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!

By: Judi Hopper

Golden Realm was a brand new assembly in 1963 and we were so excited to be on our way to Grand Assembly. But that was then and this is now… Then – because of the number of members in California, every assembly was only allowed to send eleven girls to Grand Assembly. Now – we can bring our whole assembly to enjoy the week. Then – most assemblies joined with other assemblies in their District and came to Grand Assembly by bus. Each assembly had an assembly song that they sang all the way there and drove their chaperones wild. Now – assemblies come by car, van, bus and plane and still love to see the chaperones beg for mercy. Then – Grand Assembly always started with a Devotional service and every girl wore a suit, hat and gloves. Now – we start with an amazing Informal Opening planned by the Grand Drill Leaders. Then – we did not have an Informal Opening, but on Tuesday afternoon the Grandies were allowed to have a Theme March. Our Grand Worthy Advisor, Vickie Dennis, chose a bedtime theme and we all wore our hair curlers onto the Grand Assembly floor. Now – I don’t think that would go over very well! Then – the Grand Choir was made up of girls from the assemblies that were not yet fully constituted and were meeting under Letters Temporary. Now – each assembly has the opportunity to send one or two lucky girls to Grand Choir. Then – Revelations was one of the most exciting events at Grand Assembly. Now – “Ditto!” Then – a newly appointed Grandie got her mascot naked and dressed it herself. Now – the Grand Officers work for weeks planning a great outfit for a mascot they haven’t even met yet. Then – each new Grand Officer was whisked away on the night of Revelations to a party with just the new and ‘old’ Grandies. Now – everyone is invited to the Revelation Party. (Have you seen Mr. Hopper cookie scouting?) Then – the 1964 “Pink Ladies” were excited to be the first to wear traveling shifts. They were pink and white striped and were so short they would not meet today’s Dress Code. Now – one of the new Grand Worthy Advisor’s first decisions is to select the new travel outfit on Monday afternoon of Grand Assembly. Then – we voted on our Grand Service Project and were dedicated to our task of building up the Rainbow Scholarship fund. Now – it is a thrill every year to hear how many girls receive Rainbow scholarships and think we had a small part in that. Then – our Grand Officer dresses were mailed to us weeks before Grand Assembly and we were in charge of keeping it a secret and getting them altered if needed. Ours were a gorgeous bright pink with a pale pink overlay of embroidered eyelet. Now –the dresses are a secret to the Grand Officers until the weekend of the Grand Worthy Advisor’s reception. Then – Rainbow was a happy place in our lives where we worked together with dedicated adults, learned important lessons, had great fun and made life-long friends. Now, over fifty years later –well, some things never change!