Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2012: Highlights

This year’s Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has come to an end.  Good thing because we have learned a lot and need time to implement it, plus we are all very tired.

Highlights:

• Christy Fillerup and the UGA/SLIG team produced a smashingly successful institute.  If there were any snags, I never noticed them.  I was in charge of publicity this year, so felt the need to ask Christy if there was anything she needed me to do whenever I saw her.  She had everything running like clockwork and never needed me.  Congratulations to the great SLIG/UGA team!
• The Radisson is a comfortable place for the institute, so close to the Family History Library, yet nice enough that they even supply pitchers of water and water glasses in our instruction rooms.
• The venue was downtown SLC, close enough that I walked to the Blue Lemon Restaurant for great soups and salads, and Roxbury for a green smoothie.   The light rail, TRAX, was also nearby if I wanted to venture out.
• I stayed at the Radisson.  The bed was soft enough that I had no trouble sleeping.
• I had a great roommate, Patti Hobbs.  We both worked on homework at night, so she didn’t have the TV on distracting me.  She didn’t snore and keep me awake half the night!
• At the Friday night banquet, the distinguished FUGA award was presented to Claire Bettag.   She is well deserving for her years of genealogy service.
• Our speaker for the banquet was Lou Szucs who addressed her talk, “Mysteries, Myths, and Miracles.”  Szucs shared some special moments while doing genealogy research.
• UGA announced the Jimmy D. Parker Scholarship for tuition for one student.
• During one of the last segments of my class, Thomas Jones taught us how to write better.  Then, he gave us an example of about four sentences and asked us to tighten it and make it better.  When we finished, he asked for volunteers to share what they had written.  I shared mine.  Then he said, “That was beautiful!  You did it in ONE sentence!”  Thomas Jones said my “work” was beautiful!  He IS the co-editor of the NGSQ.  He made my day.
• I learned many good things from the experts, Thomas W. Jones, Claire Bettag, John Colletta.

Low points (not many):

• Being so brain fried on Friday morning I put on two completely different earrings and didn’t discover it until the afternoon, AFTER I had already checked out of my hotel room and stored my luggage with the hotel.  SO, I had to attend the banquet with two different earrings. lf anyone noticed, they didn’t mention it.  Goes to show you this genealogy community is considerate of my feelings.
• It ended.  I had to say goodbye, but I’ll see many at RootsTech this week, so the party will go on!  Plus, there’s always the opportunity to learn more next year!
• I had to miss Gordon Remington’s class.  Knowing Gordon, I’m sure it was wonderful!

So that’s it for SLIG 2012!  I hope you’ll be able to join us next year!

Related posts:  Monday, Monday, So Good to Me: SLIG Day One; Tuesday’s Treasures: SLIG Day Two; Wednesday’s Wonders: SLIG Day Three; Thursday’s Thrills: SLIG Day Four; Friday’s Faves: SLIG Day Five; SLIG Lineup 2013.