WASHINGTON, July 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Saturday, June 28 marked the final evening ceremony of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) 134th Continental Congress as 4,000 DAR members and guests gathered in DAR Constitution Hall, part of the DAR Headquarters complex in Washington, D.C., near the National Mall. The weeklong annual convention included organizational business meetings along with gala award ceremonies recognizing honorees from around the world for their efforts in historic preservation, education and patriotism, the three pillars of the DAR mission.
June 28 was the DAR National Defense Night Ceremony, which featured a keynote address by counterterrorism expert and former CIA Analyst Gina Bennett who received the DAR Patriot Award. Bennett, a former CIA Senior Analyst had a 30-year career in the U.S. Intelligence Community and is known for authoring the first warning on Osama bin Laden as well as contributing to decades of research that ultimately led to the Navy Seal team finding him in 2011. She is a champion for inclusion and recognition for women in the national intelligence and security community.
During the ceremony, it was announced that in the spring the DAR surpassed the $1 million threshold in cumulative giving to the Military Women’s Memorial, underscoring the decades-long collaboration of the two women’s organizations in their dedication to honor and tell the stories of women servicemembers. Phyllis Wilson, President of the Military Women’s Memorial, surprised the DAR President General Pamela Wright with their Woman of Valor Award in recognition of her enduring commitment, steadfast support and lifetime of leadership honoring and advancing the legacy of America’s military women past, present, and future.
Another highlight of the ceremony was celebrating the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the all-female African American battalion during World War II that boosted troop and home front morale while enduring harsh conditions and delivering a huge backlog of mail.
Colonel Edna W. Cummings, US Army (retired), and Master Sergeant Elizabeth Helm-Frazier, US Army (retired), were both presented with the DAR Medal of Honor, each for their more than 25 years of service in the military and for their steadfast advocacy for the recognition of the 6888th Battalion. The DAR Media and Entertainment Award was also presented to the Netflix film, The Six Triple Eight, with a video acceptance from one of the stars of the film played during the ceremony.
Other military-related awards bestowed on Saturday evening were:
- The Margaret Cochran Corbin Award (for distinguished service by women in the military named for “Captain Molly,” who took over her husband’s cannon during the Battle of Fort Washington in 1776) – to Chief Master Sergeant Tiffany Zaloudek, who in 2024 was the first female SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, escape) specialist to earn the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force. CMSgt Zaloudek earned her beret in 2007 and broke an eight-year dry spell in which no women had graduated from the SERE training course.
- The Dr. Anita Newcomb McGee Award/Army Nurse of the Year (named for DAR’s first Librarian General, Dr. McGee, who directed the DAR Hospital Corp during the Spanish-American War and later, while Acting Assistant U.S. Surgeon General, founded the Army Nurse Corps) – to Colonel Wendy Woodall, U.S. Army Nurse Corps. In 2023, Colonel Woodall was appointed as the Director for Nursing Services and currently serves at the Chief Nursing Officer at Walter Reed Medical Center and the Medical-Surgical Nursing Consultant for the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.
- The DAR Service for Veterans Committee awards were presented to the National Outstanding Youth Volunteer, Jacob Weber, National Outstanding DAR Member Volunteer, Judi Rotar, and the National Outstanding Veteran Volunteer, Ronald Wroblewski, for their service and commitment to veterans.
The Education Awards Ceremony on Thursday evening, June 26, featured multiple awards recognizing excellence in education. Dr. Jennifer Bratyanski received the DAR Outstanding Teacher of American History Award. Dr. Bratyanski is an AP Government and U.S. History teacher at Providence Day School and professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Out of thousands of submissions from across the country, awards were presented to the National DAR American History Essay Contest finalists, including new categories for the first-ever video essay contest. The topic for this year’s essay contests focused on students imagining the lesser-known Revolutionary Era Edenton and Wilmington Tea Parties, which were led by women, and why they would have chosen to join these brave leaders. Awards for the Patriots of the American Revolution DAR High School Essay Contest and the National DAR Good Citizens Award were also presented.
The Opening Night Ceremony of the 134th Continental Congress on Wednesday, June 25, featured remarks from Rosie Rios, the chair of America250, the non-partisan initiative behind the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established by the U.S. Congress and leading the celebrations in 2026 marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The following award winners were recognized by the DAR during the Opening Night Ceremony:
- The President General’s Medallion was presented to Chuck Leavell for his work in community service and environmental stewardship. In 1981, after tenures as a musician with the Allman Brothers, George Harrison, and others, Leavell joined the Rolling Stones and has toured with the band as their lead keyboardist and music director for 47 years. The same year he joined the Rolling Stones, Leavell and his wife Rose Lane, inherited 1,200 acres of farmland – and he turned to a new passion for environmental advocacy and forestry stewardship.
- The DAR Founders Medal for Education was presented to Kali Reis, two-time world boxing champion, actor, and advocate. Reis notably appeared in True Detective: Night Country, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress, one of the first two Indigenous women to ever be so nominated. As a proud Indigenous woman, Reis uses her roles both in the ring and on camera to advocate for Indigenous women. The assembly also celebrated Reis becoming a new DAR member, tracing her Revolutionary War Patriot to Primus Slocum, an enslaved man of color who served as a Revolutionary War soldier in the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, who was later granted personal freedom due to his service, and married and started a family with Mary Cleghorn, an Indigenous woman.
- The President General’s Medallion was presented to the Italian cultural organization, Circolo Culturale Filippo Mazzei, for its efforts to promote the legacy of Filippo Mazzei, an Italian physician, merchant, and writer who played a significant role as an American Patriot during the Revolutionary War, arranging for loans and supplies to aid the American cause.
- The DAR Medal of Appreciation was presented to Italian artist Luciano Massari for his work carving a commissioned sculpture of Mazzei, the Italian philosopher, diplomat, and close friend of Thomas Jefferson who is credited with being the first to phrase the belief that “all men are created equal.”
- The Community Service Award was presented to Jeff Callaway, the founder of Ethan Almighty’s Blessings Inc., a non-profit dedicated to animal welfare. After saving a starving dog named Ethan, Callaway worked to pass “Ethan’s Law,” making the torture of cats and dogs a felony in Kentucky. Ethan attended the ceremony with Callaway dressed in a dog tuxedo vest and won the hearts of the audience with his sweet demeanor on stage.
- The President General’s Medallion was presented to the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute for its work recognizing the historic ties between the United States and Spain. The Institute has worked to build educational resources for classrooms nationwide on the role of Spain in the American Revolution. Attendees of the ceremony were also invited to attend the free public symposium, Spain and the Birth of American Democracy, in DAR Constitution Hall, September 19-20, 2025, that the DAR and the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute are hosting.
The DAR 134th Continental Congress concluded with a transition in leadership as Ginnie Sebastian Storage was installed on June 29 as the 47th President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution and began her 3-year term which will include leading the Society through the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
“Continental Congress is always a busy but exhilarating series of days, and our award presentations are a particularly gratifying and enjoyable part of the experience,” said President General Storage. “As part of our organization’s mission to preserve and promote American history, education, and patriotism, DAR is honored to share the stories and work of so many deserving individuals, whether it’s over a long professional career or students who give us such hope for the future of our great country. It is our absolute pleasure to spotlight their excellent work impacting all of us across the nation.”
About the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
One of the largest patriotic women’s service organizations in the world, DAR has 190,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters across the country and several foreign countries. DAR members promote historic preservation, education and patriotism via commemorative events, scholarships and educational initiatives, citizenship programs, service to veterans, meaningful community service and more. For additional information about DAR and its relevant mission, visit www.dar.org.
DAR National Headquarters
1776 D Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
www.dar.org
Press contact:
Bren Landon
202-572-0563
blandon@dar.org
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SOURCE Daughters of the American Revolution
