It was a full room at the Hall of Nations for our Constitution Day Chapter meeting. We had 48 that had signed up with 44 in attendance which is our largest meeting since 2019. We enjoyed a significant number of DAR members that were in attendance. It was a busy meeting but our President, Peter Fagen, kept the program on track which left plenty of time for friends to spend time together before and after the meeting.
DAR members with Peter Fagen
Our keynote speaker was the Honorable J. Clifford Wallace, Senior Judge and Chief Judge Emeritus of the 9th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. Judge Wallace spoke on “Improving the Rule of Law in other Countries.” He is well versed on this topic as his international work began in 1972, when he helped judges in the People’s Republic of China to form “economic courts” that would support international investment by establishing a more reliable legal network. In 1984, Wallace helped organize the Conference of Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific, which continues to meet every two years. Wallace has helped courts in Africa to strengthen administrative processes, and in Guatemala, he helped create a mobile court system to ease access to the courts in remote, rural areas. It was a fascinating discussion. Judge Wallace has an interest in SAR and there is reason to believe he has a direct ancestor that would qualify him for membership. We hope to be able to induct him into our Chapter in the future.
We also had a second keynote speaker, retired journalist, Martin Kruming, gave a presentation on the Global Neighborhood Project. This project serves as a matchmaker for communities around the globe.
We had five new members inducted. (left to right) Peter Fagen preformed the inductions for new members Gene Moore, Alexander Flores, Joseph Flores, Gregory Flores and Raymond Modregon. We have six more new members that we hope to induct at our October meeting.
A special presentation was made to Jesus Benayas, President of the House of Spain. Chapter President Peter Fagen presented Jesus with a “Friend of the Sons of the American Revolution” certificate for his many years of partnering with our Chapter on educational programs.
Inki Welch, President of the House of USA and Hall of Nations was presents a Good Citizenship Certificate and Medal for her years of working with our Chapter on public displays in Balboa Park.