The North Carolina State Conference

Anna Choi, North Carolina State Regent

The North Carolina Daughters welcomed me to their state conference with southern hospitality and friendship!  Congratulations to State Regent Anna Choi and her team who provided a well-organized and fun-filled event for all in attendance.  Thank you for the many gifts, flowers and kindnesses extended to me throughout my stay.  Connecting with my dear friend, Katharine Vanzant Arno, was the icing on the cake.  Special thanks to my personal page Lizzy Their and Barbara Guest for providing my transportation. “Hurrah! Hurrah! The good Old North State!”

-Pamela Wright

My gloves are on the chair and my feet are up after an amazing 123rd North Carolina Society State Conference. North Carolina Daughters sparkled and showed their service over the four days; 680 Daughters and guests were together.

What a whirlwind of learning and celebration.  North Carolina Daughters joined together for workshops on America 250!, work/life balance, how to be a Chapter Regent, the DAR Museum, and spreading “Digital Sparkle.” They shared Committee ideas and opportunities in our first Committee Showcase.  We celebrated so much—from our DAR Leadership Course graduates to our Chapters’ outstanding Constitution Week programs, membership growth, DAR Museum participation, and genealogical records contributions. We celebrated the sparkle in our communities—our Community Service winners (NC Bluebird Society and Veteran Smiles Foundation), our Outstanding Veteran Volunteer William T. Dixon and his service dog Tank, our scholarship winners, and our DAR Good Citizen winner who was also the SE Division winner. We celebrated our North Carolina Outstanding Junior, Lizzy Thier, who was also named a National Finalist.

North Carolina’s Daughters are incredibly generous. Due to their support for creating a charter school at Crossnore’s Winston-Salem campus, we raised more than double our original three-year pledge of $40,000. Crossnore CEO Brett Loftis was quite surprised to receive a check for $80,000 after only two years of fundraising! The new North Carolina Acquisitions Fund at the DAR Museum has been gifted so generously that the Museum has purchased two North Carolina items with project funds, both of which will be on display during Continental Congress: a dining table made in the Chowan River Basin area dated 1770-1790 and a Moravian Redware Fish bottle from Salem dated 1801-1829. It’s not just the State Regent’s Project we support; fifty chapters achieved 100% President General’s Project participation in only the first year of Mrs. Wright’s administration.

This year’s evening speakers were amazing.  North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Newby shared the real-life, true crime story “Stolen History: How North Carolina Reclaimed its Copy of the Bill of Rights.” Stolen by a Union Soldier in spring of 1865, it was offered for sale to parties in Pennsylvania in 2003 for $4 million dollars.  A sting operation involving State officials, the North Carolina Governor, Chief Justice Newby, the FBI, and a fake cashier’s check brought it home to the North Carolina State Archives.  President General Pamela Rouse Wright really brought the sparkle when she spoke to us Saturday night.  Daughters had the rare privilege to hold the sparkle that is Mrs. Wright’s insignia as she shared details about her administration and the many ways Daughters can “sparkle in service.”

Daughters shopped, purchased pins at the Insignia pop-up, bid on auction items to support the Page fund, and purchased vintage gloves at the Junior Shoppe (a personal favorite). Our teacup auction shattered not china but fundraising records. 

North Carolina Daughters showed that they are “Rooted in Legacy” while they “Reach New Heights in DAR Service” throughout the year but especially at our recent state conference.

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