The Secret Life of an Elected State Officer

There is a lot more to being an Elected State Officer than many folks realize. Having been one myself, the experience tends to create a fraternity inside the fraternity, composed of those who have served at the jurisdictional level. To many it seems that being a State Officer is a lot of fun, which quite honestly it is! However, with that fun comes much work and responsibility. For every "fun" thing you might see an Elected State Officer doing, there are five things that they do behind the scene that are assuredly not "fun." However, that's part of the experience and the reward.

There was a great article that used to appear on pademolay.org as part of the "So you want to be an Elected State Officer?" series. It was a simple "want ad" that described the experience. I've recreated it, as best as possible, from memory (so cut me some slack!)

WANTED - Elected State Officers: Looking for active DeMolays who desire to help their Brothers and better the State. Must be a PMC, RD, and hold the Lamp of Knowledge. Duties include the meeting of several deadlines, long hours of travel, late night meetings, and ability to think on your feet. Excellent presentation skills are a must, and the ideal candidate will possess the ability to constantly communicate with others. If you think you are qualified please contact Pennsylvania DeMolay.

So, do you think you have what it takes? Want an example? Bros. Tom Moyer and Matt Blaisdell just returned from traveling to Smethport, PA, to talk about the possibility of a new DeMolay Chapter. Where is Smethport? Let's just say a long from Elizabethtown! After spending just over 5 hours in a car, the guys hopped out, made a presentation to the members of the local Lodge for about an hour, hit a hotel for the night, and then drove back to Elizabethtown the next day. For those keeping track, that's 10 hours of travel in about 24 hours for a one hour presentation! Now, they certainly had fun on the trip, but it was in light of the hard work.

If you are interested in being an Elected State Officer you have five days to file your letter with PA DeMolay. That would be just one more part of the whole "meeting deadlines" thing...

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony