Whoa Pilgrim!

It seems that the slow march of time is not so slow these days. With the world constantly changing, and forging forward, there are very few stable forces in society today. However, 2010 marks an anniversary for one of those remaining pillars of community strength; Pilgrim Chapter turns 85 this year, and on Saturday, April 17th, they plan to celebrate.

Pilgrim Chapter has been serving the Harrisburg community since 1925, and has produced 5 of Pennsylvania DeMolay's State Master Councilors (Randall (1928); Fenical (1933); Sarvis (1937); Logan (1972); Solano (1995). It is interesting to note that of those PSMC's, three of them came before 1942 (when PA DeMolay closed it's doors until 1951, due to WWII.) That shows that even early in its life, Pilgrim Chapter was a leader among PA DeMolay.

Knowing that the Anniversary was coming, "Mom" Jan Harms and "Dad" Doug Harms dove into the Pilgrim historical files to see what they could dig up. Lo and behold, they found several treasures. Below is a photo of the Pilgrim Chapter Band, taken in 1933 during a Knights Templar Conclave in Allentown. Just think, could your Chapter get that many guys together to have their own band?



Also included was a cord bound volume with a list of the original Chevalier designates of the Harrisburg Court of Chevaliers. In this book were photos of many recognizable persons from PA DeMolay. "Dad" Wilbur Minich, a long time supporter of the program features prominently, especially when you realize that the book was found among papers from his collection. Also within the pages is a biography and some background on "Dad" J. Franklyn Runkle, who was a member of the Supreme Council before his passing.

The other prize found among the pages was a photo of Robert W. Sarvis, who is believed to be the oldest living Past State Master Councilor of PA DeMolay. We here at the office have been unable to locate any information on his whereabouts, or his death, so it is presumed that he is still alive. If you're out there Bro. Sarvis, we'd love to hear from you!

I hope that you are able to attend the banquet being held at Pilgrim Chapter this weekend. Join with them and celebrate 85 years of DeMolay in Central PA! Maybe they'll return the favor when your Chapter turns 85!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony