The Brunswick Town Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution elected officers for their 2021-22 fiscal term.
The officers are Martha Koletar, regent; Mary Sands, vice regent; Mary Mears, recording and corresponding secretary; Deanna Antonio, treasurer; Jane Johnson, registrar; Judy Holden, chaplain; Jo-Anne Alford, historian; and Pat Steele, librarian, according to a news release.
Koletar (
left) had a career in human resources in North Carolina and New York City before retiring to Brunswick County. Among her Patriot ancestors are Capt. William Moore (NC), Zachariah Spencer (NC) and Joseph McKenzie (SC).
Sands worked in interior design with Lockheed Martin and Marriott hotels. Her first verified Patriot is Capt. William Simms (VA), who fought in major Revolutionary battles such as Trenton and Malmouth. He was also in the French and Indian War.
A retired attorney and district court trained mediator, Mears grew up in Pennsylvania. Her original Patriot, who was also her grandmother’s, is Lemuel Bingham, of Connecticut.
Antonio retired from public education in West Virginia and Maryland, and she also recently retired from a second career with Habitat for Humanity. Her patriot is George Taylor, of Virginia.
Johnson served as a school media coordinator in Wake, Stokes and Catawba counties before retiring. John Hauser (NC) is the Patriot that Johnson used to join DAR.
Holden’s career included business ownership, teaching and bookkeeping. Her original Patriot is James Larrimore (NC) from her mother’s direct lineage.
Alford was a math specialist in the Hendrick Hudson School District. Her Patriot is Jacobus Van Keuren, whose family immigrated from the Dutch West Indies to what would become New York.
Steele spent her career as administrative director of a desegregation program in a Missouri school district. Her Patriot is Corp. Joshiah Church, of Vermont.
DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving American history, the release stated. To be eligible to join, members must be 18 years old and prove direct lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence.