On October 29, 2000 the IKK was Born!
We are now 8 years old and nearly 3,000 members strong and still growing. We've played a part in bringing a few missing cousins together, an accomplishment we're rather proud of. We've come a long way in 8 years and I offer my sincere thanks to all those who play a part in its strength - those who post regularly help to keep us in the top 5 in MSN Genealogy Groups standings, those who offer items for our special pages, and those who help others to put cracks in their brick walls. Wayne, Melody, Carolyn, Gordon and many others have played a big part in that major project.
Jim has been posting his daily devotions and words of wisdom since the day he joined. Computer problems at his house give us all cause for concern when he fails to post his "Good Morning" messages.
Almeta was always there to greet new members as they post for the first time. I often referred to her as our IKK Welcome Wagon Committee of one. We lost Almeta in 2005 after her battle with cancer and we miss her so much. May she rest in peace.
DeAnn worked diligently in the background doing some of the things that I don't have the time for. She has revamped our Obits and Biographies pages, she sent out online greetings to all our new members and to those on our BirthdayAlarm list, and many other tasks not readily seen by the entire membership. DeAnn lost her fight with cancer on June 2, 2005 at the tender age of 39. We miss DeAnn very much and am grateful that Margaret and I had the opportunity to meet her and her family and get to know them. Derre was always here too, to check on others. Her care and concern for fellow IKK members and their families was evident. We lost Derre in 2005, too and miss her regular posts. Chris has taken over the task of sending out welcome and birthday cards to our members. Thank you, Chris for all your help! It means a lot. Margaret took on the responsibility of processing new applications for membership, a task that is time-consuming to say the least, until serious health issues prevented her from doing them. We lost Margaret on November 20, 2008 after her 2-year fight with cancer. Maggie and I not only lost a co-manager but a dear friend as well. We've taken several genealogy research trips together and became very good friends from the very first meeting. Rest in peace, Swee'Pea. And last but certainly not least, my thanks to David, aka Backleg, for his creativity in making the graphic for our IKK logo.
The IKK is a real success and we owe it all to our active members. Please join me in saying Happy Birthday, IKK!! |