elections

A note to the Camp:

Since this is an election year for South Carolina Division staff officers, we will set aside a portion of our March 18th monthly meeting to discuss and determine how the camp’s delegate votes will be tallied. The Camp Constitution and by-laws (not yet ratified) states the following options for determining votes:

Article XIV — Representation at Conventions

Section 1. The official representation of the Camp at the annual Division Convention shall be by official delegates as specified in the Division Constitution. In addition to the official delegates, any member of the Camp in good standing has the privilege to attend the convention.
Section 2. The Camp must have a least one official, registered delegate present at the Division Convention to cast its votes and shall attempt to have at least two (2) official delegates present to represent it. The Camp may have as many as one (1) delegate for every ten (10) active members in good standing, and one additional delegate for a fraction of five or more. All delegates, except Camp Officers, shall be nominated or volunteer and be approved by the membership at one of the monthly camp meetings in the 3-month period preceding the Convention.
Section 3. One delegate must be designated as the Chairman of the Delegation. If the Camp Commander is in attendance, he will serve as the Chairman of the Delegation. The Chairman is responsible for presenting the Committee on Credentials a letter of credentials issued by the Division and signed by the Camp Commander or Adjutant identifying the members of the delegation. If for some reason the Chairman of the delegation is not in attendance, the delegates present may elect a chairman from their number.

Article XV — Voting

Section 1. Each Member of the Camp in good standing, including Secondary Members, is entitled to vote and make motions at Camp meetings at which they are in attendance. There shall be no voting by proxy, however, an active member who knows he will be absent for a scheduled vote may submit his vote in writing, signed by him, through another member in attendance.
Section 2. Members in good standing are defined as members who have paid their annual dues to the Camp, the SCV General Headquarters and Division for the current year, and who are not currently subject to any disciplinary status.
Section 3. In all motions properly made at Camp meetings, the Camp Commander or Adjutant shall put the question for a voice vote and record the results in the minutes. The voice vote "ayes" and "nos" shall be conducted sequentially and counted and tallied if called for by any member and seconded by another, or at the discretion of the Commander or Adjutant…..

Section 5. A quorum shall exist at Camp meetings when one-third of all Members in good standing are represented as provided above. A simple majority vote shall carry approval or defeat of any motion or resolution presented for vote before the Camp, except where specified otherwise in these By-laws or in Robert's Rules of Order for standard motions of Parliamentary Procedure.
Section 6. One month prior to South Carolina Division Elections and SCV National Elections, during the monthly meeting, the Camp Commander, Lt. Commander, or the Adjutant must present, to the Camp, the list of delegates running for office. By the same method of determining the Vote in Section 3 of Article XV, the Camp may determine how their delegate count is to be cast.
At the will of the Camp, a two-thirds majority present, the Camp may decide

to “Block Vote” to individual candidates.

It may determine to “Split” their votes.

A third option, by two-thirds majority present, may also decide to empower the “official” delegates attending the convention to decide, at the convention, how the Camp’s votes shall be cast, Block or split.

Michael Givens was born in Anderson, South Carolina, March 19th, 1958. Descending from a long line of South Carolinians from the Greenville and Laurens area, Michael was raised in Pickens, South Carolina and Pascagoula, Mississippi. He attended collage at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City Tennessee and Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara California. Michael is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Beaufort. He is a film director and resides in Beaufort with his wife, Nicole and his two children, Chandler and Olivia.

Michael Joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans in 1994 where he assisted Brian Canaday with forming the Beaufort Camp and re-chartering in 1995. He served as Lt. Commander for a short period then was elected as Camp Commander, in which he served three years. During this time Michael also served as the Division's first Chairman of the Convention Committee. In 1998 Michael was elected as the Commander of the 5th Brigade. Serving in this capacity for four years it was during this time that he produced and directed the fundraising video Southern Heritage Celebration 2000, documenting the now famous flag-rally of January the 8th, 2000. At the 2002 Division Convention Michael was elected Lt. Commander of the Division, the position he currently holds.

During his tenure as Lt. Commander of the South Carolina Division, Michael has assisted in recruiting many new members of the organization. He has also published a speakers list in the form of a sixty page book, detailing many speakers available to the division camps. Perhaps the most important project spearheaded by Lt. Commander Givens has been the effort to stop the Reconstruction History Park planned by the National Park Service to be placed in Beaufort. Lt. Commander Givens took his case to the U.S. Congress and has spoken throughout the state explaining the situation and driving a grassroots effort to pressure Congress to quell this egregious affront to our Southern Heritage. This battle is being won through the combined efforts of a vigorous letter writing campaign from the membership, under the direction of Lt. Commander Givens. With continued diligence, victory will be claimed at the conclusion of the present congressional session.

Michael currently sits on three committees at the National level of the SCV. He is the Chairman of the International Development Committee and sits on the Constitutional Review Committee and the Recruitment Committee. He has been the recipient of numerous awards at both the Division and National SCV level. He received the Stonewall Jackson Individual Contribution Award at the 2001 Division convention. He has received numerous awards for Meritorious Service at National conventions as well as the Distinguished Service Award and the Commander-In-Chief's Award.

Michael is now running for the position of Commander of the South Carolina Division. His plans include keeping up the pressure on the forces that wish to destroy or diminish our heritage. His mission is to be found in the Charge, to vindicate the Confederate cause, to defend the Confederate soldier's good name, to guard the Confederate soldier's history, emulate his virtues, perpetuate his principles and see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations. Michael will not waiver from this mission.

Michael has kept his ear close to the ground during times of attack and times of unsettling silence. Lt. Commander Givens is certain that our greatest heritage battles are just ahead of us. With his experience in the trenches and at the vanguard of Southern Heritage, we can expect careful and effective leadership that will bring dignity and respect to the memory of our Confederate Ancestors.

Eugene Barron was sworn into the SCV by Compatriot J.E.B. Stuart IV 10 years ago. A member of the Barnard Bee Camp of Aiken, SC his involvements included, Adopt-A-Highway which he headed up as Chairman for about seven years, Camp Surgeon, 2nd Lt. Commander, Camp Commander, and Lee/Jackson Banquet Chairman and serves presently as Camp Treasurer.

On the State level, Eugene currently serves as Division Inspector. He is an active South Carolina Division Guardian of ten Confederate Veterans' final resting-places and has also been instrumental in helping other Bee Camp members become Guardians and helping clean many overgrown and forgotten cemeteries. He has ordered numerous headstones for our dearly departed Confederate Veterans and has placed many of those on the Confederate Veteran's final resting-place. He has conducted several marker dedications, two as far away as Hart County, Ga. and participated in one as far away as Quitman, Ga.

Eugene has been awarded several SCV honors:
The Citation for Meritorious Service, the Confederate Veterans Medal for Distinguished Service, the Stonewall Jackson Individual Contribution Award, the War Service Medal, the Bee Camp Compatriot of the Year Award, the Dixie Club Award for two years, and the Recruiters Medal for recruiting more than 25 new members.

Eugene has developed two programs that he presents to SCV Camps: "The Contributions That He Made and The Losses That He Suffered" a program about his great-great-grand father, Barnabas Barron, and his hardships during the War Between the States and a program called, "The Confederate Veteran Grave Registration Program." This program tells of his exploits as he visited 145 cemeteries and documented 890 Confederate Veterans' final resting-places. The graves registration program is a project that he came to love and believes in strongly.

Eugene feels that our #1 priority should be "Recruit, Recruit, Recruit." “Without new members, and a generation of young members, we are on the road to extinction…. As I attend SCV conventions, I look out over the attendees and I see very few young men, if any, and I say to myself, we are failing the "Charge" as set forth by General Stephen Dill Lee. Hopefully, our Sons and Grandsons will be leaders of this great organization once we step aside. And now is the time to recruit them so that they can grow with this organization.”

Candidate for Lt. Commander (Unopposed)
Clay Martin of Charleston, SC.

Candidate for Commander 1st Brigade (Unopposed)
Lou Towles, Commander Camp # 7 Pickens, SC

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