After our last program meeting Gloria Beck led me to her car and handed me a brown corrugated box tied with a length of thick cotton clothesline and bearing two labels in Lou Beck’s handwriting: "Wash Crossing Master Copies" and "Return to Washington Crossing Officers." Inside is an archive of WCAS newsletters, from December 1979 (two months after WCAS received its charter) to Spring-Summer 2011, all neatly grouped by year (September to May). Occasionally interspersed are newspaper clippings, posters and other items of interest. Thanks to Lou’s thoughtfulness we now have a complete record and valuable history of the organization. We are indebted to both Gloria and Lou for this splendid gift.

After a hasty perusal, a few features stand out: the osprey has graced the top of the first page of our newsletter from the beginning and our post office box has remained the same. Our membership today waffles between 1450 and 1500; in December 1979 it was a respectable "close to 700." Among the new members listed at the end of the February 1980 issue are our conservation chair, Pat Sziber and her husband. Parts of scans from the first two issues can be viewed below. We plan to inventory the archive and mine it for more tidbits to share in the future. Anyone interested in volunteering to help please contact me at albatross8@verizon.net.

December, 1979

February, 1980