Members' Page

  

 

	Upcoming Events May 12, 2008 Meeting Program: "The Physical Properties of Minerals" See you at the meeting! Tom [Tom Pankratz] April 28, 2008: DMS Board Meeting, 7:00 PM (Postponed, to be rescheduled) May 11, 2008:  DMS Lee Creek, Aurora, NC Fieldtrip May 17 & 18, 2008: Bob & Nadir Jenkins' Open House, 10AM - 6PM May 31, 2008: DMS H&K Quarries Cornwall Materials Quarry, Cornwall, PA Fieldtrip _________________________________________________
	March Show 2008 Members' Show Schedule & General Info (MSWord) (A behind-the-scenes set-up schedule) Publicity:  Gene & Wayne have posters & show fliers for us to share.  You may also print show fliers from the March Show page. Click on Poster for a large, printable one! Tell your friends!  Tell everyone! Display Cases: Got an idea for your next year's Display Case! It's never too early to start.  It’s Show Time! Show dates: March 1-2, 2008 Our annual show dates are just around the corner - now is the time to start thinking about entering an exhibit. This case could be yours! Why not check our March Show 2007 display cases to start? There are a lot of you members out there who have interesting specimens and collections. What better way to share your treasures than by organizing them to exhibit in one of our showcases at the March show! If you have never prepared an exhibit and do not know how, do not let this deter you. We have printed guidelines and experienced exhibitors who are willing to advise you to enable you to put your first exhibit together. There are several classes and categories. You may choose to compete or to be non-competitive. The club provides the exhibit cases if you need one. Take a look at the exhibit entry form in the newsletter to obtain more information. Fill it out and mail it in. I also have the entry form in electronic format, if you would prefer. Call or email me if you need more details. Esther Kerns, Exhibits Chairperson (302) 478-1336 ejkerns@yahoo.com P.S. I also coordinate the DMS Club showcase. Items in this display case always follow the show theme. It gives you, the member, an opportunity to show off individual specimens. Please call or email me if you are interested or need more information. "Got Pegmatites?"  Want to share your pegs, but don't want to do a whole display case this year, contact Ken Casey.  We'll put them in our Pegmatite Display Case!  Bring 'em into the Show setup at DelTech by 5:00PM Friday, February 29th.  Thanks. :-) Your DMS March Show & Home Display Case Resources See some Display Case Photos from our March 2007 Show AFMS Rules (Download Page in Adobe Acrobat)
	Junior Booth Prep Party 2008 Was on Sunday, January 27, 2008,  11AM-3:30PM at Greenbank Mill It was fun, and we got a lot accomplished.  We could still use your donated materials, please.  (Photos below)   Call for Donations Hopefully, each of you has spent some time on your collections this winter: looking through them, organizing them and high-grading them.  Thanks for your efforts and your donations--they will be a hit! Remember, we still can accept and store any donations you would have over the rest of the year before our next show.  As some of us cull our collections during Spring Cleaning, this is a great time, too. If you have any mineral or fossil specimens, lapidary materials such as cutting material that you would like to donate for the club to sell at the Junior Booth, please bring them to any club meeting, or contact any of the Show Committee Officers.  Donations are tax deductible.  (We'll supply an official itemized letter for your records.) Again, Thanks! :-)                                       Members setting up, labeling, and pricing donations for our Junior Booth 2008   We would like to thank our volunteers, who helped with the task of sorting, identifying, labeling, and pricing specimens to be sold at the Junior Booth during our show: Scott Peters Eric Hottenstein Karissa Hendershot Bob Asreen Tom Pankratz Wayne Urion Alex Kane Sophie Homsey Ken Casey Gene Hartstein Guy & Wendy Sbriglia Junior Members: Jake, Alex, David & All of Us, who made this feat possible On behalf of the DMS, I would also like to extend a very big THANK YOU to Tony Shahan of Greenbank Mill for working with us on the scheduling of this project and allowing us to use the Mill to complete it. [Bob Asreen & The Show Committee]
	Theme: This year's March 1-2, Show 2008 theme was: "Pegmatite Gems and Minerals"!  Our February & March Mineral-of-the-Month is also be "Exotic Pegmatites"  & "Local Pegmatites"

DMS Website Links

March Show 2008 Show Page
March Show 2007 Show Page
March Show 2006 Show Page
March Show 2005 Report
DMS Calendar Page!
Our newest Fossil Page: DMS "Fossil Forum"

Download Free Public Domain Mineralogy Books!

First State Geology, Summer 2007 ( a semi-annual DGS Publication)

DMS Members in Action

DMS Members in Action at our Scouting Educational Outreach Event at Greenbank Mill, October 7, 2006!

DMS Members in Action at our Junior Booth Labeling Party, February 18, 2007!
DMS Members in Action setting up our March 3-4, 2007 Show (on March 2nd)

For Sale Diverse estate mineral collection in Pennsauken N. J. Decorator specimens, fine large (two foot) Hot Springs quartz group, three-foot amethyst tube geode. Many other specimens, cabachons. By the piece or entire collection. Contact Dr. Cheryl Patchin right away if interested.  (See February 2008 Geogram for contact info)                     Thanks, Peter Leavens                     Professor Emeritus                     Department of Geosciences                     University of Delaware                     Newark DE 19716 Greenbank Mill, our club's host, is offering for sale T-shirts and breadwarmers to raise funds.  To date, Scott Peters has collected $90. to support our friends at the Mill.  See Scott for details.
	Alpha Omega faceting machine : $1800 (plus shipping of $360) Contact:  Tom Pankratz @ 302-239-0140 (tjpankratz@comcast.net) This machine has been used to facet about 20 gemstones. The Alpha Taurus has the following features and accessories: Lamp Quick release mast height adjustment Splash pan Drip tank Dovetail slides for horizontal movement Fine angle adjustment Dial indicator Precision transfer block Positive dop keying system 64 & 96 index gears 45 degree table dop Set of 12 dops (4, 6, 8, and 10 mm) Reverse switch Right-handed Grinding and polishing disks are NOT included due to shipping expense from New Zealand. Additional information may be easily found on the internet. Alpha Taurus at Color-Wright.com Alpha Taurus at Alpha Supply, Inc. (Tuscon Show dealer)   Kerry Matt’s Books Our friend, Kerry Matt, now has his books available to our club and members via mail. Kerry is a member of the Central Pennsylvania and Berks County clubs, among others.  He is a local authority on the geology and paleontology of the PA area, and wants to share his findings with us: Books are ready and available. It is possible to acquire them via Kerry’s e-mail. You’ll have to ask him about shipping costs to our area. Pennsylvania's Rainbow Under Ground $80.00 each. It’s chock full of color macro specimen photos; comes with CD [includes 200+ additional pages, about 440 pages in all!] Pennsylvania Paleozoic Playground (fossils) $40.00 each. This book covers the major fossils found in PA in a more general or basic level. (limited Self printed spiral bound with lamin-a cover) or on CD at $16.00 each. The Lower Cambrian Explosion of life in my back yard (fossils) $30.00 each. This one focuses entirely on the local material here in the Lancaster area. It is a detailed report on fossils pre-dating the famous Burgess, all of which I document on personal level of experience from local excavations. (self-printed spiral bound with lamin-a cover) at $30.00 each (limited print). And CDs at $16.00 each. He also has a few Pennsylvania Paleozoic Playground that are un-edited at -$10.00 discount. [Ken Casey]

MEMBERSHIP REMINDER

Our membership year begins at the end of August.  To assure continued member benefits you should plan to send in your renewal dues by the end of August.  A half-year membership is available, if you join during our March 1-2, 2008 Show, (or just after by our March 10th meeting)

If you haven't received your November Geogram, see Bob Ehrlich, Membership Chairman, to renew.

We welcome new members.  Please do invite folks who you would think be interested.

Click here for a printable Membership Form (Just print and bring-in or mail-in)

We have a new category of Student Membership.  For $10. per year, you can be a DMS Member.  If you are a college student, please join us at our next meeting.

New Members

• Welcome to our guests, visitors, and new Members at our April 14, 2008 meeting!  We look forward to seeing you at our May 12, 2008 meeting!.

President's Message

See this month's Geogram.

[Scott Peters - President]

NOTICES & HELP NEEDED

• Members, do you talk Apple or Mac?  Ken, Carl, and Gwen could use your help deciphering a .pdf mystery.

• Gwen is offering an expanded Geogram to e-mail to members.  It will have color photos, live clickable web links, and more content.  With this enhanced format, Gwen and James invite us members to share a brief story or article with him and our fellow DMS members.  New Member Bonnie Neubauer has offered some creative writing support for those of use who desire to contribute to our esteemed publication.

• Ken is seeking your pictures of Delaware minerals for our 2008 "Delaware Minerals" Mineral-of-the-Month article series.  Delaware Biotite and Hornblende next.  If you like, call me, and we can meet up.  I'll photograph them for you to share with folks in our article.  Thanks!

Online Searchable Database Listing Has Advanced

• Yes, we have a live DMS website Search Engine!  You can find it on our Home Page!

• Soon, I'll be adding it to other website pages, for your convenience to search our site.

• For example, if you wanted to search for all pages about "fluorite", just type the word "fluorite" into the text box, click on the button below it, and instantly, you will have a page full of our club's website pages to view.  Cool, huh?

• We are in the doing stages of creating an online searchable database of all the printed offerings from the DMS Library.  I have a database model, though I have to revise code to make it operational on our current webhost.

• Carl has kept a handwritten inventory over time.  I have Carl's list, and have created a complete listings page for Phase 2. 

Phase 1: Our first goal is to post at least some prime listings to this webpage, for immediate listing.  (Timeframe: 1-2 days after receiving list)  COMPLETED!

Phase 2: Our next goal is to post a full listing, so that we may request from Carl to borrow.   COMPLETED!

Carl is always ready to share materials upon our asking.  I will print out a typed list for Carl to circulate.

Phase 3: Our ultimate goal is to have our online database operational in 2008.  My database model needs a little more work, as I am writing custom code for our club.  IN PROGRESS

[Ken Casey]

Other Business

• We now have general meeting and board meeting minutes for February posted:

Board Meeting Minutes, December 14, 2005 (on file)
Board Meeting Minutes, February 7, 2005
General Meeting Minutes, February 14, 2005

For future General Meeting Minutes and Board Meeting Minutes, please check the Geogram.

• Some pictures of our Annual Holiday Party & Silent Auction 2007.

DMS Website Update 

Collecting Adventure Stories:

"Sunny Brook Crick Goethite" by Joe Dunleavy

Questions & Comments: info@delminsociety.net

This page last updated:  May 12, 2008 12:06:06 PM