One photo is of Worthy Advisor Rhonda and Mother Advisor BJ. The other photo is Kathy, Rhonda, BJ and Patti.
I joined Eastern Star when Patti and Tony were pretty small. I needed a night out a couple times a month to keep my sanity.
Eastern Star is an organization supported by the Masonic Organization. I needed to have a member of my family to be a Mason. All three of my brothers belonged to the organization. So I was able to use one of them so I could be acccepted in the organization. I was a "Star Point" one year and was Adah. The next year the five of us who were "Star Points" were hostesses. For the first, we wore matching white dresses. For the latter we wore matching dresses of gold color. The second time we were hostesses, we wore matching blue dresses. I enjoyed being part of this organization for a number of years.
The Order of Rainbow for Girls is also supported by the Masonic order and also by the Order of Eastern Star. Rainbow girls range in age from 14 to 20, at which time they "age out" and can no longer be officers in the local chapter.
Rainbow is for the girls and run by the girls with a board of adults (Masons or Eastern Star members) who "oversee" things. The girls elect officers to lead the organization and also some are appointed positions.
Patti joined when she was 14 and was active all through high school. It was so interesting seeing the girls grow and learn and become poised leaders. Some even learned that they couldn't wear colored panties under their white dresses!!
I served on the Rainbow board for several years. The only thing I didn't like about the board meetings we had was that people wanted to chat and not get down to business. I always wanted the business out of the way before the visiting began! Sometimes it happened; sometimes it didn't.
Each year the girls had service projects chosen by the Worthy Advisor. They held fund raisers to help pay for things needed for the service projects. I especially remember one spaghetti dinner that I helped with. Somehow we got it way too salty. So we added sugar to tone down the saltiness! It turned out okay!
Two adults served as either Mother Advisor or Associate Mother Advisor. They were part of the advisory board. Many of the girls formed lasting friendships.
Several years later, the Mother Advisor was relieved of her duties while attending the annual convention (for lack of a better word). The following week several of us were invited to a meeting to decide how to proceed through the next months until time for a new Mother Advisor to take over.
Patti, Lisa (my daughter-in-law) and I volunteered to do whatever we could to help out. Patti ended up being musician (she had also done this when she was an active member). Lisa became the Associate Mother Advisor and I became Mother Advisor. We did every thing we could to keep things running.
The girls loved the previous Mother Advisor who could no longer be part of the group. They were angry and upset and didn't want anyone else. So they made it extremely difficult.
Lisa and Tony moved to Wichita during this time. She told me she would have resigned if they hadn't moved.
I think it was probably October when I submitted my resignation. The regional "big wig" (since I don't remember the correct title) was a dear friend. She would not accept my resignation. She said it was ok if I chose not to return to the meetings and that is what I did.
Lisa, Patti and I thought it was important to help the organization continue. I'm not sure whether anything positive came out of this. It was very discouraging and very difficult. I hated being a quitter but it was anything but a positive experience for me during those months in 1985.
One of the nicest things that happened to me is when I was voted to receive the Grand Cross of Color. If I recall, the girls voted on whom they wanted to have the honor. It is an award given to girls or adults who have worked for the good of the order.
