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A legacy of leadership, friendship, and service across Washington and Idaho.
In 1922, William Mark Sexson had a dream: to create a place where young girls could grow, lead, and shine. As a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Masonic Lodge, he believed girls should have opportunities to build confidence, learn leadership, and create lifelong friendships.
That dream became reality when the first Rainbow Assembly (Rainbow’s name for a local membership group) opened in McAlester, Oklahoma, with 171 members.
Rainbow quickly spread across the country. Less than a year later, an Assembly opened in Yakima, Washington, welcoming 40 members.
In only four years, Rainbow in Washington had grown enough to hold its very first Grand Assembly — a special state-wide gathering that brought together 22 Assemblies to celebrate leadership, friendship, and service.
Today, Washington Idaho Rainbow is home to Assemblies reaching from Port Angeles, Washington to Twin Falls, Idaho.
Rainbow in our Jurisdiction has a rich and unique history.
From 1938 to 1943, Alaska joined Washington Rainbow. In 1943, Idaho became part of the Jurisdiction, creating one large Rainbow family across the Pacific Northwest.
In 1962, Alaska formed its own Jurisdiction, while Washington and Idaho proudly continued together as one.
For more than 100 years, thousands of girls and dedicated adult volunteers have helped Washington Idaho Rainbow grow and thrive.
Since the beginning, young women from both states have served as Grand Worthy Advisor (GWA) — the highest youth leadership position in our Jurisdiction. These young leaders have inspired others through service, kindness, teamwork, and leadership.
The first Grand Worthy Advisor was appointed, and that was Hazel Gowdy. Hazel presided over Washington’s first Grand Assembly. Our first elected Grand Worthy Advisor was Margaret Alleman, who continued serving Rainbow as an adult leader for many years, including as Supreme Inspector (the Adult leader of a Jurisdiction) from 1964 to 1988.
The first Grand Worthy Advisor was appointed, and that was Hazel Gowdy. Hazel presided over Washington’s first Grand Assembly. Our first elected Grand Worthy Advisor was Margaret Alleman, who continued serving Rainbow as an adult leader for many years, including as Supreme Inspector (the Adult leader of a Jurisdiction) from 1964 to 1988.
She was followed by Alice Yoder, who served as the Jurisdiction’s adult leader from 1988 to 1995 and later as Supreme Confidential Observer (a global position).
In 1995, Barbara Weedin Brown, a Majority member of Aloha Assembly, became the adult leader of Washington Idaho Rainbow Girls. Her years of leadership and dedication helped guide Rainbow into a new generation, and in 2015, she celebrated 20 years of service in this role.
That same year, jurisdictional leadership passed to Betty Downing, our current Supreme Inspector. A former Rainbow Girl from Acacia Assembly, she has continued a lifelong commitment to Rainbow through many adult leadership roles.
For more than a century, Washington Idaho Rainbow has helped girls build confidence, leadership skills, friendships, and memories that last a lifetime.
As we celebrate our history, we also look ahead — continuing to grow leaders, serve our communities, and welcome the next generation of Rainbow Girls.
The Masonic family is a loosely defined grouping of organizations that are in some way related to the Freemasons. Becoming a Rainbow Girl makes you a part of the Masonic family, and the core values of all these organizations have always been service, philanthropy, and community.
