Many of these prompts for Women's History Month have pointed me toward my maternal grandmother, Sara Meeneghan Coleman. Gram was active in the American Legion Women's Auxiliary, and served as an officer many times. She was County Chairman in 1937 when the 18th anniversary of the organization was celebrated.
The music was provided that evening by a cousin by marriage, Mrs. Charles Coleman, according to this article from the Utica Observer Dispatch of March 19, page 20. With several others, Gram was a speaker after the dinner..I wonder what her remarks included.
As reported in the Otsego Farmer on 24 October 1952, she was again elected chairman.
Another cousin by marriage was named in this article, Mrs. Harris G. Clark, Jr. As was the case in news outlets at the time, the women are not identified by their first names.
The American Legion is a patriotic organization for veterans, and many of these women in the auxiliary began their involvement when it was chartered after World War I. My grandfather's sister, Bessie Coleman, certainly did, beginning with her involvement in creating the War Memorial. The Clark F. Simmons Post in Cooperstown was a big part of my grandmother's social life, where she gathered with her friends to support the veterans and other community service activities. Most involved a luncheon or a dinner. Her letters also chronicle her involvement in the 1940s. As the newspapers illustrate, she did more than participate on a local level, but took a leadership role county-wide.
No comments:
Post a Comment