The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Welcomes its 850,000th Member

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is excited to welcome the 850,000th member to join the volunteer women’s service organization since its founding in 1890! Katherine Dyer recently became the recipient of DAR National Number 850,000 by joining the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter of Libertyville, Illinois, which was organized in 1977 by her grandmother, Gale Fixmer. 

“I am so proud to welcome the 850,000th member into our organization,” states DAR President General Presley Merritt Wagoner.  “The timeless, overarching mission of the DAR to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism provides an incredibly wide range of opportunities for serving one’s community and country. For over a century, the enthusiasm and devotion of our members have inspired hundreds of thousands of women through the years to join our organization and give of their time, energy and talents in volunteer efforts locally, nationally and globally.”

Katherine is a fourth generation DAR member, following in the footsteps of her mother, Susan Fixmer Dyer, grandmother, Gale Fixmer, and late great-grandmother, Marjorie Jones. Any woman 18 years of age or older, regardless of race, religion or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership. Katherine joined the DAR by providing research to prove that she is the descendent of Mary Heath Miller, a female patriot who aided in the struggle for independence by furnishing supplies for Continental troops in Goochland County, Virginia during the Revolutionary War.

Katherine, a senior at Appleton North High School and the Renaissance School for the Arts in Appleton, Wisconsin says, “I am excited to join my mother and grandmother as an active member of the DAR, and for the opportunity to honor my ancestors through service to my community.”

In June, Katherine will be joining over 3,000 other DAR members at the organization’s annual convention in Washington, D.C., for the 116th Continental Congress. The event will recognize outstanding award winners, celebrate the accomplishments of the society over the past year and give DAR members from around the world the opportunity to make important decisions for the future work of the organization.

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.  Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. With currently more than 168,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations. Encompassing an entire downtown city block, DAR National Headquarters houses one of the nation’s premier genealogical libraries, one of the foremost collections of pre-industrial American decorative arts, Washington, D.C.’s largest concert hall, and an extensive collection of early American manuscripts and imprints. To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.dar.org.

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