The Cedar and Vernon County Genealogical Society met at the Nevada Library Annex Wednesday, May 15.

Tim Lopez, superintendent of the Fort Scott National Cemetery #1, presented a program on the cemetery, its history, and burial benefits for veterans. The Fort Scott National Cemetery is one of the Nation’s fourteen original national cemeteries established in 1862 during the Civil War and serves an estimated 50,000 Veterans in Kansas and Missouri.

Burial in a National Cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces and veterans who have met minimum active duty service requirements, as applicable by law and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Mr. Lopez presented genealogy member and U.S. Army veteran Laura Hicks with a Vietnam commemoration lapel pin and thanked her for her service in the military during the Vietnam war.

The next meeting of the Cedar and Vernon County Genealogical Society will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 19, in the John Smith Library in El Dorado Springs. Virginia Chase will present a program onvarious lineage organizations and requirements for membership. Ms. Chase has researched her family’s history for more than 40 years and based on that research has joined numerous lineage societies to honor her ancestors. The public is invited to attend the society’s programs; for more information, call 417-876-2633.