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Clan MacAlpine Gathers at the Society’s 6th AGM in Arlington, Texas, USA! On June 4, 2005, the Society held its 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Arlington, Texas, USA. We had over 40 Clan members participate over the weekend which included our Saturday morning meeting and a Clan dinner “Texas barbeque style” that evening. Clan members came from the all over the USA and Canada to share our heritage and enjoy all things Scottish. At the meeting, we discussed our continuing progress toward the recognition of a Clan Leader. It is a slow process in which progress occurs most frequently in steps rather than leaps. However, everyone was enthusiastic about what we have accomplished to-date and eager to continue to support our effort.  In attendance at our meeting were family members of each of two gentlemen (Mr. W. McAlpin and Mr. M. McAlpine) who are each in the process of obtaining a grant of a Coat of Arms (Arms) from the Lord Lyon in Scotland. Remember that in order to gain recognition of a Clan Leader, we must be able to fill the quota for a special meeting that requires a minimum of nine “MacAlpines”, most of whom must have a Coat of Arms granted by the Lord Lyon, Scotland’s Heraldic Authority. The process to obtain a Coat of Arms usually takes in excess of one year. To qualify for the special meeting, the Arms must have been granted at least one year and a day prior to the meeting. As these gentlemen will represent only the second and third “MacAlpine” Arms ever granted in Scotland, you can see that we are likely years away from attaining our goal. However, I am pleased to report that each of these gentlemen have submitted their Petition For Arms and that they each have both been notified by the Lord Lyon that he has agreed to grant them Arms. We expect that both of these gentlemen will receive their Coat of Arms sometime in 2006. We are hopeful that we can find at least three more “MacAlpines” who will submit a Petition For Arms during 2007. Additionally, we hope to identify several individuals who own at least a few acres of land in Scotland (even if they do not reside in Scotland) as they can qualify to fill the remaining seats at the special meeting. If you are interested in obtaining a Coat of Arms or some land in Scotland, or if you already own some land in Scotland, and you would like to sit on the special committee meeting to nominate our Clan Leader, please contact me so we can discuss it. My email address is Kenneth@macalpineclan.com and I would be very happy to hear from you and I would be glad to explain what is involved.  On Saturday, the festival invited all of the clans to show their spirit by gathering together and marching in a procession of tartan, flags, and banners. Clan MacAlpine was one of two clans given “Honored Clan” status and asked to lead the procession in recognition of this being our AGM. As can be seen above, the Clan MacAlpine rallied to the call and formed the second largest group of assembled clansfolk. In front of our delegation, carrying the Society banner can be seen Mr. Bruce MacAlpine of Ontario, Canada, and Zachary and Amber Garrett of Eudora, Kansas. Mr. Brian Garrett is the Society’s Commissioner for Kansas, USA (as well as most of Missouri, USA) and can be seen following in close center formation carrying a banner with the Society logo that was skillfully made by his wife, Trenda, Still others carried the MacAlpine tartan banner and a parade banner of my Coat of Arms (granted by the Lord Lyon in Scotland) which tells the story of the death of King Alpin, father of King Kenneth MacAlpin, our first Chief and the first King of (a united) Scotland. Although it might not show in the picture, it was about 90 degrees F with 95% humidity during the march, so, I really appreciated everyone who made the effort to participate. The Society also hosted Clan tent over the weekend and had name tags, plant badges, and information available to our members and visitors. We are always glad to share information on the Clan and its history! As happens quite often, we had MacAlpines arrive at our tent a bit shocked to learn about our history and to see that we are organizing ourselves into an effective clan body. Most of us have heard of King Kenneth MacAlpin but, most of us have also read or heard about claims that we were never a really a Clan. Some of us have even been convinced of such! However, the MacAlpines were here at the earliest time of Scotland and we made significant contributions to its development. The mere passage of time does not erase the past. And, the fact that liberties have been taken with our heritage while we have not been vigilant in its protection does not make what others say true. When our Clansfolk come to our tent, after having been disappointed by the stories of our non-existence and resigned to them, and then they realize that WE ARE A CLAN and that we are re-uniting, the heartfelt joy that comes over their faces is worth all of the work! One final highlight to the weekend was our Clan dinner that was coordinated by Sophia McAlpine of Arlington. This provided a true Texas barbeque atmosphere in which to spend some time together and make some life-long kinship ties. Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM, especially to those of you who traveled great distances at great cost. It was all of you who made this such a memorable Clan MacAlpine event. I hope to see you all at our next AGM. | ||||
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