Pamela Rouse Wright

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Pamela Rouse Wright
46th President General of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Assumed office
July 3, 2022
Preceded byDenise Doring VanBuren
Personal details
Born
Pamela Hilda Edwards Rouse

Georgia, U.S.
SpouseJohn Griffin Wright
Children2
EducationOuachita Baptist University
University of Arkansas
Gemological Institute of America
Occupationphilanthropist, businesswoman, jewelry designer, clubwoman
AwardsYellow Rose of Texas Award
Websitepamelawright.com

Pamela Hilda Edwards Rouse Wright is an American philanthropist, clubwoman, businesswoman, and jewelry designer. Since 2022, she has served as the President General of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. She is the second Texan to serve as the national society's president general.

Under Wright's presidency, the Daughters of the American Revolution passed an amendment to their bylaws in June 2023 that protects transgender women from being denied membership in the organization based on their biological sex, so long as their birth certificates have been updated to match their gender identity. At the 2023 DAR Continental Congress, Wright stated that denying membership to applicants based on biological sex, when an individual's birth certificate has been changed to reflect their gender identity, is discrimination and against the organization's bylaws.

In 2022, Wright was presented with the Yellow Rose of Texas Award by Governor Greg Abbott for charitable contributions and volunteerism in Texas.

Early life, family, and education[edit]

Wright was born and raised in Georgia.[1] She is the daughter of Charles Benjamin Rouse Sr. and Wauneithe Mitchell Rouse.[2] Her father, a Korean War veteran, was a recipient of the Good Conduct Medal, the China Service Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal Korea, and the Korean Service Medal with six stars.[2]

Wright's great-grandfather, Carlo Bucci, immigrated to the United States in the 1870s from the Campobasso Province in Italy and anglicized his name to Charles Walter Smith.[3] She is a descendant of Pvt. Reuben Roberts, Sr., who served under the command of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.[1] She also descends from thirteen other American colonists who served or provided aid for American independence.[4]

She graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University and attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas.[4] She received certifications through the Gemological Institute of America and the International Society of Appraisers.[4]

Career[edit]

Wright is the founder and owner of a jewelry and luxury goods company based in Houston.[4] She is the co-founder of Wright Pawn & Jewelry.[5][6] As a jewelry designer, her clients have included First Ladies of Texas and of the United States, as well as other wives of prominent American politicians.[4] She designed the Texas Front Porch pin, which was selected by Texas First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry as a sale item to benefit the Texas Governor's Mansion Restoration Fund.[4] Wright transitioned the Daughters of the American Revolution Insignia Store from an outside commercial vendor to an in-house operation.[4]

Daughters of the American Revolution[edit]

Wright was the third generation of her family to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, as her mother and grandmother were also members. She joined the national society as a member of the Lady Washington Chapter in Houston, Texas.[1] She participated in her first Texas State Conference of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1988.[1]

In 1999, she became the Centennial Regent of the Lady Washington Chapter.[1] In 2012, she was appointed as the State Regent of Texas.[7] Under her leadership as State Regent, the organization's membership in Texas increased to more than 18,000.[4] She was elected to national office in 2016 as the Chaplain General.[1] In 2018, Wright was elected to serve as First Vice President General and, on July 3, 2022, she was elected and installed as the 46th President General of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.[8][9] She is the second woman from Texas to serve as President General.[10]

In January 2023, Wright personally invited Serena Ferguson, the daughter of Lena Lorraine Santos Ferguson, who was denied membership to the organization in the 1980s because of their racist policies at the time, to join the Daughters of the American Revolution and created the Lena Ferguson Scholarship to benefit students at the University of the District of Columbia.[11] Wright commissioned a memorial plaque, in honor of Lena Ferguson, that was placed in the memorial garden at DAR Constitution Hall.[11]

In March 2023, Wright unveiled a new plaque at The Old Burial Ground in Sturbridge, Massachusetts that honors sixty-four Revolutionary War patriots who are buried there.[12]

In April 2023, in her capacity as President General, Wright presented state awards to students who partook in a historical essay contest hosted by the Colonel David Hall Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Delaware.[13]

Under Wright's administration, the Daughters of the American Revolution passed an amendment to the society's bylaws in June 2023 that states the organization cannot discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, or sexual orientation. The amendment was voted on at the 2023 DAR Continental Congress, which was held in Washington, D.C..[14][15] At the congress, Jennifer Mease, a DAR delegate from the Liberty Bell Chapter in Pennsylvania, inquired whether chapters could vote against admitting a new member on the basis of their sex if the applicant was born male and they had changed their birth certificates to indicate they were female. [16]

Wright responded to Mease's inquiry by stating "if a person’s certified birth certificate states ‘female,’ they are eligible for membership, and your chapter cannot change that.. if their birth certificate says they are a female, and you vote against them based on their protected class, it's discrimination."[16][17] In a newsletter released after the congress, Wright wrote, "some have asked if this means a transgender woman can join DAR or if this means that DAR chapters have previously welcomed transgender women. The answer to both questions is, yes."[18]

Awards[edit]

Wright is the recipient of the Houston Treasure Award and ABC13's Woman of Distinction Award.[4] She was also listed as a STEM Role Model, listed as one of the 50 Most Influential Woman in Houston, listed as one of the 25 Most Beautiful Houstonians, and inducted into the Citizens for Animal Protection's Hall of Fame.[4][6] She was commissioned a Yellow Rose of Texas Award in 2022 by the Governor Greg Abbott for charitable contributions and volunteerism.[4]

Personal life[edit]

Wright is a Southern Baptist and attends Second Baptist Church Houston.[19]

She is married to John Griffin "Jack" Wright, whom she met in college, and has two children and eight grandchildren, who are all members of the Children of the American Revolution.[4][2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wrifley, Deborah. "President General of the National Society DAR loves this country, dedicated to preserving its history". pamelawright.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  2. ^ a b c "Obituary: Charles Benjamin Rouse, Sr". Miller County Liberal. 2010-09-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  3. ^ "Interview: Pamela Wright (President General of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution)". We the Italians. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Pamela Rouse Wright, President General". Daughters of the American Revolution blog. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  5. ^ "Wright Pawn & Jewelry - About Us". Wright Pawn & Jewelry | Upscale Houston Pawn Shop. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  6. ^ a b "Houston Treasure for 2017". The Social Book. 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  7. ^ Wright, Pamela Rouse (Fall 2014). "The State Regent's Remarks from Pamela Rouse Wright". Texas DAR Bulletin, vol 63, iss 5, p 1. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  8. ^ Wright, Pamela Edwards Rouse (2022-07-18). "Welcome to the Wright Administration!". Daughters of the American Revolution blog. Archived from the original on 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  9. ^ Morrison, Joett (2022-11-16). "Atascosa Daughters attend the Fall Forum of TSDAR". Pleasanton Express. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  10. ^ Spackey, Pat (2022-09-21). "The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is "Texas" Proud of Their Members Serving in Leadership in Texas and the Nation". Montgomery County News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  11. ^ a b Dorsey, Corrinne (2023-06-25). "After family's long fight, Lena Ferguson gets honor from the DAR". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  12. ^ Lemmon, Olivia (2023-03-17). "New plaque at Old Burial Ground in Sturbridge honors Revolutionary War patriots". Spectrum News 1. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  13. ^ "Daughters of the American Revolution hold state meeting". Cape Gazette. 2023-04-08. Archived from the original on 2023-04-08. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  14. ^ "Local DAR members attend annual gathering". The Daily News of Newburyport. 2023-07-08. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  15. ^ "Press Release: 132nd Continental Congress Daughters of the American Revolution Convene in Washington, D.C." Cass County Online. 2023-07-03. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  16. ^ a b "Video: DAR 132nd Continental Congress - Thursday Business Session". 2023-06-29. Archived from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Zurick, Maura (July 26, 2023). "Daughters of the American Revolution Members Quit Over Transgender Fears". Newsweek. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Spears, Hunter (January 8, 2024). "When the DAR Said Trans Women Were Allowed, Controversy Ensued". Washingtonian. Catherine Merrill Williams. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "President's Message | Hall of Fame" (PDF). Texas Genealogical College. April 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
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