The Preston Trail NSDAR held its annual awards banquet and gala on Thursday, May 2, 2019 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The new chapter officers for 2019-2021 were installed by visiting TXDAR District II Director Kathy Hanlon. The new officers are: Regent, Jeanne Groff; 1st Vice Regent, Linda McAnaney; 2nd Vice Regent, Michelle Alverson; Chaplain, Gay Hilbert; Treasurer, Lisa Lettie; Registrar, Sandy Sharp; Recording Secretary, Yvonne Carson, Corresponding Secretary, Gloria Huhtala; Librarian, Beth Bowling; and Historian, Carolyn Dexheimer. Preston Trail’s newest member, Linda Miller, was installed by Chaplain Gay Hilbert, and Registrar Sandra Sharp into the Preston Trail NSDAR at the banquet.
Preston Trail NSDAR received a 1st Place certificate of recognition from the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution Historical Preservation Project for its members for more than several hundred hours spent organizing, identifying, creating a searchable database, and re-shelving all the genealogical department’s historic records (over 20,000 pieces) from the three area public libraries; Sherman, Pottsboro, and Denison. This project ensures the genealogical information will continue to be available for years to come for research purposes by the public at the Frontier Village. The Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution awarded Preston Trail NSDAR a certificate of appreciation for 2nd Place in State for Commemorative Events Committee for its excellent participation in Constitution Week events in mid-September. Many chapter members were involved in these and other projects benefiting the community, too numerous to mention in this article. Our thanks for a job well done!
Preserving Our History – both in written form (genealogical) and physical form (Price/Shaw cabin) have been this administration’s theme. Thus, two Unsung Hero Awards were presented by Preston Trail NSDAR this year. One was presented to Michelle Townes Williams and Martha Townes for donating a document (Advancement to Captain – Lewis Peckham signed on Feb. 1, 1815 by President James Monroe and then Secretary of War James Madison) to Preston Trail NSDAR which was then offered by Preston Trail NSDAR to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Americana Collection in Washington D.C. temporarily on loan to Frontier Village. The other Unsung Hero Award was presented to Frontier Village Museum director Dr. Charla Harris for her work in our community and spirit of preservation of historic documents, historic buildings, and history of Grayson County through her position as President of the Grayson County Frontier Village Association.
Recipient of the $1500.00 Preston Trail NSDAR Scholarship was Miss Savannah Fields, a senior at Whitesboro High School. Eli Norris, Bells High School, was awarded the Preston Trail NSDAR Good Citizen Award and a check for $225.
Preston Trail NSDAR Regent McComack was proud to announce the Special Projects Grant Committee from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution had approved a grant application sponsored by Preston Trail NSDAR for the re-chinking the historic Price/Shaw cabin located at Grayson County Frontier Village. Preston Trail Treasurer/Historic Preservation Committee Chair, Mrs. Lisa Lettie, President Dr. Charla Harris, Grayson County Frontier Village and Grant Writer, Mrs. Teal Gray were instrumental in the submission of the application.
Preston Trail NSDAR Daughter Katie Strief received special recognition for her extraordinary service to veterans in her service as a primary coordinator for The Paul Strief Memorial Pheasant Hunt held in Oklahoma every fall. The hunt provides veterans for a weekend with room and board in addition to all ammunition and guns if needed to participate in the annual pheasant hunt at no charge to the veterans.
The chapter expresses its thanks to Georgetown Baptist Church for providing the venue for the gala and our monthly meetings September through May. Many thanks to the Gala Committee – Food Co-Chairs, Dr. Charla Harris & Mrs. Michelle Alverson for their generous donation of all food and its preparation for the occasion. The chapter’s Gala Decorating Committee Chair, Mrs. Linda McAnaney and her members created a beautiful setting for the evening with Red, White and Blue table settings and beautiful centerpieces fashioned from American Revolution Era Replicate Dolls. All proceeds from the banquet were donated to the Frontier Village for upkeep and repairs of the Price/Shaw cabin.
Preston Trail NSDAR and Daughters received more than 40 certificates of recognition from the State Society Daughters of the American Revolution for their service to the community. God, Home Country being the motto of the National Society with Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism the goal of the Society.
Regent Vicki McComack thanked each of her administrative board, 1st Vice Regent, Natalie Bauman; 2nd Vice Regent, Jeanne Groff; Recording Secretary, Gloria Morton; Treasurer, Lisa Lettie; Registrar, Sandra Sharp; Chaplain, Gay Hilbert; Corresponding Secretary, Linda McAnaney; Historian, Carolyn Dexheimer; Librarian, Beth Bowling and Parliamentarian, Jonnie Templeton for their service in the 2017 -2019 term.
2017-2019 Regent McComack pinned the Preston Trail Chapter Regent Pin then handed off the chapter gavel to the newly installed Regent Groff. Regent Groff then closed out, with the tap of the gavel, the gala and the chapter year until September 2019.
Would you like to be part of our meetings and be able to listen to the interesting speakers we have each month? You are welcome to come and see what DAR is about – even if you are not a member. Would you like to be involved in the good works and fun activities DAR participates in? Anyone interested in receiving help to prove their ancestral qualification to become a Daughter of the American Revolution are welcome to contact our chapter by email: PrestonTrailNSDAR@gmail.com, our FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/PrestonTrailNSDARPottsboroTX75076 or the National website: www.DAR.org.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With more than 177,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active service organizations. DAR members are committed to volunteer service having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world during the past three years. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit www.DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media at facebook.com/TodaysDAR, twitter.com/TodaysDAR and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.