The History of the Society of Sponsors

The Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy was founded in 1908 by Miss (Annie) Keith Frazier (Somerville), Sponsor of USS Tennessee and Miss Mary Campbell (Underwood), Sponsor of USS Birmingham with the support of the Secretary of the Navy and President Theodore Roosevelt. The fourteen original members met at the Willard Hotel in Washington DC for their first business meeting, and were guests that evening of the President for the Army-Navy Reception. For many years the Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the Willard Hotel; frequently, a White House Reception or Tea was part of the annual activities. In 1958, Mrs. Somerville penned a booklet, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Society; she died in 1978. In 2008 the Society celebrated its Centennial Year.

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A woman in white dress and hat is cutting paper.
USS Tracy, named for Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Franklin Tracy, was christened August 12, 1919, by Mrs. Frank Brodhead Tracy.

Leaders of Our Society

Officers

  • President:
    Allison Stiller (2025)
  • First Vice President:
    Patty Ball (2025)
  • Second Vice President:
    Ann Zumwalt (2024)
  • Third Vice President:
    Kathy Smith (2024)
  • Corresponding Secretary:
    Rose Magnus (2024)
  • Recording Secretary:
    Ellen Roughead (2025)
  • Treasurer:
    Barbara Pilling (2024)
  • Assistant Treasurer:
    Linda Winter (2024)

Trustees

  • Katie Fowler (2024)
  • Rose Magnus (2024)
  • Linda Winter (2024)
  • Bruni Bradley (2025)
  • Rebecca Byrne (2025)
  • Paula Neira (2026)
  • Dana Richardson (2026)
  • Lolita Zinke (2026)

Executive Committee Chair

  • Finance:
    Bruni Bradley
  • Historian:
    Janet Gehman
  • Luncheon:
    Ann Zumwalt
  • Membership:
    Dana Richardson
  • Scholarship:
    Katie Fowler & Betty Ann Tanner
  • Website Liaison:
    Martha Hill
  • Mentorship:
    Rosalie Calhoun

Society Past Presidents

  • Miss Mary Campbell (Underwood) 1908-09
  • Miss Minnie Conrad 1909-10
  • Mrs. John G. South, Christine 1911-12
  • Mrs. Reynold Thomas Hall 1912-22
  • Mrs. Russell C. Langdon 1922-47
  • Mrs. Royal Eason Ingersoll 1947-48
  • Mrs. Julian C . Smith, Harriet 1948-51
  • Mrs. William S. Pye 1951-53
  • Mrs. Robert C. Lee 1953-56
  • Mrs. Bryson Bruce 1956-59
  • Mrs. Armand Morgan 1959-62
  • Mrs. Frederick S. Withington 1962-65
  • Mrs. Roy A. Gano, Harriet 1965-68
  • Mrs. Schuyler N. Pyne, Jane 1968-71
  • Mrs. Andrew McB. Jackson, Bertha 1971-74
  • Mrs. DeWitt McB. Patterson, Nancy 1974-77
  • Mrs. M. Russell Kelley, Lucile 1977-80
  • Mrs. Edward L. Cochrane, Jr., Dorie 1980-83
  • Mrs. Robert Lee Townsend, Betty 1983-85
  • Mrs. Timothy F. Donohue, Alice 1985-87
  • Mrs. Robert K. Geiger, Sibyl 1987-89
  • Mrs. Robert L. J. Long, Sara 1989-91
  • Mrs. Dempster M. Jackson, Mary-lin 1991-93
  • Mrs. H. Lawrence Garrett, III, Marilyn 1993-95
  • Mrs. Henry C. Mustin, Lucy 1995-97
  • Mrs. Joseph Metcalf, III, Ruth 1997-99
  • Mrs. William H. Rowden, Sally 1999-01
  • Mrs. Charles H. Griffiths, Barbara 2001-03
  • Mrs. John H. Dalton, Margaret 2003-05
  • Mrs. J. Paul Reason, Dianne 2005-07
  • Mrs. Harold W. Gehman, Jr., Janet 2007-09
  • Mrs. Rose Magnus, 2009-11
  • Miss Rosalie J. Calhoun 2011-13
  • Mrs. Barbara O. Pilling 2013-15
  • Mrs. Linda Winter 2015-17
  • Mrs. Ellen Roughead 2017-19
  • Mrs. Katie Fowler 2019-2021
  • Allison Stiller – 2021 – Present