Featuring:
Reception, Field Trip, and Symposium including invited speakers and contributed papers on Mineralogy in the South,annual business meeting,auction to benefit the SEFM, and banquet!

Where:
Weinman Mineral Museum
51 Mineral Drive, White, Georgia
(770) 386-0576
http://www.weinmanmuseum.org/

When:
Friday, November 12, 2004
Reception at the Weinman Mineral Museum

Saturday, November 13, 2004 (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
Mineralogy in the Southeast Symposium
Business Meeting
Auction
Banquet

Sunday, November 14, 2004 (8:00 AM - Exhaustion)
Field Trip

Sponsors:
The Weinman Mineral Museum and Holiday Inn

Business Meeting:
We will hold a brief business meeting.  Agenda items are as follows:

Auction:
At the end of the day we will be holding a silent auction to benefit the SE Chapter of FM - so bring your check book and any items that you could donate to the auction - books, rocks, suites of micro or macro minerals, microscopes, collecting/cleaning/mounting tools or supplies, mining memorabilia, posters, photographs, software, hardware.

Banquet :
The last activity of Saturday will be a dinner gathering.

Field Trip:
Details to be announced.
The weather can be highly variable at this time of year.  As always, layers of clothing are recommended.  Be prepared to do some walking at Indian Mountain.  Bring a sack lunch, water, warm cloths, and raingear in addition to you collecting equipment.  Blaze orange might be advisable as it is hunting season.

Symposium Location and Directions:
Weinman Mineral Museum
51 Mineral Drive
White, Georgia
(770) 386-0576
http://www.weinmanmuseum.org

The Weinman Mineral Museum is located at Exit 293 off of Interstate 75 in White, Georgia, which is just north of Cartersville.  Head west and turn left at the first street, next to the Holiday Inn and then proceed about 0.1 mi.  The Museum is on the left.

Lodging:
Exit 293 off I-75
There is a Holiday Inn next to the Weinman Mineral Museum.  Museum guest get a $54 room rate as per Cindy Cooper.  Mention that you are attending a meeting at the Museum.  - (770) 386-0830 - http://www.sixcontinentshotels.com

Exit 290 of I-75
(Three miles to the south of the museum and very convenient to the Symposium)
Days Inn - (770) 382-1824 - http://www.daysinn.com
Hampton Inn - (770) 382-8999 - http://www.hamptoninn.com
Ramada Inn - (770) 382-1515 - http://www.ramada.com
Country Inn & Suites - (770) 386-5888 - http://www.countryinns.com
Super 8 - (770) 382-8881 - http://www.super8.com
Econo Lodge - (770) 386-3303 - http://www.econolodge.com or http://www.choicehotles.com
Comfort Inn - (770) 387-1800 - http://choicehotels.com

Food:
Saturday Dinner Banquet
(all other meals are on your own)

Breakfasts
At Exit 293 - Waffle House
At Exit 290 - McDonalds and Cracker Barrel.

Lunchs and Dinners
Fast food restaurant are found at exit 290, which may be fine for some for lunch.  Additional information will be provided Saturday Morning, but there are several fine restaurants in Cartersville.  To get to Cartersville from either exit 290 or 293, continue west a couple of miles to US Highway 41.  As noted there will be a group dinner on Saturday.

Presidents Message:
We have our annual Fall Symposium on Saturday November 13th, 2004 at the Weinman Mineral Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, with a field trip on Sunday the 14th.  The museum will also host a reception at the museum on Friday the 12th.  There will be a nominal fee charged this year, and museum admission is free to all who attend the symposium.  Some information is provided here and a schedule of events will be given out at the beginning of the symposium.  More detailed information will be available as plans come together.

I encourage you to attend this year’s Southeast Chapter symposium and to become active in this Chapter.  As I have traveled to regional and local gatherings, I have found much support for the SE Chapter.  This is an important, but frequently neglected (mineralogically speaking), region of the US.  We will again have an exciting list of speakers for the fall symposium and an excellent field trip organized by Dr. Henry Barwood, noted phosphate expert at Troy State University, Alabama.  Jose Santamaria, director and curator of the Weinman Mineral Museum, has graciously agreed to host the fall symposium.  Museum admission is free for those attending the symposium.  This is an excellent setting for the meeting and houses some of the finest minerals found in Georgia and the southeast.  There will be ample time for all to browse the museum displays during the gathering.

Please mark your calendar and make plans to attend the SE Chapter Fall Symposium.  This will be an excellent opportunity to meet other collectors and socialize, to learn about minerals found in the southeast, to bring samples for identification, and to get out in the field and do some collecting.  If you enjoy the experience, then we encourage you to join or renew your membership in the National or Southeast Friends of Mineralogy.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS!!

We are trying something new this year – no theme mineral or subject.  The idea is to get more people involved in giving 15 minute presentations on a variety of topics.  Please consider sharing information on a favorite mine; mineral; cleaning, preparation, or identification technique; photography or cataloging tips; or anything that would be of interest to a mineral collector.  If you are planning to attend, have questions, or would like to give a presentation please contact Julian C. Gray (770.973.3632 orjulian.gray@comcast.net).

Please RSVP . Thank you very much and I look forward to seeing you.

Julian C. Gray,
Southeast Chapter FM President
524 Robin Lane
Marietta, Georgia 30067-7046
(770) 973-3632
julian.gray@comcast.net