Council 2021-2023

Richard C Bradley, III
Governor

Donna Lane
Lt Governor

Cindy Davis
Secretary

Paul Cartwright
Treasurer

Suzanne Walters
Genealogist

Dr Michael Davis
Historian

Ruth Maxwell
Chaplain

Bryant Boswell
Councilor

John-Peter Ford
Councilor
Honorary Governors Serving on the FMC Council

Sharron Hailey Baird
Past Governor

Ann Atkinson Simmons
Past Governor

Lt. Col. Horace Richard Jordan
Past Governor

Dr. Shirley Margaret Haynie Godsey
Past Governor

Lemuel Augustus Smith III
Past Governor

Sandra Sartor Ford
Past Governor
Past Governors

2019-2021 Sandra Sartor Ford: Sandra sought and received Council permission to transition the FMC yearbook from paper to an electronic product that can be printed by members for their mini-binders. When new FMC bylaws were written to mirror the Society’s new bylaws approved in 2019, the FMC Board expanded and changed its name from “Board” to “Council.” During her tenure a Councilor was elected, and she appointed a Councilor when the FMC Council expanded. Additionally, the Company adopted the FMC’s new Policies and Procedures Manual. Sandra has continued to submit FMC news articles to the Society’s Magazine, even holding and reporting in-person meetings to the magazine during the 2020 pandemic. She placed a copy of the book Church and State in the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and a second copy in the Mitchell Library at Mississippi State University. She encouraged and received financial support for the Barracks Builders Fund and is herself a regular donor to the Society. She represented the FMC at the 400th Anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly, held on Jamestowne Island, and has attended additional Society meetings in VA. The Company continued to grow during her tenure.12

2017-2019 Lemuel Augustus Smith III: Gus Smith encouraged the company to make a donation that helped the FMC reach the Speaker of the House Level of Giving. He submitted an article about the Jamestowne Society to the University of Virginia’s UVA Lawyer Magazine and invited archaeologist Dr. William Kelso to speak to the FMC. He has attended Society meetings in Richmond and Williamsburg, representing the FMC at the 400th Anniversary of the first meeting of the General Assembly. Before serving as the FMC Governor, he chaired the FMC Auditing Committee in 2007.

2013-2017 Dr Shirley Margaret Haynie Godsey: Dr. Godsey has attended meetings in VA since 2009 and represented the FMC at six Governors’ Roundtable/Forums. While Governor, Lifetime Dues became possible for members over 65, company meeting invitations began to be sent electronically to members with email, and all new members began receiving their FMC certificates by mail. The scholarship criteria was expanded to include graduate students majoring in early American history. Shirley initiated an audit from the MS Secretary of State’s Office (Charitable Division) that showed the FMC finances in good standing. She added the FMC to the Society’s tax-exempt group after two FMC Treasurers failed to file a tax return and lost the company its independent tax-exemption status. She required that the annual 990-N filing be printed and archived in the Minutes Book to assure filing compliance, which is now mandated in the bylaws. She was the keynote speaker at the Richmond meeting in 2017, presenting a power point presentation entitled “The Thirteen Lives of Captain John Smith.” She and her husband, John Godsey, MD, have been generous donors to the Society for years, always crediting the FMC for their donations.
During her tenure as a two-term Governor, the FMC’s status on the Roll of Honor reached the Ancient Planter and the House of Burgesses levels of giving. During her tenure, FMC members supported the Wingo Fund, the Church Tower Fund, the Unrestricted Fund and Archeology Digs. She invited speakers from VA to give programs and established a policy mandating that all FMC programs be about some aspect of the Jamestowne era between 1607-1699, a policy now stated in the bylaws. She wrote biographical sketches of members’ qualifying ancestors in collaboration with new members and posted them as Blogs on the Society’s website; additionally she wrote Handbooks for the FMC officers to delineate their duties in more detail, began a photo roster of members, and worked with the 2020 FMC Historian to get members to write personal autobiographies that have been shared with all members electronically. She changed the yearbook from one printed every two years to a mini-notebook that could be easily updated by adding pages and included the ancestor sketches. She also designed the FMC poster-board exhibit for display at a Governors’ Forum. She currently serves as chair of the FMC Membership Committee, helps applicants with research, and invites guests who are potential new members to every meeting, and is the Company’s top recruiter. She has also served on the FMC Scholarship Committee and two FMC Bylaws Committees. She serves on the Society’s Annual Giving Committee and the Society’s History Committee.

2011-2013 Kathleen Gray Henry: Kathy Henry also attended meetings in VA and represented the FMC at the Governors’ Roundtable. She asked for a donation from the FMC treasury in 2012 and for additional money from individual members in 2013 to support the restoration of the 1680 Church Bell Tower on Jamestowne Island and sent those funds to the Society for that project.

2009-2011 Lt Colonel Horace Richard Jordan: Dick Jordan set up the FMC website as a link from the Society’s website and served as the FMC webmaster from 2009 through 2016. As the FMC Governor, he actively recruited new members, appointed a committee to establish clearer criteria for company scholarship winners, and added these criteria to the FMC yearbook. He requested and received personal biographical sketches of FMC members to be held by the Company Governor. He attended all meetings in VA from 2009-2019. During his tenure, the FMC received the Society’s flag which Dick displayed at meetings. The bylaws were amended during his tenure to use the term “Genealogist,” and Governor Jordan asked for individual pledges to retire the mortgage on the Society’s headquarters, making it possible to donate an additional $1 to that fund. He has personally donated to the Society for years, and his generosity in providing airfare and hotel rooms for speakers from VA is unparalleled.

2007-2009 Ann Atkinson Simmons: Ann increased the amount of the Honorarium paid to speakers, recruited new members and continues to do so, added the gift of $200 as policy for FMC scholarship winners, and sent FMC funds to retire the mortgage for the Society’s headquarters. She has attended numerous meetings in VA through the years, and the Companies’ Chair selected her to serve as the Secretary of the 2009 Roundtable. She implemented the Society’s request to allow companies to have Friends, sent a Company donation to support the Society’s Scholarship Fund, encouraged the Company to set up a website, and changed the name of the Registrar to Genealogist per the Society’s mandate. Ann remains an active and staunch supporter of the FMC and has also been a repeat donor to the Jamestowne Society.

2005-2007 Ethel Marlette Anepohl: Ethel was an energetic and innovative Governor. Her many initiatives included establishing an essay contest for high school seniors and eighth graders, making “Meet My Ancestor” a regular feature at meetings, replacing FMC member certificates for members who lost theirs in Hurricane Katrina, designing a handout entitled “A Penny for Your Thoughts” as a tool for members’ becoming better acquainted with one another, holding fundraisers to increase FMC funds, obtaining FMC approval to send $200 to retire the mortgage for the Society’s new headquarters in Richmond, sending an FMC donation for a Wreath for the 400th Anniversary, and launching a “Citizen of the Year” award for outstanding FMC members. At the November 2006 FMC meeting, she played a CD prepared by Randolph Cabell, who researched the music of the Jamestowne era and wrote a march based on tunes from the 1500s and 1600s. She explained that a trumpet mouthpiece was found during excavations on the island. She displayed models of the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and the Discovery at meetings. Ethel always had door prizes and “goodie bags” for attendees.

2003-2005 Sharron Baird: Sharron worked closely with Honorary Governor Kay Hudson to get the FMC fully organized and functioning. She then began growing the company membership and continued to hold all meetings in the FMC’s chartering city of Jackson. She compiled, bound, and distributed the FMC Yearbook for the first three FMC Governors to all members. She has remained active in the company after her tenure as the Governor and has served as the Genealogist and chair of two committees: Bylaws (twice), Nominating Committee (twice), In addition to these accomplishments, she also serves on the FMC Membership Committee As the Company genealogist, she helped applicants with their research and typed their applications. She wrote and edited some of the first biographical sketches of members’ Qualifying Ancestors. She also has made donations to the Society, served as the chair of the early essay contest that preceded the current FMC Scholarship award, and served as the Parliamentarian.

2001-2003 Kay Parrish Hudson: Kay was the Organizing Governor and the first elected Governor. She applied for and received tax-exempt status for the company from the Charitable Division of the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State and the IRS. She attended meetings in VA and was present in 2007 for the 400th Anniversary Celebration.