if need be. I do intend to obtain a small rug to cover the projector cables.

I was pleased with the hospitality, the service, and the quality of the food today. I hope you also had a pleasant experience and hope you will contact me and share any input you may have.

Continuity

As we have voted on, there are 3 areas we want to focus on as a Camp:

The definition of continuity is: “the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.”

Ben Harrison Camp is blessed to have excellent officers, who all work hard to keep the Camp running. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that most members never see. For example, Jerry, as the Camp Secretary-Treasurer, is required to file one or more reports to the Secretary of the Department of Indiana on a monthly basis.

There are a lot of moving parts to each officer’s role.

This is where continuity comes into play.

As a Camp (and the SUVCW as a whole!) we need to think about who the next Brother to fill any officer position will be and how we can make it the easiest we can for that person to assume their new position. As we discussed previously, none of us are getting paid to do what we do – so we want the experience to be a good one.

It is essential that we capture the knowledge of previous officers to pass on to the next person. It is also essential that we provide clear guidance in how to accomplish the role a person is expected to perform.

There is also the reality that an officer could become sick or incapacitated at anytime and be unable to fulfill their role. So it is especially essential that we understand what is involved so that someone else could temporarily or permanently assume that role so that the Camp (Department, etc.) can continue with its unbroken and consistent operation.

So, how do we achieve this continuity?

We need to implement what is called knowledge management and knowledge transfer. In other words, we need to obtain and document each officer’s knowledge and then be able to transfer it when needed.

This may sound like a major undertaking, but it can actually begin with little expense and a low-tech solution: a 3-ring binder.

As the Junior Vice Department Commander I began assisting with Department-level continuity efforts at the Midwinter Encampment when I distributed binders to the Department Commander, SVDC, JVDC, Dept. Secretary, and Dept. Treasurer. These binders will be added to on an ongoing basis and they currently contain such items as the officer’s job description, contact lists for Department and National Officers, report due dates, and sample report forms. As we move forward it is hoped that the officer’s knowledge will also be captured and included in the binder, such as documenting process’ for how to complete routine tasks. Then, when it is time for a new Brother to assume that officer position, they will enter office with at least the baseline knowledge needed for success.

It is my intention to implement this same binder system for Ben Harrison Camp, so expect that at an upcoming meeting I will distribute binders and discuss how we can begin knowledge management and knowledge transfer to ensure the continuity of our beloved Camp.

As always, I appreciate your support, thoughts, and comments.

Yours in Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty,

Jim