Today's DAR
Friends and family of Ann Davison Duffie Fleck gathered beneath sunny skies on the sloping hillside of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Harwichport, Mass., on Saturday to remember her joy for life and her remarkably “up-beat” personality. Though the pandemic kept us socially distant, in masks and small in number, there was no suppressing the warmth of the memories that flooded over all us who had the privilege to attend the dedication of a lovely graveside marker placed by the Massachusetts Daughters. Perhaps the most poignant moment was the solo performed on Mrs. Fleck’s own prized Revolutionary War replica drum, with its staccato beats echoing across the silent graveyard in her memory.
Drumming up the Legacy of Honorary President General Ann D. Fleck
It is fair to say that if you met Mrs. Fleck, you would never forget her charm, sincerity nor that mischievous twinkle in her eye. You would also never forget her near-constant companion, that beloved drum that she carried and played with pride in parades and ceremonies as part of the Massachusetts S.A.R Continental Army Color Guard. Among many other appearances, Mrs. Fleck was part of the Honor Guard for Queen Elizabeth II during Her Majesty’s Bicentennial visit to Boston in 1976. Perhaps most memorable for Daughters was the vision of her processing, drum and all, down the center aisle of DAR Constitution Hall when she served as the 34th President General from 1986 until 1989. What a joy it was to know this down-to-earth, genuine woman, who marched DAR forward beneath a banner of “We the People.”
Mrs. Fleck also took part in celebrations for the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, honored Patriot graves (including those of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette) and contributed to the restoration of Ellis Island. After decades of patriotic devotion, Mrs. Fleck surely earned her right to lay down her drum and rest in peace alongside her beloved husband, Raymond Franklin Fleck, whom she married in 1946.
Mrs. Fleck received her first drum at age 7 – no surprise, perhaps, given that her Patriot ancestor was a drummer, as were three great-great uncles in the Civil War and an uncle in World War I. She received bachelor and master degrees in music education, played with the Boston Women’s Symphony and others, conducted her church choir for half a century and led the DAR Chorus for many years, including while she served as President General.
During those years in our Society’s highest elected office, she initiated her efforts to “stop the fancy business and tend to the nitty gritty,” with a project to repair the then-deteriorating DAR headquarters. Her “Pipes and Drums” efforts removed asbestos, replaced faulty wiring and repaired the building’s 60-year old plumbing. Furniture was replaced, hallways carpeted, lighting fixtures updated and elevators repaired.
On the day she was installed in office, Mrs. Fleck told those assembled, “We want to fortify our strengths and pledge to go forward. We want to be a forceful power of good and great volunteerism…Every second, every minute, every hour that goes by, never again as long as we live can we make up. Let us use the hours wisely.”
Inspired by Mrs. Fleck’s down-to-earth example, I have resolved that I will, indeed, recommit myself to using all of my hours wisely – and to continually reminding myself of the value of marching to one’s own drummer. Thank you for a virtuoso performance, Ann Davison Duffie Fleck.
