The Gen. Edmond Winchester Rucker Chapter #2534 was chartered in Enterprise, AL on August 27, 1987. The chapter was named for General E. W. Rucker because of his outstanding service with General Nathan Bedford Forrest in the Confederate Cavalry and also because of the contributions the local army base, Fort Rucker, has made to Enterprise and Coffee County.

On September 28, 1987, Mrs. William A. Grider from the Thomas Randolph Thomasson Chapter #2471 of Andalusia, the sponsoring chapter, participated in the chartering ceremony. Mrs. Billy V. Short, the Alabama Division President of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, presented membership certificates to the 16 charter members. These were: Julia Huey Griswald, Mary Alice Grubbs, Mary Lavinia Jordan Helms, Charlotte Brewster Hobson, Tate Mason Hobson, Judith Hope Holmes, Linda Bowers Howell, Hope Huey Lane, Lois Bass McGilvary, Willette B. O’Gwynn, Barbara McGilvary Ross, Jean Lane Russell, Betty Ann Parrish Stinson, Cynthia Howard Wehrly, Anna Kathleen Young, Priscilla O’Gwynn Young.

The General E. W. Rucker Chapter is a member of the General Henry D. Clayton District and has been active by hosting district meetings and having members serve as district officers.  Members have also been active in the Alabama Division UDC by attending division conventions and serving as division committee chairmen and members. One chapter member, Donna Clark, served as the 2008-2010 Division Historian.

          The chapter presidents who have served are: Charlotte Hobson 1987-90 and 1992-1994; Helen Lewis, 1990-92; Nancy Brunson 1994-96; Lavinia Helms 1996-98; Donna Clark 2002-2006; and Shirley Edberg 1998-2002 and 2006-present.

          Mrs. Alberta Martin who prior to her death was called “the last known surviving widow of a Confederate Veteran,” lived in Coffee County and some chapter members visited her and remembered her with birthday and Christmas cards and gifts.  The chapter had two portraits made of Mrs. Martin and one was donated to the public library in her hometown of Elba.

Through 2010, the chapter has awarded 3 Winnie Davis Medals, 2 Stonewall Jackson Medals 5 Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medals, 1 Sidney Lanier Medal and 29 Judah P. Benjamin Awards.

The forerunner of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was the Ladies’ Memorial Societies.  Their purpose was to honor the Confederate Veterans and keep their graves.  To fulfill this duty, the Gen. E. W. Rucker Chapter has held memorial services and grave marker dedications for 14 CSA Veterans. We have also honored our Confederate ancestors by contributing to Confederate Causes such as the restoration of Beauvoir, the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, and the Tennessee Division’s lawsuit against Vanderbilt.  We visit battlefields and monuments, and participate in many different Confederate related activities at the State Capitol, Mountain Creek and other locations.  During April, which is Confederate History and Heritage Month, the Chapter members have special programs and mark Confederate veterans graves with small flags. 

          The UDC is a patriotic organization that awards Crosses of Military Service to worthy descendents of Confederate Veterans.  We have awarded 1 WWI Cross, 8 WWII Crosses, 1 Korean Conflict Cross, 1 Vietnam Cross, and 5 National Defense Medals. Other patriotic activities include: sending cards, letters, and packages to active duty personnel; collecting and delivering books and sending cards to VA Hospitals.

          Another of our UDC objectives is education. We have participated in the fourth-grade coloring contest for several years, awarding prizes to the winners.  Some members have given talks to classes and other groups about Southern History.  Each year we have donated at least one book on Southern History to a local high school to honor an outstanding American History Student.  The chapter has also sponsored deserving students for division and general scholarships.

          Our benevolent objective is achieved by donating money and time to charities, soap and shampoo samples to the House of Ruth and Hope Lodge, and items to Christian Mission, Goodwill, and HRDC.

          In the years of the chapter’s existence our enrollment has varied from 8 to the current high of 29 members. The primary goal of our membership is to remember and honor our Confederate ancestors.