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Maryville College presented DAR America 250! Commendation Medal and Certificate

April 15, 2026

For providing opportunities through its Witherspoon Lecture Series for residents in the region to learn more about the American Revolution, Maryville College was presented a DAR America 250! Commendation Medal and Certificate from the Mary Blount Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and sister chapters of East Tennessee.

The presentation was made to Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker by Linda Miller and Cathy L’Altrelli, regent and vice regent of the DAR’s Mary Blount Chapter, ahead of the series’ final lecture on March 23.

“DAR America 250! Commendation Medals and Certificates are awarded to non-member individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to preserving the legacy of the American Revolution,” Miller explained. “Recipients of this award are recognized for their dedication to honoring Revolutionary War patriots, educating the public, and raising community awareness during America’s 250th Anniversary.

“It is our pleasure to recognize and honor your dedicated efforts to celebrate and commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary,” she added.

The theme of the College’s 2025–2026 Witherspoon Lecture Series — “Revolution in the Southern Appalachians and the Making of East Tennessee” — was chosen to celebrate the United States’ semiquincentennial while also highlighting the region’s distinct role in the nation’s founding.

Members of the Mary Blount Chapter attended all three lectures, providing information about the DAR and the Children of the American Revolution. They also hosted post-lecture refreshments, giving attendees an opportunity to engage with the presenting scholars.

“We greatly appreciate the support of the DAR Mary Blount Chapter this semester,” Coker said. “In addition to providing informational materials and refreshments at the lectures, members helped promote our series to a broader audience and welcomed attendees upon arrival. We were thrilled to see full-capacity crowds on all three evenings.”

Photo of DAR representatives presenting Maryville College president Bryan Coker with an award
Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker accepts the DAR America 250! Commendation Medal and Certificate from Mary Blount Chapter leaders Cathy L’Altrelli, vice regent, and Linda Miller, regent (right).
Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”