Mount Desert Island Historical Society Minutes : Board of Directors Meeting February 13, 1976 The Board of Directors of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society net Friday, February 13, 1976 at four o'clock at the home of Virginia Somes Sanderson. The following directors were present : Marjorie Cump, Norma Fernald, Barbara Joy, Virginia Somes Sunderson, Alice Smith, (hauncey Somes, and Rulsh Stunley. According to the By-Lews five members constitute a quorum Helen Fernald (Floridu), Cushman McGillert (California), Avis Lethiecq (Orono) and Dixon Stanton (Pennsylvinia/being unuvailable had excused absebces. Nathanial Fenton, Willium Fernald, Reginale! Flanders, Ruby Higgins and Katherine Tenner did not attend nor send any excuse or explanation. The purpose of the meeting was to resolve the conflict existing between the officers of the Society : Tresisent, Nelson C. Leland ; First-vicepresident Duvid Coffey and Secretary and Treasurer, proten, Ritu Coffey and Alic e Smith, self-appointed "editor" of the News Letter, who had not been asked by the President to assume the responsibility nor approved by the Board of Directors; and who, it was changed was acting contrury to the By-Lews and refusing to accept the directions of the President that she ceuse her preparation of the January 1976 Ne's letter. The reading of a stutement by Alice Smith who left before the meeting was well under way, taking her statement with her, and a reading of the "Back- ground Narrative, a seven page, crefully prepared summary written by David Colley with all statements documented by dutes and reporting in a mutter-of-lact way on the situation, left no doubt in the minds of the Directors that the officers of the Society were well within their rights in protesting the actions of Alice Smith and stating that the best interests of the organization would be served by her severing all connections with the News Letter. This would not effect her membership in the Society nor her continueing to serve as one of the Directors, but it would remove her from any position relating to the bi-monthly sublication. The members of the Bound were unanimous in expressing their appreciation of David Coffey's work for the Society, as well as Ritu Coffey's contribution as Secretary and Treasurer, pro-tem. They appointed a member of the Bound to prepare and send a letter to David Coffey (letter attached), 1) assuring him and Rita Coffey their ununimous support 2) urging him and Rita Colley not to resign but to assume their undisputable services 3) concurring in their contention that the present conflict concerning the News letter must be resolver promptly