The Pennsylvania Patriot

The Pennsylvania Patriot
Supplement – June 2015
PSSDAR – Bobbi McMullen, State Regent
Franklin Country Chapter
Honors Viet Nam Vets
Heather Ruseskas at her post at the DAR Bazaar American Indians
table – She will be giving a workshop at the next Fall Meeting.
Franklin County Chapter of the
National Society of Daughters of the American
Revolution on February 12, hosted a bingo
with refreshments and prizes for all residents,
in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of
the Vietnam War, and to honor all veterans.
Two educational, patriotic displays
were set up in the game room where residents
played bingo — the Vietnam Memorabilia
display and The Fallen Comrade table.
The Vietnam War display was set up last year
at two other locations, in July in Grove Family
Library, Chambersburg, and in September at
the Pennsylvania Society Daughters of the
American Colonists, State Assembly in the
Comfort Inn, Carlisle.
The Fallen Comrade display was
created in honor of and gratitude to all soldiers
who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. It
reminds us that the sweetness of peace is
tempered by the bitterness of their sacrifice.
The table is a tradition in the military and can
be seen at many military installations and
dining halls.
Carollynne Kelly, a member of the
DAR since 1997 and a Vietnam era veteran,
served in the Women's Army Corps
and the Ordnance Corps. She is the chair of
the DAR Service to Veterans committee and
chair of the chapter's Project Patriot
committee. Other Franklin County DAR
members who helped with the bingo event
were Ellen Gsell, Shirley Lanman, Peggy
Tarner and Margie Asper. A 96 year-old WWII
Navy Veteran was on hand helping out as
well
It was a family function as Mrs. Kelly's
oldest son, Eric Kelly, was on hand to help out
with the prizes, and also her husband,
Lawrence Kelly, U.S. Army Retired who
served in Korea, Alaska, Germany, and
Vietnam, 23rd Infantry Division, "The America
Division".
1
Reservations without Reservation
--Christyn Olmstead
South East District Director
State Conference Reservations Chair
FROM THE CHORUS DIRECTORS:
What an awesome experience we had at our
conference! Our chorus members sang at both the
memorial service and the Veteran’s luncheon. We were
honored to be a part of these events. It’s truly amazing
that our daughters can prepare their singing parts at
home in advance, come to the festival to join others,
some of whom they have never met, and sing twenty-four
hours later as a cohesive group. There is something
magical about music that draws us together. Singing has
a bonding effect that we all feel as we stand to sing as
one voice.
We gained three new members at the conference and
hope that those who were not able to attend this year will
be back with us in Lancaster for the 2016
Conference. You are all important to this chorus!
We wish to thank our State Regent Bobbi McMullen
and Chaplain Beth Watkins for their invitation to be a part
of the 2015 Conference. We also wish to thank Kathleen
Zinskie for incorporating our song, Wherever You Are, into
the Veteran's luncheon program. Kudos to all the
members who juggled schedules and sat with an iPod or
a computer to listen to and learn their individual parts
before they arrived. It takes a team effort and all DAR
members understand “team effort.” So to our singing
team, “Great job! We hope to see you next year!
The dust has finally settled. We’ve eaten the meals, feted
our guests, and stored our flags, leaving us with pictures
and fond memories of the 118th State Conference. As a
part of ‘Meg’s Militia’, I’m proud of my part in helping
your conference experience be enjoyable. “ How was
yours?” you ask. Honestly, I felt as if I had been eating
those meals for a month and a half! I thought twice
about stabbing that BBQ pork chop when it appeared in
front of me.
Reservation chairman is an important job, full of
learning opportunities, the joy getting to know new
people, and chances to really mess things up royally.
From the understanding looks and compassionate glances
I received, I’m sure the 117 ladies responsible for State
Conference reservations before me had similar
experiences.
I’d like to share some things that I learned that might help
you and the 119th reservations chairman.
•
•
Bobbi Heastings and Ellen Rupert
Conference Paperwork…..Paperwork…..Paperwork
•
•
I learned what an “event” was! An event is anything that happens at the Conference – Memorial service, business session, meal, tour, book club, photos session with dignitaries, anything! So, if you’re o nly attending ONE of those – for you, registration is $5.00. Please pay attention to deadlines. They exist for a reason. Not all venues are accommodating, and w e worked hard to make sure the conference chairman had accurate counts to relay at her meetings w ith hotel staff. W e w ere lucky w e could flexible. Don’t count on it next year. Please double check your reservation form to make sure you’ve selected your meal choices for the meals you are paying for. It saves phone calls and emails trying to track down that information. Or, d epending on her mood, you may get the meal the reservation chairman picks for you. Please use o ne registration form for each person. We need to know who is attending for security, name tags, and stuff like that. Even if we opt to use event-planning software in the
future, there will be paper involved and all these
things will apply, so please remember them for the
119th!
2
Susan
Brownell
Anthony
(1820-1906)
National
Number
26511
Kuskushkee Trail Chapter, NSDAR Celebrates A Real Granddaughter
Members and guests at Kushkushkee Trail’s February meeting celebrated the one hundred ninety fifth birthday
of a real granddaughter with games and cake. Historians have recorded the contributions of Susan Brownell Anthony, as
an educator, abolitionist and champion of women’s rights.
Anthony, who was born in Adams, Massachusetts on February 15, 1820 was also a real granddaughter. She joined
the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution on November 22, 1898, using her maternal grandfather,
Private Daniel Reed of Massachusetts as her Patriot.
Happy Birthday National Number 26155!
Shawnee Fort
Honors Veterans Volunteer
Shawnee Fort Chapter Secretary, Alice Keiner, was
recently honored at a banquet honoring the volunteers at
the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center.
Each volunteer awardee was presented with an engraved
rosewood piano-finish clock from the VA Voluntary Service
(VAVS) Committee, and a certificate with a pin or plaque.
Alice was honored by the Wilkes-Barre VA hospital for having
over 100 volunteer hours. Alice currently serves as deputy for
the Wilkes-Barre location for the PSSDAR VAVS committee. Burtner House
Annual Strawberry Festival
Saturday, June 20, 2015 11-5 pm
Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania
Exit 15 on Rt 28
Adults - $5/Children free
Tour the home and grounds! Try the strawberry
shortcake! Food! Civil War re-enactment! Chinese
auction! Music! Bake Sale!
3
Tried and True, Forever at Their Post
The Credentials Committee
Left to right: Laudrea Frampton, Peggy Schweiger,
Tana Olp,Joan Olp (in front), Sue Schuyler, Patty Boris, S.J.
McCurdy, Chairman
I would like to thank my committee for all their time and
help with credentials during state conference:
Joan Olp, Santana Olp, Peggy Schweiger, Laudrea
Frampton, Melissa Lambert, Gerri Falk, Susan Schuyler,
Patty Boris, Betty Dechant, Rebecca Gelles, and last minute
pitch hitters: Gail Matus and Ann Harder – thanks!
I could not have handled this tedious, but delightful task
without all of you. Thanks for your camaraderie,
willingness to work all hours and putting up with me. I wish
you all lived closer to me as we would definitely “do
lunch”.
Pennsylvania Luncheon
at Continental Congress
The venue is set, the menu chosen, our guests
invited.
We are just awaiting the most important part – you!
As you make your plans to attend Continental
Congress, don’t forget to reserve your seat at the
Pennsylvania Luncheon on Thursday, June 25, 2015,
from 12-2 pm at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Send your reservations to:
Margaret Everly,
PA Luncheon State Chairman
664 Village Green Blvd
Mars, PA 16046.
The cost is $68, and checks should be made payable to
PSSDAR. Please note PA Luncheon in the memo line.
All reservations should be made by June 1, please.
We look forward to seeing you at Continental Congress
and at the Pennsylvania Luncheon.
~~Margaret Everly, Chairman, Pennsylvania
Luncheon
Page
Wisdom
~~Sara Jane McCurdy
State Chairman for Credentials
vs.
Page
Folly
Colonel Andrew Lynn
Celebrates 100 Years
Colonel Andrew Lynn Chapter of Uniontown,
PA celebrated its 100th anniversary on January 10,
2015. A luncheon at the historic J. V. Thompson
House, took us back to 1915 to help us recall the
simpler life and times when our chapter was formed.
Fred Voss, descendant of Colonel Andrew Lynn, spoke
about Andrew Lynn’s Revolutionary service.
Pennsylvania State Regent Roberta Patton
McMullen and Chapter Regent Lynn Keller presented
Modiste McGill with her certificate honoring 50 years
of membership. Also in attendance were Southwestern
District Director Susan Gillette Meer, Honorary State
Regent Deb Davis and Past Chaplain General and
Honorary State Regent of Florida Mary Lou James.
Donations to Project Patriot and the General Fund were
made in honor of our 100th anniversary.
Each member and friend in attendance received a
machine-quilted bag with updates of the chapter’s
history and remembrances of 1915. We are looking
forward to the second hundred years by holding a
genealogy workshop for the first meeting.
State Regent Bobbi McMullen, Modiste McGill, Colonel Andrew
Lynn Chapter Regent Lynn Keller
4
Congratulations
to the
Parkinson's
Ferry Society!
~~Susan Gillette Meer
Julia Teti National Corresponding Secretary C.A.R.; Morgan Meer; Everitt
Meer; Eric Allen; all members of the Parkinson’s Ferry Society
Note: Harriet M. Lothrop, the founder of N.S.C.A.R., was
also an author whose pen name was Margaret Sidney.
Many may remember that Margaret Sidney was the author
of The Five Little Peppers series of children’s books. In
addition to this she was a successful publisher and
successfully headed up the Lee & Shepard publishing
house, still in business today.
Julia Teti, (daughter of Betsy Teti, Chairman of The Flag of the US Committee PSSDAR) current PFS member
and PA State President, was elected to be National Corresponding Secretary! Congratulations to Julia, our
first national officer from our society.
In addition, the society won 2nd Most Outstanding Society in the nation!
They were also blessed to win many individual awards for work this year including the following:
• 2nd place for the 1st VP Contest
• 2nd place for the 2nd VP Contest on the American Flag
• 2nd place for the Recording Secretary Contest
• 1st place for the Organizing Secretary Contest
• 1st place for the Corresponding Secretary Contest
• 1st place for the Assistant Registrar Contest
• 2nd place for the Historian Contest
• 1st place for the Librarian Contest
• 1st place for the American Heritage Contest about American Music
• 1st place for the American History Contest about Fort McHenry and the Battle of Baltimore
• 2nd place for the American Indian Contest on storytelling
• 2nd place for best society newsletter
• 1st place for Conservation on Smokey Bear
• 2nd place for Government Studies on the American Presidents
• 1st place for the Mountain Schools
• 1st place for best program on historical newspapers
• 1st place for Public Relations
• Gold Merit Award
Also, the following members were recognized for outstanding work
as a society officer:
Everitt Meer - President
Mary Licciardello - Vice President
Michael Licciardello - Treasurer
Morgan Meer - Historian
Everitt Meer accepting the
national award for the 2nd
Most Outstanding Society in
the nation. Pictured with
National President (now
Honorary National
President) Betsy Ehmcke.
5
The State Conference Comfort Bag Project
~~Kathleen Zinskie, Chairman
DAR Service to Our Vets
On the morning of April 24, during the 2015
PSSDAR State Conference in Breinigsville, a very
special project that began as an idea came into
fruition, not with “a little help from my friends,” but
lots. One year ago, a request from our State Regent
Bobbi McMullen, was put in play to put together 300
Women’s Comfort Bags. The bags are to be divided
between the 6 state Veterans Homes and 8 State
Veterans Hospitals throughout Pennsylvania.
A list of 15 items ranging from nail files to
magnifying sheets to romance novels were donated
from every chapter in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Again, this year the organization
“Blankets for Vet” graciously donated lap blankets.
Then to our surprise an unexpected donation came
from the Proctor and Gamble Company. Their
generous donation of over $3.000.00 provided paper
and female hygiene projects to the 14 facilities.
Traveling down the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a
13-foot white cube van and three cars arrived in
Breinigsville on Thursday, April 23. They were filled
to capacity with over $20,000.00 worth of donated
items. Tables were set up like the Ford assembly
line in preparation for fulfillment. Large plastichandled bags were labeled with the facility name, the
DAR contact and her chapter name. Behind the
plastic bags were the pre-filled 50-gallon clear
plastic bags that contained the donated items from
P&G as well as the lap blankets.
Friday morning arrived with a flurry of
excitement. Volunteers arrived early ready to pack
the bags. From pages to national officers to state
regents, every one jumped in to fill the bags. They
started from one end of the room, placing each item
in the blue nylon silk-screened drawstring bag
ending with being handed to the pages. The pages
placed each comfort bag in their larger plastic bag
(average plastic bag contained 5 comfort bags).
This assembly system was quite the success. The
ladies were so organized that it took only 45 minutes
to fill 300 Comfort Bags.
PSSDAR organization and the “The Ladies” who
along with their chapter members who volunteered
to deliver and present the Comfort Bags to their local
VA facilities.
The success of this project came from many
individuals. I would, personally, like to thank each
and everyone, including:
State Regent Bobbi McMullen
Mary Ann Cunningham
Tina Henning
Karen Kalinowski “Blankets for Vets”
Harry Zinskie
Carol Patrick
Alex Fried, P&G
I would like to also thank every member of the
PSSDAR organization and “The Ladies” who along
with their chapter members volunteered to deliver
and present the Comfort Bags to their local facilities.
DAR
Service for
Veterans
WorkshopPacking
the comfort
bags
Everybody’s Best Friend:
Tory the Photographer
6
2015
State
Conference
Celebrate
America!
125
Years
7