Seimes was elected DAR President General in 1968, having joined the DAR the Cooch's Bridge Chapter of Delaware in 1938. She helped organize the Colonel David Hall Chapter in Lewes, DE, 1951. She served as State Regent of Delaware, Recording Secretary General, and First Vice President General.[3][4] She received the Sons of the American Revolution Gold Good Citizenship Medal in 1977 from the Delaware State Society.[5]
President General Administration
Seimes was elected President General in 1968 and installed during the 77th Continental Congress, having defeated Dorothy W. S. Ragan. Her slate of executive officers were:[6][7]
First Vice President General: Mrs. Henry Stewart Jones
She had three themes, one for each year of her administration: 1st year: “One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny;” 2nd year: “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it;” 3rd year: “Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins,” by William Pitt. Her symbol was a four-leaf clover and her unofficial project was “tying up loose ends.”[3]
Seimes' administration coincided with the Vietnam War, which impacted their work. As part of the DAR's mission of Patriotism, they authorized Certificates of Honor to be presented to the families of servicemen killed in the war.[3] As President General Sullivan before her had done,[8] Seimes spoke out against the burning of draft cards. She called it "near treason," and advocated for strong punishment.[9]
Highlights from the Seimes administration include:[3]
Installation of computers for administrative use and membership records
Establishment of the Seimes Microfilm Center (later Seimes Technology Center)
Construction of the Seimes-Thomas Classroom Building at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School
Focus on reduction of debt and cost-cutting measures
Completion of the indexing and cataloguing of the Americana Collection
The 80th Continental Congress was aired on NBC, with President Richard Nixon giving an address