DDRWC’s 50th Anniversary
Celebrating the Dallas DowntownRepublican Women’s Club 50th anniversary is an exciting event we can look forward to in 2010.
We appointed Sharon Hassell as event chairman, and we were ready to get our act together when I got a phone call from Dawn Lewis, the White Rock Republican Women president. Dawn said White Rock is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. She proposed that our clubs might consider a joint 50th anniversary event.
Another possibility being explored is combining the DDRWC/White Rock 50th anniversary celebration with the Dallas County Council of Republican Women’s evening meeting in October. The County Council traditionally holds evening meetings in May and October so women employed during the day — who can’t attend the Council’s daytime meetings — can participate.
Our club was founded in September 1960 when Texas was still 99.9% Democratic. The Dallas County Republican Party needed to go into high gear for the Nixon-Kennedy presidential campaign and the election of John Tower to the U.S. Senate.
Peter O’Donnell, the county chairman, had to find the volunteers to get the job done. The county had 13 Republican women’s clubs working at top speed, but they needed help. The question was where to find it. These clubs met and worked mostly during the day because of family responsibilities
Peter came up with the idea of the great, untapped resource of women who work during the day but who could give time in the evenings and on weekends. He asked the County Council to organize such a group.
A meeting of business and professional women interested in organizing such a group was called for 7 p.m. Sept. 14, 1960, in the Baker Hotel English Room, with 31 women attending.
Our club began as the Downtown Republican Women’s Club. At that time, most members worked in Downtown Dallas and the club met in the evening at the Baker Hotel — a landmark that no longer exists at Commerce and Akard, across from the Adolphus Hotel.
Within a few years, the club moved its meeting place to Republican Headquarters. The members now work and reside throughout Dallas County, and today we have only one member who works downtown. We changed the club name to Dallas Downtown when we began participating in the Texas Federation of Republican Women and National Federation of Republican Women awards programs. One charter member — Dorothy Vaughan — is still a member.
Please contact me at 972-235-5703 or dadler@tx.rr.com and let me know how you feel about DDRWC joining forces with the White Rock club for our 50th anniversary celebration and possibly combining this with an evening County Council meeting. Also, let me know if you would like to help carry out the event.
Dot Adler
February, 2010
Use Your Political Power
DDRWC members, as informed Republican activists, use your knowledge of the candidates, issues and political process to make a difference this election year.
Vote in the March 2 Republican Primary, either by early voting or voting on election day. Then, return to your polling place after the polls close to participate in your precinct convention. Contact your precinct chairman before the convention. Let him or her know you plan to participate.
At the precinct convention, ask to be a delegate to your Senatorial District Convention on March 20. If you feel strongly about an issue, draft a resolution and bring three copies to the precinct convention. Resolutions passed at precinct conventions go to your Senatorial District resolutions committee for consideration.
Each Senatorial District elects delegates and alternates to the Republican State Convention June 11-12 at Dallas Convention Center, and resolutions passed at district conventions are forwarded to the state convention resolutions committee, where they may become part of the state Republican platform.
Volunteers are needed to work at the senatorial district conventions. Contact your state committeeman or committeewoman and offer to serve on a committee (Credentials, Rules, Permanent Organization, Nominations or Resolutions). Be sure to say you are a Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club member.
There are two potential ways to get named a delegate or alternate to the state convention. Some heavily Republican Dallas County precincts turned out enough votes for the Republican gubernatorial candidate (Rick Perry) in 2006 to be qualified to nominate one or more delegates to the 2010 state convention.
If your precinct doesn’t get a convention delegate, your can appear before your Senatorial District nominations committee with your political resume and seek to be an at-large state delegate. The nominations committee meets several times prior to the district convention and on the morning of the convention. Always go before the nominations committee as early as possible. This will increase the probability of your being named a delegate..
At both the senatorial district and the state conventions, there are an equal number of delegate and alternate slots. Alternates also get to go to the conventions but are seated in different areas than delegates. If some delegates don’t show up or leave early, you have a good chance to get moved up to delegate during the convention.
If you don’t get to be a state delegate or alternate, offer to work as a volunteer during the state convention. A lot of help will be needed. It’s exciting to be part of the convention process and to work for Republican candidates to achieve victory in November.
If you have questions about the convention process, don’t hesitate to contact me at dadler@tx.rr.com on 972-235-5703. I’ve been a delegate or alternate to every Republican Party of Texas state convention from 1966 through 2008 and was an at-large alternate delegate from Texas to the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988.
Dot Adler
January, 2010
Our 50th Anniversary Year
The Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club looks forward to 2010 — our 50th anniversary year.
Our #1 priority is to increase our membership. We must continue to grow to further the influence and effectiveness of our club and to promote the philosophy and principles of the Republican Party.
We must aim to make new members feel welcome, inspire them with good programs, mentor them in the political process, and prepare them to be our future leaders. We will work together to fulfill our primary objective – electing Republicans to public office.
DDRWC will continue to strive for excellence, again seeking to win a National Federation of Republican Women club achievement award and the Texas Federation of Republican Women John Goodwin Tower Award.
In 2010, we will team the energy of our new members with the experience of our veteran members and the structure of federated Republican women at the club, county, state and national level.
This is a winning combination for the Republican Party.
Dot Adler
December, 2009
What DDRWC Did in 2009
The Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club can take pride in what we accomplished in 2009.
The club won a National Federation of Republican Women Gold Award — our 11th NFRW club achievement award — and our 11th Texas Federation of Republican Women John Goodwin Tower Achievement Award.
We brought our membership up to 23 active members — a 15 percent gain from 2008.
Our new website, www.ddrwc.org, increases our visibility and is attracting new members to our club.
I want to thank the 2009 elected officers for all they have contributed toward the club’s success. They are Catherine Liu, Vice President – Programs, Lisa Sutter, Vice President – Campaign Activities, Betty Dawson, Secretary; Sandy Denton, PAC Treasurer, and Doris Collins, Newsletter Editor.
I wish all DDRWC members a wonderful Christmas season and look forward to your support as we face the political challenges ahead in 2010 and celebrate our club’s 50th anniversary in September..
Dot Adler
November, 2009
2010 Campaign Kickoff
Nov. 10, 2009, is the 2010 campaign kickoff for the Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert — an inspirational titan as a civic leader — will speak at our 6:30 p.m. meeting at Republican Headquarters.
We can renew our membership by paying 2010 dues at this meeting, and new members can join DDRWC.
The club will elect officers for 2010 from a slate recruited by the nominating committee. Nominees, who have agreed to serve if elected, are a blend of savvy political veterans and new members who bring talent and energy to DDRWC.
The Dallas County Republican Party already has an impressive group of well-qualified candidates actively campaigning. They will be on the March 2, 2010, Republican primary ballot. Go to the Dallas County Council of Republican Women website, www.dccrw.org and click on Candidates for the candidates’ names and resumes.
We need to reach out and invite prospective members to our club. Our objectives, stated in our bylaws, are:
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To promote an informed electorate through political education.
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To increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government through active political participation.
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To facilitate cooperation among Republican women.
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To foster loyalty to the Republican Party and to promote its principles, and candidates in all elections including non-partisan elections.
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To work for the election of the Republican Party’s nominees.
Now is the time for all good Republican women to come to the aid of our party. Let’s do it and beat the Democrats in the Nov. 2, 2010, election!
Dot Adler
October, 2009
Make Your Voice Heard
Americans are angry. They are protesting the Obama administration and Democrat-controlled Congress’ outrageous spending. Citizens resent the phony urgency — Congressional leaders trying to pass complex health care legislation before Congress goes on break in August.
People are asking how they can make their voices heard. We can help.
A key Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club objective is to promote an informed electorate through political education. (See our bylaws on the club website, www.ddrwc.org.) We know our elected officials and how to communicate with them.
Using Local Phone Numbers
All members of Congress serving Dallas County have district offices. Phoning a solon’s district office to voice your opinion on a bill works as well as a call to Washington. Here are the local phone numbers:
· Senator John Cornyn, 972-239-1310
· Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, 214-361-3500
· Congressman Michael Burgess, CD 26, 972-434-9700
· Congressman Jeb Hensarling, CD 5, 214-349-9996
· Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, CD 30, 214-922-8885
· Congressman Sam Johnson, CD 3, 972-470-0892
· Congressman Kenny Marchant, CD 24, 972-556-0162
· Congressman Pete Sessions, CD 32, 972-392-0505
You can access the websites for members of Congress to send them email messages. Go to www.senate.gov or www.house.gov for directories listing senators and house members and their website links. Postal mailing addresses are shown on the officials’ websites.
Communicating Effectively
The Dallas County Council of Republican Women got advice about contacting elected officials from Charles Huston, vice president for legislative affairs/research for National Write Your Congressman.
He said a staff member, not the member of Congress, usually takes phone calls. So ask to speak with the aide who handles the issue about which you are calling.
Identify yourself and say you would like to leave a brief message, such as “Please tell Senator/Representative (Name) that I support/oppose (S.___/H.R.___).”
State reasons why you support or oppose the bill. Ask for your official’s position on the bill. You may ask for a written response to your phone calls.
Letter Writing Tips
Letters are the most popular choice for communication with a congressional office. Remember to:
· State your purpose for writing in the first paragraph. If your letter pertains to a specific bill, identify it accordingly, e.g., Senate bill, S. ___; House bill, H.R. ___.
· Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.
· Address only one issue in each letter. If possible, keep the letter to one page.
Recruit for DDRWC
Now is a good time to invite people who are frustrated with what’s going on in Washington to join DDRWC and learn about the political process. Tell them about our club website, where there is a membership form.
Carry a DDRWC membership form in your purse. You never know when you might meet a prospective member.
Dot Adler
July, 2009
Recruit a New DDRWC Member!
Now is the time for all good Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club members to come to the aid of their party
Let’s aim to sign up at least three new members. We now have 22. Three more would grow our membership to 25 (which we had in 2007). I think we can exceed that total as we build for the future.
DDRWC offers a great opportunity to learn about the political process. You get to know the Republican candidates and elected officials and find out how to communicate with them effectively concerning political issues.
As a DDRWC member, you are linked to a powerful political network. DDRWC members are also members of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women.
In DDRWC, you develop lasting friendships with veteran campaign volunteers — women who work together to elect Republicans at the local, state and national level.
Lisa Sutter, DDRWC vice president for Campaign Activities, recently was elected to the Carrollton City Council. Livia Liu Francis and Faith Johnson served as Criminal District Court Judges. Patricia Van Winkle was the Presidential Elector for Congressional District 30 in 2009.
Tell your friends about our club website, www.ddrwc.org, where there is a membership form. We also print a membership form in every newsletter issue.
Carry a DDRWC membership form in your purse. You never know when you might meet a prospective DDRWC member.
Dot Adler
June, 2009
Going for the Gold!
Congratulations to the Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club. We will win the National Federation of Republican Women’s Gold Achievement Award for 2008-2009.
DDRWC members can be proud of all we did to qualify for the NFRW club award at the Gold level. We submitted the 10-page application to Toni Anne Dashiell, Texas Federation of Republican Women president, before the June 1 deadline. DDRWC will be recognized at the NFRW 35th biennial convention in Orlando, Florida, in September.
The NFRW and TFRW award programs inspire club goal setting and teamwork. DDRWC uses the awards requirements as a guide in planning our activities. Working for the awards keeps DDRWC focused and produces a well-balanced club program.
The award requirements set performance standards for club functions, membership development, programs, campaign activities and community relations. The club gets points toward the award for each requirement completed. Accomplishments cited in the award application include:
Club Function — DDRWC meets NFRW and TFRW standards for club operations. We hold 12 monthly meetings annually and regularly submit member database information to TFRW for forwarding to NFRW. We have a website, a newsletter and telephone and email communications. The club has a chaplain, historian, parliamentarian and chairmen for Americanism, awards, budget and finance, bylaws, campaign activities, community service, fundraising, homeland security, legislative, outreach, publicity and programs.
Membership Development — We have a membership chairman who oversees membership recruitment. We recruit members from all age groups and cultures. At the time we submitted our NFRW award form, 19 of the 20 surviving 2008 members had renewed for 2009. We already have three new members this year.
Programs — DDRWC programs feature Republican speakers and promote an informed electorate through political education. We had a program on the difference between the Republican and Democrat philosophies. Another program explained state election laws and party rules. Our June program will cover the purpose, structure and history of NFRW and TFRW.
Campaign Activities — Our members contribute generously of their time and energy to Republican candidates and the Dallas County Republican Party. DDRWC members reported a total of 3,923 campaign hours volunteered in 2008-2009. All 2008 GOP Dallas County Sheriff candidates spoke at the DDRWC forum. Lisa Sutter was elected to the Carrollton City Council.
Community Relations — DDRWC contributes books to Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in lieu of presenting gifts to speakers. In both 2008 and 2009, DDRWC donated books to this school under the NFRW Mamie Eisenhower Library Project. We also gave dictionaries to the school through the NFRW Dictionary Project. DDRWC supports Dallas County Council of Republican Women community service projects.
Special thanks for their help with the NFRW award application go to Livia Liu Francis, Awards chairman; Sandy Denton, PAC Treasurer; Lisa Sutter, Vice President-Campaign Activities; and Betty Dawson, Literacy chairman and also recording secretary.
For DDRWC, the NFRW and TFRW award program are key factors in making us a highly motivated and effective club. We began seeking these awards in the mid-1980s as suggested by Harriet Armstrong, then our TFRW district director. This year’s NFRW award will be DDRWC’s second Gold Award. Previously, we have won seven Diamond Awards, one Silver Award and one Bronze Award.
Dot Adler
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Use Your Political Power
DDRWC members, as informed Republican activists, use your knowledge of the candidates, issues and political process to make a difference this election year.
Vote in the March 2 Republican Primary, either by early voting or voting on election day. Then, return to your polling place after the polls close to participate in your precinct convention. Contact your precinct chairman before the convention. Let him or her know you plan to participate.
At the precinct convention, ask to be a delegate to your Senatorial District Convention on March 20. If you feel strongly about an issue, draft a resolution and bring three copies to the precinct convention. Resolutions passed at precinct conventions go to your Senatorial District resolutions committee for consideration.
Each Senatorial District elects delegates and alternates to the Republican State Convention June 11-12 at Dallas Convention Center, and resolutions passed at district conventions are forwarded to the state convention resolutions committee, where they may become part of the state Republican platform.
Volunteers are needed to work at the senatorial district conventions. Contact your state committeeman or committeewoman and offer to serve on a committee (Credentials, Rules, Permanent Organization, Nominations or Resolutions). Be sure to say you are a Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club member.
There are two potential ways to get named a delegate or alternate to the state convention. Some heavily Republican Dallas County precincts turned out enough votes for the Republican gubernatorial candidate (Rick Perry) in 2006 to be qualified to nominate one or more delegates to the 2010 state convention.
If your precinct doesn’t get a convention delegate, your can appear before your Senatorial District nominations committee with your political resume and seek to be an at-large state delegate. The nominations committee meets several times prior to the district convention and on the morning of the convention. Always go before the nominations committee as early as possible. This will increase the probability of your being named a delegate..
At both the senatorial district and the state conventions, there are an equal number of delegate and alternate slots. Alternates also get to go to the conventions but are seated in different areas than delegates. If some delegates don’t show up or leave early, you have a good chance to get moved up to delegate during the convention.
If you don’t get to be a state delegate or alternate, offer to work as a volunteer during the state convention. A lot of help will be needed. It’s exciting to be part of the convention process and to work for Republican candidates to achieve victory in November.
If you have questions about the convention process, don’t hesitate to contact me at dadler@tx.rr.com on 972-235-5703. I’ve been a delegate or alternate to every Republican Party of Texas state convention from 1966 through 2008 and was an at-large alternate delegate from Texas to the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988.
Dot Adler
|
Use Your Political Power
DDRWC members, as informed Republican activists, use your knowledge of the candidates, issues and political process to make a difference this election year.
Vote in the March 2 Republican Primary, either by early voting or voting on election day. Then, return to your polling place after the polls close to participate in your precinct convention. Contact your precinct chairman before the convention. Let him or her know you plan to participate.
At the precinct convention, ask to be a delegate to your Senatorial District Convention on March 20. If you feel strongly about an issue, draft a resolution and bring three copies to the precinct convention. Resolutions passed at precinct conventions go to your Senatorial District resolutions committee for consideration.
Each Senatorial District elects delegates and alternates to the Republican State Convention June 11-12 at Dallas Convention Center, and resolutions passed at district conventions are forwarded to the state convention resolutions committee, where they may become part of the state Republican platform.
Volunteers are needed to work at the senatorial district conventions. Contact your state committeeman or committeewoman and offer to serve on a committee (Credentials, Rules, Permanent Organization, Nominations or Resolutions). Be sure to say you are a Dallas Downtown Republican Women’s Club member.
There are two potential ways to get named a delegate or alternate to the state convention. Some heavily Republican Dallas County precincts turned out enough votes for the Republican gubernatorial candidate (Rick Perry) in 2006 to be qualified to nominate one or more delegates to the 2010 state convention.
If your precinct doesn’t get a convention delegate, your can appear before your Senatorial District nominations committee with your political resume and seek to be an at-large state delegate. The nominations committee meets several times prior to the district convention and on the morning of the convention. Always go before the nominations committee as early as possible. This will increase the probability of your being named a delegate..
At both the senatorial district and the state conventions, there are an equal number of delegate and alternate slots. Alternates also get to go to the conventions but are seated in different areas than delegates. If some delegates don’t show up or leave early, you have a good chance to get moved up to delegate during the convention.
If you don’t get to be a state delegate or alternate, offer to work as a volunteer during the state convention. A lot of help will be needed. It’s exciting to be part of the convention process and to work for Republican candidates to achieve victory in November.
If you have questions about the convention process, don’t hesitate to contact me at dadler@tx.rr.com on 972-235-5703. I’ve been a delegate or alternate to every Republican Party of Texas state convention from 1966 through 2008 and was an at-large alternate delegate from Texas to the Republican National Convention in New Orleans in 1988.
Dot Adler
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