Celebrating Washington's birthday

The hoop skirts, the confetti, the beads, the Indian headdresses are all put away and the town looks back on pageants, luncheons, hot-pepper-eating contests, air shows, and fireworks in our own very unique way of celebrating the birthday of our country's beloved first President. Nowhere else is George Washington remembered in quite the way he is in this town that is on the very edge of the country he helped build.

The Lucy Meriwether chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was honored to have as a guest for their monthly meeting the State Regent, Mrs. Florence F. Patton of Nacodoches. Annabelle Hall, Lucy Meriwether Regent, had invited her a year and a half ago. She was to attend the meeting, held at the home of Lorraine Laurel and then the Princess Pocahontas Pageant. She explained a bit of the DAR project to identify all the markers on the trail of the Camino Real, or King's Highway -- an interesting tale that we will expand on next month.

Diane and Tom Gates told the members of the Lucy Meriwether chapter of the old French coin found on their ranch. They are looking for evidence of the Camino, as there is some on neighboring ranches.

The DAR has a special relationship with Native Americans, which made Mrs. Patton's visit even more meaningful. She was escorted to the pageant by Annabelle Hall, Julia Ruhlman, and Sheila Glassford, and she admitted she had never seen anything as spectacular as this. It was the 25th pageant since the Princess Pocahontas Council was created, although Pocahontas has been a major part of the Celebration since it began in 1898.

Several years ago, the Council gathered photographs of as many of the women who had portrayed Pocahontas as they could find and created a wonderful poster. These photos were featured in the program. The first was Naty Mathern in 1898 and 1899. Ermine Gass, Estelle Palacios, sisters Elizabeth and Melita Kowalski, Norma Zuniga, Elsa Lorraine Claflin, Josie Guerra, Diana Bravo, Misha Davila -- just a few of the many beauties through the years.

This year's pageant was called Echoes of the Past - The Legacy Continues.

Princess Pocahontas was portrayed by Katie Jane Smith Schwarz and her Chief was Red Iron, Chief of the Great Mountain, portrayed by Michael Andrew Martin.

The Cherokee tribe was represented by Chief Earth Scout and Princess Coral Blossom, portrayed by Jacob Edward Gonzalez and Monica Jeanette Gonzalez. Chief Running Buffalo and Princess Mystic Earth were of the Cheyenne tribe, portrayed by Erik Alonzo Hernandez and Stephanie Kryselle Williams. Navajo Chief Sky Warrior and Princess Crystal Jewel were Oscar Treviño and Kimberly Ann Lanier. The Paiute tribe's Princess Brilliant Star and Chief Bird of Thunder were Diana Carin Martinez and Marc Antonio Cavazos. Princess Blazing Spirit and Chief Bold Arrow, Jessica Elizabeth Peña and Robert Michael Ybarra, represented the Choctaw tribe. Sioux representatives were Princess Desert Pearl and Chief Black Elk, Tammy Tenielle Buchanan and José Jorge Lopez. Princess Dancing Dawn and Chief Painted Horse were Jacqueline Marin and Daniel Lopez of the Apache tribe. Chief Hunting Hawk and Princess Blushing Iris were Alexander Lewis Cass and Karla Fabiola Valdez of the Blackfoot tribe. Seminole Chief Sun Dancer and Princess Rising Star were John Michael Salinas and Catherine Marie True. Pawnee Princess Silver Moonlight, Jo Ann Dominguez, and her Chief Spotted Eagle, Ricardo Estevis, completed the cast, which made their way across a wondrous rustic landscape that made up the stage set.

The Society of Martha Washington's Pageant celebrated Laredo's 250th anniversary by including ancestors of local DAR members in the script.

The Laredo Philharmonic, under the direction of Maestro Brandon Townsend, played from the pit in the center of the stage. The Most Reverend James E. Tamayo, Bishop of the Diocese of Laredo, gave the invocation. Master of Ceremonies was Texas State Senator for District 21, The Honorable Senator Judith Zaffirini. Dr. Ray Keck of Texas A & M International University and Society of Martha Washington member Minita Ramirez narrated.

The TAMIU Color Guard and Heritage Brass presented the colors and performed the National Anthem.

Guests were welcomed by Society of MarthaWashington President Rebecca Leyendecker Wise.

As the program began, the audience was told of Laredo's beginning 250 years before and of the remarkable link that ties Laredo's history to the great American Revolution, begun 20 years after Laredo's inception and that was then growing into a proper town, carving out a brave new world that celebrated the diversity of all people.

In the spring of 1790, the President had been in office almost a year. It had been a particularly harsh winter, and an especially difficult session in congress. The hint of spring was much anticipated by President Washington as he and his beloved First Lady entertained in the gardens of Mt. Vernon. The Pageant embodied the link between the American Revolution and Laredo -- a link made real through portrayals of the past by the actual descendants of these great American Revolution heroes.

George Washington was portrayed by Richard E. Haynes, and Martha Washington by Anita Zuniga Dodier.

Linessa Michele Zuniga, escorted by Matthew Dale Davenport, portrayed Sarah Greenhill, a first cousin of Martha Dandridge Washington, who married Peter Randolph, a member of a prominent Virginia family, who rose to the rank of Colonel. He eventually became the first United States District Court Judge in Mississippi. Their Laredo descendents include the late Courtney Slaughter Proffitt and Sheila Slaughter Glassford and their families.

Dana Alexis Norton and her escort, William Cameron Mims, portrayed Joanne Kellogg Winslow and Nathaniel Winslow, a career military man who served with the Berkshire County Massachusetts Regiment, which helped to reinforce the Continental Army. Their descendants came to Laredo in the 1800s. One of them, Charles Winslow, was assigned to Ft. McIntosh and the U.S. Consul to Mexico. Their descendants include Consuelo Saenz Duke, Doris Duke Valls, and Patricia Martin Galo and their families.

Morgan Jessica LaMantia and Matthew Ross Barto portrayed Lucy Cauthon Nightingale and Matthew Nightingale. They each contributed to the welfare of the new nation. She was self-taught in treating ailments and was a skilled seamstress. He was courageous and clever in providing muskets and arms to the Continental Army. Their Laredo descendants include Annabelle Uribe Hall and Leticia Uribe Martinez and their children.

Helen Richter Hopson and Peter Morales IV portrayed Marie Felice de Saint-Maxent Estrehan and Bernardo de Galves. She shared her husband's fierce dedication to the Revolution as a military wife. He, a distinguished Spaniard by birth, continued a rich tradition of military service, becoming Brigadier General and governor of Louisiana. He was most helpful to the cause of freedom.

Mary Frances Hearn and Jorge Daniel García Cortes depicted Sarah Day Boone and Samuel Boone. Sarah was a self-assured young Quakeress who believed in education. She ran the family farm and taught her children as well as her husband and his brother Daniel Boone, to read and write. The Boone family has a rich heritage in the fight for freedom. Four generations later, their descendants settled in Laredo. They include Dr. Ruby South Lowry and family.

Katherine Louise Hearn portrayed Anna Grubbs Boone. Her escort, Adrian Mounetou, depicted Sgt. Squire Boone, who fought valiantly for the cause of freedom, including in the last battle of the war. Four generations later, Dr. Willis Edward Lowry of San Antonio married Josephine Steffian from Laredo. Their descendants include the Dr. Ruby South Lowry family.

Elizabeth Ann Goebel of San Antonio portrayed Mary Barton Griswold. Her escort, Joaquin G. Cigarroa IV, depicted Adonijah Griswold. Parents of ten children, the couple enjoyed a challenging life on their Illinois farm. Adonijah's service to his country began at age 17. He was captured by the British and spent years in prison in Quebec. He escaped and was recaptured. He refused the opportunity to return to England. After the war he married Mary Barton. His descendants in Laredo include Dr. Margaret Cigarroa, her children and grandchildren, including Joaquin IV, who portrayed his great, great, great grandfather.

Stephanie Alston depicted Nancy Ann Lenoir Westmoreland. Her escort, Celso Fredrich Uribe II, portrayed Robert Westmoreland. When Robert fell victim to the Tories, she became a patriot herself, providing beef and supplies for the Spartan regiment in South Carolina. The Westmoreland family continued a long, distinguished history of military service. The family eventually made its way to Travis and Webb County, Texas. Descendants include Joyce Littlepage Keck, her children, and grandchildren.

Holly Gail Gonzalez portrayed Jeanne Therese Tellez di Acosta Rochambeau. Her escort, Omar Tijerina, Jr., depicted Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vemeur, Comte de Rochambeau. Natives of Vendome, France, the couple found their lives changed forever with the advent of the Seven Years War. From a distinguished military family that dated back to the Crusades, Rochambeau found himself part of the great adventure and became an important ally to General Washington, when France committed to the American Revolution.

Elizabeth Marguerite Volz and Carlos Ygnacio Benavides IV were Elizabeth Jellison Jordan and Colonel Melatiah Jordan. Melatiah had a long and distinguished military career, eventually being appointed by George Washington as Collector of Frenchman's Bay, in Massachusetts. Their son, Captain Richard Samuel, came to Texas and after the Civil War he entered into the lumber business, joining forces with Captain Kenedy and Captain Richard King. Captain Jordan's descendants made their way to Laredo. Emma Jordan Leyendecker was a Charter Member of the Society of Martha Washington and was President in 1945, and 2005 President Rebecca Leyendecker Wise and debutante Elizabeth Volz share ancestral ties to Melatiah Jordan.

Representing Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Regina Isabel Calderon Gutierrez portrayed Phoebe Allen Jarvis. Sergio Cano portrayed Captain Nathaniel Jarvis. Phoebe was a strong and courageous woman. When the British attacked, she walked to New York from Long Island with her four children. Captain Jarvis was a loyal patriot and fought in many battles for freedom. Nathaniel, Jr., one of their grandchildren, became Mayor of Laredo in 1870. He also served as Webb County surveyor and treasurer. His descendents include Lorraine Withoff Laurel and her family and the John Foster family.

Representing Zapata and joining her aunt on stage was Danielle Catherine Dodier. She portrayed Dorothea Dandridge Henry. Her escort, Richard Edwin Sames, Jr., was her husband, Patrick Henry, who became a symbol of America's struggle for liberty and self-government. He was elected the first governor of the Virginia Commonwealth in 1776. He was a lawyer, patriot, and orator, famous for his words, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Dorothea and Patrick's youngest child, William R. Henry, came to San Antonio, marrying Consolacion Urrutia. Their daughters Consolacion and Virginia Martha married Antonio Mateo Bruni and Felix Dodier, respectively. Danielle honors her great, great grandparents, Virginia Henry and Felix Dodier, and Richard also honors his great, great grandparents Consolacion and Antonio Mateo Bruni, direct descendants of the original Henrys.

A highlight of the pageant was the dramatic and hypnotic rendition of Carmen performed by Christina Godines Greco. As she slowly danced her way around the orchestra pit, castanets rolling to the exotic beat of the music, the audience was enthralled. This will undoubtedly go down as one of the most successful pageants in the history of the Society. Bravo! And now, the show goes on and plans are already underway for next year's Celebration.