John R. Baylor Chapter 2298 is pleased to host the 87th Annual Arizona Division at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson on Friday and Saturday, October 8-9, 2010, and cordially invites all Arizona Daughters to attend.

CONVENTION LOCATION
Westward Look Resort is located at 245 West Ina Road in Tucson, AZ. For those wanting to stay overnight, the rooms are $109 plus taxes (currently 13.05%) per night for single/double and $119 for triple/quad. This rate is good for three days before and three days after the Convention.

To make reservations, call (800) 722-2500 or email reservations@westwardlook.com. In order to get this special group rate, it is necessary to identify yourself as being part of the group; the group code is “UDC.”

REGISTRATION
Every UDC member attending any part of the convention must pay a $10 registration fee. Every non-UDC attendee must pay a $5 registration fee.

Registration forms must be postmarked no later than September 17, 2010. No refunds after September 30, 2010.

Check-in will be available outside the Canyon Room on Friday from 5:15 – 6:30 pm and outside the Palm Room on Saturday from 8:00 – 8:45 am. Dining/meeting rooms are subject to change depending on number of registrants.

CONVENTION DINNER
Friday, October 8, 2010 at 5:15 pm

We shall have a special guest speaker, Bertram Hayes-Davis, great-great-grandson of President Jefferson Davis. Bert will have a sales table open before dinner. His wife, Carol, will also be joining us.

A cash bar will open beginning at 5:30 pm. You can mingle, chat, visit Bert’s table.

Members and guests are encouraged to wear period dress; otherwise semi-formal evening wear.

Dinner will be at 6:45 pm. Dinner is $40 per person. Attendee will have a choice of beef, chicken, or salmon, plus dessert. Rolls, coffee, and tea are included. Please note any food allergies or dietary restrictions on your registration form.

WORKSHOPS
Pending sufficient registration, there will be two workshops on Friday. The topic at 3:00 pm will be Treasurers, held by Betsy Bykerk, and the topic after dinner will be Registrars, held by Paula England.

CONVENTION MEETING
On Saturday, we will have a Granddaughters Club in the morning at 7:00 am. The business session begins at 9:00 am, and runs until 4:30 pm.

BUSINESS REPORTS
All division officers and commettee director/chairs will begin at 9:00 am. All reports must be typewritten, and two copies must be submitted; one for the secretary and one for the president. Oral reports are limited to 10 minutes for officers and 5 minutes for committee directors/chairs.

MORE INFORMATION
For the registration form and more complete information, please go to the John R. Baylor Chapter page and send an email to request a registration form, if you have not already received one.

See you there!

All United Daughters of the Confederacy were invited to the 16th Annual Arizona Division Reunion & Convention for the Sons of Confederate Veterans on June 5, 2010 at Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Restaurant, 19th Avenue at Bell Road in Phoenix.

The official Confederate Memorial Day is April 26. However, since that is a Monday, Memorial Services were held on Sunday, April 25, 2010 with the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The services were held at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. Flags and flowers were placed on the graves prior to the Memorial Services.

Gretchen Brittain, Chapter President of UDC John R. Baylor in Tucson, with the Sons of the Confederate Veterans at the Confederate Memorial Day Ceremony

Members of the UDC Arizona Division attended the Confederate Memorial Day Ceremony hosted by Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). The ceremony was held at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, in Phoenix, AZ. We placed flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers, followed by a wonderful ceremony by the SCV. We do this each year, in honor of our ancestors who died on the battlefield in the War Between the States.

We then moved onto Wesly Bolin Park in Phoenix for another ceremony at the monument that was originally donated to the City of Phoenix by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1961. Flowers were respectfully laid at the base of the monument by UDC members and also by members of a church youth group who was visiting the park.

Mrs. Norma Laitem, President of the UDC Arizona Division, gave a wonderful speech. The attendees were led in prayer by the UDC Arizona Division Chaplain, Barbara Brai. Not only was this a celebration of our fallen heroes, but also a wonderful learning experience for the children. They felt special to be a part of our ceremony.

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, soldiers from the 1880s were honored. They were originally buried in Tucson, and were reburied in the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Cemetery in Sierra Vista last year. Some who once served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War went on to serve in the American Army, side-by-side with those who fought for the Union, during the Indian wars in the late 1800s in Arizona.

The event included taped music of the National Anthem and the firing of a cannon. Emilie Siarkiewicz, Vice President of UDC in the Arizona Division, and Gretchen Brittain, President of John R. Baylor Chapter in Tucson, were in attendance.