Dear Members and Subscribers,

At the March meeting of the Board of Directors, new members of the nine-member Board were elected for ‘26-‘27.  Current members Beth Gehring, Bill Haberthur, Brenda Holland, and Irvin Lewin will be joined by new members Ben Abramson, Bethany Behrmann, Dorian Hardy, Jeana Hilligoss, and Amy Johnson.  The three new officers will be Bill Haberthur, President; Irvin Lewin, Vice President; and Amy Johnson, Secretary.  Brenda Holland will continue in her role as Treasurer.

I would like to thank the returning members for their support, and I look forward to working with those who have just joined us.  I am confident VAHS will benefit from their breadth and depth of knowledge, community contacts, and love of Venice.

On behalf of all VAHS members, I sincerely thank retiring President Frank Wright and retiring Board member Tom Doherty for their service to the community and the society.  Please read about their respective contributions in the VAHS Salutes section below.  Also, on behalf of all in VAHS, I thank Mike Donnellan, who recently resigned from the Board, for his years of service both on the Board and as the Depot Stationmaster.

VAHS has an exciting future as we continue to

• Engage with other non-profits

• Work with the city and county to promote VAHS and historic preservation

• Engage our members with educational and social events such as

• The Betty Intagliata Lecture Series
• The Venice Centennial Lecture Series
• Pop-Up Meet-Up Events
• New Member Orientation Program
• Field trips to historic venues
• The Centennial Celebration for the 1927 Historic Venice Train Depot in March 2027

Members can continue showing support through

• Annual Membership - Individual or Family Membership

• Lifetime Membership - a one-time payment of $500

• Legacy Membership - leaving a specific bequest to VAHS

• General Donations - helping to defray the Depot Campus maintenance costs

• Fundraising Projects - such as the two highly successful projects this past year – the Circus Wall Mural and the John Nolen Statue

• Giving Challenge - a perfect way to double your donation to VAHS from noon to noon on April 15th & 16th when the Patterson Foundation will match your donation of $25 to $100 dollars

VAHS will continue to engage our members with volunteer opportunities such as

• Joining a specific committee of which there are over ten
• Greeting our guests at one of our lecture series
• Becoming a Docent - it is fun and easier than you think!

Please help me welcome the new directors and wish the entire Board much success as VAHS continues to build long-term relationships within the community, foster its education programs, continue to manage and, perhaps, expand the Depot Campus, and engage the public and its members in the love of history and our community.

Sincerely,

Bill Haberthur

President