Daughters of the American Revolution Convene 131st Continental Congress Washington, D.C. Conference May Set All-Time Attendance Record
Daughters of the American Revolution Convene 131st Continental Congress
Washington, D.C. Conference May Set All-Time Attendance Record
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - More than 4,000 members of the Daughters of the American Revolution gathered
this past week in the nation’s capital for their 131st Continental Congress, the service organization’s annual
meeting. The week-long convention, which was projected to draw the largest attendance in the
organization’s history, consisted of business sessions, committee meetings and social functions, in addition
to formal evening ceremonies that honored national award winners and featured outstanding keynote
speakers. This year’s convention was the first in-person gathering in three years, after the 2020 and 2021
editions were conducted virtually due to the pandemic. In attendance were Beth and Virginia Bates,
members of the Jackson-Madison Chapter in Jackson, Tennessee.
Wednesday’s Opening Night Ceremony speakers included U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro,
who was honored with the DAR Americanism Medal; and philanthropist/business leader David Rubenstein,
who was presented the DAR Medal of Honor. Friday’s Historic Preservation Night Ceremony honored
former Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, among others; and the Saturday National Defense
Night Ceremony featured keynote remarks by Robert Dalessandro, Deputy Secretary of the American
Battle Monuments Commission. Other national awards were presented throughout the week to outstanding
honorees exhibiting excellence in historic preservation, education and patriotism. See a full list of honorees
here.
While at congress the Bateses attended the Tennessee State Dinner and the Education and Junior
Membership Luncheons in addition to other evening, business, and social events. Virginia Bates served as a
Page. Jackson-Madison member Jackie Utley was awarded the DAR Service for Veterans Outstanding
DAR Volunteer award during National Defense Night. The chapter is very proud of Utley, and
congratulates her on this well-deserved national recognition. The Jackson-Madison Chapter also made
contributions to the Next Act Campaign, which supported the renovation of DAR Constitution Hall.
“I am both proud and excited to welcome our members back to our DAR Headquarters, especially so that
they may experience the grandeur of DAR Constitution Hall following its massive $15 million restoration,”
said DAR President General Denise Doring VanBuren. “We have so much to celebrate, with more than
35,000 new members welcomed and 14 million hours of community service provided since we last
gathered for our congress in person back in 2019. It is a pleasure to see our members return to our complex
and to our nation’s capital for the first time in three years. We will together rejoice in our vibrant mission of
service, fulfilling our joyful obligations to the memory of our ancestors.”
The DAR Continental Congress is a time-honored annual event that has been held in Washington, D.C.
since the organization’s founding. Members from across the country and around the world gather at the
DAR National Headquarters to report on the year’s work, honor outstanding award recipients, plan future
initiatives and reconnect with friends. To learn more about its important work, visit www.DAR.org.
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The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic
preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American
independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 190,000 members in approximately 3,000
chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations.
