For Immediate Release
- Press Contact:
- Bren Landon
- [email protected]
- (202) 572-0563
Daughters of the American Revolution Convene in Washington, D.C.
116th Continental Congress held in DAR Constitution Hall
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The nation's capital welcomed more than 3,000 members of one of its foremost service organizations this week, with the arrival of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for their 116th annual Continental Congress. The opening night ceremony's keynote speaker was Presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, Scholar in Residence at George Mason University; later that evening, Brian Lamb, Founder and CEO of C-SPAN, was presented with the DAR Motion Picture, Radio and Television Award for his achievement in providing public access to the American political process. Among the others honored by the DAR during the five-day convention were U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael G. Mullen; U.S. Army helicopter pilot Lori Hill, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery while serving in Iraq; actress Bo Derek, recognized for her many years of promoting awareness of U.S. veterans' issues; and Dr. William Kelso, director of archaeology for the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities Jamestown Rediscovery project.
"It's inspiring to see so many Daughters make the trip to Washington to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments during the past year," said Presley Merritt Wagoner, President General. "The reports of our members' enthusiastic dedication to historic preservation, education, and patriotism make it clear that DAR is playing an important role in cities and towns across the country."
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. With more than 168,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. DAR is also the publisher of the award-winning magazine American Spirit. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org.
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