By: Peggy Stephan Keigler
“Owls flock to Fresno,” is the headline of volume 48, number 4 of the Pot of Gold newspaper published in April, 1979. In looking back over the paper it is hard to believe 45 years have passed since the Adorable Owls presided over Grand Assembly. Our colors for the year were violet and blue and our theme was “Fill your heart with Sunshine.” We didn’t have many of the fun things you have today like talent, poetry, art, and ritual competition. But we did have plenty of enthusiasm and Grand Assembly was definitely the highlight of the year.
We had 81 Adorable Owl Grand Officers and had 91 official visits. We visited Grand Assemblies in Nevada, Oregon and Washington/Idaho. We attended Supreme Assembly in Kentucky and enjoyed a fun filled Supreme Tour that included Puerto Rico and St. Thomas. There was Grand Chapter, Grand Lodge, Grand Bethel, and NORCAL DeMolay Conclave. We also participated in the re-relaying of the cornerstone at the California State Capitol.
Our Grand Service Project was Children’s Village USA. (Now Childhelp USA. www.childhelp.org) The goal was to educate our members about the realities of child abuse in the hope that we could help prevent abuse in the future. We also raised over $51,000 to upgrade and remodel a residential cottage at Childhelp’s Beaumont, CA facility. The completed cottage was cozy, comfortable and filled with rainbows and owls.
California Rainbow had 250 assemblies and approximately 10,000 members. While it is hard to imagine life without technology, 40 years ago things like computers and cell phones did not exist for personal use. Our correspondence was done on a typewriter. This necessitated the lugging around of a portable typewriter wherever we traveled. It also meant licking and stamping thousands of envelopes as well as visiting hundreds of post offices throughout the state. As for phone communication, well, that required 10 cents to be deposited into a pay phone if you wanted to call home. Now, if you wanted to take pictures that required an actual camera with film and flash bulbs. If you wanted to actually see the pictures you had to take them to be developed. And if that wasn’t enough, we had to remember to bring the maps and directions…..no GPS or navigation for us. Somehow we managed to make it to all of the official visits and events. There is little doubt that we won’t ever forget our gigantic hairpieces! The hairpiece boxes were so large they took up half of the trunk and in order to keep them looking decent, they had to visit the beauty parlor on a regular basis.
Admittedly, many memories have faded over the last 45 years. However, what will never fade is the gratitude I have for the opportunity to have been a Rainbow Girl. Not only did it afford me the opportunity to learn and live many important life lessons, it gave me the chance to come to know and love many extraordinary people……my Rainbow Sisters, my fellow Adorable Owls, and amazing adult leaders. Even now, I am blessed to have the love and guidance of our Supreme Deputy, Bernice Dyck and our Director of Grand Officers, Pat McBride. Where would we be without these amazing ladies? They have given so much to the success of California Rainbow as well as continued advice and counsel in our personal lives. They are true treasures in our pot of gold!
I wish you happiness, sunshine, rainbows and joy. But most of all, I wish you love!
