New members were welcomed and business conducted at the SEA Annual Meeting on September 12, 2011 at The Homestead Inn in Evanston. After a reception and short business meeting that included the election of new Board members Steve Thompson and Shirley Conley, Eden Juron Pearlman, Director of the Evanston History Center, gave a very informative talk about the History Center and its long and ongoing role in the community.

The History Center was founded as the Evanston Historical Society in 1898, the year that Frances Willard passed away. After many years located in the basement of the public library, in 1960 the Charles Gates Dawes House (225 Greenwood Street, Evanston), became its home. The Evanston Historical Society was renamed in 2007 to be the Evanston History Center, a name more reflective, Pearlman said, of its role and mission. It is home to thousands of Evanston artifacts, has a well-regarded research center with records on almost every house in the city, and runs programs ranging from the popular Mother's Day House Walk to the "Under the Buffalo" lecture series.