New Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Chapter Organized in Lake St. Louis, MO.

A patriotic celebration will be enjoyed by all attendees on November 3, 2012 at Lake Forest Country Club. Members and prospective members of the Proposed Caroline Close Stuart Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) gathered for their Organizing Meeting and Revolutionary Tea in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.  Many honored guests from the Missouri State Society (MSSDAR) will take part in the festivities.

Women dressed in Colonial era outfits sewn by members and prospective members will greet guests as they arrived for the celebration.  Outfits are “topped off” with cleverly created hats of the same time period.  In keeping with the Revolutionary theme the menu for the Tea is from a Martha Washington cook book.  The Tea menu includes one of her favorite dishes, country style ham and blackberry preserves over homemade biscuit.

Following the Tea, the Organizing Meeting will be called to order by Organizing Regent, Susan Russ.  VFW Post 10350 will participate in the opening ceremony with the traditional procession led by VFW members carrying the United States Flag.  Ralph Baralle, Commander later will present the United States Flag to the Organizing Chapter as a gift from the Lake St. Louis VFW Post.  Organizing Regent Russ will gratefully accept the gift on behalf of the chapter.

A candle glow filled the room lit in honor of the Chapter Patriots while a tribute will be read for those who fought for our Independence and for whom each women there have gained membership in NSDAR.  The candle was recently purchased in Dubrovnik, Croatia; (an independent state at the time) that was the very first nation to formally recognize the United States as a nation when it declared independence from Great Britain.

Membership in the NSDAR is a unique opportunity to honor one’s lineage and heritage as a descendant of a patriot of the

American Revolution.  30 Women recently admitted into the DAR will take their Oath of Membership into the Society at the Organizing Meeting.  They will promise faithful loyalty to the Bylaws of the National (NSDAR) and State (MSSDAR) Societies and their Chapter.  They will also promise to faithfully uphold the Constitution of the United States, to respect the Flag of the United States and to promote the objectives of the National Society.

Missouri State Regent, Patricia West, guest of the Organizing Chapter will be on hand to install the new Chapter Board Members:      REGENT, Susan Russ, VICE REGENT, Karen Wisner, CHAPLAIN, Marcy Hosty, RECORDING SECRETARY, Rhonda Potzmann, CORRESPONDING SECRETARY, Donna Hyder-Rogers, TREASURER, Jane McFarland, REGISTRAR, Mary Jo Anderson, LIBRARIAN, Michelle Meurer, AUDITOR, Jean Lorenz, CUSTODIAN OF THE FLAGS, Shannon Moessinger, DIRECTOR, Mary Anne Peeples, DIRECTOR OF HOSPITALITY, Marion Waters, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, Mary Jo Anderson, PARLIAMENTARIAN, Marilyn Hartnett.  Chapter members will promise faithful support of those placed in leadership.

A “Tapestry of Service” is the theme chosen by Susan Russ, Organizing Regent for her term of office.  The Chapter Regents Pin, property of the Organizing Chapter will be pinned on newly installed Russ by her daughter Michelle Meurer, also a chapter board member.  During the Organizing Meeting, two chapter members and those in attendance will be honored as Veterans and several experienced DAR members recognized for their length of membership in the Society.  The chapter namesake, Caroline Close Stuart is known for her service during the Revolutionary War caring for the wounded at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina.  She spent the rest of her life nursing the sick and wounded and died at the age of 103 after a lifetime of a “Tapestry of Service”.    

For more than a century, the members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution have dedicated themselves to historical preservation, promotion of education, and encouragement of patriotic endeavor.  These goals are as relevant in today's society as they were when the organization was founded in 1890. 

The National Society of DAR is headquartered in Washington, D.C.  They currently have 168,000 members in 3,000 chapters across the U.S. and internationally.  Their common bond is their lineal descent from Patriots of the American Revolution.  Any woman, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove this lineage, is eligible to join.  The term patriot is not limited to just soldiers, but includes anyone who helped with the American cause for independence.   Since 1890 DAR, has welcomed over 900,000 members.

Russ says. “DAR is a patriotic organization honoring the men and women who formed the roots of this country.”  The objectives of DAR have remained the same in over 100 years of active service to the nation.  Those objectives are: Historical - to perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American Independence; Educational - to carry out the injunction of Washington in his farewell address to the American people, "to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, thus developing an enlightened public opinion…"; and Patriotic - to cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom, to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty. 

The State Society was approached after Russ realized the Lake St. Louis area needed to be serviced by DAR.  Permission was granted in April at the State and National Level to proceed with organizing a chapter, and she was confirmed as Organizing Regent.  The goal is to help others find their connection to the birth of America and to carry out the work of the Society and its objectives relevant to local history and activities of this area which supporting State and National DAR.  

Interest in a Lake St. Louis chapter is strong, Russ said.  She added over 55 potential members have expressed a desire to join, and 33 applications have been received and approved by National thus far.  "We are amazed at the responses from women who are excited to join a chapter in their own community," she said.

Russ says, “We hope to perpetuate the memory and spirit of men and women who achieved American independence”.  They plan to honor veterans, provide information on the importance of the Constitution and the proper care for and display of the flag.  They hope to educate the community on DAR and their objectives at the National, State and local level in their many activities.   

Women who believe they have a connection to a Patriot of the American Revolution can get help from the new chapter. As Russ puts it, tracking your family’s roots is “just like a puzzle and you keep working your way back,” one piece of information at a time.  If people enjoy history and want to help perpetuate our beginning roots this is the place you should be,” she says.  Tracing your family roots back further than two or three generations can be a daunting challenge.  However, if you manage to connect your ancestral line directly to a patriot of the American Revolutionary War, you could be eligible to join the new DAR Chapter. 

Contact Organizing Regent, Susan Russ at 636-978-1869 or Registrar, Mary Jo Anderson at 636-294-5549 for more information. 

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