DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Title

Annual Report 1996

Authors

Kathleen Adams

Date of this Version

1996

Document Type

Article

Citation

The George Eliot Review 28 (1997)

Comments

Published by The George Eliot Review Online https://GeorgeEliotReview.org

Abstract

When our year began with the Annual General Meeting we had the opportunity to accept our new Constitution. This enabled us to apply for and receive Charitable Status which we hope will be a useful situation for us in the future. At the meeting we were afraid that we were to lose a wonderful treasurer with no sign of a replacement but John Bunn agreed to stay on until the end of September while our search continued. Before that deadline Sally-Ann Pye offered her services and she has worked well and efficiently with us since, proving a helpful and enthusiastic member of Council. The retiring members of the Council were re-elected and · David Adams was co-opted for the year. After the meeting slides associated with George Eliot places and events were shown.

The Fellowship has been extremely fortunate to be one of the legatees of the estate of the late Daphne Carrick, a life member of many years. Other legatees receiving a similar amount are the Bronte Society, the Gaskell Society, the National Trust, the Friends of Norwich Cathedral and, we believe, the Dickens Fellowship. The estate has to be finally settled but we have received, so far, the magnificent sum of £35,000. When the Chairman and I joined the Fellowship in 1965 the funds were never out of double figures - now we are well into five figures. What a golden opportunity this gives us to promote George Eliot even more. We wrote and asked the views of our President and Vice-Presidents on how the income from the investment of this large sum should be used and we had some most interesting replies, all of which were carefully considered. We hope to keep most of the legacy invested and only use the income so that there will always be a substantial sum to fall back upon for any major project. The winner of the George Eliot Prize was announced in February. Phyllis Weliver received a cheque for £50 and two years' membership of the Fellowship as well as guaranteed publication of her paper in the 1996 George Eliot Review.

Several members attended the AGM of the Alliance of Literary Societies in April. This was hosted by The Housman Society to mark the centenary of the publication of A Shropshire Lad and we heard some most interesting and professional talks about organizing their attractive Housman Festival. The ALS President, Gabriel Woolf, read from the series of poems and the Chairman of the Housman Society declared he had never heard them read better.