Step Up and Make a Difference: SKCGS Needs YOU as Our Next Secretary! Hello fellow SKCGS members! As my term as Secretary of SKCGS comes to a close, it seems like a good time to reflect a bit. It was yesterday I was just getting familiar with SKCGS and the many excellent benefits they offered members. From the presentations during COVID, to the monthly Genealogy Chats, I came to appreciate how special the SKCGS community was. And when asked to become the Secretary, I was glad to be able to give back and help.   So, I'm writing to encourage one of you to step into this rewarding role. If you've ever thought about getting more involved with SKCGS or wondered what happens behind the scenes, this might be the perfect opportunity for you! Why Consider Being Secretary? It's Perfect for Your Schedule We all have busy lives; attending an in-person meeting may not be something you want to do. SKCGS board meetings are once a month in the evening via Zoom and last about an ho...

  From Melanie Hinds: Growing up in Chicago we always had artificial Christmas trees, and my mom seemed to appreciate trees that were made of any material and any color other than a traditional green evergreen tree. One year we had a white flocked tree with turquoise garland and ornaments. (I thought it was so cool!)  This is a picture of a Christmas tree we had in the late 1960’s: silver aluminum with purple glass ornaments. What you can’t see behind all these presents is the color wheel that we always used to illuminate our Christmas trees. Many of you might remember the color wheel: it was an electric wheel contraption that was divided into 4 quarters, each quarter a different color (usually red, blue, yellow and green) that could reach temperatures of about 4000 degrees hot and cause 3rd degree burns if you were silly enough to touch it! (Don’t ask me how I know about that.)  And our color wheel squeaked as it made each revolution. I always wondered why my dad never o...