Mrs. Edna D. McLaurin
1907-2003
Past Supreme Worthy Advisor, Supreme Assembly
International Order of the Rainbow for Girls
Tribute to Mrs. McLaurin by Dedra Hart, Supreme Deputy of South Carolina, at Supreme Assembly 2004 in Colorado Springs, Colorado:
Mrs. Edna D. McLaurin, widow of B. Eugene McLaurin, Sr., died on Saturday, November 1, 2003, in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The funeral service was held at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, November 4, at North Charleston United Methodist Church, with burial in Carolina Memorial Gardens in Hanahan, SC.
Mrs. McLaurin was born in Asheboro, North Carolina on September 4, 1907, to William David and Julia Smith Dickens. She is survived by a daughter, Mary Jean Hyndman and husband Ray, and two sons, Daniel David McLaurin and wife Chris, and Barry Eugene McLaurin, Jr., and wife Cheryl, all of the Charleston area. She was "Mammaw" to ten grandchildren and nineteen great grandchildren.
Mrs. McLaurin was a charter member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in North Charleston. She was a Past Matron of North Charleston Chapter #100, Order of the Eastern Star; a charter member of Palmetto Court #1, Order of the Amaranth; Past Worthy High Priestess of Charleston Shrine #4, White Shrine of Jerusalem; and a member of the Daughters of the Nile. She was Past Supreme Worthy Advisor of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, and Past Supreme Inspector in South Carolina and Virginia. In 1996, Governor David Beasley awarded her the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor.
Mrs. McLaurin was appointed Supreme Deputy in 1954 when the Grand Assembly of the Carolinas separated to form the Grand Assembly of North Carolina and the Grand Assembly of South Carolina. Having served as Mother Advisor of North Charleston Assembly #2 for many years, Mrs. McLaurin was an excellent choice for the position. Ten years later, she was elected Supreme Inspector at the 1964 Supreme Assembly Session in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was appointed Supreme Fidelity at the 1972 "Golden Year" Session of Supreme Assembly in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was elected Supreme Hope in 1984 and Supreme Charity in 1986. At the 1990 Supreme Assembly Session in Phoenix, Arizona, Mrs. McLaurin was elected and installed Supreme Worthy Advisor. She presided at the 1992 "Follow the Spirit" Session of Supreme Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas. She retired as Supreme Inspector of South Carolina and Virginia when the jurisdiction separated to form individual Grand Assemblies in 1993. Throughout her 45 years of service, she was known affectionately as "Mrs. Mac."
I met Mrs. Mac in May of 1972 when she came to my Assembly to inspect our work. I had been initiated into Rainbow only months before and was serving in the station of Love. I did not know what to expect, as my Rainbow Sisters had told me that the "dragon lady" was coming! I was pleasantly surprised when this so-called "dragon lady" was about as tall as I was, had a ready smile, spoke softly and had only good things to say about everyone. I instantly fell in love with her.
For years I watched as other young girls fell in love with her. I watched them flock to her when she entered the room. I watched her accept their gifts of cards, drawings, handwritten poetry, and slightly wilted flowers as graciously as she did a bouquet of roses, a string of pearls, a fur coat or a commissioned portrait. I watched girls strive to do their best simply because Mrs. Mac was watching and to disappoint her would be heart-wrenching. I listened as she recited Rainbow ritual parts as easily as if the words were her own. I listened to her say, "I am not going to make an address today," and then keep us enthralled for several minutes with her wit and her wisdom. I marveled as she would be the most graceful and dignified of women, and then moments later she would be down on the floor, laughing and frolicking.
For years Mrs. Mac worked her magic on us and we were enchanted! We never knew what she was going to do. I have seen her ride in a horse-drawn carriage in a rodeo in Texas, arrive at church service in an antique car in North Dakota, and stand on the deck of a stern-wheeler on the Savannah River. She went on a haunted hayride with us in the Low Country of South Carolina, and when the girls ducked under the hay for fright, Mrs. Mac sat as upright as if she were taking a Sunday drive. (She had earlier declared that she was not a "scary" person.) She truly was not afraid to try anything and that was part of her charm.
We all knew of Mrs. Mac's faith. She recited numerous scripture verses in many of her addresses. She told Bible stories and she prayed for us. On more than one occasion, she told me that Rainbow brought her to her knees many times. She urged us to be active in our churches and she enjoyed telling us about the Rainbow Girls who had been called to various ministries. She loved to sing hymns and not a one of us ever hears the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" without thinking of Mrs. Mac.
There have been thousands of women who have had the privilege of knowing and loving Mrs. Mac over the years that she led South Carolina Rainbow. The second Grand Worthy Advisor of South Carolina, Claudia Cooper, had this to say at the Supreme Assembly Session in San Antonio, Texas in 1956: "We want to thank the Supreme Assembly for giving us our Supreme Deputy - 'our Mrs. Mac.' She works with untiring effort the whole year through not only doing her duty to her 17 assemblies, but also giving freely of love and service. No problems are too small or too large; in gentle quietness she holds us." The current and fiftieth Grand Worthy Advisor, Amy Marie Broom, told me: "She made you feel like you could do anything. She made you want to be in Rainbow, if for no other reason than to know her. She was dignity, grace, beauty, and love; and most importantly, she was the very essence of what every Christian woman should be. She knew our Father in Heaven, she knew His love, and she shared it with everyone she met. I had heard stories of our beloved Mrs. Mac since the day I was born, and I love her like a member of my own family. She was, in every way, everything I ever wanted to be." I think most of her Rainbow Family would echo Claudia and Amy's words.
In her work as Supreme Worthy Advisor and as the organizer of Rainbow in Virginia, her influence spread well beyond the borders of South Carolina. Our current Supreme Worthy Advisor, Mrs. Pauline Stonehocker, said this in a tribute to Mrs. Mac at the 2001 South Carolina Grand Assembly Session: "In some way, shape, or form, this lady has touched each and every one of us. Whether you met her in person, heard the stories she told or heard the stories about her, this remarkable lady made a big impression on you." Mrs. Sue Rennagel, Supreme Inspector in Virginia, wrote the day after Mrs. Mac died: "She was a dear woman who cared about the lives of the girls and adults she knew. Virginia Rainbow will forever be touched by her generosity, love and kindness in bringing the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls to our Commonwealth." Her legacy is her work in our Order; a work that has had powerful influence in South Carolina, throughout our country, and around the world.
Mrs. Mac was fond of saying, "God is good." Yes, Mrs. Mac, God IS good. He allowed us the precious privilege of knowing you and being influenced by your love and wisdom. May you enjoy the blessings of heaven as you walk with Him, and may He continue to richly bless the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.