ETGS Membership,

Hopefully we are starting to see light at the end of this long, dark pandemic tunnel! Our April meeting will still be a virtual meeting with Hannah Chambers presenting “Deposition and Diagenesis of the Blossom Sand, Panola County, Texas” at 12:00 PM Wednesday, April 21, 2021 via Zoom. Please visit our website and register. This new geological research on an East Texas reservoir is being conducted by Hannah Chambers at SFA, and she is a scholarship recipient from your Society.

This fall we hope to be back to in-person meetings, but we probably will continue to have a “Zoom” option for those meetings as well. We haven’t worked out exactly how we do that at our current Cascades venue. During this period of virtual meetings, it has been clear that the ability of speakers to speak via Zoom has opened up the possibility for many speakers to participate in our meetings that we would be unable to get, due to the amount of time required to travel to Tyler for an in-person event. A big question for the Society will be: Are we willing to have some “virtual” speakers at future in-person meetings? Now that top speakers have experienced this virtual option, many will only participate in-person at large events. Your Board and myself look forward to hearing your opinion on this important topic. Personally, I prefer in-person speakers, if possible, but if we can only get a top speaker virtually, I am fine with that.

Please remember that we have a great outdoor networking event with our “NINTH (NO LONGER) ANNUAL SKEET SHOOT OR: THE LET’S KILL COVID SHOOT”. Please realize that this event also has a “lunch only” option for those of you that may not want to shoot but would like an excellent outdoor networking opportunity to visit with your ETGS friends. The event will be Saturday, May 1, 2021 at Rose City Flying Clays, and all the registration details and costs are available on our website. We have a first class barbeque lunch planned and many prizes for those that choose to participate. I can assure you that skill is not a requirement for this event! Please get your reservations in no later than April 23rd so we have sufficient lunches. Kudos to Rich Adams and Dale Short for once again organizing this great event. It has been no easy matter with the current shortage of shotgun shells!

Hope to see you May 1st!

Ernie LaFlure

April 5, 2021