NC DAR District II

On this anniversary of the signing of the 19th Amendment into law, the DAR is thrilled to be able to announce a $350,000 donation to the Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation! The Foundation is leading the effort to fund, design, develop, and construct the Women's Suffrage National Monument, which will serve as a lasting legacy of the movement and honor the generations of women who participated in the decades-long fight for equality. Additionally, we are thrilled that DAR President General, Pamela Wright, has been invited to serve as an honorary Foundation Ambassador, showcasing the strong connection between our two organizations. We are pleased to support the first national monument dedicated specifically to women’s suffrage!
https://www.dar.org/WomensSuffrageNationalMonumentFoundation

https://www.facebook.com/share/2N67DZp4afSdBsSK/?mibextid=WC7FNe

The America 250 NC team is excited to announce that another round of grant-funding opens for applications on Monday, August 26. We will once again be accepting applications for county committee grants of $10,000, and community program grants with awards up to $30,000. Fundable projects will clearly connect to at least one of America 250 NC’s commemorative themes; Visions of Freedom, Gathering of Voices, and Common Ground.

A wonderful assortment of proposals received funding approval during the first grant cycle. Exhibits, commemorative events, school field trips, waysides, and many other project types were successful. We encourage applicants to use this grant as an opportunity to creatively meet a community need through a project tied to America 250 NC themes.

Instructions and application links will be posted soon on our website. https://www.america250.nc.gov/grants

We have also provided a map of counties who received 2024 America 250 NC Community and County grants.

Check out new local history and genealogy materials available for research during this month's Catawba County Genealogical Society meeting.
Tuesday, August 27 at 7 pm
Main Library in Newton
All are welcome to attend.

67 district ladies gathered at FUMC in Newton today. Great discussions and commraderie all around. Thank you for coming out!

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The Finding Your Roots team is seeking a qualified candidate with genealogy research experience to join our team.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/fyrcareer

Learn more about the Edenton Tea Party with Mosaic NC’s new online exhibit detailing the story of fifty-one women in Edenton, North Carolina who undertook a revolutionary act in the lead up to the American Revolution.

Visit the exhibit using this link: https://mosaicnc.org/index.php/edenton-tea-party

Nice article about the WWI memorial in Washington…

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/08/our-newest-american-monument-is-a-masterpiece?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0ZuotCJcf3UdomKsqFXIcJ6Tx46WnUWHYoOi7yZJcCFuAtW4rAHioVtPw_aem_WwcA6fzi-NsvZf_1gaLmig

Our Newest American Monument Is a Masterpiece | Gerald P. Boersma Sabin Howard’s masterpiece will insist—with new stridence appropriate to our forgetful age—“We will remember.”

Step back in time at the 39th Heritage Festival in Hart Square Village! Witness pioneer craftsmanship, historic demonstrations, and 103 preserved log cabins. Join us on October 26th for a day of unforgettable experiences.
Get your tickets at the link below.
https://www.hartsquare.com/events/39th-heritage-festival-oct-26

Photo from the Gragg grave marking last weekend. Vice Director Donna McNeil brought greetings.

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249th Commemoration of the Signing of the Tryon Resolves. Thank you to Stephen McKee and Lynne Smith for organizing!

We had an inquiry if chapters would like a Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Copy with the America 250 logo. (See mock up attached) The Mecklenburg Historical Association will be selling these 18x24 posters for $10 each. Please let me know if you would be interested in purchasing one.

Article courtesy of Western Piedmont Community College.

A Scholarship for Western Piedmont Community College Student Was Inspired By The Lives Of Two College Employees

Donna AuBuchon, chair of the scholarship committee of the Quaker Meadows chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, led the effort to establish the Quaker Meadows Chapter NSDAR Scholarship with the Western Piedmont Foundation, a nonprofit organization that develops public and private support for WPCC beyond that provided by government funds.

NSDAR is a worldwide organization comprised of women who can trace their ancestry back to American Revolutionary War patriots. The group has more than 3,000 chapters around the world, and members are dedicated to preserving history, supporting education and promoting patriotism.

The scholarship created by the Burke County-based Quaker Meadows DAR chapter awards $500 annually to students who complete WPCC’s American History course and demonstrate financial need.

Morganton native AuBuchon said she initiated the scholarship because of her family ties to the college. Her mother, Betty Whitaker, was the first controller at WPCC, and her husband, Hans, taught in the Continuing Education department.

“I wanted to honor my family’s involvement and accomplishments at WPCC,” AuBuchon said.

Whitaker grew up in the Oak Hill community of Morganton and started out working in the accounting office of Burke County government in 1955. A decade later, as the first buildings were being constructed on the WPCC campus, she was hired as a bookkeeper for the college.

“She eventually took classes in accounting, and her job was later reclassified as the controller,” AuBuchon said. “She thoroughly enjoyed working at WPCC and worked there for 26 years.”

Whitaker retired from the college in 1991, but remained active after retirement. She served as treasurer of the board of directors of the History Museum of Burke County for ten years. Staff at the museum were proud to present her with a North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award for her achievements in March 2015. The award is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state.

As Whitaker worked for WPCC, AuBuchon met her husband, Hans, at Western Carolina University, and the couple married in December 1973. They traveled together as Hans’ Army career took them to South Korea and West Germany until 1980, when he left the military. He attended WPCC and earned an associate degree, and started working as an instructor in the Continuing Education department in 1981 while also attending Appalachian State University.

“He thoroughly enjoyed working with adults and was committed to assisting anyone who expressed a desire to learn when they came to the Continuing Education department at WPCC,” AuBuchon said. “He actually continued to work in Continuing Education until he was hired as

the Director of Continuing Education at Catawba Valley Community College after obtaining his master’s degree at ASU in 1986.”

Donna enjoyed a career in social work and became involved with the local DAR chapter in 2010. Her mother had joined the year before.

“I wanted to join the local chapter of DAR because I am proud to have a relative who fought in the Revolutionary War, and also because the national tenets of DAR are ‘Patriotism, Education and Historic Preservation,’” Aubuchon said. “I share a strong legacy with my family members who have worked at WPCC and attended school there. These reasons were very important to me, and I am extremely proud to be a part of this non-partisan patriotic group.”

She calls the DAR scholarship her “legacy project” and explained how it aligns with the organization’s mission.

“I think it is very important for our DAR Daughters to support students at WPCC who are potential recipients of the DAR scholarship,” AuBuchon said. “Our scholarship committee agreed that it would be vital for students interested in studying American History as a qualifying requirement.”

For more information on the scholarship or how you can support students at Western Piedmont Community College, visit the Western Piedmont Foundation’s website at wpcc.edu/foundation, or call the foundation at 828-448-3123.

For more information on the NSDAR or the Morganton Quaker Meadows chapter, visit DAR.org, https://quakermeadows.ncdar.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/QuakerMeadowsDAR/. The chapter invites women interested in joining to get in touch to discuss membership.

Learn about the Catawba Nation by attending "Catawba History 101" during our Indigenous Peoples and Moravians: A Celebration of Cultures event that will take place on Saturday, August 10 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Presented by members of the Catawba Nation, the program will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by a brief cultural dance and song performance. Admission is free.

We are excited to welcome back Chef Ben Sullivan of Cranford Hospitality for our first Tavern to Table Dinner. This progressive dining experience will take you through the historic village to witness traditional cooking and then back to the Great Hall for a wonderful meal inspired by historic foodways. Get your tickets at the link below.
https://www.hartsquare.com/events/tavern-to-table-dinner-sep-14

249TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRYON RESOLVES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH, 2024 11AM – 12PM

The SAR ceremony will begin at 11:00 with Color Guard, wreath presentations by SAR and DAR chapters presenting honors at the marker in Bessemer City. This event is being cohosted by the Mecklenburg Chapter and Battle of Kings Mountain Chapter SAR along with the William Gaston Chapter DAR, the Colonel Frederick Hambright Chapter DAR, and the Tryon Resolves Chapter DAR.

Tryona Volunteer Fire Department
2577 Tryon Courthouse Rd
Bessemer City, NC 28016

Everyone can register by email to Stephen McKee at [email protected]
or Lynne Smith [email protected]

Name of presenter, title or office, chapter name, State Society SAR or DAR