Fort du Rocher Chapter of DAR to meet next at veterans home to make goodie bags

The Fort du Rocher Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met Sept. 14 at the Mendota Museum and Historical Society.

Program speaker Sally Corrigan spoke about how to properly clean gravestones. The No. 1 rule is to do no harm. One should not do rubbings, use shaving cream or stiff brushes that will harm the stone. When trying to read the inscription, a strong flashlight held at different angles can help show dents and letters.

Corrigan said she took a class online. In her class, she learned about the different kinds of stones and their meanings. Stones are much like museums, she said, preserving a part of history. First, the stone must be solid to avoid damage. She sprays the stone with clear water, lets it set, then follows that with a D2 biological solution that kills the algae. Next, she uses a natural soft-bristle brush to lightly scrub stone. One can use shims or cuticle sticks to clean indentations, then rinse thoroughly. This should not be done more than once every 10 years. An interlocking gravel should be used when resetting stones.

Vice Regent Bev Richardson announced that she and Ruth Meinhardt attended DAR Days. Positions were explained, and members were strongly urged to enter their volunteer hours. The group is behind past years’ numbers. Volunteering is not limited to DAR projects and can include church, community events, sending notes to veterans and emergency personnel, etc.

Richardson reminded members to start collecting 2025 calendars without spirals for women’s prison. The club’s October service project will be making treat bags for the residents. It was agreed to have the chapter buy the supplies to make sure it had enough. Diane McCully will make the cards to be included. Members were reminded that dues are due on or before Nov. 1.

Meinhardt said the organization has 41 members. She will be setting up a time for a workshop for individuals wishing to have supplemental memberships. She announced this is the fifth anniversary of the chapter.

McCully said she and Amanda Simpson had completed the display for Constitution Week in the library. Simpson contacted the schools, and they are getting started on the Good Citizen Award contest.

Alice Giberson reported on the American Spirit, several of whom especially enjoyed the article on the Ghost Army. Janet Koch gave the American Indian Minute on Eloise Cobel, 1945-2011. She challenged the mismanagement of the trust fund for Native Americans. She and her husband were active in agriculture and the environment. Posthumously, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Giberson reported that she had a collection of flags and displayed her 13-star flag that she flies on certain holidays. She gave tips on flag care. McNally’s Patriot Minute was on Mary Gaston McClure. Her sons melted pewter dishes to make bullets. She resisted when the British tried to burn the family Bible and was struck by the flat of a sword. The British then burned down her home. When the British took her sons captive, she sent her daughter to Sumpter’s Camp, who came and routed the Redcoats. One of her sons was killed in a battle, and another was crippled for life.

Richardson told about the Women in Trucking Association. About 7.8% of road truckers are women. Lonnie Shaefer read the National Defender. The article was about Constitution Day, which had been advocated for by the DAR until it finally was made a federal holiday. Leslie Althaus reported on the recent article on Lake Kakusha. It was built as a flood control project. The last flood through downtown Mendota was in 1978. The lake has been a success.

Richardson reminded members to look for a flag that needs replacing in the community. A grant is available.

Other new business at the meeting included:

• At DAR Days, the chapter received the following national certificates of award: Spread the Sparkle challenge for adding four or more members; membership having zero drops or resignations; Blue Ribbon Award for chapter achievement; and awards to both Kasha Bonnell and Audre Sautter for the outstanding use of technology.
• Oct. 18 is the District II fall meeting at the Mendota Civic Center. Members are encouraged to get in their reservations by the Oct. 11 deadline.
• The next meeting will be Oct. 12 at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in La Salle. The program will focus on making goodie bags for veterans.

For information, visit the Fort du Rocher webpage at fortdurocherchapternsdar.com. Any woman older than 18 whose lineage traces back to a Revolutionary War patriot and who wishes to learn more about DAR is invited to attend the next meeting or visit www.dar.org.

After the meeting, members enjoyed birthday cake for the chapter’s fifth anniversary.