Two Division #1 Special Announcements:

1)         The division meeting scheduled for April 14th has been changed—it is NOW scheduled for Friday April 21st at 8:15PM.  Friday, April 14th is “Good Friday”!!!!

2)         For all of you on the internet, THIS will be the last newsletter you’ll receive thru the US Mail.  Gentlemen, the division has been spending an average of $100.00 (more or less) a month on publishing the newsletter.  Bob Gates put forth a motion at the March meeting that those with internet capabilities should receive the newsletter via e-mail.  I am not sure how well this is going to work, BUT we will try it for 90 days and see how it goes.  You can also read the newsletter on our website at:  www.stlhibernians.org

2006 Division #1 yearly dues:   annual membership dues have come due.  Brand new members its $30.00 plus a $5.00 initiation fee, minus the number of months you were not a member (if you joined in February, it’s minus $2.50 because you were not a member in January, and so on!!).  For persons who are already members, its $30.00!!!!!  Please get your dues in A S A P as the division must pay its “per capita tax” very soon to the St. Louis City/County Board, The Missouri State Board, and to AOH National Headquarters.  These “taxes” provide their respective operating revenues.

So your attention to these dues is very important.  If you have NOT paid your dues yet, PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE—mail to Steve Techacek, 6128 Leona Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, 63116.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade:  Well it looked like it was going to be cold, but it warmed up nicely, and “Good God Almighty” did we have a spectator turnout!

I’ve heard estimated of up to 250,000 people.  We did have some problems with some of the entrees. ALL this will be thoroughly explored at the parade wrap-up meeting on Wednesday, April 5th (meeting begins at 7:30pm). PLEASE Try and attend as we will NEED your comments/suggestions/input!!!!!!!!

St. Louis Area A.O.H. Color Guard

The St. Louis Area A.O.H. Color Guard is in a constant search for new members to join their ranks.  Your complete uniform is furnished by the Color Guard team fund.  IF you are interested, please contact Terry Madden at 314/ 631-1630 or at his e-mail address: tmadden@teamsterslocal682.com  The team now under the leadership Of Terry Madden will be changing the style of uniforms after some 5 years to include kilts and a “Glengarry”(????),  & spats  in order to look more “Irish”.  This should make for a real interesting uniform—Congrads team!!!

If you are NOT receiving the weekly “Irish Republican News” over the internet, that means either I have an incorrect e-mail address for you, OR I do not have one at all, so get a hold of me!!!

The AOH Division #1 trailer owes a very deep debt of gratitude to the owner and employees of ISC Contracting Company.  Especially to owner Dan Green and his employee “Ike” McMillan.  Ike was the one who did ALL the “legwork” and as of this date the Division #1 trailer has a legal license plate and the process has been initiated wherein about a month we should receive a reissued title.

Can you believe it?  After so many years we are once again legal on the street.  Not only for the action, but Dan and his employees turn out to walk with the division float as “wheel walkers”, and hand out beads.  ALL of this is paid for by Dan Green and ISC Contracting.

Dan has said “The actual out of pocket costs are minimal.  By the time we get copy of the title it might be $100 total. ISC Contracting is taking care of ALL the costs, both the out of pocket expenses and Ike's time to take care of it as a donation to the AOH.  I know you will want to say no but please let my company donate this.  As I can rarely make a meeting this is the best way I can give back to our organization.  Plus I love driving the trailer in the St. Pat's Parade and brining along my employees who also love it. They really enjoy handing beads to the children. It's a great employee moral booster and I lead by example by showing them how important it is to give back to our community. So you see it all works out” - Dan

“Dos I an fear Éireannach teaghlach” (Yours in the Irish family)

Jim Otto

President

AOH Division #1

Irish Movie Facts

To the “Irish-American” the most loved Irish movie is the 1952 classic, “The Quiet Man”, directed by John Ford, & starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, & Barry Fitzgerald.

NOW here are some facts behind the making of the movie.

John Ford had wanted to make this movie, even though it hand no written script since around 1942, but none of the major movie studios wanted anything to do with it—“it was not a money-maker”. Ford had told O’Hara & Wayne of his idea for a story line of the movie, and they agreed immediately to make the movie.   Finally, John Wayne went to his old friends at Republic

Pictures studio and convinced them to make the movie, but only if all three, John Ford, John Wayne, and Maureen O’Hara, would agree to make a black and white western, so that Republic would have a real “money-maker” to recover their “losses” incurred in making the Technicolor “Quiet Man” So all three made a classic western “Rio Grande” , which was a hit and made lots of money for Republic, which was at that time a real 2nd rate movie studio.  Then they made, in 1952, “The Quiet Man” which turned out to be Republics best “money-maker” and it became their most prestigious film ever.

And so as Paul Harvey would say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”

Track Your Family History Online

You can now track down your family's history in Missouri, online. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan showed off a new death certificate database this morning at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters.  The database allows anyone to search through more than two 2 million death certificates that range from 1910 to 1955. You can search by name, county, month or even the year.  This is the largest online project ever completed by the Missouri state archives. Go to http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates/