PA DeMolay Honors 2018

Once a year, we are given the chance to recognize the people who work hard for our great youth  organization, both our youth and adult leaders. This year at the annual DeMolay International Sessions held in Alexandria, Virginia, several deserving members and Advisors were designated to be named a Chevalier, a Cross of Honor, or a Legion of Honor recipient.

The Chevalier is the highest honor that an Active DeMolay can receive. Although a Senior DeMolay can also receive the Chevalier, all of the recipients for Pennsylvania are in fact Active members, or were at the time of submission. The 2018 Chevalier recipients are:

Alejandro Rodriguez - Allentown

Dimas Rodriguez - Allentown

Aidan Patterson - Carlisle

Andrew Santilli - Chester Pike

Sean Summerfield - Chester Pike

Kody Anderson - Elizabethtown

Brandon Whited - Northeast

A.J. Lee - Susquehanna

Mitchell Holmes - Templar

Dylan Kirk - Westmoreland

David Smith - Westmoreland

The Cross of Honor is an honor that is specifically given for outstanding service as an Advisor of a DeMolay Chapter. All of the recipients are currently serving for a Chapter, and we thank them for their hard work. The 2018 Cross of Honor recipients are:

James Kline - Carlisle

Michelle Martin - Carlisle

Brett Otto - Carlisle

Beth Haney - Chester Pike

Theresa Crawford - Elizabethtown

Kristine Spence - Elizabethtown

Scott Gilligan - Northeast 

Alexander Swift - Northeast

W. Thomas Moyer - Pilgrim

Michael Bell - Reading

Matthew Blaisdell - Riverside

Angie Chappell - Riverside

Mark Johnston - Templar

Robyn Smith - Westmoreland

The Legion of Honor is the highest honor conferred by DeMolay International. The Active Legion of Honor is given to a Senior DeMolay for continued service to DeMolay or outstanding overall leadership. The Honorary Legion of Honor is given to a Mason for meritorious service on behalf of the Order. The 2018 Active and Honorary Legion of Honor recipients are:

Active

Arthur Bartholomew - Chester Pike

Ronald Carson - Elizabethtown

Friendship-Bray - Jeffrey Green

Robert Smith - George Washington

John Dominicis - Personal Nomination

H. William Moyer - Reading

David Matheny - Westmoreland

Honorary

John Cook - Carlisle

Dennis Stuckey - Elizabethtown

Leonard Juliani - Northeast

Irwin Kohler - Personal Nomination

George March - Personal Nomination

David Auchey - Pilgrim

Bruce Neubauer - Westmoreland

Congratulations to all of this year's recipients! 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Remember, Remember, the 8th of November

Today marks an important day for the Order of DeMolay, as it is the day that our Founder, Frank S. Land, passed away. "Dad" Land created this great youth organization in 1919, and we are still going strong to this day, nearly celebrating 100 years of existence. His vision for a young men's youth organization has turned into a program that has helped young men grow into better leaders all over the world. 

In DeMolay, November 8th is also known as "Frank S. Land Memorial Day," an obligatory day designed for us to pay tribute to "Dad" Land for giving us this incredible group to be proud of. Chapters are asked to celebrate in two ways: hold a program in memory of "Dad" Land, and donate money to a local or Masonic charity in memory of "Dad" Land. 

As a Chevalier, this date also is the day that we promised "To hold communion with a fellow Chevalier, or Court of Chevaliers, wherever I may be, and should this be impossible, I will break bread with an active DeMolay or a young man in his teens." Chevaliers all over the world will get together to pay tribute to "Dad" Land. Some Chevalier Courts choose to observe this on a day closest to November 8th. My Chevalier Court celebrated at Fogo de Chao in Philadelphia on November 5th.

So thank you "Dad" Land, for giving us a group of friends that we can rely on, a Masonic family that is always there for us, and an extended family that cares about us the same way that our real families do. We salute you on this very special 8th of November.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin 

Today we make history!

Congratulations are in order for the PA DeMolay Blog - this is the 300th post! In just a little over two years of existence, we have managed to bring you 300 separate pieces of wisdom, dementia, and random hullaballoo! So, what have we planned for the 300th post? Up until a few days ago, nothing. Yes, that's right. We planned absolutely nothing. Then, something really amazing fell on to my desk.

Last Saturday morning (which was April 21, 2012, for those keeping track), I received a call from my father who was attending an antique show in Erie. He had just purchased an old DeMolay item for me and was really excited about it. He described it as a collar in an old box that it had been mailed in. He said he recognized that the medal hanging on it as something I had, but since it was old, he figured I'd want it. The box stated that it came from the DeMolay Sales Division in Kansas City, MO, and was addressed to a Mr. James N. Wilson, who resided at 314 Sassafras St, Erie, PA.

Unfortunately, there was no date on the package, which left us wondering just when it was shipped. My dad, being the resourceful guy he is, hit the internet and started matching the stamps on the box to when the Postal Service had issued them. In total, the package cost eleven cents to ship and was stamped with two George Washington three cent stamps and one Teddy Roosevelt five cent stamp. This is where the story gets interesting! The Roosevelt stamp was produced in the late 1920's, while the Washington stamps were from the 1930's. Initially, this led us to date the box (and it's contents) to the early 1930's, but there is much more to the story!

The collar, contained in the box, was unlike anything we'd ever seen before. It was made of red gross grain material, bordered with a yellow cord. On the collar was a patch with the DeMolay crest. Thanks to the DeMolay International Website we were able to date the emblem from being between 1932 and 1949. This gave us a date to start with, as we now know the item had to be from after 1932. The medallion hanging from the collar should be familiar to almost every DeMolay - it's the same medallion that hangs from the yellow cordon of a Chevalier. That gave us our next stop, which was another visit to the DeMolay International Website, where we looked up the history of the Chevalier.

According to that site, the Chevalier Degree came about as an alternative to the Legion of Honor that could be bestowed upon Active and Senior DeMolays, whereas the Legion of Honor was reserved only for adults.The fruits of this labor came together in 1936, when "Dad" Land himself started nominating people for this new and prestigious honor. The first Chevaliers were given at Mother Chapter in Kansas City, MO, on June 2, 1937. With this information, we can now hazard a guess that the box is from the late 1930's - obviously after "Dad" Land conferred the first Chevalier in Missouri.

The last tidbit we could use to date the item was the name on the box - Mr. James N. Wilson. The name didn't ring any bells for us here at the PA DeMolay office, but once again the internet proved a valuable resource. A quick search revealed that we have talked about Mr. Wilson one other time on this very blog - when we discussed the case of the missing Founder's Cross. Aha! So, "Dad" Wilson was a well known man who had even caught the eye of Frank Land himself! Unfortunately, we don't know much about "Dad" Wilson, so it seemed I was once again stuck.

On a hunch, I plugged Mr. Wilson's name in to Google to see if I could find an obituary or any other information. Low and behold, a link came back from a university in California that had a scholarship named after a Dr. James N. Wilson - who was originally from Erie, PA! The site contained a short biography, stating that Mr. Wilson was born in 1915 in Erie, went to Edinboro University (my alma mater), and entered military service during WWII. After the war, Wilson earned his doctorate and began teaching collegiate geography in California, where he would remain until his death in 2003. I thought that I had solved the mystery and figured it all out - but sadly, there were some holes in my research.

First, the James N. Wilson I found was born in 1915, making him 22 during the time that "Dad" Land would have started presenting these awards. That means that this James N. Wilson was probably not the same person that "Dad" Land presented the Founder's Cross to in 1939. Darn! So, who was James N. Wilson if not this doctor living in California? I thought about the problem and did one more internet search, this time over at ancestory.com.

I knew a birth and death date for one James N. Wilson who was born in Erie, so I started my search with him. After a little digging, I found a listing of a Mr. James N. Wilson living in the 4th Ward of Erie according to the 1920 census. A quick comparison of maps found that 314 Sassafrass Street was indeed part of the 4th Ward in 1920. Furthermore, it listed James N. Wilson, Sr. - meaning that he probably had a son named James as well. This was making more sense! The Dr. James N. Wilson I found was probably the son of Mr. James N. Wilson, Sr, living at the correct address in 1920. The census further shows that he had children living with him at the time, leading us to believe that our theory was pretty solid. This means that the collar and jewel were probably shipped to James N. Wilson, Sr. - either to honor him, or for him to present to someone else in Erie Chapter. Addition: Thanks to "Dad" Zack Panitzke, we learned that James N. Wilson, Jr., was Master Councilor of Erie Chapter in 1935.

Unfortunately, all of this research has left us more questions than answers. Was this an original Chevalier collar and set, or was the collar for something else (such as an officer's collar) to which the medallion had been attached at a later date? Why was James N. Wilson so well known? Did "Dad" Land award the Chevalier to James N. Wilson, Sr., or was it awarded to his son, or even someone else? Our research will continue as we learn more about this interesting relic of DeMolay from the early days.

The collar, medallion, and box, were graciously donated by my parents, David and Deborah, and will be on display in Memorial Hall at Patton Campus for all to enjoy. If you happen to know any more about this piece, please drop us a line and let us know!

How's that for a 300th post? I hope you found it interesting and perhaps even a bit helpful. Check out your old regalia rooms and see what you can find out about the history of your Chapter!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

A Taste of Humble Pie

Last evening I was watching one of my favorite TV programs on DVD. The Tudors, from the Showtime network, is a drama detailing the rise and fall of King Henry VIII of England along with his wives. The show is far from DeMolay appropriate, rating NC-17, but it does have some amazing characters and writing. I've just started in to Season 3, so, I'm pretty far into the series. In the first episode of the season I was struck by an amazingly astute observation by one of the characters. It appeared to relate directly to DeMolay and Masonry!

In this particular scene, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church is talking to a priest. The priest, who is British born, is needed to write a pamphlet on behalf of the Church denouncing Henry VIII's rule and supporting a recent uprising. The young priest accepts and tries to go on his way to begin working on the pamphlet. The Cardinal stops him and says there is more to talk about. The Cardinal then tells the young man he is also going to be dispatched to France and Spain to act as a papal Legate (or ambassador) in an effort to try to sway the politics in England. Hesitantly, the priest agrees to this as well. The Cardinal then says he has one more matter to discuss. The Cardinal snaps his fingers and an attendant comes over with a biretta (a hat worn by Cardinals) and informs the young priest that he is to be made a Cardinal in exchange for his service. The priest is stunned! He says "I cannot accept this." The Cardinal looks at him, puzzled, and says "Why my son?" The priest responds "Because, I am not worthy." The Cardinal smiles and says "Young man, you have just committed the sin of pride. You are not being humble by denying this promotion. Rather, you are being prideful in thinking that your opinion of yourself is truer and better than that of the Holy Father and the Pope, who has extended this opportunity to you. A display of humility in this way is not humble, it's only self serving to make you feel better about yourself." (Editor's Note - I have paraphrased the actual language as I couldn't find the script or a suitable copy of the video to link to.)

Wow. I have never thought of it that way!

Many times in DeMolay and Masonry we are required to make the  "Humble Speech." Now, sometimes this speech is truly humble and other times it's only a show. Let me explain. When we are given an award or recognition in our lives the first response is usually something about not deserving the award, being totally surprised by it, or that you were only doing what anyone would do. In some cases that truly is how people feel, but more often than not, I'm willing to bet, that those speeches are just public shows of humility from the recipients of the honor. Those recipients are thinking to themselves "I'm glad I got this. I really deserved it. My hard work paid off." However, no one wants to hear a person say "You're darn right you should give this to me, because I earned it!" Rather, we go through the motions of a fake humility speech and accept the award with as much as grace as we can muster. That's what society has taught us to do.

Similarly, every once in a while a person will be nominated for an honor and receive notification as such. The person will then say "I don't deserve this honor and I can't accept it." Or, perhaps they didn't like a recent decision or something else being done by the organization giving the honor and use it as a bargaining chip to make themselves look like a martyr - something like "Well, since you didn't give John this honor last year, I can't accept it now." The only person this  behavior helps is the person who is denying the honor. It makes them feel better and makes them feel like they have leverage in the situation because they can point and say "Look, they tried to honor me, but I stood up for what I thought was right and denied it. Look at me, I'm a martyr for the cause!" While that may sway some people, it usually only serves to damage the relationship between the recipient and the organization. Also, it usually puts the organization in a bind because now they have to answer the tough question of why an individual hasn't been recognized for his achievements, or why the person wouldn't accept the award, thus damaging the group the person has worked so long to improve. Now, who does that really help? The answer is no one.

My Brothers, never commit the sin of prideful humility. When given an award or honor accept it, thank the person or organization offering it, and pledge to work hard and continue to validate their opinion of you. That's how we can all grow and better ourselves, our Lodges, our Chapters, and our lives.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

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