Editor's Page

The Friends Challenge

Our immediate past president Alan Taylor has thrown down the gauntlet to SHEARites one and all to raise the number of our Friends of SHEAR in 2007 to at least 150 (which would triple the cohort of Friends we had in 2006). If we can meet this challenge, the funds raised will be matched by a group of extraordinarily generous donors, including past presidents and members and nonmembers of SHEAR.

And you've got choices. Our creative and ingenious ex-prez embraces the spirit of the Biblical prophecy that "the last shall be first" in the millennium by offering you the opportunity to be a Sojourner Truth Friend for $500, a Thomas Skidmore Friend for $300, or for a measly 150 bucks, a Nicholas Biddle Friend. You pays your money and you takes your pick. So select a level of giving (or choose your favorite among these early republic worthies—go, Sojourner, go) and send a check made payable to SHEAR to Amy Baxter-Bellamy, Executive Coordinator, SHEAR, 3355 Woodland Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4531. Just one payment will cover your SHEAR membership, including your JER subscription and all the other benefits of membership. The SHEAR office will subscribe to the JER for you, and your support will be acknowledged each year in our winter issue. All donations are tax deductible (less the cost of your journal subscription).

Come on Friends one and all—GIT 'ER DONE!

And While You're at It, Help a Graduate Student

SHEAR has decided to restage some pivotal early republic elections, offering voters a wider selection of candidates than the first time around, to raise money for graduate student funding for our annual meeting. We are beginning with the Revolution of 1800 and present the following three candidates: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Martha Moore Ballard.

We will require a $25 donation to SHEAR per vote (you can vote as early and as often, at 25 bucks a pop, as you like). Add the amount to your "Friends of SHEAR" check, if you wish, or send a separate check to the SHEAR office at 3355 Woodland Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4531.

Membership Renewal

For the procrastinators in our midst who have yet to renew their SHEAR membership, remember to do so through our Executive Coordinator, Amy Baxter-Bellamy, at the SHEAR office, 3355 Woodland Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4531 (go to http://jer.pennpress.org/PennPress/journals/jer/orderform.pdf for the order form). Act quickly to ensure receipt of the program for the SHEAR annual meeting, which mails with the journal's summer issue early in May. If you delay renewing your membership, your JER has to be back-ordered (expensive for us, annoying for you), your membership benefits are on hiatus, and receipt of your summer program will be considerably delayed (a source of frustration last year for some among us—you know who you are).

SHEAR 2007: Worcester

Remember to mark your calendars for our sojourn in the great state of Massachusetts scheduled for July 19–22. Local Arrangements Committee Chair Caroline Sloat and Conference Committee Chairs Jeanne Boydston and Jan Lewis are working hard with their teams to ensure yet another superb SHEAR conference. I'll look forward to seeing you there.