Constitution – The Historical Society of North Carolina

CONSTITUTION
of the
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NORTH CAROLINA

The name of this organization shall be the Historical Society of North Carolina.

The headquarters of the Society shall be in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

III

The purposes of the Society shall be [1] the encouragement of the study of history, with primary emphasis on the history of North Carolina and secondary emphasis on the history of the South and of the United States; [2] the fostering of research, writing, and publication of worthy historical studies in these fields.

The active membership of the Society shall be restricted to 100, except as provided in Article I, Section C, of the By-Laws. See Section VI of the By-laws for the new member selection process.

The Society shall hold two regular meetings annually. These meetings shall occur in fall and spring. Additional meetings may be called by the President and the Executive Council.

The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep all records and handle all official correspondence of the Society. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to collect dues, make necessary disbursements, and be the custodian of the Society’s funds. Officers shall be elected at the fall meeting each year. All officers, with the exception of the Secretary and the Treasurer, shall be elected for one year and may not succeed themselves in consecutive years.

VII

There shall be an Executive Council, consisting of the officers, the immediate past president, and three members elected from the Society. The members of the Council shall hold office for three years. Their terms shall be staggered so that one member will be elected each year.

VIII

The duties of the Council shall be [1] to formulate and carry into effect the purposes of the Society, [2] to decide upon the time and place of the Society’s meetings and to call special meetings as necessary, [3] to fill vacancies which may occur in any office until the meeting at which the regular election is held, [4] to prepare a budget, manage financial business, and to receive donations to the Society, and [5] to originate and present to the Society new plans and projects for consideration.

The retiring President of the Society shall deliver an address or read a historical paper at the fall meeting.

Any proposed change in the Constitution and By-Laws shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary and through him or her to the members of the Society at least one month in advance of any meeting. All such amendments shall require a two-thirds majority of the members present.