Today's DAR
After a year of separation, the Pennsylvania Daughters emerged joyously from a long winter to stage a marvelous 124th State Conference, April 22-24, in historic Pittsburgh. There was all the business, ceremony, fun and fellowship of a traditional conference -- though three quarters of the participants just happened to be joining in online. State Regent Beth Watkins graciously marshalled terrific in-person and virtual teams to plan and execute a safe weekend of worthwhile content, and I was delighted to be a small part of this conference, themed “Coming Together.”
Coming Together in Pittsburgh
That we did, as evidenced by the many substantive and enjoyable aspects of the conference; highlights included a live presentation by National Junior Membership Chair JeanEllen Hiter Melton, recognition of the Pennsylvania Outstanding Teacher of American History, a DAR DNA breakfast, a Memorial Service, an Historic Preservation Breakfast, a Book Club get together and even a “Prohibition Social.” I am grateful for the opportunity to have addressed the attendees on Friday evening to update them on the latest developments within our National Society and to thank them for their outstanding support of this administration’s President General’s Project, The Next Act.
Officers, committee chairs and chapter regents provided impressive in-person or videotaped reports in order to conduct the business of the conference. In short, it was informative, meaningful, well organized and enjoyable – whether participants attended in person and online. It was a special treat to welcome a dozen first-time attendees. (And I have no doubt that they found it as life-altering as many of us did when we ventured to our first conference!)
Mrs. Watkins’s State Regent’s Project included the culmination of the Justice Bell event last summer and the restoration of the beautiful Robert Morris Window at the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge. In addition, generous support has been provided to the new Pittsburgh Fisher House. Please meet Mrs. Watkins via the short interview conducted with her during the state conference – I thank her for her continued enthusiasm to “Rise and Shine to Ring Out the Good News” about DAR!
It was especially enjoyable to visit two local historic attractions: the 1764 Fort Pitt Blockhouse, which was saved by the Pittsburgh Chapter in 1894 and is the oldest structure in the city; and the Duquesne Incline railway, which first opened in 1877 and was restored in a great historic preservation success story by local residents in 1963. And how many of you know of the phenomenon called The Cookie Table? It is a Pittsburgh tradition that was beyond delicious, and the local Daughters outdid themselves on their display. Learn more about this fun custom here.
Following the conclusion of the formal business, Mrs. Watkins invited me to travel with about a dozen Pennsylvania Daughters to lay a wreath at the deeply moving Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa. The Memorial honors the sacrifice of the 33 passengers and seven crew members who died aboard United Flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists nearly 20 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Designated as a national memorial by the U.S. Congress in 2002, the site contains a Visitor Center Complex and outdoor exhibits; its Tower of Voices is a musical instrument of 40 windchimes that stands 93 feet tall in honor of the victims of Flight 93.
Constructed through a public-private partnership involving the National Park Service, the Families of Flight 93 and other supporters, it is dedicated to the memory of the brave Americans who voted to overtake the terrorists and try to retake control of the plane. Their heroic actions saved the lives of those inside its likely target: the U.S. Capitol.
Thank you, Mrs. Watkins and Pennsylvania Daughters, for the opportunity to visit this solemn place and to share your state conference. I will be forever grateful for your hospitality, and your gifts and kindnesses numbered too many to list here. Please know that every moment created a lasting memory that I will long treasure.
