OBCWRT’s Mission is to educate, preserve, and honor the history of the American Civil War through meetings, presentations and events. It also support preservation efforts while fostering respectful discussions that embrace the diverse disscussoins that embrace diverse perspectives
What’s Happening With Old Baldy
WELCOME to April. I am sure everyone is anxious for Spring!!
Old Baldy is welcoming a new Member, Patricia Geisler from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Welcome, Patricia!! The OBCWRT 50th Anniversary committee held their third meeting. The committee obtained the needed ROOM pricing from all our venue options and is preparing to make a solid recommendation to the Board in April. The next Board meeting (final date in April to be determined) will include discussions of the options and how the committee converged on the recommended venue and overall plan. The committee also moved forward into the next phases of planning. Preliminary ideas will also be presented to the Board to get initial feedback. The committee is also considering activities outside the actual event that can become part of our celebration and bring some recognition to Old Baldy.
As the membership knows, we are supporters of the Camden County Historical Association (CCHA). CCHA held their quarterly meeting on March 27th which was attended by Calvin Kinsel and Rich Jankowski. New CCHA newsletters are available for handing out. We have decided to express our support to CCHA as they work to get funding to renovate Pomona Hall in Camden (Built in 1726).
As noted in previous months, we have revitalized the Old Baldy Website. Everyone is encouraged to visit the website and explore the included links. Please provide feedback to myself or Kevin Sekula (VP) if you have any suggestions, find some element difficult to navigate and/or consider there is additional content you consider would be valuable.
Want to thank John Horn who presented “Lee Besieged: Grant’s Second Petersburg Offensive June 18July 1,1864” at the March Meeting. The presentation was well received.
Our April meeting (April 9) with also be totally by Zoom. There will be no in-person meeting. The speaker will be author Elizabeth Varon; “Longstreet: The Confederate General Who defied the South”. The meeting time and Zoom log-in information are provided on the Website under the “Meeting Information” Link as well as in the Newsletter. The Zoom information along with information about the speaker will also be sent via a separate e-mail that is sent to all members and all friends on our mailing list.
Events that our fellow RT and other historical societies have in April and beyond (that we are aware of) can be found on our “Partner Events” link on the Website as well as in the Newsletter.
As we move further into 2026, recognize this is an election year where all officer and board positions will be up for election. We already are aware that at least 2 board positions and membership committee chair will be vacant independent of the nominating approach. We would like to initiate the process early by offering members who consider they may have an interest in any officer, committee chair or board position to experience what the position might involve by allowing participation in board meetings, interacting with current officer/board member to get a sense of the activities and effort involved so can verify interest. Please let Calvin of Kevin know if this is something anyone would like to participate in.
We also have a lot of interest in moving back to in-person meetings by those members local to the meeting location at Camden County College in Cherry Hill, NJ. It is a good opportunity for members that can make it to the meeting location to get together (typically go out to dinner together as well). This is being prevented due to a lack of having someone who can help the Programs Chair set up the Zoom equipment in the meeting room. This would require someone who could make most of the meetings and understands setting up the PC/camera and link into Zoom. If anyone considers they can support this, the members who attend in person would be very appreciative. Please contact Kevin Sekula (VP and Programs Chairman)
The 2026 Membership Dues continue to be collected. Dues remain the same, $25.00 Individual Membership and $35.00 Family Membership. Remember they can now be paid online. Just visit our Web Page, click on, "Membership" on the top bar, which will take you to the next page. Choose a payment method, Visa, etc., and click "Buy Now". This will take you to the submission page, complete form and click on, "Pay Now". Done. As always, if you prefer to pay by check, bring it to any in-person meeting or send to: 142 Mimosa Drive Sewell, NJ, 08080 attention Calvin Kinsel
As a final note, as always, I encourage every member to reach out to myself or Kevin if you have any comments or ideas relative to Old Baldy, e.g., what you would like us to focus on going forward etc. All feedback is encouraged. It is also a way we can get to know the membership better as we are relatively new to the organization. If you send a note to oldbaldycwrt@verizon.net, we will get back to you and can develop a more personal way to stay in contact.
Calvin Kinsel President OBCWRT