Missouri P.E.O.s promised to “show us” their brightest and best as we met in Saint Louis for the 70th Convention of International Chapter. They did not disappoint! From the toe-tapping sounds of the Gateway City Big Band on Opening Night to the Lennon Family concert after the closing banquet on Saturday, delegates and visitors alike were treated to a fantastic musical array throughout convention. From photo ops with a live Clydesdale to complimentary ice cream cones reminiscent of the World’s Fair held in Saint Louis in 1904, their bhospitality knew no bounds!
It was my immense pleasure and honor to serve as a board assistant to my mother, Elizabeth Garrels, President, International Chapter 2009-2011. I can
tell you that a “behind the scenes” look at convention makes the whole event
and effort all the more amazing. From my tireless co-assistants who knew the Convention Center like the backs of their hands, to the technicians and computer geniuses who helped the wireless voting go smoothly…from the International office staff who moved their entire operations 350 miles south, to the volunteers who made registration and credentialing a breeze—hats off to all of you!
Preconvention Fun and Workshops
In the days prior to, and throughout convention, we were treated to fabulous shopping in the P.E.O. boutique. And we know how P.E.O.s enjoy a good shopping day! There were Route 66 decorated candy and gourmet pickles, golf umbrellas and spatulas with marguerites—truly something for everyone. The Herff Jones store offered all delegates a complimentary P.E.O. charm and the opportunity to purchase lovely gold, sterling and pearl jewelry inspired by our stars and marguerites. The Missouri P.E.O.s were so welcoming in the Missouri Room. There were giveaways galore, live versions of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher and information on exciting events and trips to keep every P.E.O. and BIL busy for days! One of the neatest displays was a tribute to our current International President, Susan Reese Sellers, who calls Missouri her first home.
All delegates learned a great deal in the two required preconvention seminars: Finance/Budget and Study and Research Committee/Amendments. Optional workshops included What the “Dickins” is Going on with the P.E.O. Foundation? Digging Up Your Roots (genealogy), Show Me Cottey Dancing with the upbeat Cottey College dancers, How Cottey Students Lead and What Cottey is Reading.
The preconvention featured presentations also were truly top-notch. Cottey Chef Michael Richards tempted our taste buds with a working kitchen demonstration of his culinary creations. Chef Michael signed his newly published cookbooks for 
those who waited in the always-long line. Mary Stier, motivational speaker and author of “Lady Leader; 10 Ways to Play in Big Boy Business,” inspired us with her presentation on “Leading in Turbulent Times.” She focused on five key factors: pick the right team; pick the right strategy; pick the right message; pick the right relationships; and pick the right legacy. She used real life examples of women leaders who exemplified these factors, from Mary Kay Ash, who picked the right strategy, to Sacagawea, who picked the right relationships. Dr. Kristi Hegstad, helped us work on making “Powerful Decisions” to lead “confident lives,” focusing on the 10-10-10 strategy. How will my current decision affect me in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years?
Opening Night Festivities Focus on Our Projects
Always a highlight was the Opening Ceremonies and Philanthropies Program on Thursday evening. Each state, province and district made a grand entrance carrying its high-flying flag to the sounds of The Midwest Winds from Scott Air Force Base. Maria Baseggio, Second Vice President, and respective trustee chairmen introduced six outstanding project recipients.
Ji Yang, IPS recipient originally from Korea, took our breath away with her piano solo. You too can be enthralled with “Gargoyles” when you listen to it online on 
the P.E.O. website. Shereese Fagan, Cottey College Class President, Class of 2011, a native of Jamaica, impressed us with her poise and grace. Catherine Etteman, P.E.O. Star Scholarship, a student at Princeton University, told us about how she learned to lead by example when she was elected as the first female president of the freshman class in 14 years. We just may need to look for her on the political scene in a few years! The Program for Continuing Education speaker, Darci Niva, is not only a recipient, but recently became a sister when she was initiated into a chapter in Scottsdale, Arizona. Darci told us how much our support meant to her, financially and emotionally, when she returned to college after a 30-year absence. Anyone who has been touched by cancer reveled in the, possibility of an innovative, non-invasive method of breast cancer detection as explained by Dr. Shwayta Kukreti, a recipient of a Scholar Award. Elizabeth Musteen Allison, ELF recipient, made us all dream of workingm in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum
—whether sewing giraffe hides in the new mammal hall or displaying the Hope Diamond! All of our recipients told amazing stories and we should all be so proud of what our contributions mean for real people with real mountains to climb and dreams to realize. Throughout convention we enjoyed periodic project spotlights. Each of our International projects was featured in a two to three minute video set to music. We were excited to learn these educational and inspiring presentations are available on the P.E.O. website for use at chapter meetings. Additionally, each of the project committees outdid themselves at their respective booths. From fortune cookies filled with project-inspired fortunes at the Program for Continuing Education booth, to an eye exam that helped us focus on the big picture at the Educational Loan Fund booth, we were inspired to look for project recipients. The Special Committee to Study P.E.O. Ceremonies and Meeting Procedures had wonderfully inviting listening booth where sisters could talk with committee members and provide written comments or questions on these topics. The P.E.O. Foundation had a very busy day in its booth, answering questions and showcasing its golden anniversary celebration, 1961-2011. Friday morning started with our beautifully solemn Celebration of Life, which included a lovely arrangement of “Peace Like a River” sung by the Cottey College choir. We remembered the lives and contributions of 64 past presidents of state, provincial and district chapters and 41 members of chapters in subordinate territory who entered Chapter Eternal during the past biennium.
Business Sessions
Fifteen hundred voting members of convention worked diligently during the business sessions on Friday and Saturday, addressing 32 proposed amendments to our Constitution, the Ceremony of Initiation, and Standing Rules and Procedures to Chapter Meetings. The results of many thought-provoking debates can be found on pages 16-19 of this issue of The Record and on the P.E.O. website. Throughout the business sessions, attendees enjoyed beautiful vocal and instrumental interludes; the presentation of a Charter to Chapter K, Honolulu, Hawaii; a celebration of Canada’s Centennial; a report on the State of the Sisterhood by our President; and the announcement of a special Sisterhoodwide friendly competition to raise the remaining dollars necessary to reach our goal in the “Defining Moment” comprehensive campaign for Cottey College.
Looking back 100 years to when our Sisterhood enjoyed Supreme Chapter Convention in Saint Louis in 1911, special guest Alice Bird Babb (aka Lynn Rymarz, Chapter IM, Barrington, Illinois) moved us to tears with her personal reminiscences of the birth of P.E.O.
In her closing remarks, President Elizabeth Garrels, whose theme for this biennium has been “Expanding Our Vision,” challenged us to remember that P.E.O. 
is a “far-sighted dream, the horizontal ideal.” It is a “deep reservoir, a full pool spilling over with the opportunities and possibilities for new days. This world needs who we are and our expanding vision.” We must pass along to future generations this legacy that will last longer than any of us. She was greeted with a standing ovation for her wise leadership and solid direction during this past biennium. Those of us who know her best understand her commitment has been driven by her most sincere loyalty and love of our dear sisterhood. I am indeed honored to call her “Mom” as well as “Madam President.”
Installation of our new Executive Officers capped off Saturday afternoon in stellar fashion. Finally, Texas P.E.O.s invited “y’all” to come deep into the heart of Texas for International Chapter in Dallas September 26-28, 2013. If I could have but one wish for all my P.E.O. sisters, in terms of how best to grow our sisterhood from the inside out, and “expand our vision,” it would be for every sister to attend, and be inspired, rejuvenated and motivated at an International Convention. It is a thrill that cannot be adequately described in these pages and one I know I shall never forget. 
