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The board of the society is its governing body. Board members have one vote each and collectively decide the direction the society takes. Specific roles and responsibilities are set out for each office in the bylaws of the national organization. The board is bound by those rules.

Our state society elects a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, registrar, chancellor, and chaplain from its active membership, and appoints additional officers such as parliamentarian, surgeon, genealogist, historian and sergeant-at-arms. In addition to these officials, we nominate a national trustee and an alternate trustee who are confirmed by the Annual Congress of the National Society. These officers are joined with our chapter presidents and others within our Board of Managers, the governing body of the organization. The duties of our officers are similar to those of their counterparts in other organizations, in accordance with our bylaws.

Some of the duties of the elected officers are:

  • The President of a state society fulfills the customary duties of the office and supervises the affairs of the state society.
  • The Secretary has charge of the records of the state society, gives notice of all meetings and keeps an accurate written record of the proceedings of meetings. He signs all application papers.
  • The Treasurer has custody of the funds of the state society and is responsible for the collection and transmittal of membership dues to the National Society, as specified in the bylaws of the National Society.
  • The Registrar examines all applications for membership and approves them, if found acceptable, before submitting them to National Headquarters for final approval and registration. A duplicate copy of each application is retained by the state registrar for the archives of his state society.
  • The Chancellor is an attorney-at-law, who gives opinions on legal matters affecting the society when such questions are referred to him by the proper officers.
  • The Chaplain, an ordained clergyman, gives the invocation and benediction at state society meetings and ceremonies, and furnishes the membership with spiritual guidance. He conducts any religious service that occurs at state functions.

State Officers for the Fiscal Year

The state officers of the Massachusetts Society for this year are:

Christopher Scott Tourtellot
President
William Richard Tice Jr
First Vice President
J Whitney Halloran
Vice President
Stephen Lee Watts
Vice President
J David Bowie
State Secretary
Jeffrey Eugene Fryar
Assistant Secretary
Murray Charles Norcross Jr.
Recording Secretary
Jason Andrew Dunton
Treasurer
Edgar Stickley Hoak IV
National Trustee
Daniel W Kraft
Alternate Trustee
Elwin L Spray
State Registrar-Genealogist
John Derek Ginsberg
Assistant State Registrar-Genealogist
Thomas Philip Vincent
Chancellor
John Webster Pramberg
Assistant Chancellor
Scott Elwin Tourtellot
Chaplain
Clark B Loth
Financial Trustee
Jay Edgar Bailey
Financial Trustee
John Webster Pramberg
Financial Trustee
Brad James Bittenbender
Marshall
Brent Headley Upchurch
Surgeon
John Arthur Cunningham
Curator
David Allen Lambert
Historian
J David Bowie
Librarian

Current Chapter Presidents

The current roster of chapter president of the Massachusetts Society are:

Thomas Winn Merrell
Boston Chapter
David Crandall Schafer
Cape Cod and Islands Chapter
Christopher Scott Tourtellot
Col. Henry Knox Color Guard Chapter
Christopher Scott Tourtellot
Col. William Henshaw Chapter
John Thomas Manning M.Ed
Gen. Benjamin Lincoln Chapter
Joseph Owen Gauthier
Old Essex Chapter
Matthew Patrick Ahern
Old Middlesex Chapter
Sean William Conley
Plymouth Blue Water Chapter
Raymond Arthur Ellsworth
Pomeroy Chapter
Gerald Roy Hazeldine
Robert Treat Paine Chapter

Board of Managers

The Board of Managers is the governing body of the society. It consists of all the elected state officials, all living past state presidents, current chapter presidents, and additional members appointed from the membership for three-year rotations. The terms of the additional members are staggered so that the board maintains continuity. Each rotating member serves until the Annual Meeting of the year shown.

Rotational Members

Expires 2026
Brad James Bittenbender
Bradley Edmund Field
Jeffrey LeRoy Gardiner
Stephen James Hawko Sr
David Walter Powell
Expires 2027
Eric James Stahl
Kenneth Bruce Sterling
Allan David Van Wert
Bret Derek Wilson
Expires 2028
Michael William Bowie
Thomas Brent Childs
Jonathan Cogswell Lane
William Edward Rapp
Elwin L Spray

Committees of the Society

The committees serve in support of the Board of Managers, either directly for the board or by implementing one of the initiatives of the National Society locally.

  • Awards, Memorials, and Markers (National Program)
  • Ethics Committee
  • Finance Committee
  • Meetings Committee
  • Membership Committee
  • Publication and Printing Committee

Massachusetts Society, Post Office Box 890235, Weymouth, MA 02189-0004, (508) 229-1776
© 2016-2025 All Rights Reserved

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