Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-27
Legion Auditory Neors One Million Cool
President
Arrives for
Sessions
By Isabelle Shelton

Lie <aAACTlCdAl AcSlO1 AuAlIld1y
is within 1000 of its cherished
goal of one million members. its
president. Mrs. Harold Burdett.
said proudly yesterday as she
arrived for a busy ten days Of
convention activity.
The organization hopes to sign
up a good many new members
during convention week, and ex-
poets to go over the top on it's
million mark by the end Of this
year. she said.
The 996, 900 figure. which Mrs.
Burdett will use in her final
report to the assembled dele-
gates at the opening session
Monday morning, represents q
gain of almost $4,000 members
in the last three months. The
official membership total on
May 81 was 968.168.
Petite President
The petite. Pennsylvania born
president, now a resident Of
Brooklyn, arrived by plane about
II O'Clock, and promptly began
a whirlwind schedule which
won't subside even when the
convention concludes on Thurs
day.
Breakfastless, she lunched on
a sandwich and coke in her
room, and then rushed out to
Mount Alto veterans hospital.
to complete her record Of having
visited a VA hospital in every
State during her year in Office
(for Auxiliary purposes the Dis
trict of Columbia is counted as
a 49th State).
After touring the wards at
Mount Alto she hurried down.
town for a press conference and
picture-taking session with Le-
gion officials. Then there was q
second interview in her room,
followed by 4 o'clock tea given
by Mrs. Lawrence H. Smith. di-
rector of this years convention.
BY Sis she was due at the
American Legion clubhouse,
where group transportation had |
been arranged to the Army Navy
Country Club, where a joint staff
party was held for Legion and
Auxiliary officials.
She left the party early to go
back to her room and wind up
final details of the convention.
Pussy About Details
sim fussy about having
everything tied together neatly
she said.
Having twice served as con-
vention director in New York.
the post Mrs. Smith holds this
year, she isn't particularly
bothered by the immensely of
the convention or the myriad of
details, she declared.
"All you really need is good
committee. then everything just
has a way of falling into place"
Mrs. Burdett's responsibilities
won't end even when she Yields
the final gavel next Thursday.
She will be in Washington until
next Sunday cleaning I'D details,
and then will return to national
headquarters in Indianapolis for
a few days. On September 9 she
expects to go to Council Bluffs,
Iowa, for q Homecoming" cele-
bration for Mrs. Percy A. Lain
son, whose election as the next
national president of the aux
Hilary. appears assured.
There is still one more event
before Mrs. Burdett completely
takes leave of her presidential
role. This will be a "homecom-
ing" celebration for her in
Brooklyn on September 80.
One would assume that after
that she might be planning to
sit at home for a few months,
with her feet up on a comfort
able hassock. (The job of an
auxiliary president allows for
few such relaxing moments.
Mrs. Burdett visited Auxiliary
posts in every State in the union
last year, plus Panama, Puerto
Rico, Alaska and the Philippines.