Arizona Daughters in Full Bloom!

After unusually heavy recent rains, the desert plants of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona are uncharacteristically green and lush this August. It’s a perfect metaphor for DAR here, too – for after months of fortunes clouded by the pandemic, the Arizona Daughters are thriving in service to their neighbors and our National Society.  

While I traveled home via a fabled “red eye” flight on my return to my home in New York, rarely have I arrived so refreshed and excited about our mission. The Arizona Daughters are accomplishing great things, and I was inspired by their devotion and their achievement. It is little wonder that DAR membership here has grown by more than 30 percent in the last decade!

More than a decade before Arizona even became a state, the Daughters were here – working in support of our mission. It was an honor to gather with them to celebrate 120 years (1901-1921) of that dedication during their early Fall Forum. State Regent Morgan Elliott’s motto and theme are: “Bloom where you are planted. Roots of Strength, Branches of Service and Blossoms of Hope.” She has kept her members connected through an effective combination of personal interaction and innovative online programming throughout the pandemic – and the weekend was a time to stop and smell the roses – or in this case, the white blossoms of the giant Saguaro cactus, the official state flower.

I was honored to meet with fellow Blue Star Mothers in attendance (above). I was also both impressed and grateful for the generous funds they have donated toward the Next Act project at DAR Constitution Hall and their efforts to place an America 250 Patriots Marker in 2022. In addition, Miss Elliott has raised more than $20,000 to benefit the Indian Youth of America Summer Camps at the Whispering Pines Camp in Prescott.

We gathered in the breathtaking beauty of the Sonoran Desert about 25 miles from Phoenix in the shadow of the majestic “Four Peaks Mountain,” or “We-Ko-Pa” in the native language at the We-Ko-Pa Resort in Fort McDowell. The community is named for a military outpost that operated for 25 years following the Civil War and was named for Union Major General Irvin McDowell.

Our official hosts were the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, a 950-member Native American tribe living on the 40-square mile reservation that is just a small part of the ancestral territory of the once-nomadic Yavapai people, who for thousands of years hunted and gathered food in a vast area of Arizona’s desert lowlands and mountainous Mogollon Rim. The Nation’s official motto is “Never give up. Always give back.” It was a very special pleasure to have Yavapai Nation U.S. military veterans process the colors during our Friday evening ceremonies.

- Sgt. Jeff Turney, a 20-year veteran of the Glendale Police Department and a 21-year veteran of the Air Force. Two years ago, out-of-state elderly relatives requested that a welfare check be made on then-93-year-old World War II Navy veteran Howard Benson, who was about to drive himself 2,200 miles to Fort Myers, Fla.. Sgt. Turney volunteered to drive him, taking personal time from work to do so – and the duo set out in Benson's 2003 Ford Expedition, hauling a trailer. Along the way, Benson told Turney about Pearl Harbor and President Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chats. "The entire care facility was waiting for him with flags and banners and one older lady was singing patriotic songs," Turney said. The Benson family paid for Turney's return flight and insisted on paying him – but the money was donated the money to a veterans group.

- Geraldine Hongeva, a volunteer with the Navajo Hope Honor Riders, which provides funeral and “welcome home” escorts for local veterans and events. In May, Geri and a fellow rider escorted the Code Talker and Freedom flags across the United States in a 12-day trp. The daughter of a Vietnam Veteran and the wife of a Desert Storm Navy vet, Geri has travelled more than 40,000 miles to 23 states to educate others about Native American veterans, especially the Navajo Code Talkers.

Before departing on Sunday, these thoughtful Daughters made arrangements for me to tour the Sandra Day O'Connor House. Originally built in Paradise Valley, it was moved about 10 miles to Tempe in 2007 to become the home of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The O’Connors hired Scottsdale architect DK Taylor to design the striking adobe brick home in 1957. Our National Society was proud to recently present a DAR Historic Preservation Grant to help preserve/sustain an outside adobe planter at the home. It was a pleasure to learn more about the Institute that bears the name of our first female Supreme Court Justice (who is now 91 and lives nearby) – and what a thrill it was for me to sit at Justice O’Connor’s desk during our brief visit!

One of the many thoughtful gifts presented to me was a beautiful charm in the shape of Arizona that contains two gemstones: An Arizona Amythyst from the Four Peaks Mine and an Arizona Peridot from the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. I will treasure it – along with my memories of a marvelous visit with these outstanding women devoted to our vibrant mission.