The Weatherford Democrat (Weatherford, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 61, Ed. 1 Monday, July 23, 1956 Page: 29 of 83
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HSnife
County
Years with
Serving Parker
For The Past 8
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SECTION 4 — PAGE 6
THE WEATHERFORD DEMOCRAT, WEATHERFORD, TEXAS
MONDAY, JULY 23, 1956
WEATHERFORD ASSEMBLY The above picture was made in the Masonic Hall in 1946,
when the second Rainbow Assembly of the Order of Rainbow for Girls was instituted. The
first Assembly was instituted in 1927.
Rainbow Girls Have History
Of 29 Years in Weatherford
by Nancy Jane Gracy
The first Assembly of the Order
of Rainbow for Girls was instituted
on August 22, 1927. Weatherford
Chapter 21, Order of the Eastern
Star, under the leadership of Mrs.
Alta Boley as Worthy Matron, and
with the help of Miss Maida
Buchanan and Mrs. Ruth Callahan,
organized and sponsored this As-
sembly for young girls between the
ages of thirteen and twenty years
of age.
The Assembly was instituted by
Dr. Cushing of San Antonio, Grand
High Priest of Texas, acting for
his wife who was the Supreme
Deputy in Texas and was ill at that
time. The following 39 girls were
charter members: Worthy Advisor,
May Jarine Buchanan; Worth As-
sociate Advisor, Odessa Clayton;
Charity, Jane Culwell; Hope, Rosa
Lee King; Faith, Ann Louise Har-
lan; Recorder, Ruth Coalson; Trea-
surer, Lucille Smith; Chaplain,
Maxine Barrett; Drill Leader,
Modine Childress; Love, Evelyn
Barrett; Religion, Louise McKin-
non; Nature, Nora Marie Wood;
Immortality, Marguerite Smith;
Fidelity, Hazel Strickland; Patriot-
ism, Eddie Lee Gower; Service,
Mildred McCleskey; Confidential
Observer, Myrtle Lee Plumlee;
Outer Observer, Chloe Cooper;
Organist, Rowena Doss; Choir
Director, Evelyn Buckley; Choir
members: Edith Johnson, Louise
Swofford, Johnnie Shelby, Laura
Coulter, Juanita Davis, Royestelle
Poynor, Mildred Neece, Mildred
Malone, Bonnie Bell Booles, John-
nie Lou Barber; and Orchestra
members: Margorie Jones, Genoma
Crawford, Mary Evelyn Shahan,
Pauline Camp, Mayne Huddleston,
Floyd Davis, Lynelle Ferguson,
Alma Huddleston.
The meeting was held in the
Odd Fellow’s Hall in the Kindell
Building with Fort Worth Assem-
bly No. 15, Order of the Rainbow
l Building with Fort Worth Assem-
* for Girls, initiating the Weather-
ford girls.
Miss Maida Buchanan was elect-
ed as the first Mother Advisor and
served for two years, Mrs. Ruth
Callahan, who later became Mother
Advisor, was elected as Assistant
Mother Advisor. Mrs. Lee Walker
also succeeded Mrs. Buchanan as
Mother Advisor. In 1932 the As-
sembly received its first Grand ap-
pointment. Evelyn Barrett Gibson
was appointed Grand Love of the
Grand Assembly of Texas. Two
outstanding social activities that
all the girls enjoyed most were
summer camps at Glen Rose and
Lake Worth. The first advisory
board of Weatherford Assembly
consisted of the following; Mrs.
Alta Boley, Zay Lloyd Christian,
Josephine White, Dama Barrett,
Edith Golston, I. H. Christian, J.
H. White, and W. S. Barrett.
Due to the need of adult lead-
ership this Assembly had to demise
in 1933.
Information on the first assemb-
ly was secured from an article
written by Mrs. Zay'Lloyd Christ-
ian, Past Matron, Weatherford
Chapter No. 21, Order of the East-
ern Star.
In 1946 the second Rainbow As-
sembly in Weatherford was organ-
ized and sponsored by Weather-
ford Chapter No. 21 O.E.S. with
Mrs. Annie Mae Hatchett as
Worthy Matron. On April 8 at the
Masonic Hall, Weatherford As-
sembly was instituted with forty
three chapter members present
under the direction of Mrs. Martha
Marie Whitfield, of Dallas, Su-
preme Deputy in Texas. Other of-
ficers assisting in the ceremony
were Mrs. Dona Jackson, Fort
Worth, Marshall; Mrs. Josephines
White, Chaplain; Mrs. Mayrne
Crow, Organist; and Mrs. Annie
Mae Hatchett, Recorder.
Mrs. Mellie Massey was selected
to be the first Mother Advisor;
Elizabeth Ann Hubbard was select-
ed as Worthy Advisor by the
Advisory Board. Lanona Jean
I Hartness was selected as Worthy
WORTHY ADVISOR — Miss Suzanne Russell, daughter
of Dr. and Mrs. E. M. Russell is Worthy Advisor of the
Weatherford Assembly No. 87, of the Order of Rainbow
for Girls. The tenure of office of the Worthy Advisor is
four months, in the local organization.
Associate Advisor, Jackie Tabor,
Charity, Dorothy Hubbard, Hope,
and Mary Vivian Schindler, Faith
These five girls were members of
the Polytechnc Assembly, Fort
Worth before Weatherford As-
sembly was instituted.
Other officers installed were
Earlene Dunham — Recorder;
Betty Dent — Treasurer; Ann Mil-
burn — Chaplain; Pat Hayden —
Drill Leader; Charlene Johnson
Love; Mary Nell Glenn — Religion;
Bonnie Wright — Nature; Joey
Byers — Immortality; Bethany
Ann Coburn — Fidelity; Bertha
Mund — Patriotism; Patricia Kin-
caid — Service; Ann Stewart
Confidential Observer; Ollie Marie
James — Outer Observer; Pat Rus-
sell — Musician; and Mary Dent
— Choir Director.
Choir members were Geraldine
Stevens, Jane Floyd, Inez Bloom-
ingdal'e, Joie Morris, Ella Sue
Long, Nancy O’Kelley, Mary Joe
Williams, Jo Nell Smith, Leola
Sharpe, Nova Barnes, Bonita Lou
Walden, Betty Jane Thomas,
Norene Wade, Guannitta Jo Allen,
Jo Ann Nichols, Mary Simmons,
Joyce Hudson, Sara Lu Hitt
Nathalia Merritt, Mary Clay, and
Mary Holden.
The Advisory Board was com-
posed of members of the Eastern
Star and members of the Masonic
Fraternity. They were Mr. and
Mrs. Gus Vincent, Mr. and Mrs
W. S. Barrett, Mr. and Mrs. J.
H. White, Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Hut-
cheson, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hart-
ness, Mrs. Arthur Hubbard, Mrs.
Cleve Byers, and Mrs. Hawthorne
Hatchett.
Cleve Doss, of Fort Worth,
uncle of Elizabeth Ann Hubbard
presented his niece with a gavel
and Lanona Jean Hartness pre-
sented Miss Hubbard with a gift
from the line Officers.
The charter members of Wea-
therford Assembly were initiated
May 29, 1946 at the Masonic Hall
by the Polytechnic Assembly of
Fort Worth.
On September 30, 1946, Lanona
Hartness was installed as Worthy
Advisor of Weatherford Assembly
with Mrs. Gus Vincent as Install-
ing Officer. After the installation
Billy Bedinger presented a cornet
solo and the Rainbow Choir pre-
sented a selection “My Rainbow”.
In January 1947 Miss Wilma
Grace Buchanan was installed as
Mother Advisor. Jackie Tabor,
Dorothy Hubbard and Mary Vivian
Schindler served as Worthy Ad-
visors. In June, Dorothy Hubbard,
Worthy Advisor of Weatherford
Assembly was the only Rainbow
girl from Weatherford to attend
Grand Assembly in Amarillo. She
went on a chartered bus with the
Fort Worth Rainbow Girls and
their sponsors.
In 1948 during'Miss Buchanan’s
second term as Mother Advisor,
she and several of the girls attend-
ed Grand Assembly in El Paso and
here Lanona Hartness received her
appointment as Grand Representa-
tive to Washington from Texas.
On Saturday, September 18,
1948 Weatherford Assembly was
constituted at the Masonic Hall
under the direction of Mrs. Martha
Marie Whitfield, Supreme Deputy
in Texas. The constituting officers
from Weatherford Chapter O.E.S.
were: Mrs. Gus Vincent, Mrs. A. J.
Morris, Mrs. Worth Renshaw, and
Mrs. Charles Hunt.
The charter for Weatherford As-
sembly bearing the number 87 was
presented to the following officers
and members from Supreme As-
sembly by Mrs. Whitfield: Pat Rus-
sell, Worthy Advisor; Belle Hub-
bard, Betty Byrom, Frances Frost,
Jo Allen, Betty Thomas, Char-
leen Griffit Bethany Coburn, Sue
Long, Geraldine Stevens,- Norma
Jane Hunt, Betty Bean, Joan Proc-
! tor, Mildred Taylor, Betty Tabor,
Leola Sharpe, Neva Barnes, Joie
I Morris, Nancy Wood Georgiana
Bean, Jo Ann Nichols, Jennilu
Kelley, Marshall Glenn, Johnnie
Schindler, Jackie Tabor and
Lanona Hartness.
Preceding the meeting, the of-
ficers and members of the Wea-
therford Assembly entertained
with a banquet at the Derby Cafe,
honoring Mrs. Whitfield and other
Grand Officers. The tables were
decorated -with miniature rain
bows, pots of gold, and arrange-
ments of flowers. Favors were
wrist bands made of white net and
satin ribbon of the Rain bow
colors.
During the year 1948 there were
51 active members. A committee
of Rainbow Girls, working with a
committee of Eastern Stars plan-
ned monthly entertainments for
the Assembly. Some of the most
enjoyable affairs were “Round the
World Party”. “St. Patricks’s Day
Dance”, and a skating party.
The Assembly sponsored a 42
tournament in order to secure funds
for the year’s activities. The Rain-
bow Choir gave a musical program
at the Eastern Star School of In-
struction held in Weatherford that
spring.
In 1949 at the Grand Assembly
in Houston, Pat Russell received
the appointment of Junior member
of the Grand Credentials Com-
mittee. She was accompanied to
Grand Assembly by Miss Doris
Williams, Mother Advisor, Mrs.
Conrad Russell, Mrs. Charles Hunt,
Lanona Hartness, Frances Frost,
Betty Byrom and Norma Jane
Hunt.
In 1950 Grand Assembly was
held in Mineral Wells. The girls
attending from Weatherford As-
sembly included the following: Pat
Russell, Junior Member of the
Grand Credentials Committee;
Clarice Morris, Grand Choir;
Lonona Hartness, Past Grand Rep-
resentative from Washington o
Texas; Mrs, Ruth Long, Mother
Advisor; Geraldine Stevens, Belle
Hubbard, Carolyn Wilson, Nina
Plummer, and the Worthy Advisor,
Nova Barnes were Grand Pages.
The years of 1950 and 1951 were
rather trying years. The Assembly
was rather small in membership.
During the remodeling of the Ma-
sonic Hall the Assembly held its
regular meetings in the different
churches with barely enough girls
to hold a meeting. Back in those
days it has been said that Mrs.
Jackson and Mrs. Murrell during
their terms as Mother Advisor had
to go after the girls, bring them to
the meeting and feed them in order
to keep up the interest to have
enough present to hold a meeting
Thanks to those two Mother Ad-
visors for their good work that we
may have an active Assembly of
today.
In 1952 Mrs. Mildred Tabor was
Mother Advisor. During her term
Dawn McDavid, Angela Boone and
Lois Ann Darden were Worthy Ad-
visors. Many of the girls attended
Grand Assembly in Fort Worth
that year. Jeanie Reck represent-
ed Weatherford Assembly in the
Grand Choir.
In January 1953, Mrs. Ester
Gracy was installed as Mother Ad-
visor During that year Kitty Parks,
Beverly Rankins, and Sally Colgin
served as Worthy Advisors.
In February the Advisory Board
sponsored the first Valentine
Dance which has since become an
annual affair.
In June five girls, Mrs. E. M.
Russell and Mrs. Gracy attended
Grand Assembly in Galveston.
When Mrs. Gracy took over the
Assembly in January, there were
only 26 girls on roll. However, due
to her interest and hard work 30
new members were added to the
roll.
PLANTING A MEMORIAL TREE — The members of the Weatherford Garden are proud
of the part that they have played in the first hundred years of Parker County, since
their organization a quarter of a century ago. Pictured are Mrs. Charles Hunt, P. H.
James, Miss Louise McFarland, Byron Patrick, Conrad Russell, Mark Littleton, Mrs.
George Darden and Malcolm Maupin as they were planting a memorial tree last Arbor
Day. The club sponsored the projects and the city officials pictured cooperated with them.
' On Sunday, March 26, 1939,
Annual flower shows have been
staged and pilgrimages to local
garden have been held.
One of the earliest flower shows
was staged in cooperation with the
Parker County Fair Association in
the fall of 1931. Mrs. Trigg and
the late Mrs. Mary Daggett Lake
served as the judges of the show.
This, the 100th birthday year of
Parker County a “Centennial
Flower Show of Parker County,
1856 — 1956” will be staged by the
six Garden Clubs of Parker Coun-
ty, which are: Aledo Garden Club;
Garden Club of the First Methodist
Church of Weatherford; Garden
Study Club; Green Thumb Depart-
ment of the Twentieth Century
Club; and the Weatherford Garden
Club, with a total membership of
200.
The following members have
served as president of the Wea-
therford Garden Club during the
past 25 years: Mesdames Cham-
bers; James P. McFarland; Nolan
Queen; E. B. Cartwright; Fred R.
Cotten; G. F. Mann; W. B. Mc-
Daniel; Hugh Gracy; W. D. New-
berry; Gus Vincent; Cleve Byers;
Clara Block; Carlos Hartnett; J.
M. Browder; and Charles Hunt.
Mrs. Fred R. Cotten
Weatherford Garden Club
Plants Beauty for 25 Years
Mrs. Henry B. Trigg of Fort
Worth organized the Weatherford
Garden Club in the home of Mr.
and Mrs. W. D. Taylor. At this
meeting Mrs. H. H. Chambers was
elected to served as the first pres-
ident of the newly formed Garden
Club.
At the third annual meeting of
tile Texas Federation of Garden
Clubs held in Dallas on May 12-13,
1931, Mrs. Murrell Buckner, mem-
bership chairman, reported that
14 Garden Clubs desired to join
the State Federation. The Weather-
ford Garden Club, being one of
the 14, was voted in as a new mem-
well as the Worthy Advisor. The
members of the present Advisory
Board are: Mrs. Ed Willhite, Chair-
man; Mrs. D. Rockwell, Secretary;
Mrs. Ruth Jackson, Mrs. Buster
Speight, Mrs, Hugh Gracy, Mrs. J.
D. Schindler, Mr. and Mrs. C. R.
Roberson, Mr. A. J. Barry, Mr.
Foy Hayden and Mr. Roy Colder.
In February, due to the marriage
of the Grand Worthy Advisor,
Nancy Jane Gracy received the ap-
pointment of Grand Treasurer
ber of the Texas Federation of
Garden Clubs.
For the past 25 years much has
been done to encourage the plant-
ing and beautifying the homes,
churches, public buildings, play-
grounds, and parks, also the high-
ways leading into our city.
It was through the efforts of the
Garden Club members a road side
park was located a few miles west
on highway 180; the old football
field, the Youth building, band-
stand and Cherry Park were land-
scaped and planted with shrubs
and trees.
On March 23-26, 1939, when
Parker County boasted of a half
million peach trees, it was the
members of the Weatherford
Garden Clubs, assisted by the
Chamber of Commerce, and the
owners of the orchards, who plan-
ned and conducted the first “Peach
Blossom Pilgrimage in Parker.”
The route covered 23 miles of
highway and newly constructed
roads through some of the larger
orchards, a more beautiful sight
has seldom been seen in Parker
County, than the thousands of
peach trees in full bloom
there were in excess of 2,000 cars
making the tour.
Again in 1940 the pilgrimage was
repeated with equal success, but
by 1941 the rumors of war min-
imized this type of pleasure and
the pilgrimage was discontinued.
Congratulations
and
Best Wishes
TO OUR FRIENDS
IN WEATHERFORD AND
PARKER COUNTY
See Us
For
Antiques!
Alamo Trading
Company
206 E. Weatherford
Fort Worth, Texas
Centennial
Greetings
TO ALL OF OUR
PARKER COUNTY
FRIENDS
On
Your 100th
Anniversary
Sherwin-Williams
Paint Co.
2702 W. Seventh
Fort Worth
Mrs. Gracy also served as
Mother Advisor in 1954 for a
second term. Worthy Advisor dur-
ing that year were Nancy Jane
Gracy, Freda Sharpe and Donna
Rankin.
In February, twenty girls and
nine adults attended the School
of Instruction in Wichita Falls, and
in April the girls attended the
Grace-First Presbyterian Church
in observance of the Anniversary
of Rainbow. A luncheon was serv-
ed to the Rainbow Girls at the
Youth Center by members of the
Eastern Star.
In June, sixteen girls and four
adults boarded a special train to
attend Grand Assembly in San
Antonio. Kitty Lou Parks repre-
sented Weatherford Assembly in
the Grand Choir and here Nancy
Jane Gracy received the appoint-
ment of Grand Fidelity.
Under the wonderful leadership
of Mrs. Gracy the assembly still
grew. During 1954 forty-two girls
were initiated, bringing the mem-
bership to well over one hundred.
A vote of thanks certainly goes to
Mrs. Gracy for all that she did to
bring the Assembly from a small
one to what it is today.
In January, 1955, Mrs. Lois Hall
was installed as Mother Advisor.
Worthy Advisors were Linda Mer-
ritt, Shirlene Leach and Barbara
Bragg.
Weatherford Assembly was
privileged to be the hostess As-
sembly for the first School of In-
struction ever to be held in Wea-
therford.
In June, Weatherford Assembly
chartered its first bus to Grand
Assembly in El Paso. Eighteen
girls and eight adults attended and
Georgia Ann Wilhite represented
Weatherford in the Grand Choir.
Nancy Jane Gracy filled the sta-
tion of Grand Fidelity.
Mrs. Hall was installed for a
second term as Mother Advisor in
January, 1956 and Sharon Black-
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Hart, Lyndol E. The Weatherford Democrat (Weatherford, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 61, Ed. 1 Monday, July 23, 1956, newspaper, July 23, 1956; Weatherford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1099642/m1/29/: accessed May 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting East Parker County Genealogy and Historical Society.