San Juan Bautista Parlor No. 179, Native Daughters of the Golden
West will celebrate our 95th Anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 12 at
the San Juan Bautista Community Hall.
Dear Editor,
San Juan Bautista Parlor No. 179, Native Daughters of the Golden West will celebrate our 95th Anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 12 at the San Juan Bautista Community Hall.
We will be hosting the California Grand President of Native Daughters of the Golden West, Joan Hall.
Native Daughters of the Golden West is an organization of women and men who call California their place of birth. San Juan Bautista Parlor No. 179 was instituted Feb. 23, 1910 by Grand President Emma Lillie Humphrey, with the assistance of organizer Eva Pratsky and the Sisters of El Pajaro Parlor No. 35 of Watsonville. The Institution was held at the meeting room at Mission San Juan Bautista.
The historic adobe which houses San Juan Bautista Parlor No. 179, at 203 Fourth Street in San Juan Bautista was purchased from Elmer Dowdy in 1935 and lovingly restored through the cooperation of local tradesmen and workmen from San Juan Bautista and through the generosity of members of the Native Daughters of the Golden West from all over California. We have used the adobe home as our meeting place since its restoration.
Our historic adobe home takes ongoing repair, maintenance and restoration and all proceeds from our anniversary event will be used to continue the upkeep of this historic site.
San Juan Bautista Parlor No. 179 has actively supported the following projects:
Mission restoration: especially Missions San Juan Bautista and Soledad
Veteran welfare: especially the veterans of San Juan Bautista and San Benito County. We are currently active in efforts to support our troops in Iraq
Children’s Foundation: through fund raising and donations, a project which assist children of California from birth to the age of 18
California history and landmarks: through out placement of historic markers at various locations in San Juan Bautista and San Benito County
Art Talent and Essay Contest: through active participation at our local schools
Americanism and civic participation: by participating in and cooperating with various local organizations in their fund raising efforts, co-sponsoring Fremont Peak Day with the VFW, Naturalization ceremony held recently in San Juan Bautista, and participation in the Sloat Landing ceremonies held annually in Monterey
Welfare: through efforts to provide cheer at local hospitals and care facilities for various holidays throughout the year and through the charitable Bertha Briggs Foundation which assists the people of San Benito County
Education and scholarship: through sponsorship of local youth for statewide Grand Parlor Scholarships and our own local Parlor scholarships
Admission Day: by sponsoring and/or donating to statewide events that celebrate California’s admission into the Union of the United States of America
Environmental Issues: by recycling and encouraging conservation among our Sisters, donating to the Poppy Preserve in Southern California, donating to the preservation of the California Quail habitat in Contra Cost County
We proudly donate many United States flags and California Bear flags to our local schools, governments agencies and public institutions. Also, our members have served on state and local committees concerned with preservation and restoration of places of historic interest and value.
Our Parlor has sponsored and participated in many events in San Juan Bautista and San Benito County including donating the to the San Benito Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo, the Bicentennial of the city, participation in the Easter Parade and Fiesta Rodeo activities, participation in the Mission Fiesta celebrations, and supporting our local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H clubs. We also sponsor one of the Christmas decoration saints placed in San Juan Bautista by the Chamber of Commerce during the holiday season.
In our 95 years, San Juan Bautista Parlor No 179 has been actively serving in many capacities on local, county, regional and state levels. We are well known as an active and progressive Parlor. We stand with our Sister Parlors in District 27, which includes San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz counties in serving the citizens of California. We are proud to be Native Daughters of the Golden West.
For more information about our 95th Anniversary celebration, call Claudia Fisher, president at 623-2811.
Claudia Fisher, President SJB Parlor 179, NDGW
