Surratt Conference Update

[L Verge]

I know I'm a tad prejudiced, but the 2013 conference was GREAT! Everything ran smoothly from this time last year, when I began booking speakers, until 10 pm last night when Erik finished his presentation on the making of Killing Lincoln. It was so interesting to see the stories of what went on behind the cameras as well as in front of them. The little side stories were very entertaining. You know you are a good speaker when no one leaves the room during an hour-and-a-half presentation. I owe Erik a big one because he kept his commitment to our conference despite dealing with serious health issues with his father in Arizona. Love ya, guy!

All of the speakers were excellent and fielded a lot of questions at the end of their talks, and each had gone the extra mile and put together a PowerPoint presentation to accompany their speech. They also listened to my threats and stayed within the time limits we had set, so we were able to stay on schedule throughout the day.

Unless I hear differently, everything at the hotel ran smoothly also. I was a little worried, because the hotel has recently changed management, and I was dealing with new staff members. Luckily, the banquet manager remains the same, and is a young man that we first worked with long years ago when he had just started as a bus boy. In some respects, I feel that he's part of our family now.

I was also very touched to receive a special, heartwarming honor from the attendees - something instigated by several members of this forum. It has been a rough year for me (in my personal life), and this recognition was a wonderful picker-upper. Thank you all.

With a little luck, we'll be holding our 15th Annual Conference on this same weekend next March. Start saving your sheckels and your leave time.

This She Rebel has called a temporary truce with the Yankee carpetbagger from New Jersey, and we're heading off for seafood at Capt. Billy's on the Potomac. Booth and Herold rowed right past this point in 1865, and I tell people that they would have stopped in for a crabcake sandwich if Billy's had been there. Billy's dates back only to WWII, however.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY