I was invited recently by St. John’s Church Foundation to attend at a private country manor the reenactment of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give me liberty or give me death speech” from the Second Virginia Convention held at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775. This convention passed the resolution that Virginia would …
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By Shirley Hunter Smith, Ph.D | Second Vice President-General, DSDI The contributions and sacrifices made by the Signers of the Declaration of Independence are, of course, well-known, but less familiar are stories of descendants who carried on the founders’ legacy. A great example is found in the family of Virginia Signer Benjamin Harrison. Also of …
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What a happy celebration as we met in Princeton in October for our Fall Meeting! Thanks to hostess Nancy Wark and her husband Ray, many members with families and friends enjoyed each other. We met to eat and drink, travel and learn more about our Signers and their families. It was a beautiful weekend to …
DSDI gathers in historic Princeton As the old saying goes, “three is the charm.” After two previous plans were derailed by the pandemic, DSDI members enjoyed gathering in person Oct. 8-9, 2021 in Princeton, NJ for our fall meeting. Our host hotel was the Nassau Inn, which was historic, charming and right in the middle …
DSDI has made it possible for the remarkable 1720 book of writings by English philosopher John Locke to be placed on public display. DSDI provided an $1,800 donation in 2019 at the request of Independence National Historical Park. Recently, during DSDI’s July Fourth celebration in Philadelphia, Lucy Duke Tonacci and her husband Mark viewed the …
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It was wonderful to greet each other in person again at the 114th Annual Congress in Philadelphia July 3-4, 2021. The Mayhew family planned and executed a remarkable weekend focusing on 10 students who represented their Signers. They traveled to Philadelphia with their families to tap the Liberty Bell. On Saturday morning we honored the …
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Hello DSDI Members! As we make plans to meet each other in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July, we realize that our Signers must have felt many of the same concerns facing a pandemic. Our Scholarship Committee drew attention to this topic when Chair Jill Haimes shared the essay question at our Virtual Oregon General …
Dear DSDI Members – Please visit the DSDI Members Only Area of the website for details and registration information for the 4th of July Philadelphia event. You can also access this information on the DSDI Facebook group. Thank you.
President-General’s Message Winter 2021 Hello All. Sometimes the best inspiration comes from our most difficult challenges. Recently The Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks commented that William Shakespeare wrote two of his best plays, “Macbeth” and “King Lear,” in the middle of a plague. (Critic’s Notebook: Waiting out a pandemic—and for our ‘King Lear’). London’s …
Plan for a “Virtual Oregon” trip for the DSDI Spring Meeting March 12-13, 2021 in a Zoom meeting. Although we won’t be able to meet together in person this Spring, we will have a Board Meeting Friday, March 12, 3pm, and a General Meeting Saturday, March 13, 7pm. We promise a fun trip to the …
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