I wish more people were like Tony. I wish more people could have a dynamic, passionate, energized guide as they weave their way through their genealogical journey
But my wish wouldn't end there. I wouldn't wish for it to end with Tony. There is a real opportunity here to gain momentum and for others to become as energized, organized and helpful as Tony. I would love for others to catch Tony's bug and pay it forward.
There is a real lesson in here somewhere for genealogy societies. Real momentum can be gained from an energized person like Tony who can really rev up a group. The challenge is consciously capturing that momentum and encouraging it to spread amongst the rest of the membership.
Tony is not the only Tony out there. I know of a few other "Tonys" right here in my home state of Massachusetts who are going above and beyond the call of duty and really trying to energize and build their genealogy groups and societies. But they can't do it alone.
If you're an officer in a society, see if you can identify any Tonys or potential Tonys in your group. Perhaps you don't have the energy yourself to be that person but you could do a great service by identifying and then encouraging other people to take on that role.
It sounds like the Schaumburg Library has something very special going on. Let's see if we can use it as a role model and help the momentum to spread.
Take a moment to read the article and learn exactly what Tony is doing right in Chicago. You can even check out Tony's Genealogy Group blog.
Photo Credit: Photo by Robbie1 and used under the creative commons license. Modified by M. Pierre-Louis.
Marian, Thank you for writing this post about Tony and linking his blog and my article. I really was so impressed by all that he does. As soon as he and I can get together, we will get him set up on Twitter and hopefully get a FaceBook page going and go over Google+. Then his great work will spread even farther. He is an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting this Marian - so inspiring. I'm following Tony's blog too now. So good to seek work like this.
ReplyDeleteTony's efforts are wonderful, but how does he keep it up? I am the Programme Convener for a genealogy society and I can tell you that even that portion of the society's activities is a lot of work. I work full time and I can tell you that sometimes it's a stretch to take care of all the details of finding, booking and advertising speakers let alone doing the rest as well. Perhaps Tony wants it to be a one-man show, but if he's doing it because he sees a need for the service, it's too bad others don't step-up and volunteer to help him out. With that amount of work involved, all it will take is for Tony to be sick for a bit or to have some other personal issue going on for it to fall apart. Just my 2 cents...
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