100 Years of Minnesota Dames 1980s-1996

1988 - Support for Sulgrave Manor began

Under the leadership of Jolley White, the Minnesota Dames began supporting Sulgrave Manor, home of the ancestor of George washington.

1989- Dinner theatre benefit for the Minnesota History center

Minnesota Dames held a dinner theatre benefit for the construction of the new Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

1996 - Dame Marion Cross endowment

Marion Cross left a bequest to endow the Colonial Dames scholarship for international students at the University of Minnesota.

Support for Sulgrave Manor, home of George Washington’s ancestor in England, began in 1988 under the leadership of Jolley White. The next year, Dames’ support turned closer to home as a dinner theatre benefit was staged for the construction of the new Minnesota History center, which opened several years later in 1992.

Dame Marion Cross ensured the continuing viability of the Colonia Dames International Student Scholarship at the University of Minnesota by creating an endowment in her will. Dames continue to support the scholarship to the present day. The University of Minnesota matches each year’s endowment payout through special funding from the Minnesota Legislature, doubling the impact of our gifts.

The Minnesota Dames brought their first 100 years to a close with several celebratory efforts, including a party on a riverboat on the Mississippi, a trip to Virginia under the leadership of Marnie Hensel, and publication of A Brief History of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Minnesota by Elsie Thayer Rider (1896-1971) and Georgia Ray Lindeke (1972-1996).