In 1999 the Arizona State Questers held their annual spring convention in Prescott. Nearly a full page article featured the good works and fun the members had studying antiques and contributing to restoration. This article generated such interest that the then State President Ann Culler held a general interest meeting in her home. She encouraged us to visit her chapter’s meeting as her chapter was recruiting new members. As it happened, there were too many of us to be all included in her chapter. Therefore, Eloise Esser volunteered to host an organizational meeting in her home. By the time the paperwork was done for International Questers in October our new chapter had grown to twelve. We named ourselves Prescott Pines for our city and the beautiful stands of trees that surround our homes. Eloise accepted the mantel as first president. The first two years were mainly spent in the study of antiques and the fellowship of the group with a few members venturing to state meetings, although Sandy Allen volunteered to display her Afghanistan collectibles at the state function in February, 2001. With the presidency of Marilyn Jenkins in June, 2001 our chapter began searching for restoration projects in our area. For the Smoki’s collection of Edward S. Curtis‚ famous prints of Indians we raised money in a booth at the Smoki’s Marketplace organized by another chapter in town, Granite Mountain Questers. After that success, we partnered with Granite Mountain Questers in hosting the marketplace in 2002 and jointly contributing to archival storage equipment for the Smoki again with Granite Mountain Questers. Marilyn was faithful in attending state meetings as our representative with occasional company from other members of our chapter. We began sending baskets of accumulated antique goodies to help the state in their Ways and Means project at these state meetings. Ann Culler as State Preservation and Restoration Chairperson was always our connection to State and International and our authority on what we could and could not do. We continued to have garage sales to raise money, but our highlight of money raising was the Afternoon Tea and Auction in August, 2003 at the home of Joan Brown. We invited friends and members of the three other Quester Chapters in town to sip tea and buy antiques to help finance the Sharlot Hall Outcast Exhibit. With Marilyn Jenkins assuming the State Recording Secretary‚s position we were forced into finding someone to assume the presidency. Luckily, Ellie Gilley agreed to assume the leadership during this expansion period. Not only did she oversee some constitutional revisions, but a new area of restoration with the Yavapai Cemetery Association and restoration of the tombstones. We participated in Antiques on the Square, but the major fundraiser was our chapter’s cookbook. More members began attending the state’s functions. The programs continued to be our focus of education of all areas of antiques and collectibles. Ellie pushed for statewide recognition of our chapter with articles in the “Cactus Bloom”. Eleanor Sigmon displayed her copper utensils and butter molds at the February 2004 meeting. Even before the election of Bev Wright as president in June, 2006, planning had begun on Prescott hosting the Spring State Convention in April, 2007. With the other three chapters in town we thoroughly enjoyed hosting and showing the best of the collections and homes in Prescott. Again joining with the other chapters, we accepted as our Preservation and Restoration project the restoration of the second lobby of the Elks Opera House. To accomplish our part in this endeavor, we held an Antique Quilt Show in September of 2007. We have grown in scope and members, but truly remember that “it’s fun to search and a joy to find”. |
