The Cochise County Rock
Monthly Newsletter of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club
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“Finding and Grinding Rocks in Cochise County, Arizona since 1965”
January 2013
This issue edited by Cherie Robb
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The next General Meeting of the Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club is on Monday January 14th, 2013 at 7:00pm at the Sunsites Community Center. The program will be “Does Deep History Matter?” by Dr. John Ware.
January Program
“Does Deep History Matter?”
For 99% of the time humans have been wandering the globe-and we are inveterate roamers-there was no written history. Literate peoples tend to think that nothing remarkable happened during humanity's long shuffling “prehistory”, and that whatever happened in our remote past has little bearing on contemporary issues, problems, and prospects. In this talk Dr. John Ware will argue that the “scribbling classes” have it all wrong. Deep history does matter, and the survival of our species (and many of our co-inhabitants) may depend on re-learning some of the ancient lessons.
Dr. John Ware
A fourth-generation Arizonan, John Ware is an anthropologist and archaeologist whose research and teaching focus on the prehistory and ethnohistory of the northern Southwest, where he has worked for nearly 40 years. Ware earned his PhD in anthropology from the University of Colorado in 1983 and has taught anthropology at Southern Illinois University, the College of Santa Fe, and Colgate University in New York. In addition to teaching, Ware has held research positions at the Museum of Northern Arizona, Arizona State Museum, and the School of American Research, and he was director of the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe. Since 2001, Ware has served as executive director of the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona.
Christmas Party:
On December 10, 2012 at 6:00pm 32members enjoyed a turkey dinner with all the fixings. Many thanks to all who made the evening a smashing success.
A special Thank You to Diane Brower for her reading of a special poem and conducting the gift exchange with grace and a touch of fun.
Club Dues
Club Dues are due for 2013. Dues are $15 for individuals and $25 for a family. Walter Sigel will be collecting them at the January meeting or you can mail your check to Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club, PO Box 87, Pearce, AZ 85625.
Field Trips:
January Field Trip
On Saturday, January 19th we will get together in Safford at 9:30am at The Manor House restaurant parking lot on SR70, just east of the Hwy191/SR70 intersection. From there we will caravan to the Black Hills rock hound area north on HWY 191. This area is known for Chalcedony. A lot of it contains Limonite that gives it the root beer color and sometimes creates 'fire agate'. Chalcedony is fairly easy to work and takes a great polish. High clearance vehicle needed. Bring light digging tools, bucket or bag, water, chair, smile, etc. Most rock hound books have this area listed. Arrange carpools at the meeting.
If anyone has ideas for future trips, please contact Henri Van den Bos.
Club Website
The address of the Club Website is on the masthead of this newsletter. The Website has past newsletters, photos from almost all of our field trips and other Club information.
Lapidary Lab
Our lapidary (cutting and polishing rocks for jewelry), silver soldering and wire wrapping classes are available again. For lapidary call Don Hammer on 520-384-3105. For silver soldering and wire wrapping call Larry Strout at 520-826-3991.
The Club Library
The Club has an impressive collection of rock and mineral books including field identification guides, guides to collecting areas, lapidary manuals and related topics. If you are interested in checking out any of the books, please call Don Hammer at (520) 384-3105.
Club Calendar:
January
3 Board Meeting
14 General Membership Meeting
19 Field Trip
31 Board Meeting
February
11 General Membership Meeting
16 Field Trip (tentative)
Upcoming Regional Events
January 18 - 20, 2013 Globe, AZ
56th Annual Gila County Gem & Mineral Society show. www.gilagem.com
February 2013 Tucson, AZ
Tucson Gem & Mineral Society annual show.
If you have not been to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, think about taking a day for the adventure. Vendors from all over the world come every year to Tucson with rocks and minerals more beautiful than imagination. It takes at least a day to see only a part of the show.
Click here: 2013 Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows, Fossil, Meteorite, Arizona
January 1 - February 28, 2013 Quartzsite Gem Show
Officers for 2013
President: Jack Light - 520-824-4774
Vice-President: Jim Robb - 805-660-0074
Secretary: Zoe Schnabel - 520-826-0100
Treasurer: Walter Sigel - 520-826-1009
Delegate-at-Large: Carl Schnabel - 520-826-0100
Hospitality Coordinator: Cherie Robb 805-231-2143
Assoc Hospitality Cdr: Gail Renell - 520-507-1896
Field Trip Cdr: Henri Van den Bos -520-384-0288
Speaker Coordinator: Don Hammer 520-384-3105
For Approval:
Sunsites Gem & Mineral Club
General Meeting Minutes, November 12, 2012
President Diane Dunn called the meeting to order at 7PM and opened by welcoming 2 new members, Levi Stonehocker and Uni. Guests included two friends of Cherie & Jim Robb, Jack & Roberta.
Minutes: The minutes from the October meeting were approved as published.
Treasurers Report: Walter Sigel's report was accepted as read. As of Nov. 12, $ 6486.17 is the balance. Dues are due by January.
Nominations for 2013 office are as follows: Jack Light = President Jim Robb = Vice-President
Zoe Schnabel = Secretary Walter Sigel = Treasurer Carl Schnabel = Delegate at Large
A motion to accept the nominees was made, so-moved by Jim Brower, and seconded by Robert Nykamp.
Presidents Remarks: Diane said that it takes many people other than the Board members to make a club successful. In addition to the above officers, Don Hammer will continue as Speaker Coordinator, Cherie Robb will continue as Hospitality Chair with Gail Rennel as co-hospitality coordinator. Henri van den Bos is the Field Trip coordinator. Diane thanked everyone from the membership for helping in many ways throughout this past year. She also mentioned that Don's typing abilities have been hindered & that Cherie Robb has volunteered to do the monthly newsletter. New members Levi & Uni and Gail were thanked for providing the evenings refreshments.
Pearce Heritage Days: We will set up our rock display in the Captains Store at 10 a.m. on Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. Sign-up sheets were distributed for setup as well as breakdown. Don mentioned that the historic buildings will be open to the public along with pertinent displays. Note: Don & Joan Hammer are members of the Pearce Preservation Society's committee to organize the two day event.
Lapidary Shop Up-date: Repairs are scheduled for early December.
Christmas Party: A sign-up sheet for goodies and side dishes to bring to the annual Christmas party was passed around. The turkey is being provided by the Hammers & Joan Brown from the Community Center will roast it. Come at 6 PM.
November Field Trip: We will meet in Pearce at 8:30 Sat. Nov. 16 and caravan to the Commonwealth Mine, hunting for amethyst & lacey agate. High clearance vehicles are necessary in order not to start the dry grass on fire. Jim Robb & Henri scouted out the new area's that have been exposed by back hoe. Bring your usual equipment. Reminder: There is NO field trip for December!
Intermission and Raffle
Program: A video was presented entitled “The Identification of Minerals” by Prof. Renton.
Respectfully submitted,
Zoe Schnabel, Secretary
12/22/12