Jim Lammers Memorial Fund

[Craig L Barry]

As many of you know, Jim Lammers of Cedar Creek Supply Depot passed away suddenly on Wednesday of this past week. Many of you may be aware that there is a memorial fund to assist Jim's wife and family in their hour of need. A fund was set up for the family through his many friends in the hobby, and donations have been coming in to the JIM LAMMERS MEMORIAL FUND, 1609 West First North Street, Morristown, TN 37814. Contributions to that have been greatly appreciated and are a godsend. Thanks to you who contributed, and to those who will after reading this notice.

In addition, to further assist Jim's wife and family, Camp Chase Gazette, The Watchdog, along with Todd Watts (Blockade Runner) and I are going to donate a de-farbed Armi Sport Enfield, and sell a limited number (150) of tkts for $20 a piece. Tickets may be purchased from The Watchdog, PO Box 1675, Warren, MI 48090. Make checks payable to the JIM LAMMERS MEMORIAL FUND. The tkts will be sold first come, first served until they are gone, and then the winner will be drawn and notified. All proceeds are going to the family. More details will be available on the Camp Chase Gazette website soon.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Craig, that's a very generous thing that you and Todd are doing with the musket raffle. I will most definitely be contributing to that as well as the memorial fund . I would also like to add for those going to Olustee next weekend, some Cedar Creek goods will be available for sale with Dean and Anita Laramore of Ortega Traders, so I would encourage anyone who wants to get some quality goods or contribute to the memorial to see them on sutler row.

[Craig L Barry]

One of the great things I have noticed from my years in the hobby is that we Civil War (re)enactors are like a family. A big, arguing, pissing upstream from each other kind of family, but a family none-the-less. And when someone is in need, as is the case here, this is a family that circles the wagons and comes through BIG. By the way, Ross, I am using your Jim Lammers customer service story in the obit. The one about your brogans, which is a good example of how fair he was with big lumoxes who stick their wet leather boots too close to the fire, or whatever it is you did. He made good on them when he could just as easily told you to go pound sand. Jim was known for customer service, and those customers came back again and again.

Nobody who ever knew Jim Lammers did not come away from the experience better for it. This is the least we can do. He was a fair man who asked little of others in life, and we will do right by his survivors now. This Enfield is a honey, too. Whoever gets it is going to be grandest tiger in the jungle. It is a Tower 1862, makers mark under the stock JOSEPH WILSON, Anchor JS behind the trigger guard, BSAT roundel. Barrel maker stamped under the barrel, B'ham proof house marks, lock makers name stamped inside the lock plate. Stock recontoured and refinished with boiled linseed oil. I personally built the lock, timed the action and polished the parts.

[Craig L Barry]

This may make you angry (it has made me angry) and it is embarrassing to admit but here it is...We are having trouble getting Lakeway to provide status or reconcile the Jim Lammers Memorial Fund. The raffle winner has not been notified to our knowledge, the Enfield and the remaining raffle funds are not fully accounted for at the present time. This was all supposed to take place two months ago at 145th Chickamauga. Based on the ongoing chaos at Lakeway, within the past twenty four hours we have learned that the raffle was still not concluded. We only know a partial payment was made to Linda Lammers to assist with expenses some months ago by then editor Ed Hooper, who is no longer employed by Lakeway. No further payments have been made, no winner was drawn and last word we got was the Enfield was sitting in Hooper's old office. Hopefully it is still there. Lakeway did not (of course) pay their share of the cost of the Enfield, but had the weapon to display at events in order to aid the sale of raffle tickets. The Enfield, a nice Tower 1862 defarbed by Todd Watts was nowhere to be found after New Market in May, which was the last time I saw it.

Lakeway will have to come clean with a full disclosure of their handling of the raffle funds, deliver the Enfield to whomever won it, and deliver the balance of funds to Lammers widow. If there is so much as a whiff of impropriety we may need a "call to arms." Reece Sexton is currently serving as editor of Camp Chase Gazette and CW Courier, and he is reputedly an honorable man. We expect this matter will receive prompt his attention. Litigation is not out of the question either. When the winner is drawn, the Enfield delivered and the widow given all funds, we will make another announcement. So far our correspondence on this matter has been ignored.
Craig L Barry
Editor, The Watchdog
Company of Military Historians



You know what--this raffle was promoted pretty strongly by The Watchdog. I've got a ticket laying around here somewhere, and I don't even have use for this weapon. And I've got every issue if the WatchDog since inception until merger sitting on my shelf, acquired by purchase on the secondary market, off the shelf, or by subscription. I've got a boatload of Camp Chase and Citizens Companion too, right up until the time they had that blatant, repetitive, and unresolved plagarism problem.

Jim Lammers was a good man. His family deserves better than this. The Watchdog should have provided firm oversight if they were selling tickets. The Dawg's name has been a valuable one in the hobby, and its word worth a **** of a lot. I'd like to see that name and word be as highly valued as it used to be. Right now, its not.

This thread is closed and ALL information concerning this matter, and any others matters related to The Watchdog, Camp Chase, Citizens Companion, Lakeway Publishing, any of their employees, past or present, and the Dog's new venture with the Civil War News are NOT open for discussion or promotion in any of the Civilian sections of this forum, until such time as I hear directly from Bill Christensen, and Bill only.

And then I'll think about what I've heard.

Mrs. Lawson Moderator