DAR to dedicate Vietnam veterans’ marker on Sunday

The Daughters of the American Revolution Lone Star Chapter will hold a ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday to dedicate a marker under a tree they recently planted in Kidtopia Park in downtown Texarkana. The marker is meant to honor and remember the service of area Vietnam veterans.

The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony, which also marks the 125th anniversary of the national society’s founding. DAR members are descendants of those who won American independence, and the service organization was founded Oct. 11, 1890, to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism.

The local chapter, “organized on March 2, 1910, carries out the important mission of the National Society here on the local level,” said Tammie Duncan Blackburn, chapter regent, adding that Lone Star is the third-oldest DAR chapter in Texas.

Nearly 180,000 DAR members are serving in about 3,000 chapters in the U.S. and in several foreign countries. More than 940,000 women have joined since the organization’s founding.

DAR members from coast to coast will also participate in the National DAR Day of Service on Sunday.

The chapter’s public service activities include helping with restoration and upkeep of the Ace of Clubs House, honoring veterans and participating in Race for the Cure. Members also provide lineage workshops and college scholarships and are involved in in conservation projects, Blackburn said.

Those who can document their relation to a Revolutionary War patriot are welcome to join, “and we have volunteers available to help them research and complete their genealogy” to apply, according to Blackburn.

Visit dar.org to learn more, or contact Kathy Shackelford with the local chapter at kshackdar@aol.com for information about membership eligibility.