Friday, September 30, 2016

Apply to become KMU Youth Director!

Hello, readers! Today is the day that we start accepting applications for Youth Director for KeyMan University for the 2017 academic year.

KeyMan University will be August 6 through August 12, 2017, at Patton Campus in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. We're looking for someone who can fit the job requisition, which can be found here. The responsibilities of the Youth Director can be found here.


After you've read both of those files, and you feel like you're the candidate we're looking for, apply at keyman.pademolay.org/youth-director-application and we'll review your application. But act quickly; we're only accepting applications until November 15, 2016!
Application Process
So how do you apply to be Youth Director? Follow these steps!
  1. Submit your application online by going to this link: keyman.pademolay.org/youth-director-application
  2. We will contact you within a week of your application to let you know if your application is accepted and to set a time for the interview.
  3. We will present you with a small project to prepare. This is completely open ended and shouldn't take long to complete. We'll ask you to present this during the interview.
  4. The interview will be conducted via Skype. This interview will be carried out in the manner of a real job interview. We're not asking you to dress in a suit, but you will need to be presentable.
  5. We are planning to make our final selection by Grand Master's Class in December and will contact each of our applicants to let them know of our decision.
That’s it! Fill out your application and get it to us as soon as possible. We look forward to reading it!

Dan Loughin
2017 KMU Director

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Arnold Palmer: Pro Golfer and DeMolay Legionnaire

With tie recent passing of DeMolay Legion of Honor recipient Arnold Palmer, PA DeMolay's Deputy State Master Councilor, Brother Jacob Beers wrote this blog post. Thank you Brother Beers for sharing your meaningful and heartfelt story. 

Sunday night, I was coming off of a very good weekend of DeMolay. Saturday marked another great Autumn Day for the Masonic Village of Elizabethtown where I was able to talk to a few prospective members for Central PA Chapters and spend time with friends across the Masonic Youth Groups. Later in the day, the ESOs and I worked on final planning for Jacquestoberfest and worked on other State issues. Sunday, we invested 16 new Legionnaires into the Legion of Honor with an amazing ceremony back at the Masonic Village of Elizabethtown.

However, not all of the weekend was as perfect as it would seem to have been. At 8:58 PM, I received this update from CBS Sports:

“BREAKING: Arnold Palmer, golf trailblazer known as ‘The King’, dies at age 87; had 62 PGA Tour wins”

I was immediately saddened. Just one year ago, I had the chance to meet the golfing legend. Not only did I meet him, but I had the chance to be a part of his Legion of Honor Investiture Team performing the 2nd Preceptor part, truly an honor within itself. Looking back on it now, I don't think I appreciated that moment enough. I don't think I really noticed until now that a man who seemingly had everything - trophies, medals, championships, Presidential recognition - could be so proud, so honored, to be given this recognition from an organization such as ours. This was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life, or at least it is now when my hindsight is 20/20.

The DeMolays that were there were able to talk with him in his office for a while after the ceremony had finished. I can remember one of the members from Westmoreland Chapter asking of a table full of embedded medals of Palmer’s many tournament wins something like, “what are these empty spaces for?” To which he brilliantly replied, “those are for my next wins.” The man was so confident and such a joy to be around that I wish I could have stayed longer and asked him more, but the only question I got in was this: “What made you want to open a golf course in China?” His reply was something along the lines of this (I'm paraphrasing): “Golf is something I've loved ever since I played it as a boy. They [China] didn't have golf over there and I wanted to spread what I love to them so they could enjoy it, too.” Whether that's exactly what he said or not, the point is clear: Arnold Palmer wanted to spread what he loved to people that didn't have it so they could love it themselves.

I didn't write this, initially, with the idea of plugging DeMolay into it, but I feel as though I can't not do it. If we all, as DeMolays, spread what we love (hopefully, DeMolay falls into that category) to people that don't already know how great this group is, maybe we, too, can spread passion for DeMolay as Palmer spread passion for golf throughout his life. Though Palmer himself was never a DeMolay, I feel connected to him. Of all the Legion of Honor Conferrals I've been a part of, it is his that I felt was one of the most meaningful. Like I said earlier, a man that had everything was so proud to be honored by some little youth organization called DeMolay. 

Arnold Palmer was one of the greatest men I have had the honor of dedicating anew to the faith of our fathers, as the Ritual prescribes. I can only hope that this distinction from a group of young men whom he had never met, but whose ideals were those that would provide the foundation of a successful future for themselves and their country, was as great of an honor to receive as it was to bestow on The King himself.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Throwback Thursday: Autumn Day 2013


It's Thursday, which means according to the social media world that today is "Throwback Thursday." With Autumn Day taking place this Saturday at the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, I figured we should try to remember how much fun we've had during such event. 

The year was 2013, and to be honest, I think this is the most recent Autumn Day that I have attended (I only know that because I saw myself in some of the photos, which you will not see.) For those that have never been to Autumn Day, it is a community festival that takes place at the Masonic Village. Members of all Masonic affiliated groups gather together to enjoy the festivities. Food and entertainment is provided by the hardworking staff. Masonic Youth Groups gather to promote their programs to the public.

So, enjoy these photos, and join us this year at Autumn Day to make some new memories. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin










Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Random Act of Kindness

The other day I was looking around on Facebook and saw a story that really caught my attention. “Dad” Labagh shared a story from David Miller, the current Deputy State Master Councilor of Virginia and graduate of KeyMan University. David was at a gas station filling up his truck. He still had a long distance to travel, while only having just about $12 on him. He used all of the cash he had and started to pump his gas. As he was pumping, he realized that the pump was filling more than he paid for, and in a panic, tried to figure out how he was going to pay for it. As he walks to the cashier to figure out what happened, Before he had a chance to go inside, the man in line behind him told him to keep pumping because he put $40 on his pump. David was amazed that a random stranger would do such a good deed to make sure he could get home.

When I first read this story, and even now, I found it really great that there are still good people that willingly do selfless deeds for people that may not even know. It made me think when the last time I did something like that. Sure I've done the normal opening doors for people and I gave a cashier a dollar for a small child that was a dollar short at the Elizabethtown Fair, but nothing to this caliber. As part of DeMolay, we are taught to be courteous of others, but an occasional random act of kindness never hurt either. David will remember this good deed for the rest of his life. How can we affect the lives of others. I challenge everyone reading this blog post to go out and perform a good deed for someone, whether someone you know or don't know. 


Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin
    

Monday, September 12, 2016

DeMolay and Patriotism


One of the cardinal principles that we teach in DeMolay is love of country, which can be summed up into one word that was deemed a cardinal virtue of DeMolay; patriotism. The love and respect we are taught to have for our country goes beyond the field of battle, which several members of DeMolay have been proud to be part of for many years. That same love of country goes deeper into the thoughts of our belief's and our actions in our daily lives.

Yesterday was a day that still stands the test of time as a historical day. September 11th, 2001, the day the World Trade Centers in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, were demolished by terroristic attacks on our nation, will always be remembered as a turning point in American History. Just like the question "Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?," we will always think to ourselves "What were we doing on 9/11/01?" To answer that question, I was a sophomore in High School. We were sent to home room right before being sent home for the day. In my home room, which was also the choir room, classmates were standing on chairs to watch the TV screen. I knew something bad was happening, but I couldn't tell what it was since I could not see the screen for myself. They sent us home, and I was yelled at by my mother for stopping for pizza. Needless to say, when I watched the events on TV, I could understand why. I knew that this moment would be a day that we would never forgot, and 15 years later, that theory still stands.

Our nation has had a lot of "ups" and "downs" over the years. Some would even say that we are in some of those "downs" now. The thing I will leave you with is for us to remember all that we have overcome in our nations history. Every problem that we have been faced with as a nation, has come with a solution. September 11th, 2001 was a devastating time in our nations history that some would think we would not come back from, but we did.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin