The end of April, DAR Gila Valley Chapter joined together to welcome a new member as they celebrated five years as a chapter. A welcoming ceremony was conducted for Ruby Cochran, who was approved for membership by the national level of DAR. Ruby linked her family lineage to her 4th great grandfather from Rhode Island, Abraham Lockwood, a patriot during the American Revolution. Since Ruby’s niece, Joy Smalley from Peoria, has been a DAR member for eighteen years, Ruby was able to link her application to Joy’s, making the process for approval easier. Joy and her husband, Dave, attended the welcoming ceremony.
In DAR, husbands of members are recognized and honored with a specially designed DAR pin since they provide an unlimited amount of support for the organization’s activities. After Ruby took the oath of membership with Joy looking on, their husbands, Al Cochran and Dave Smalley, received pins from their DAR wives.
Following the welcoming ceremony, the chapter celebrated their 5th year as a chapter. In April 2014, with fifteen new members, the Gila Valley chapter was officially organized. Since that time, the chapter has doubled its membership with many from the local area. Current officers include: Bonnie Briscoe, Regent; Lana Meyers, First Vice Regent; Kim Termain, Second Vice Regent; Mollie Carlin, Chaplain; Talana Hooper, Recording Secretary; Susan Syfert, Corresponding Secretary; Gayle Bryce, Treasurer; Colleen Murphy, Registrar; Donna Wright, Historian; Natalye Hanna, Librarian; and Peggy Moon, Parliamentarian.
During the 5 years of growth, the chapter has been actively promoting scholarships for local students, presenting Good Citizen Awards, providing historical and patriotic programs during Constitution Week, participating in local parades and learning more about the different aspects of DAR on the state and national levels.
DAR is a women’s service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, patriotism and honoring the patriots of the Revolutionary War. Its members come from a variety of backgrounds and interests, but all share a common bond of having an ancestor who helped contribute to securing the independence of the United States of America. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove direct descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible to join. For more information, go to the DAR website www.dar.org or contact DAR Chapter Regent Bonnie Briscoe (928-428-5904).
