Alex was born in 1960 in North Dakota, the eldest of four sons. He has two daughters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and two granddaughters, Chyann and Madeleine.
At the age of 18, Alex moved from the Midwest to Washington, DC, where he accepted a job with the FBI. His tour of duty included positions in the Intelligence Division, the Director’s Office, and Foreign Liaison operations. In 1982, he left the Federal Government and joined the private sector, becoming personal secretary to the senior female partner of one of Washington’s largest corporate law firms. For the next 15 years, his career continued in the secretarial and administrative areas of the private legal sector, while his education continued through a Nebraska college.
He currently resides in West Virginia, where he occupies himself as a professional historian and genealogist, specializing in New England families in the 17th and 18th Centuries. He has seven published genealogical works to his credit and has also been published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register and The Connecticut Nutmegger. He presently edits and publishes Executive Papers, which focuses on the families of the Presidents and First Ladies of the United States, and is the editor of several other organizational newsletters and magazines.
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Alex has been interested in genealogy since the age of seven, and as a teenager he began officially documenting his ancestry. His love of genealogy and history led to his eventual founding of a number of lineage societies, including The Hereditary Order of the Families of the Presidents and First Ladies of America (2003), the Order of First Families of Connecticut 1633-1662 (2004), the Registry of Infamous and Famous Relatives in American Families (2007), the Order of First Families of Vermont 1609-1791 (2010) and the Order of American Cousins of the Present and Future Sovereigns of Great Britain (2014). He has held the presiding office of each of these organizations and continues to be a part of their growth and administration to the present through other offices. Presently, he is the national presiding officer of Flagon and Trencher: Descendants of Colonial Tavern Keepers. He also has been the Governor General of The Hereditary Order of First Families of Massachusetts, Plymouth Hereditary Society and The Order of Descendants of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, all of which he assisted in reviving in 2004. He is a Founding Officer or Founding Member of several societies, including the National Society of Saints and Sinners, Descendants of Sheriffs and Constables of America, Hereditary Society of Teachers, Society of Descendants of Lady Godiva, and The Order of First Families of New Hampshire. At the state level, he is a former President of the DC Society of the War of 1812, and a former office manager for the DC Society Sons of the American Revolution which awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal in 2004. Finally, Alex also belongs to more than 50 lineage organizations, including the National Gavel Society and several groups focusing on royal descent. Beyond these things, he has led numerous seminars to introduce adults to research and documentation techniques in genealogy. His current work includes finalizing two monographs, one of which is the entire ancestries of the First Ladies of the United States.
Among Alex’s other interests are teaching Partner Dance to adults, professional singing and recording for public charitable functions, playing Bridge, and perhaps his greatest love, Acting, which he now does professionally and for which he has received several awards in West Virginia, including Best Actor. He has had speaking roles in three feature films and has done several local television commercials as well. He also soon will be publishing his complete photographic portfolio – 40 years of his work, including many pieces previously published and which have won awards.
Jacquelyn Dee Gilliam Barnes, a native of Olympia, Washington, is the daughter of Jack and Lois (Deaton) Gilliam. Mrs. Barnes is married to Victor Glee Barnes, Jr. The Barnes' have three children: Joseph Wayne Barnes, Amy Lynn Barnes Dial, and Jack Walker Barnes.
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Mrs. Barnes is involved in many community and avocational activities. She is an avid genealogist and gardening, and enjoys studying history. Mrs. Barnes taught a Genealogy Class at Kodiak Community College, two semesters a year, for fourteen years.
Mrs. Barnes is a member of the National Genealogical Society; the North Carolina Genealogical Society; the Custer County Historical and Genealogical Society; the Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc.; Historic Willows Schoolhouse Association; the Fremont-Custer County Historical Society. She also holds membership in the Friends of the Library; the San Isabel Land Protection Trust; Friends of KWMV Public Radio Station; and serves on the High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival Committee.
He and her husband attend St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
John Robert Harman, Jr., the eldest son of John Robert Harman, Sr. and Gloria Jan Cason Harman, is a native and lifelong resident of Raleigh, North Carolina. He received his B.S. degrees in Biological Sciences and Botany from North Carolina State University, where he was graduated magna cum laude with minors in Genetics and History. He is a research and development scientist and project manager for a global agricultural biotechnology company. He is married to the former Amanda Thorne and they have one son.
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Mr. Harman is also a past director of the State Club in Raleigh and past Secretary of the English-Speaking Union-Research Triangle Branch. He is a member of the City Club in Raleigh, Army and Navy Club, Golden Key International Honour Society, Gamma Beta Phi, Sigma Xi, Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Texas Navy Association, Squadron A Association, North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, Rotary Club of the Capital City, and Clan MacLean Association of the US. He is an Anglican and a member of the Society of King Charles the Martyr.
RADM Kleber Sanlin "Skid" Masterson, Jr., was born in San Diego, California. He and his wife, Sara Cooper Masterson, have two sons, Thomas Marshall Masterson, M.D. and John Cooper Masterson, Esq. RADM Masterson completed his undergraduate studies at the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with a B.S. in General Engineering in 1954. He received his M.S. in Physics from the United State Naval Postgraduate School in 1961, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California, San Diego in 1963. Additionally RADM Masterson was graduated from the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School in 1980. A Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy during his career, RADM Masterson is also a retired vice president and partner of Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. and retired senior vice president of Science Applications International, Inc.
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The Book of Navy Songs, editor, Naval Institute Press, (1954, still in print).
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Michael Scott Swisher was born in Stillwater, Minnesota. He attended Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota.
He has worked as the Director of the First State Bank & Trust since 1999, the Director of Universal Financial Services since 1991 and as the Director of the Valley Agencies, Inc., since 1991. He currently serves as their Chairman.
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Merry Ann T. Wright was elected as the President General of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution for the term of 2010-2013 at the 119th DAR Continental Congress, the annual convention, in July 2010. Wright has been a DAR member for 43 years with a distinguished service and professional background. She comes into the role after serving the National Society at every level, including being one of the first Presidents General to have also served on the NSDAR professional staff. These positions give her a unique understanding and expertise of management of this multifaceted membership organization.
Wright grew up in New Woodstock, New York, and now resides in Leland, North Carolina with her husband Lawrence F. Wright. She is the mother of two sons and two stepsons and grandmother of four. Mrs. Wright attended Franklin College of Indiana and University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Her career has included, among other things, serving in the roles of Development Director, NSDAR; President and CEO of the American Lung Association of Mid-New York; and as a French teacher. In addition to Wright’s extensive DAR service, she is also very active in her church and community, including serving on boards of local charities and being a past member of the Rotary Club and Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Wright was the first NSDAR Director of Development, being recruited by the organization to launch its first development department in 1998. She served in that position for nine years, building the foundation of successful funding initiatives that thrive today. Prior to that, Wright served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of the American Lung Association of Mid-New York in ten upstate New York counties for 13 years after serving for three years as their Development and Public Relations Director.
Wright retired as the NSDAR Director of Development in order to assume the second highest volunteer leadership position in the organization, the NSDAR First Vice President General, from 2007-2010. Her additional extensive national leadership service in the Daughters of the American Revolution include 12 years on the National Board of Management (the governing board of the Society), eight different national chairmanships, and four different national vice chairmanships.
This varied executive experience gave her liaison and oversight over such key committees of the Society as Public Relations and Media, the annual convention of DAR, Development, Long Range Planning, Personnel, Investment, Finance, and Special Projects and Events. She also spent six years on the Technology Advisory Committee, which was a driving force behind the digitization of millions of the National Society’s genealogical records.
She has distinguished service in New York State, including serving as State Regent of New York, as well as many other state offices and chairmanships. She was twice honored as the DAR New York Outstanding Junior and was named one of eight division finalists for National Outstanding Junior of the year.
Additionally, Mrs. Wright is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, and is listed in the 1979 edition of Outstanding Young Women of America.
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