Reception hosted by (not in any particular order): United States Daughters of 1812 (U.S.D. 1812) United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) Colonial Dames 17 th Century (CDXVIIC) Daughters of the American Colonists (DAC) Sons & Daughters of the Pilgrims (NSSDP) Dames of the Court of Honor (DCH) With grateful appreciation for assistance in providing refreshments to: Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) With special appreciation to Little Rock-Centennial Chapter, NSDAR Gilbert Marshall Chapter, NSDAR 1
For the second year, U.S.D. 1812 was contacted by the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum with the request in providing the reception for the Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony to be held on December 7 th. Sheila Beatty, as U.S.D. 1812 coordinator, called on sister societies to assist. This year, a larger attendance was expected due to its being the 75 th Anniversary of the attack. The attendance was double the previous year and over 1,000 people attended. The ceremony was held in view of North Little Rock's Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum on the Arkansas River. The museum includes the U.S.S. Hoga, a tugboat that helped beach the U.S.S. Nevada so it would not block the harbor and fought fires on the U.S.S. Arizona for 72 hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. The museum also includes the U.S.S. Razorback, a submarine that was present in Tokyo Bay during the formal surrender of Japan. Despite the name, the submarine had no previous connection to Arkansas. Bitterly cold, the ceremony was held outside and began at 11:30. We servers of U.S.D. 1812, UDC, CDXVIIC, DAC, NSSDP and DCH started arriving at 9:00 a.m. to set up inside the museum. We found people already in attendance and invited all to start having cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, punch and water no need to wait. Mary Ellen Laursen, Vice-President Baseline-Meridian Chapter U.S.D. 1812, and Valerie Hartnett, State President CDXVIIC, start unloading. U.S.D. 1812 State President, Sharon Stanley Wyatt. 2
and Sheila Beatty offering goodies to attendees Mary Ellen Laursen Valerie and Jane Campbell, Gen. T.J. Churchill, UDC. 3
Some of our ladies posing: Sheila, Jane, Mary Ellen, Sharon and Valerie Below: Beverly Holloway, also of Gen. T.J. Churchill Chapter, with Jane and Mary Ellen, preparing the punch. Sharon and Valerie with NSSDP State Governor, Lisa Winkleman Jane thanking a young seaman for his service 4
Frankie Ochsner, State President DAC, making hot chocolate; Beverly supervising. Sharon, Valerie, Lisa and Gena Norris, AR Division Vice- President. Guests had a wonderful timing swapping sea stories. Above left, Mark Taylor, Patriot Guard Rider and long-time friend. Allison Hiblong, Director of Operations, Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum. 5
Left: Beth Webb furnished sailor hats for each of the children present. Beth served in the Navy as CPO. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN KRAIN Pearl Harbor survivor Bill Chase (center) of Pearcy, and World War II veteran O.C. Reed (left) of Sheridan, share war stories From left, Secretary of State Mark Martin talks with Pearl Harbor survivors Walter Smith of North Little Rock and Bill Chase of Garland County. (John Lyon photo) "This is a moment of remembrance and reflection to what happened to individual lives 75 years ago and to what happened to our nation 75 years ago," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said during the ceremony. Hutchinson said 144 Arkansans served at Pearl Harbor, and 23 Arkansans were killed on the U.S.S. Arizona. He said he did not know how many Arkansans enlisted in the military the day after the attack, but "that number has to be amazing." "It was not on that next day but sometime later during World War II that my father (John Hutchinson) also signed up in World War II and served the United States Navy in the Aleutian Islands," Hutchinson said. The governor said that before the attack, some were pushing for the U.S. to be isolationist and not get involved in the war, but after the attack "there was never a doubt again about whether the United States should enter the conflict. There was never a doubt as to whether it was our responsibility." 6
Some of us posing again: Mary Ellen, Lisa, Kay, Valerie, Judy Coleman DCH State President, Sheila We served approximately 100 dozen cookies. Thank you to Frankie Ochsner and Judy Coleman for providing the punch. We donated about an average of 6 hours each not including baking. I was having camera trouble and all the pictures of our ladies did not turn out. I am sorry I missed some of you in this report. I would like to thank the following for braving the cold and serving (again, not in any particular order): Sharon Wyatt, U.S.D. 1812 State President Valerie Hartnett CDXVIIC State President Judy Coleman, DCH State President Frankie Ochsner, DAC State Regent Lisa Winkleman, NSSDP State Governor Gena Norris, UDC Division Vice-President (Representing Division President Amber Friday-Brown) Kay Tatum, UDC Immediate Past Division President Sheila Beatty, U.S.D. 1812 Honorary State President; DAC Honorary State President Beverly Webb, Gen. T.J. Churchill Chapter, UDC, President Beth Webb, Gen. T.J. Churchill Chapter, UDC, Vice-President Mary Ellen Laursen, Baseline-Meridian, U.S.D. 1812 Vice-President Jane Campbell, Gen. T.J. Churchill, UDC Beverly Holloway, Gen. T.J. Churchill, UDC Mary Ford, Lt. Samuel Cherry Chapter, DAC And also thank you to all of the ladies who baked, and baked, and baked. Report Submitted by: Sheila Beatty Coordinator 7
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