The Association for Gravestone Studies

MARKERS XXVII has been mailed!
It was mailed to all members with memberships current during 2010 in November 2011.

2012 AGS Conference Press Release

The most recent press release regarding our 2012 conference is available. You can view it by clicking here (PDF File)

Students -- It's time to enter the 2012 AGS Student Paper Competition

Students -- earn a chance to attend the 2012 AGS Conference and Annual Meeting as a guest of AGS. Enter the AGS Student Paper Competition.

Requirements: The applicant must either be a graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited college or university, as well as a member of the AGS.

Application: The application will consist of the title, abstract and text for a scholarly paper suitable for presentation at the Friday Lecture Session. The entry should be in the exact form that it will be delivered at the conference, including visuals. It should be a twenty-minute presentation. PowerPoint is the preferred presentation medium.

The award will cover registration, plus room and board for the full conference (about $525) and will include a cash prize of $200, which will be presented at the conference.

The recipient of this award will be expected to present the paper during the Friday evening lecture session, June 22, 2012.

Deadline: March 31, 2012

Your entry should consist of a cover letter with a PDF attachment, emailed to Bob Drinkwater c/o info@gravestonestudies.org.

MORE CONFERENCE INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED SOON

AGS Chapter Meetings:

Alabama: March 19, 2011, Huntsville, Alabama

AGS Cape Cod Chapter/Southern Massachusetts: October 15, 2011, Cotuit, Massachusetts

Illinois: Visit the Illinois Chapter on Facebook

Indiana: Visit the Indiana Chapter on Facebook

Northeast New England Chapter: May 6, 2012, Ellen Rogers Kennedy Memorial Chapel of Rural Cemetery and Crematory, 180 Grove Street, Worcester, MA

The Gravestone Girls are pleased to announce we will be hosting the Spring 2012 Northeastern New England AGS Chapter meeting Sunday, May 6th. The program beings at 9:30am in the Ellen Rogers Kennedy Memorial Chapel of Rural Cemetery and Crematory, 180 Grove Street, Worcester, MA. Among the many noteable people buried at Rural, Dan Farber made his final resting place here. Directions to the cemetery can be found on their website www.ruralcemetery.com

The morning agenda will include a light breakfast, a viewing of the crematory's committal room, and several educational segments on a variety of cemetery and gravestone topics. After a break for lunch, we will reconvene for a walking tour of Rural Cemetery before moving across the city to Hope Cemetery for a look at their 168 acre Victorian and modern landscapes. Attendees can bring a lunch to eat at Rural, or visit a number of nearby eateries during the break (a restaurant list will be provided at the meeting). A preview of Hope Cemetery, and a downloadable walking tour brochure, can be seen at The Friends of Hope Cemetery's website friendsofhopecemetery.com/about.php Directions from Rural to Hope will be provided the day of the meeting.

Several other interesting cemeteries are located in the same neighborhood as Hope Cemetery, and while we won't be able to include them all in the day's activities, a list will be provided so they can be found and explored at attendees leisure.

The program and events will take us until approximately 4pm. A $5 donation is requested to create a contribution to Rural Cemetery for the use of their facilities during what is usually a day they are closed, as well as cover the cost of breakfast and takeaway literature.

Keep your eyes on our website www.GravestoneGirls.com and www.Facebook.com/TheGravestoneGirls to see the detailed agenda as it develops. Please RSVP your attendance to TheGirls@GravestoneGirls.com and do tell all your friends to join us!

Ohio: Visit the Ohio Chapter on Facebook

Western New England: April 28, 2012, Westfield, Massachusetts

The Spring Meeting of the Western New England Chapter of AGS is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Westfield, Massachusetts. The featured speaker will be Dennis Picard, Director of Storrowtown Museum in West Springfield. Dennis will talk about stoneworking and stoneworking tools. More details to follow.

If you would like to start a state chapter in your area or want more information about the above meetings, please contact the AGS office at info@gravestonestudies.org

Donations in Memory of Fred Oakley

We are sorry to report that longtime member, past president, treasurer and trustee Fred Oakley passed away on October 2, 2011.

In 1997 the association named an award after Fred and his wife, Rosalee, known as the Oakley Certificate of Merit, which has since been given to many individuals and groups for their work in gravestone conservation. He often chaired the national conferences of the Association, most recently in his home town of Savannah, Georgia, in 2002 and Amherst, Massachusetts, in 2008. At their annual conference in 2011 in Waterville, Maine, Fred was presented the Harriette Merrifield Forbes Award, the most prestigious award the organization bestows.

In 2002 he was appointed to the Hadley Cemetery Committee and was twice named Hadley, Massachusetts Volunteer of the Year for his gravestone conservation work in Hadley cemeteries. He led a number of conservation workshops in the Hadley cemeteries and nearby communities to train others in the best methods to conserve their burying grounds.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to AGS: 101 Munson Street, Suite 108, Greenfield, MA 01301

Fred's favorite saying: Count that day lost whose low descending sun views from thy hand no worthy action done.

We'll miss you, Fred!

Visit Preservation Directory.com for a listing of AGS and other national events.

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