April 2009 Volume 15 Number 1

Information for Commanders, Adjutants and 29,004 Members
Information contained in the Gray Line is for use by all members. Commanders are encouraged to copy those items which directly affect their membership into their camp newsletters, or to include the Gray Line in its entirety as a part of your newsletters. Communication throughout the organization is very important and the Gray Line offers us a means to provide members with the most up-to-date information on many different topics.

SCV Membership
The SCV currently has 29,004 members including 45 Real Sons and 3410 Life Members plus an additional 335 cadet members 86 Friends of the SCV. Please vigorously recruit new members and encourage current members to make the commitment to be long term members. An easy way to strengthen the SCV is to persuade former members of your camp to reinstate. If you would like a mailing list of your camp's dues delinquent former members, please contact the GHQ staff.

Affinity4 offers Long Distance Service to SCV Members
The Sons of Confederate Veterans is excited to announce we have another way for you to support the SCV without impacting your budget. This has been made possible through our partnership with Affinity4. Affinity4 is now offering long distance service to SCV members. With Affinity4 Long Distance you'll choose from flexible rate plans starting at just 2.9¢ a minute with no contract commitment or minimum usage requirements. Plus, for a limited time only pay no service fee for the first three months! And best of all, when you sign-up for Affinity4 Long Distance you can increase your support of the SCV every time you make a phone call!

Through Affinity4's unique Give Back Program, 10% of their proceeds from your long distance service will be donated back to the SCV! Sign Up Today and Affinity4 will donate an extra $10 to the SCV at no extra cost to you! With Affinity4 Long Distance, not only do you get great service and great rates, you get the opportunity to support the SCV as we continue our efforts to ensure that a true history of the period 1861-1865 is preserved and presented to future generations.

To sign up for Affinity4 Long Distance today; click here or call 1-800-311-2602. Don't forget to ask about other offers on the entire family of Affinity4 telecommunications products available to SCV members.

SCV Forms and Publications
The SCV website has a very nice self help section where you can download and print for yourself commonly used forms as well as publications that are helpful to members and camp officers in the discharge of their duties.
Please go to: http://www.scv.org/documents.php

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The SCV Gray Line is published periodically by the Sons of Confederate Veterans
P.O. Box 59, Columbia, TN 38402
Commander-in-Chief Charles E. McMichael
7994 Blanchard-Furrh Rd.
Shreveport LA 71107 (318) 963-9892

scvcic72@gmail.com

SCV Executive Director: Ben Sewell exedir@scv.org ext.207
Wendy Wilburn: Army of Northern Virginia and Army of Tennessee (less GA, MS, TN) anvdesk@scv.org ext.204
Levis Jones, Army of Trans Mississippi (plus Georgia. Mississippi, Tennessee) atmdesk@scv.org ext.203

Bryan Sharp: Membership Coordinator membership@scv.org ext.201 Cindy White Business Manager-membership@scv.org ext 209
David Stinson: Merchandising mktadm@scv.org ext.205
(800) 380-1896 (931) 381-6712 (Fax)
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Dues Proration
If a man reinstates or joins as a new member in May, June, or July 2009, which is technically the 4th quarter of our fiscal year, he is required pay his $30 yearly dues plus the $5 processing fee, and he has the option to pay an additional $7.50 for a total of $42.50 to join for both the current fiscal year as well as the next fiscal year, meaning his dues will be paid through July 31, 2010. Please take advantage of this option whenever possible. You may download a membership application with the correct price at this link: http://www.scv.org/pdf/SCVApplicationFillable.pdf
Life memberships which are tied to annual dues are now $750 through age 64, $375 for age 65 through 79 and $187.50 for age 80 and up. The current form may be obtained at this link on the SCV website:http://www.scv.org/pdf/LMForm.pdf

2013 Reunion - Notice for Bids
Those Camps/Brigades /Divisions who may be interested in hosting the 2013 reunion must provide a proposal to the Time and Place committee by January 31, 2010. Proposals, as much as practical, should be in electronic format. If the proposal is in hard copy format, five (5) copies should be sent. Once the proposals have been received, the actual date and place for the Time and Place Committee meeting will be established. It will be held on or before the spring 2010 meeting of the General Executive Council. Please contact: Joe Ringhoffer, Chairman 1211 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36604 Ringhje@aol.com (251) 402-7593


New SCV Recruiting Awards
The GEC has approved two new recruiting awards effective August 1, 2008. The David O. Dodd Award recognizes members who contribute greatly to the SCV's long term goals by recruiting new members who are age 18 or younger. The cut off date will be applications postmarked as of July 1, 2009 and each subsequent year. An application with more detail may be retrieved at this link: www.scv.org/pdf/dodd.pdf
The General Jo Shelby Award recognizes any member who reinstates at least five dues delinquent former members during the year with the cut off date again being correspondence postmarked NLT July 1, 2009 and each subsequent year. An application with more detail may be obtained at this link:www.scv.org/pdf/shelby.pdf

Hot Springs AR Reunion
The 114th SCV annual general reunion/convention will be held from July 22 through 25, 2009 at the Arlington Hotel, 239 Central Ave, Hot Springs AR 71901, (800) 643-1502. The registration fee is only $60 to November 1, 2008 which includes a name badge, a reunion medal, program and discount tickets to rides and attractions in Hot Springs. The registration fee will increase to $70 on November 1, 2008 and remain at that level until May 1, 2009. However, after May 1, 2009 you will be a late registration, which along with walk ins, are not guaranteed to receive any item other than a name badge as there may not be sufficient programs and reunion medals remaining. Please go to the convention site,http://scv2009reunion.com/ for more details on the many wonderful opportunities that will be available for your entertainment in this historic resort city. Don't delay your registration.


CV Magazine
The May June 20098 Confederate Veteran magazine was placed into the bulk mail system on April 21, 2009. Please report address changes to the GHQ as soon as you know them to ensure your members receive their magazines in a timely manner.

Jefferson Davis Statue
The statue of Jefferson Davis and his two sons is nearing completion and the statue will be placed at Beauvoir in Biloxi MS. Fund raising is continuing to proceed less quickly than the work on the statue. The cost of the project is approximately $100,000, and the total contributions to date have reached $45,616. The South Carolina Division has made the largest contribution of $6001, closely followed by the Alabama Division at $5100, the North Carolina Division at $2000 and the Fayetteville NC Arsenal Camp 168 contributed $2000 each, the Virginia Division $1500, while a $1000 contribution has been received from the Tennessee Division, $1550 from Compatriot Reinhard Dearing (LA), $1000 from Compatriot William D. Melton (AL), and the Louisiana Division has contributed $500. If you would like to make a contribution please go to this site http://www.scv.org/pdf/DavisAppeal2008.pdf to obtain the current letter from CiC Charles E. McMichael with a contribution return form.

Stephen Dill Lee Institute
A very successful Stephen Dill Lee Institute was held the weekend of February 6 to 8, 2009 in the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston SC 29403 with well over 200 paid registrants and 260 attendees at the Saturday banquet. The next event will be conducted on February 26 -28, 2010 at the Music City Sheraton Hotel in Nashville TN where there will be a reception to meet the speakers, sponsored by the Tennessee Division, at the hotel on Friday night February 26th. The event will move back to the venerable Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston SC February 4 - 6, 2011. Please see the website: www.StephenDLeeInstitute.com for details.

Friends of the SCV (FOSCV)
TheFOSCVis a terrific way to recognize persons who support the SCV, but do not meet the requirements to qualify as a member. The General Executive Council (GEC) has approved the "Friends of the SCV" concept which has now come to fruition. For a minimum initial donation of $40, the "Friend" receives a nice certificate suitable for framing, a FOSCV lapel pin and a one-year subscription to the Confederate Veteran magazine. Subsequent donations of $30 or more each year will maintain the CV subscription and friendship. Please note that "Friends" are not SCV members, may not exercise any rights of membership to include claiming to be members. The "Friends of the SCV" application may be accessed on the SCV website at this link: http://www.scv.org/pdf/FOSCV_MembershipApplication.pdf Camps which already have associate membership programs in place for their supporters who do not have Confederate ancestry are free to either participate in this program or continue their current system.

SCV Blog
Do you enjoy Blogs and want to share some useful historical information or have some historical items of consequence you want to share with other SCV members? If so visit the SCV Blog at http://www.sonsofconfederateveterans.blogspot.com/ and enjoy the interaction.

SCV Affinity Credit Card
The Sons of Confederate Veterans is still working to secure a new affinity credit card arrangement with a bank which will not only provide the remuneration terms we believe reasonable but more importantly allow the previous designs featuring the photograph of a CSA soldier with the SCV logo on one and the other option being a likeness of General R. E. Lee with a Confederate Battle Flag in the background. If you wish to continue to support the SCV through a new affinity card, please provide your name and address to SCV, P O Box 59, Columbia TN 38502-0059, by email to exedir@scv.org or phone (800) 380-1896 ext 207. If and when we are able to sign a new agreement, applications will immediately be sent to all who have indicated interest in advance as well as advertisements in the CV magazine and one the SCV website.

Camp officer contact information
Please furnish the current email addresses for your Camp Commander and Adjutant to your Army secretary. If neither the Camp Commander nor Adjutant has an email address, please furnish an alternate email address to the GHQ. GHQ would also like to enter the email addresses of your camp's members. We have nearly 9000 email addresses in the database which is less than one third of our membership. Please furnish these to GHQ to enable us to more quickly communicate with the membership when time is of the essence.

Important Notice
If you or any of your Compatriots would like to receive occasional notices and announcements from the official SCV news source, the Telegraph, please visit http://www.scv.org/maillistSubscription.php
The Gray Line is only beingsent via email on the internet through the official SCV Telegraph! If any member of your camp would like to join the list to receive the SCV Telegraph please direct him to the link above where he can sign up for this service. He will need his SCV member number which can be found on the CV magazine address label. Please forward this Gray Line to all members of your camp as it contains useful information.

Not receiving your Confederate Veteran?
The CV magazine is mailed at Non Profit bulk mail rates and the US Postal Service will not forward them if you have a change of address. Please report address changes as soon as they are known. If you have any question about GHQ having your correct information, you can check it by entering your SCV ID number and your last name in the box at the following link: http://www.scv.org/checkData.php. If a correction needs to be made, you will see a form for that purpose, which will notify Elm Springs to update their records.

New war service record research tools
Many of you are looking for your or your camp's potential members' Confederate Ancestor's war service records. Through their partnerships with organizations such as the National Archives, compiled service records of Confederate Soldiers for the states of Alabama,Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia are now available online at footnote.com. Also available are Confederate Officer Service Records,Confederate Amnesty Papers, Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 and much morewhich is all now available fromthe convenience of your keyboard. Why not start your Footnote free trial now? http://www.footnote.com/scv.php?xid=69

Calling all SONS and DAUGHTERS to the 7th Annual Sam Davis Youth Camp!
If the South should lose, it means that the history of the heroic struggle will be written by the enemy, that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers, will be impressed by all of the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision. -Major General Patrick Cleburne When and Where? Co-Ed Camps: The first camp will be held from Sunday June 28th to Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at Three Mountain Retreat, 1648 FM 182 Clifton TX 76634. The deadline for applications is Friday, June 19, 2009. The second camp will be held from Sunday July 19th to Saturday July 25th at Strong Rock Camp, six miles north of Cleveland, GA. This is one of the nicest facilities we have ever had and the camp promises to be even greater than in previous years. The deadline for applications is Thursday July 9, 2009. Need more details? Interested in becoming a counselor? Please contact: Jack Marlar 2161 Greenpond Rd., Fountain Inn, SC 29644, 864-616-0042 or email marlars3@bellsouth.net Visit http://samdavis.scv.org to get more info or download an application.

7th ANNUAL N.B.F. BOYHOOD HOME FUNDRAISER
SATURDAY JUNE 20TH 9AM-4PM ~ CHAPEL HILL, TN
For schedule & directions visit: http://elmspringscsa.com