Page 19 - Demo

an interview
Secretary General Joel Thomas Daves IV
Joel Daves served the General Society as a committee chairman for six years before being elected assistant secretary general in 2016. Shortly after he was elected secretary general, Senior editor Kathleen Higgins asked him a series of questions about his decade of service and his aspirations for our organization.
How did you get involved in the Society?
I knew from the minute I joined that I wanted to participate actively in the life of the Society. When I came along, Presidents General Forrest Pragoff and Skid Masterson wanted to start including members living outside the thirteen original states in the work of the General Society. I live in Alabama, so I expressed interest and they gave me some early opportunities.
Who was your propositus and what did he do during the Revolutionary War?
My propositus is Lt. Elisha King of the Virginia Continental Line. He entered Continental service in January 1777 as an enlisted man and fought throughout the war. In 1779 he was promoted to lieutenant, fought at Cowpens, transferred from the infantry to the dragoons, and fought at Guilford Court House and Eutaw Springs, where he was wounded. He was an Original Member of the Society and had never been represented before.
What about the American Revolution captures your imagination?
The passion these men felt about their mission to liberate themselves and their countrymen from a repressive regime has always inspired me. Risking everything—their lives, their fortunes, and their
health—they fought a long, hard war against the greatest military power on earth and—against overwhelming odds—won. It’s the stuff of fiction, but it really happened!
If you could be a fly on the wall at one major event during the Revolution what event would it be?
I would like to have been in the room when General Washington quelled the Newburgh Conspiracy. On the ides of March in 1783, Washington entered a room where righteous indignation over unpaid wages and pensions threatened the order of the army. With a few words, he deflated the situation and returned the officers to their duty. We know what was said, but to be in the room, to feel the tension and to witness Washington subdue the threat would
be great.
What do you enjoy most about being a member?
The fellowship. My wife, Stephanie, and I have had the opportunity to develop deep friendships with men and women who share our interests through Society gatherings. Our founders gave us two missions: to perpetuate the memory of the achievement of American independence and to perpetuate the friendships forged in the struggle for freedom. When we get together, do our business, and have some fun, I think our founders smile upon us.
Besides the Society, what occupies your time?
In 2012 I retired from a thirty-year career in banking, but I remain busy. For the past six years
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