Martha Dandridge Washington Chapter of NSDAR Attends State Conference
The Tennessee Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution held their 112th State Conference at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs Conference Center April 20 – 23, 2017.
The gathering included six members of the Martha Dandridge Washington Chapter representing Jefferson County: Mary Cay Khiel, Regent; Jane Chambers, Vice Regent; Kim Williams-Clabo, Recording Secretary; Karen McFarland, Registrar; Katie Schmidt, Historian; Karen Chambers, Billie Jean Chambers, Belinda Orren, & Janet Chumney.
Belinda Orren and Katie Schmidt also attended the Tennessee State Cameo Society.
The conference consisted of workshops, business sessions, committee meetings, and social functions. Honored guests included the State Regents of Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Workshop topics included “Preserving Our History” with Myers Brown of the Tennessee State Library & Archives; “Creating Family Archives and Beyond’ with Pamela Byers of Byers Genealogy Research Services; and “Leaving a Legacy” with Carolyn Bendall, a Total Image Consultant.
The speaker at the Opening Night Session was Dr. Michael Birdwell, History Professor at Tennessee Tech and renowned Sgt. Alvin C. York historian. Speakers at the Saturday events included Rich Meyer, the Director of Alumni and DAR Relations at Hillside School in Hillside, MA; Patricia Ann Pierce and Yvonne Wood, both members of the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument Board; and Anne Byrn, local cookbook author, who spoke about the history of cake baking in America. Chapter Regents were honored at the Chapter Regents’ Banquet.
Katie Schmidt served as a TSDAR Page. She served over 36 hours during the State Conference. Pages are members who serve as hostesses, errand-runners, and personal assistants, at state events. Tennessee Pages learn that paging is a great way to get to know the inner workings of DAR on the state and national levels. Schmidt was chosen to carry the chapter banner for the Martha Dandridge Washington Chapter. Because of her volunteer spirit, Katie was also chosen to be the Official Tennessee Flag Bearer. Schmidt is the wife of Robert Allen Schmidt, Jr.for over 17 years. She is a mother to Alex, Charlie, and Kayley. Katie has been a member of First Baptist Church of Dandridge for 25 years. Katie Schmidt is the Reading and Math Interventionist for 6th-8th Grades at White Pine School.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation’s children. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War.
