Old sign made out of wood.

New Quilt

     This year (2001) I was delighted to walk into the Grand Assembly room and find displayed a beautiful quilt duplicating the old United for Youth wooden sign that had hung in the the back of our Grand Assembly room for thirty years!    

     This was particularly meaningful to both my mother, Mom Smoot, and me because my father had designed this sign for the Supreme Assembly session held in Cleveland, Ohio back in 1970.  Every year since then this huge emblem has hung in the back of the Grand Assembly room at Ohio University in Athens.   When it was decided to move our Grand Assembly from Athens to Ohio Wesleyan in 2000,  the United for Youth sign was taken down for the last time and put into storage.  It was in pretty bad shape by then and too large to use in our new location.   I remember feeling very sad that year because I knew that that would probably be the last time I would see this sign that my father had designed.  I reflected fondly back on 1970 and our Supreme Session in Ohio.  I was a Grand Officer at the time.  I didn't realize at that time that this sign would grace our Grand Assembly room for years to come or that countless girls would pose in the west under this sign for pictures.  Yes, it was a very sad day for me in 1999 when I took my own last picture of the United for Youth sign hanging in the west in Athens.

     But this year I was surprised and very touched to find a brand new United for Youth sign in the form of a beautiful quilt hanging  once again in our Grand Assembly room!   A exact duplicate of the old sign!  Only better!   I can't begin to express what this means to me.  Thank you Wendy Crawford for making this beautiful quilt for Ohio!

     Below is a copy of the letter that Wendy sent that was read by GWA, Amanda at Grand Assembly explaining how the quilt came to be and how it was made.   A BIG THANK YOU to Wendy, I just can't describe my appreciation.

                                                                                               "Mom" Robin Jackson
                                                                         

                                                                                                Broken Arrow OK 74011
                                                                                                                   July 10, 2001

Dear Mom Lowry, Grand Worthy Advisor Amanda,
          and the entire Ohio Grand Assembly:

         After over a year of waiting, and rumors, here is your new Grand West Memorial
Quilt, "United for Youth." It has faithfully reproduced the design of the original wooden
circular plaque into a quilt of tremendous size, befitting the size of Ohio Rainbow's
Heart. Quilted into the background are the names and assemblies of all of Ohio's
Grand Worthy Advisors, as well as their term year. Throughout the "arms" of the
Rainbow and the Eastern Star are quilted feathered swags, traditionally the apex of a
quilter's ability. The Masonic Arm has a special dedication quilted into it, as well as the
words to the Rainbow Song.

          I made this quilt after being asked by Mom Lowry, and my Grandmother, Mom
Gray, from District 36. A little arm-twisting from Mom Morris of District 12 pushed me
over the edge, and into a year-long odyssey that finished earlier this month. Over 40
yards of fabric have been used in the construction of this quilt, including nearly 15 yards
that I hand dyed for the back. The quilt finished at almost 126 square feet. It is entirely
hand drawn and machine appliqued. The machine quilting has been done entirely free-
hand, with no patterns or stencils. Over 300 hours of work in my spare time went into
the completion of this quilt.

          As a young Rainbow Girl in the late 1970s, I was never privileged to have one of
those little gold Grand Officer wreaths pinned onto me. However, I watched in awe as
many were pinned on my friends, and on girls I didn't know. I have taken part in Grand
Assemblies mostly in spirit since my Aunt Kathy was named Grand Representative to
Queensland in 1972. That continues today, and I that I am now truly a part of the
history of Ohio Rainbow.

In Rainbow Love,

Wendy Crawford
Majority - Knollwood #114
Professional Textile Artist and Quilter
Broken Arrow OK