THOMASVILLE- Kathy Mills, Anita Ward and April Legg of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century, attended the 93rd Annual Georgia State Conference held in historic Madison, Georgia, in March, 2025. Phyllis Hill King, 45th President of the Georgia Society presided over the events. There were 69 delegates from 19 chapters and 19 chapter officers present, including 11 state officers. Three honorary (past) Georgia State Presidents were also in attendance.

On Thursday, a Coat of Arms workshop was conducted by Linda Easterwood. One of the objects of the society is to maintain a library of heraldry and preserve the lineage and Coats of Arms of Armorial Ancestors.

Friday, a tour of the Madison Cultural Center (the model for the former Thomasville Cultural Center, now Center for the Arts) was given. It is housed in an elegantly restored 1895 Romanesque Revival building in the heart of Madison. Friday afternoon a memorial service was conducted, honoring the memory of the 18 members of the Georgia Society who have passed away in the last year. This service was held in the Madison Presbyterian Church, organized in 1821, and the current building was erected in 1842. The Tiffany windows were given in memory of the Speed Family. Friday evening, the Dames were treated to a formal banquet in The Hall on Foster Street. The guest of honor and speaker at the banquet was Dame Chris Womack, Texas State Society President. The Dames Chorus also entertained at the banquet.

Saturday morning the business session of the society was conducted and a new slate of officers for the 2025-2027 term was elected. The new officers were then installed by Phyllis H. King. Kathy Mills, Vice President of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter was elected Georgia State Historian. She is the first member of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter to serve as a Georgia Society state officer. Jinanne Parrish, President of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter, was appointed Georgia State Marking Chairman, Anita Ward, Chaplain of the John Lee of Nansemond Chapter, was appointed Georgia State National Defense Chairman, and Pamela Tucker, Historian of John Lee of Nansemond Chapter, was appointed Georgia State Flag Custodian.

Lynne Allen Tate, Columbus, Georgia, Major Peter Field Chapter, was elected 46th President of the Georgia Society. She has been a member of the society since 2009. The remainder of the agenda included reports of Chapter Presidents and the election of delegates to the National Conference in Washington, D. C. in April. Following the business meeting, a delicious lunch was served and chapter awards were presented. The John Lee of Nansemond Chapter received six state awards: Public Relations, Chapter Membership, Insignia, Marking and Preservation of Historic Sites, Colonial Research and Records, and Exceptional Contributions to Libraries. The next annual Georgia State Conference will be held in Thomasville on March 6-7, 2026.