President's Message

Discovering Our Shared Heritage: Douglas S. Daniels, GSHA President

From as early as I can remember I have had a relentless desire to discover, explore and learn about my ancestors. I started researching at 12, while my great grandparents were still living! I have researched in several European countries, including Germany , France , and Sweden . But I can truly say that I have never enjoyed research as much as I have while exploring my Hispanic lines that originate in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado . The history of the Spanish people is like no other. My primary Spanish lines, Martinez and Sanchez, are very interesting to me because these families played a significant role in weaving American, Native American and Spanish cultures together. My Hispanic lines greeted my Anglo-American mountain man ancestors when they first traversed the Santa Fe Trail. And, my mitochondrial DNA shows that I descend from a maternal lineage of indigenous people from haplo group type C. The blood that runs through my veins is composed of both the conquerors and the conquered.

Since joining GSHA I have never met a new "primo," but I know I am related to all of you because I see my family in your eyes, your ears and even the way you move your hands! And, I hope this will be the year that I will meet many new primos in GSHA. Just as my family is a melting pot of the cross-cultural people who came together in the Spanish empire, I look forward to bringing all of us together, while learning about our ancestry. And I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.

I would not be your current President if it were not for the positive experience I had as President of GSHA's Southern California Chapter for the last four years. And, at every GSHA Genealogical Conference I was increasingly impressed by the work ethic and commitment of past President Cathy Archuleta and her board. So, join me in recognizing that Cathy has been carrying the GSHA leadership torch for the last four years. As president Cathy placed our purposes and objectives at the forefront of all her decisions. Her final term as President officially ended on December 31, 2010, and she has graciously passed the torch on to me. When I became President on January 1, 2011, I resolved to do my best to serve the needs of the members of GSHA in a manner in which we can all be proud. I plan to maintain high leadership standards and work to upgrade our level of professionalism in the management of GSHA.

I truly believe in the purpose and objectives that GSHA was founded upon. We have an outstanding and diverse volunteer board that has agreed to carry out the organization's objectives and share the management responsibilities as outlined in our bylaws. Our Vice President and Membership Chair is Gloria Cordova, who is from Los Alamos , New Mexico . Our Secretary Jeanette Fisher is just a phone call away, even though she lives on the road and receives her mail in Livingston , Montana . Our Treasurer Phil Duran makes his home in Glendora , California . The FACC-Pueblo Chapter Representative Phyllis Miranda resides in Colorado Springs , Colorado , and our Southern California Representative is Rita Vega-Acevedo of Pasadena , California , who is also the GSHA-SC Chapter President. Our Member-at-Large is Mark DeSautel, who joined GSHA at the last conference. Mark makes his home in Santa Fe , New Mexico and Incline Village , Nevada . You will learn more about me and the rest of the board via articles published in Noticias de Nuestras Raices.

My main goal this year is to make certain that we have one of the best genealogical conferences ever. It is official that Las Vegas , New Mexico will be the site of our summer 2011 conference and that the FACC-Pueblo will be our host chapter. Our conference committee is composed of three veteran leaders: Charlene Garcia Simms, Jeanette Fisher, and Cathy Romero. We welcome your ideas on how to make this conference a success, so please contact me or a committee member. Start planning to attend now and please invite your family and friends to share in the discovery of their family's history. Together we can look forward to a wonderful year.