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Socialize at 6:30, Business at 7:00, Featured Presentation at 8:00 

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Underwater Archaeological Society of Chicago

Meeting Minutes 24 September 2008

General

  •  Approximately 25 members met at 6:30 at the 8th floor of the Helix Building, 310 S. Racine at Jackson.
  • Tonight's meeting was run by Joan Forsberg, with food provided by Cris Kohl.

Board and Committee Reports

  • Secretary - John Bell read the minutes from the last meeting, which were approved.
  • Treasury –  Bob Gadbois reported on the state of UASC finances. Contact Bob for further information.
  • ICSSD Claire Gadbois reported on the Illinois Council of Skin and Scuba Divers:
    • Congratulations to the new officers of ICSSD:
      • B ob Gadbois Secretary
      • Claire Gadbois Treasurer
      • Executive Vice President still open.
    • Applications for Diver of the Year, Club of the Year, and Humanitarian of the Year are due by September 18th.
    • 20 Sept - International Beach Clean Up at Haigh Quarry. Zebra Mussel collection, raffles, food, T-shirts.
    • 5 October - Underwater Pumpkin Carving Dive at Haigh Quarry, sponsored by CASA.
    • 11 October - Presidents' Night Banquet and Raffle at Charlie's Charhouse, 1180 W. Devon, Elk Grove Village. Cocktails at 6:00, Dinner at 7:00. Tickets are $42, for sale in July. Please bring Toys For Tots, unwrapped, non-violent, with batteries.
    • 11 November - ICSSD Budget Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Mr. Beef and Pizza.
  • Membership – Scott Reimer provided updated membership lists, with 101 names on it.
  • Newsletter – Cris Kohl - The September/October newsletter has been mailed and is available at this month's meeting. Material for future newsletters is appreciated.
  • Website – Brian Hopkins and John Bell will be working on updating the web site. Any feedback will be welcome.
  • Other:

Old Business

  •   No old business this month.

New Business

  • How I spent my summer vacation - Brief summer activity reports were provided by:
    • Cris Kohl
      • Cris goes DIGITAL !
      • The Shipwrecked Whalebacks
      • Material Service
      • Louisville
      • Car Ferry Number 2.
      • The David Dows
    • John Bell
    • John & Ruth Loftus
    • Chet Childs
    • Kieth Pearson
  • The Buccaneer Project - Project update by Bob Rushman and Claire Yashar.
    • Lots of work already done, but LOTS OF HELP STILL NEEDED!
    • 285 man-hours put in so far from 17 UASC members and 5 non-members.
    • Most of the boat is no longer filthy and disgusting, just in need of scraping, etc.
    • Bow and stern will need to be re-decked.
    • Contact John Bell if you would like to be added to the Buccaneer project mailing list.
    • Thanks to all who have helped with the cleanup so far.
    • Tons of garbage have been removed.
    • Help needed this Saturday and most Saturdays for the next month, generally 9:00 to 3:00 - Contact Bob if you can help.
    • The Tim Early Foundation has agreed to match donations up to $1000 - Forms available tonight or from Joan.
    • Claire Yashar will be surveying the ship - Contact Claire if you want to help.
  • Chicago Shipwrecks DVD -
    • Ruth Loftus is now in charge.
    • Popular dive sites will be covered with pictures, history, etc. ( See below for list. )
    • ~ 1 hour - Five wrecks at 10 minutes each, or 10 wrecks at 5 minutes each.
    • Bob Gadbois to do the production work.
    • Don Doherty to write the intro and conclusion
    • Michael Angelo to provide the cover art.
    • Eight wrecks, to be prepared by:
      • Cris Kohl - Wells Burt
      • Rotarian & St. Marys - Keith Pearson
      • Material Service - Jim Jarecki
      • The Straits of Mackinac - Chet Childs
      • Subchaser - Tony Kiefer
      • Tacoma - John Loftus
      • Wings of the Wind - Joan Forsberg
    • Contact Ruth if you have materials to contribute.
    • Materials need to be delivered to Bob Gadbois by the end of October to have the finished product ready in time for Our World Underwater and the Chicago Maritime Festival.
  • UASC shirts - In progress. Jim Jarecki is working on it.
  • Chicago “Maritime Trail” - Can we make signs similar to those on the Wisconsin Maritime Trails for the Chicago area? Contact Joan if you are interested in helping with this, or if you have any good ideas to offer.
  • The Lockwood Pioneer Scuba Diving Museum in Loves Park is having its Grand Opening on Saturday October 4th.
    • Speakers include Bob Marx ( Keynote ), David Trotter, & Cris Kohl
  • Brendon Baillod received an award for historic interpretation at the annual conference of the Association for Greal Lakes Maritime History
    • Joyce Hayward received the award for historical preservation at the same meeting.
  • NEXT UASC MEETING: 6:30 P.M. on Wednesday October 29th. Speaker: Art Chavez, Refreshments: ???
  • November meeting the 19th to avoid Thanksgiving.
  • Suggestions are always welcome for future guest speakers.  
  • Shipwreck Survey Projects - See Below

Shipwreck Survey Projects

  • Buccaneer - To be scuttled in 2008 in ??’ - Project Leader: Bob Rushman.
  • Material Service - Sank on July 29, 1936 in 38’ - Project Leader: Jim J./John L./Tony K.
    • Photographers recently dove on the Material Service and collected info to complete the project.
  • Barge No. 2 - Sank on Sept. 29, 1906 in 40’ - Project Leader: John Loftus
    • Project may be nearing completion.
  • The Straits of Mackinac - Scuttled on April 10, 2003 in 78’ - Project Leader:Needed

Guest Speaker

  • Captain Dale Bennett is co-owner of the 42-foot-long, 30-ton M/V Enterprise, a well-known and popular Chicagoland dive charter boat running out of Waukegan Harbor. He holds a 100-ton US Merchant Marine master’s license. He has been diving Lake Michigan shipwrecks since 1973. He is a TDI Instructor Trainer and PADI Master Instructor, and specializes in Advanced Wreck Diving and Mixed Gas technical training. Capt. Dale is as regular shipwreck article contributor to Midwest Scuba Diving magaine, and he is offering a $100 reward for information that leads to diveable, new shipwrecks found between Highland Park, IL, and Racine, WI.

Other Business

  •  The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00, after which a number of members retired to Ricobene's for further discussions and socializing.