Ohio State Visit

What a joy to visit Ohio and experience the warmth, dedication, and spirit of its Daughters. From the historic preservation efforts at Waldschmidt Homestead to honoring our veterans, every moment of the 126th Ohio State Conference reflected the heart of our DAR mission. I am deeply grateful for the hospitality and kindness of Ohio State Regent, Susan Leininger, with special thanks to Pages Becca Armstrong and Sarah Keeler, and to Georgiana VanSyckle for transportation.

-Pamela Wright, President General 

The 126th Ohio State Conference was held March 20-23, 2025 in Columbus and brought together over 500 members and guests to celebrate achievements and reinforce our commitment to DAR’s mission of Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism.

We were delighted to have President General Pamela Wright join us for the first two days of our conference. Thursday evening’s State Officers Club event featured “the little black dress.” (Members dressed accordingly!) On Friday morning our conference guests toured the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, which honors all veterans, from all branches of service and all eras of our history. Ohio members attended workshops on a variety of subjects, including several on genealogy, treasurer tips, websites, Facebook, and the influence of music of the Vietnam era. We again took time before lunch for our traditional R.E.D. photo!

Saturday’s business sessions highlighted some of this administration’s accomplishments, including the digitization of 120+ volumes of state proceedings; gold level sponsorship of Kate Duncan Smith’s Centennial Commons; reroofing and extensive masonry repair to two early-1800s buildings at Waldschmidt Homestead; marking graves and sharing stories of underrepresented Patriots; and state-level sponsorship of Memorial Continental Hall restoration. Additionally, numerous projects were initiated and managed at the committee level. Ohio Daughters are truly amazing with their generous donations of time, talent, and finances.

Colonel James Tom of the Vietnam War Commemoration was our keynote on Saturday evening and spoke about the profound impact Ohio’s chapters have had on Vietnam veterans. He concluded by thanking our chapters for recognizing 11,200 Vietnam veterans through pinning – a number that continues to grow. State Regent Susan Leininger presented Colonel Tom with the National Defense Distinguished Citizen Medal in appreciation of his dedication and support. We are incredibly proud of our 90 chapters that serve as Commemorative Partners and all they have accomplished over the past ten years. 

Newly-elected state officers and Waldschmidt Homestead Trustees were installed at the Sunday morning business session and the conference concluded with a beautiful memorial service.

We are deeply grateful to our President General for her visit and the insights shared with Ohio Daughters.