| ROWS is thirty this year.
The history of its first quarter century was
chronicled in 1998. Janet Maygarden founded the Society, a sisterhood
of women who had shared the experience of standing and waiting while their
husbands were on active duty in the service of our country.
Since the celebration of its 25th anniversary,
ROWS has marked passage from one century to another—from millennium to
millennium. The original members came from a time when their careers
as a military wife and mother defined them. As times changed, so
did the roles of women. Some women launched second careers, curtailing
their participation in activities enjoyed by ROWS members. The new
generation member of ROWS is likely to have balanced her time between having
a profession of her own and supporting her husband's active military career.
The timing of joining ROWS has more to do with her retirement than his.
The threefold mission of ROWS, set forth in
the by-laws thirty years ago, remains current and unchanged:
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To stimulate love of our Country and our Flag ;
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To promote fellowship among our members;
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To contribute time, effort and funds towards charitable and civic projects
as chosen by the members.
To begin the 26th year, Mary Vose reprised her
presidency, bringing with her the traditions established when she first
served as our fourth president. One of those long honored traditions
is her husband, Bill's, dedication to ROWS, keeping membership records,
printing name tags, and being an all-around good guy. He deserves
being our only male honorary member.
The gavel passed to 27th president, Boo Thiele.
A relative newcomer to ROWS, she focused on fun and fellowship. Active
recruitment raised the membership to more than 444. Each month, there was
an icebreaker which encouraged people to talk to each other and a prize
for doing so. Her philosophy echoed in the oft repeated phrase, We
will accept suggestions from everyone and criticism from no one.
Kay Palko, an early member and late retiree,
reintroduced the logo to the Society. After a hiatus of a number
of years, our Rose graced the monthly luncheons. Kay remembers the
laughter and the camaraderie of her presidential year. It was her
farewell luncheon for the Board that launched the idea for a new edition
of a ROWS cookbook.
Anne Meek Kraine, our first Coast Guard wife
to be president, embraced the cookbook project. Throughout the year,
a collection of tried and true treasured recipes were contributed by women
renown for their skill in entertaining. To ease transitions and ensure
continuity, Anne prepared an extensive program planning guide for ROWS
officers and board members. She initiated a system for recording
attendance data to help future luncheon planners and introduced ROWS to
e-mail.
The ROWS Red, White and Blue Cookbook, completed
and ready for publication shortly after Beverly Smeltzer took office, was
an instant sellout. With her emphasis on attracting new members to
perpetuate the Society, ROWS again topped 400 members. Beverly is
making history by being the first president to succeed herself for a second
term.
Over the five years, programs have enlightened
and entertained. Guy Fridell, Hope Mihilap, Jo Anne Klegg, Kerry
Dougherty were among those speakers from the print media. Regina
Mobley judged a Crazy Hat luncheon and returned to speak the following
year. David Alan brought. the perspective of a male TV news anchor.
Retired General Jerry Curry wowed us and wooed us with songs of love and
patriotism. Admiral Jack Cavanaugh inspired us with stories of the
battleship, Wisconsin. Belinda Nash brought life to the Witch of
Pungo legend, and tours of a Rodin exhibit at the Chrysler and the Norfolk
Botanical Gardens were special treats. The fall and spring fashion
shows and the elegant Christmas dinner continued to be time-honored traditions.
Giving to the Joy Fund each year is a thread
in the tapestry of our gifts to the community. Other gifts range
from this year's individual scholarships to Girls' State and the Spirit
of America Patriotic Program to a contribution to the junior NROTC; a donation
to Equikids, a therapeutic riding program for challenged children; and
a gift to the Fisher House, the Portsmouth Naval Hospital equivalent of
the Ronald McDonald House.
During the five years, it has become increasingly
important to donate money to institutions which serve the community-as-a-whole
and represent the goals and values so aptly stated in our by-laws.
Evidence of ROWS commitment and leadership can be seen inscribed in the
foyer of the Brickell Library at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the
Wisconsin Foundation exhibit at Nauticus.
As our thirtieth year draws to a close, so
do combat missions in Iraq. It is now time for American servicemen
and women to win the peace. It has been reported in the national
press that their spouses, instead of returning to their hometowns, have
bonded together to await their loved ones return to stateside duty stations.
Such support of one another is the stuff of which ROWS was made.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
God grant the Retired Officers' Wives Society
of Tidewater another 30 years of patriotism, fellowship, and community
service.
May God Bless America
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