Mayor Starr issues proclamation recognizing U.S. Constitution Week

Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr has issued a proclamation in recognition of U.S. Constitution Week, which starts Sunday Sept. 23.

He made the proclamation to members of Mount Vernon's Lucy Knox Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Members in attendance were Kathy Gamble, Sandy McCann, Martha Stuller, Liz Lutwick, Jana Stewart and Mary Scott.

U.S. Constitution Week commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. It was started in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, at the urging of DAR.

Organized in 1996, the Lucy Knox Chapter of the DAR was named for the wife of U.S. Founding Father and Continental Army General Henry Knox, Knox County's namesake. DAR is one of the largest women's organizations in the U.S. focused on promoting patriotism; nationally, it has 190,000 members and 3,000 chapters.

DAR "urges Americans to reflect on the United States Constitution during this month’s annual observance in honor this foundational document of national governance."

"The celebration’s goals are threefold: to encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution," DAR said in a news release.