Centennial Memory #100: Founder's Cross Recipients

To celebrate the DeMolay Centennial, PA DeMolay will be observing 100 memories worth celebrating that took place within the DeMolay Chapters and Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania.

The Founder’s Cross is an award that was given out by the Founder of DeMolay, Frank S. Land. "Dad" Land gave the award to several deserving individuals who were loyal to him and to the Order of DeMolay. Below, you will find the proper description of the award, according to the 9th Edition DeMolay Handbook:

"The Founder's Cross is the most prized and highest distinction that could possibly come to anyone connected with the DeMolay movement. 

The award is not a Supreme Council honor but was a personal recognition by the late Dad Land of those whom he desired to honor for their personal, consistent and conspicuous loyalty and service to him in making the Order of DeMolay the greatest youth movement of its kind in the world.

The award was established in June, 1937, and only 135 were presented up to Dad Land's death on Nov. 8, 1959. The Founder's Cross is now officially retired."

Of the 135 awards given out, 11 of them were given to representatives of Pennsylvania DeMolay. Here are the names of the Pennsylvania recipients:

Louis U. Strassburger - Germantown 12/15/1937

Kendig C. Bare - Lancaster 6/22/1939

James N. Deeter - St. Mary’s 6/22/1939

William A. Hoffman - Beaver Falls 6/22/1939

W. I. Hurst - Johnstown 6/22/1939

Wilbur L. Minich - Harrisburg 6/22/1939

James A. Wieland - Pittsburgh 6/22/1939

M. J. Bishop - Beaver Falls 10/27/1939

Paul M. Moore - Butler 10/28/1939

James N. Wilson - Erie 10/28/1939 Edward A. King - Pittsburgh 12/6/1956

Although the location of a few of them can not be accounted for, PA DeMolay is in possession of one, which can be found in the display cases at Patton Campus. Pilgrim Chapter is also in possession of one, which belonged to longtime Chapter Advisor, Wilbur Minich.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

Frank S Land: Father of DeMolay

The following blog post was written by Brother Blake Anderson, State Junior Deacon and PMC of Elizabethtown Chapter.

Frank Sherman Land was the Director of the Masonic Relief and Employment Bureau of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. He was very well known for his work in Freemasonry, even serving as Imperial Potentate of the Shrine in 1954-55. What was his view behind the Order of DeMolay?

Land was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and gained a reputation as the "Boy Preacher” at his Sunday school at Fountain Park Congregational Church Sunday School. He became a member of Ivanhoe Lodge #446 on June 29, 1912 in Kansas City. He was honored with the Knight Commander of the Court of Honor of the Scottish Rite and created a 33° in 1925. He received the first International Gold Service Medal of the General Grand Chapter of York Rite Masons in 1951 for work in Humanities. He received the Grand Cross of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite 33° in 1955. He was the president of the Kansas City School Board, a Director of the Columbia National Bank, and a trustee of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum at the time of his death.

It was the end of World War 2, when he came across a fatherless young man named Louis Gordon Lower. Soon after, Land suggested Lower to create a young men group, an organization to encourage and give direction to young men. Weeks later, the unofficial meeting of the Order of DeMolay took place at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City. Lower would become the first DeMolay of Mother Chapter, located in Kansas City. The original members of DeMolay were 9 young men and Land. The organization started as a baseball team and eventually evolved into the community minded organization it is today. Land originally set a limit of membership for the Mother Chapter to a total of 75 young men. By the end 1920 there were over 300 DeMolay members.

How did DeMolay actually get it’s name? Soon after the organization took off, Land ordered the young men to create a name for the group. After going through books that Land had, they came across a heroic figure, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, known for his heroic fidelity to his brethren, Jacques DeMolay. He was born in Molay, Haute Saone, France in the year 1244. At the age of 21, DeMolay joined the Order of Knights Templar. The Knights Templar was an organization sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1128 to guard the road between Jerusalem and Acre, an important port city on the Mediterranean Sea. The Order of Knights Templar participated in the Crusades and earned a name for valor and heroism.

Since its founding in 1919, DeMolay has grown to over 1,000 chapters worldwide and over 3 million members. Notable figures from sports, entertainment, politics, the news media and the military, including Walt Disney, President William Clinton, Walter Cronkite, Fran Tarkenton and astronaut Edgar Mitchell. joined DeMolay, making it one of the most well known organizations known around the world. Frank S. Land never imagined that DeMolay would spread as fast as it did. In March of 1922, DeMolay had been established in 39 of 48 states (at the time), as well as in the District of Columbia. As DeMolay grew, so did Dad Land's commitment, he became fully involved in his once little club which was sweeping across the nation by the thousands. Five years after DeMolay started, there were 1,171 active chapters with 114,798 members. Dad Land was committed to DeMolay until the end of his days. Dad Land called to his wife one night feeling nauseous after 3 months of sickness and on November 8, 1959 spoke his final words "It is the beginning. My work must go on; DeMolay must go on.” 

EO Conference in NOLA

This past weekend. I had the chance to join our Executive Officer, Thomas R. Labagh, on a trip to the DeMolay International EO Conference, held in New Orleans, Louisiana. When I was first asked to go, I was excited. Yes, New Orleans has always been one of the cities I've wanted to visit, but I also knew that I would be representing PA DeMolay. It was a great feeling to introduce myself as a member of staff in Pennsylvania, and explain some of the programs that we have going on, such as the Bro-Ties, the "DeMolay Goes Hollywood" program, and our new PA DeMolay Advisor Training Seminar.  

I had the chance to meet Executive Officers from across the country, and one who traveled from over seas in Germany. DeMolay is known for its fellowship and brotherhood, so its a nice surprise to see the same fellowship and brotherhood within a group of Executive Officers and staff members. I only knew a total of 6 people before the conference started, and got to know several more before it ended. Since most of the meetings were brainstorming sessions, it was great to hear what other jurisdictions are doing and receive ideas to implement here in Pennsylvania. 

Two guest speakers were asked to address the conference. The first was Mr. Herbert Marks Sr., who is the oldest living Senior DeMolay at 103 years of young. He spoke of his experiences through DeMolay and what it taught him through his life. He also mentioned that he had the chance to meet "Dad" Land. It was inspiring to hear that DeMolay has had the same effect on young men for all these years. The second speaker was Mrs. Jessica Vermilyea, the Director of Disaster Relief for Upbring Disaster Response. She informed us of the recent floods, tornadoes and storms that have left people without homes in the state of Louisiana. Her company focuses on helping aid those in need. It was enlightening to hear stories from someone that looks out for the greater good of others, because that's the same message we try to instill in our youth.

The conference was great, and so was the city of New Orleans. The food was fantastic. If you're into seafood, which unfortunately I am not, then there is no better place to go than New Orleans. The culture was fascinating, especially hearing band music playing right outside of our hotel during the conference dinner. Jazz music was playing everywhere we went, including a three man singing group singing while we were having dinner at a steakhouse. Yes, I did get to Bourbon Street, and all I'll say is that I had a great time with great people. New Orleans is a very historical place, and I hope I get the chance to go back someday. 

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 

Keeping the Founder's Cross in the DeMolay Family

Today, we have a guest blog post from the original writer for the PA DeMolay blog, "Dad" Seth Anthony. Thank you "Dad" Anthony for contributing to the blog.
  

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog for PA DeMolay, but, something happened this past week that I just had to share and chime in on.

Before I left the Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation, I spent some time working to catalog and track down the known DeMolay Founder’s Crosses, presented by Frank S. Land to his most loyal supporters.  I’ve written several posts on this topic before, so take a minute to catch up if you haven’t read my previous entries:

• Finding the Founder’s Cross
• Walt Disney, DeMolay, and the Founder’s Cross
• Who Cares About History? Part One
• Who Cares about History? Part Two

Over the last week, a Founder’s Cross was spotted on eBay, with the auction ending on Sunday night. I found the auction within hours of its posting and got the word out to key members of DeMolay International, in hopes of keeping the item within the fraternity. The jewel belonged to “Dad” Harry Weiss, of the State of Washington. The final bid for the auction was $3,750. Yes, you read that right.

To be clear, the jewel is not made of any precious metal and does not contain any gem stones. While nicely designed, there is no intrinsic value to the jewel itself. The medal went for this kind of money because of its historical context. This, to me, is horrifying. 

While I own several pieces of DeMolay regalia, I don’t own a Founder’s Cross (and never will.) I fully admit I’m a regalia nerd. I can’t explain my attraction to it, but it’s something I’m passionate about. PA DeMolay, traditionally, has been very conservative in regards to wearing regalia – and I too fall into that camp. However, I find some measure of satisfaction in finding old, unusual, or historically significant pieces of regalia and adding them to my collection or securing them for display with PA DeMolay. I’m also lucky in that I was asked to serve on the DeMolay International Ritual and Regalia committee so that I could lend my expertise in this area. Unfortunately, by discussing and bringing light to the Founder’s Cross problem, I fear I’ve only made it worse.

The sale of this Founder’s Cross, for that large of a sum, is very disconcerting to me. We witnessed a piece of our history being sold to the highest bidder. This is the third in as many years that this has happened.  To anyone outside of DeMolay, this piece has little value. Weis was not a well-known man and he didn’t have a following otherwise (such as Disney or Mayo.) We, as Brothers, bid against each other to get the jewel to that level… and to what end?

I don’t know who won the auction. I can only hope that it was someone affiliated with DeMolay in Washington. My guess is that it wasn’t. What I do know is that they spent $3,750 to get the item when they were, assuredly, bidding against others within the Fraternity (whether in the US or abroad.)

As we approach the 100th Anniversary of our Order, we should be working to preserve our history and build up our assets as an organization – not as individual collectors trying to obtain the “holy grail” of DeMolay. 

For this reason, I’m going to ask the leadership of DeMolay International to consider creating a more formalized DeMolay Museum, where artifacts, such as Founder’s Crosses, may be donated and preserved for future generations. 

If you have a Founder’s Cross, or another important physical piece of DeMolay history, please, I beg you, don’t keep it in a private collection for only you to enjoy. Placing the piece on permanent loan or donating it outright, to DeMolay International, a DeMolay Jurisdiction, or an appropriate museum is the right thing to do. 

If you’re curious as to the location of the Founder’s Crosses, check out this list that I prepared that details every Founder’s Cross that we know of. 

https://pademolay.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/founders-cross-listing-updated.pdf

If you have additional information regarding the location of any of these jewels, please email me at sethant@gmail.com. I intend to update the list in the coming weeks.

~ Frat!

“Dad” Seth Anthony

Be Different Spotlight: Elizabethtown Chapter

The following post is part of a series entitled the “Be Different Spotlight.” This post will display a chapter’s effort to grasp the concept of the theme for this year. Each chapter was challenged by the State Master Councilor, Adam Pritchard, to “Be Different.” 

Challenge Accepted!  This is the story of how Elizabethtown Chapter embraced that challenge...

Our Chapter proudly accepted the challenge and decided to do something different for our Frank S. Land Memorial Obligatory Day by doing something we have never done before. With the cooperation of family and friends of our members, with some kind and courteous Masonic Village Residents helping, we collected nearly 400 gently used books and presented them to the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Lancaster. We presented the books in support of the center's book give away which was held as a part of the Extraordinary Give in Lancaster County on Friday, Nov. 20^th.  This one day, 24-hours of online giving raised over 6.1 million dollars for over 350 charitable organizations.  The Children’s Dyslexia Center had over $7,000 donated to it in just 24 hours.  The books that were collected and donated were available for pickup by anyone who stopped by the Dyslexia Center on Nov. 20th. 

In addition to donating the books, 8 members of our Chapter willingly donated a total of $225 for the purchase of any other books in support of the book drive that brought donors into the center.  Over the past 15 years Elizabethtown Chapter has raised and have been honored to donate nearly $35,000.00 to the center through various fundraisers, which includes our annual chicken pot pie dinners.  Our Chapter Advisor, Dad Jesse Spence, makes a very good chicken pot pie, and if you haven't had one yet I highly recommend it to you! Our next chicken pot pie dinner and special auction of gifts and passes will be held on Saturday, April 16, 2016. 100% of our profits are donated to the center, our state charity that helps kids get the help they need to overcome dyslexia and succeed in school.

Along with presenting the books, 5 of our chapter members helped prepare and serve a luncheon for the Lancaster Lodge of Perfection. The Lancaster Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, is the main sponsoring agency of the Children's Dyslexia Center of Lancaster. We thought that supporting the Scottish Rite in this way was especially appropriate since the founder of DeMolay, Frank S. Land, was an employee of the Scottish Rite Valley located in Kansas City. The officers of Elizabethtown DeMolay were happy with the success of the luncheon and donation of the books, and appreciated the support of family members, friends, residents of the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, and our advisors, as without them this would not have been possible. 

From the Officers, Members, and Families of Elizabethtown Chapter, Order of DeMolay we want to wish you a Happy and Safe Holiday Season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

This blog post was written by current Senior Councilor of Elizabethtown Chapter, Blake Anderson. Thank you Brother Blake for your contribution.

Elizabethtown Chapter has completed the challenge to “Be Different.” What has your chapter done in order to change things up a bit? Send in program details or write a post for your chapter and send it to me at JAPullin@pademolay.net.

Each Chapter, By Ballot, Pledged Hearty Support...

"Dad" Land's Method of Effecting Drastic Change in the Order

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

This 1934 "Secretary General's Bulletin" is an incredible example of how the Order of DeMolay has drastically changed from its early days of success, to its present deep cultural malaise.

Points to consider:

(1)   1934-- This is in the midst of the Great Depression... when DeMolay desperately needed money.

(2)   "Dad" Frank S. Land, as Secretary General, reached out and asked ALL the Chapters to respond to a question about a decision that would materially affect every Chapter's investment in regalia, clothing and jewelry.

(3)   There were responses from 1142 Chapters!  And 1109 Chapters (97%) were in agreement.

(4)   "Dad" Land knew how to get support for his ideas, by asking each Chapter to pledge "hearty support to the Grand Council in this matter and will seek to impress every member with the necessity of a personal cooperation in this endeavor."

(5)   Before the vote was taken, I would bet that the new emblem was already  designed, samples created and ready for production.

(6)   There was a FIRM commitment to protect the new emblem copyright by prosecuting vendors and pressuring  ANYONE infringing on the patent rights.

(7)   The stated reason was to REDUCE MATERIALLY the cost of jewelry to MEMBERS OF THE ORDER OF DeMOLAY, with only enough of a markup of cost to "insure proper handling."

Questions to think about:

(1)   When was the last time your Chapter received a communication from DeMolay International with the instruction that it must be read in two consecutive formal Chapter meetings?

(2)   When was the last time your Chapter's opinion was solicited by DeMolay International on any topic?  (Or by your Executive Officer?   Mea culpa, mea culpa!)

(3)   When was the last time EACH and EVERY DeMOLAY in the order was asked to support any DeMolay endeavor?

(4)   Why wasn't there more of a profit motive at work, when "Dad" Land brought the sales operation inside the DeMolay offices in Kansas City, Missouri?

DeMolay and Prohibition

To Drink, or Not to Drink, That Was The Question

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

The Grand Council of the Order of DeMolay met in Executive Committee only during a number of the Depression years, because of the costs of travel.  The May 6, 1933 Executive Committee meeting was held at the Hotel Commodore in New York City.  The Chairman of the Executive Committee was  Ernest A. Reed, of Newark, NJ.  Present for the meeting were Reed, Jesse M. Whited of San Francisco, Chandler C. Cohagen of Billings, MT, Robert D. Williams of NY, Frank I. Buckingham of Kansas City, MO, Fred W. Hardwick, Louisville, KY, John H. Glazier, Past Grand Master of DeMolay, from MO, and Grand Scribe, Frank S. Land, of Kansas City, MO.

This is from the transcript of the meeting, as reported by The Master Reporting Company, Inc., stenographer(s) hired to make an official written record of the proceedings of the meeting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAIRMAN REED:   There is just one other question that has come to me a number of times, and I wonder if it has to you, that is, in regard to the new status of DeMolay with regard to the liquor situation.  We have to pause and deliberate.  A blank which a good may of our Chapters are using says, "Do you promise this Chapter you will not use liquor of any kind?"  Well, that might mean water.  It has always been interpreted to mean that he will not use any intoxicating liquors.

MR. HARDWICK:   The Grand Master of Ohio has issued an edict stating 3.2 beer is intoxicating.  The Grand Master of Kentucky says it is not.

CHAIRMAN REED:  This is the point, are you going to allow the DeMolays to serve beer at their 

doings?

MR. LAND:  We can't do it.  There is a law in the statutes that prohibits it. I am against it.

CHAIRMAN REED:  I am getting all kinds of letters from folks about it.

MR. WILLIAMS:  There is a provision prohibiting it.

MR. LAND:  There is just one thing I want to remind you of,  I don't believe we had better make public anything we did here today until the referendum vote has been received.  Of course, we can come right out and say Jesse Whited succeeds Ernest Reed of Newark, as Chairman,

MR. WHITED:  To come back to the beer question, we are going to be asked for a ruling on that.  What does the law state?

(...Mr. Land read the statute covering this...)

MR. WHITED:  Near-beer is a malt liquor.  That doesn't say anything about alcohol content.

MR. LAND:  If this movement can't stand on a moral question of that kind, we might just as well throw up our hands.  If we give any latitude in this thing and say, "Yes, we approve of your going in and drinking any kind of liquor," we will damn ourselves with the entire American public.

MR. BUCKINGHAM:  Yes, you might as well fold up your tents,

MR. LAND:  When we are questioned, we will simply say, "The law is this," and cite the law.

CHAIRMAN REED:  We are not dealing with adults, we are dealing with boys.

MR. WHITED:  I am perfectly willing to do what the Grand Council wants.  You can cite the law and then they ask for an interpretation of the law.

MR. LAND:  The Chapter Officers and the Advisory Council must be informed by way of a bulletin, from either you or the Grand Scribe's office, that they must not serve these at any of their parties.  Of course, it if is going on in other parts of the building, we can't stop that.  As far as our own particular party is concerned, it must be dry.

MR. WHITED:  Maybe we had better not make a general edict, just say that is the law.

CHAIRMAN REED:  That applies to drinking it as well as having it provided at banquets.
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That is where the discussion ends in the transcript.  

Here are some 

questions to ponder:

1.   Have you ever read a transcript of a meeting before?  What is your impression of the quality of the discussion?

2.   Do you think this is a verbatim transcription of what was said, or has it been altered by an editor?

3.   What is significant about the date of the meeting, and the topic being discussed?  

4.   Are you familiar with the history of Prohibition?  When did it start?  When did it end?   Do you think it had an effect on the development or growth of the Order of DeMolay?

5.   What did you learn about "Dad" Frank S. Land from reading this transcript?  

6.   What was the over-riding factor in the decision that was made?

7.   DeMolay faced a similar issue in 2013 with the recent legalization of the use of recreational marijuana in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.  Do you know DeMolay International's official position on this?   

Hint:  Read DIR&R 325.1(i) by downloading your own copy of the DeMolay International Bylaws, Rules and Regulations from  http://www.demolay.org/downloads/?did=395&dc=318569&gid=26

and also be informed about the specific language used by this Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_cannabis_from_Schedule_I_of_the_Controlled_Substances_Act

WWFSLD

What Would Frank Sherman Land Do?  

What Would Frank Sherman Land Say?

by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

Over the years I have heard many people involved with the Order of DeMolay invoke the name of
"Dad" Frank S. Land in trying to pass judgment on something that has changed in the Order.  I have heard them say, "DeMolay has changed too much."  I have heard a man say, "If Dad Land came back today, he wouldn't like what he would see." I distinctly remember hearing an old Executive Officer from a southern state, (one who had been appointed by "Dad" Land prior to 1959) say, as he looked at the model for the "new" Service and Leadership Center, "Well, I know what "Dad" Land would say to this-- he would say..... NOOOOOOOOO!"

Dad Land has been gone since November 8th, 1959, and we have no idea what he might think about our stewardship of his dream, but we can probably guess it would involve concern, disappointment, and a measured and thoughtful assessment as to how to fix the problem.

Since we can't call him up and ask his opinions, we have to rely on what others tell us about him, and on what he, himself wrote, to gain an understanding of what he MIGHT think or say about something.

The following is an an excerpt from the Report of the Secretary General of the Order of DeMolay, "Dad" Frank S. Land, taken from the "Transactions of the Grand Council, 1940." When you have finished reading it, answer the questions posed for your consideration:

March 11, 1940

Baltimore, Maryland

"The Order of DeMolay has no standardized or "set" program.  Each year or period creates its particular problems affecting youth and DeMolay assumes that its program must be flexible and easy of adaptation to the times.  Its greatest need is one of financial independence and its ever acute problem is that of developing the right type of leadership to command the attention of its members. Its aspiration is to command the interest and respect of the hundreds of thousands of young men who are capable  of assuming leadership under proper guidance throughout the world.  The Order of DeMolay desires to aid in the preparation of young men properly trained for citizenship with spiritual values and physical fitness that will make the world a better place in which to live.  To this end, DeMolay is dedicated."

Can you answer these questions?

1.  What was Dad Land's goal for the Order of DeMolay?

2.  What was the Order's greatest need in 1940?

3.  What do you think Dad Land would say about the changes made in the Order of DeMolay, today?

4.   What do you think Dad Land would say to YOU about your DeMolay service?

5.   Were you able to think of some good answers for questions 1-4?  If so, you should write them down, because you are ready to submit an entry in the Paul R. Kach DeMolay Essay Contest!

The Private Life of "Dad" Frank S. Land

The Private Life of "Dad" Frank S. Land
by "Dad" Thomas R. Labagh

I had the opportunity to visit the DeMolay Service and Leadership Center in January and had some time to snoop around one of the storage areas where uncatalogued archives are stored.  I came across something I had seen back in 1981 while I was serving on the staff at DeMolay Headquarters as the Director of Membership and Public Relations, and, quite frankly, had feared was lost among the moves and many house-cleanings over the past years.

It was a personal photo album of a Mr.John Andie.

You don't recognize his name or his face, do you?

I didn't think you would.

But as soon as I saw it I knew I had found something "priceless" for the DeMolay historian.  You see, John Andie was Frank S. Land's nephew, and he lived with Frank and Nell Land for a time in Kansas City, and, in particular around 1918-1923.  So, the photographs he had in his personal photo album are contemporaneous to the founding of the Order of DeMolay.

[Note: You can click on any photo in this blog to see a larger image.]

The album shows snippets of time in John Andie's life while living in the Kansas City area, but mostly, it shows a lot of his experience as an Army recruit at boot camp. But he also had some photos that are of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about the Founder of the Order we share, and I was able to snap photos of the photos, since a scanner wasn't available.

I mentioned that I had seen this album before. While on the DeMolay International staff in 1979-1981, we had found a trunk of John Andie's personal property, stored in a barn behind DeMolay Headquarters at 201 East Armour Blvd. The photo album was in the trunk.


When were preparing a Second Printing of the 1970 book, "Hi, Dad!" by the Rev. Herbert Ewing Duncan, about the life of Frank S. Land, we used 3 pictures from his album to show early photos of Dad Land and his wife, Nell, whose photos never appeared in any DeMolay or Masonic publications. (Her sad story is told in "Hi Dad!"  Check it out!)

These pictures show an extended family picnic.

Here is the interior of the Land residence, showing Nell's piano and Christmas tree in 1919.

Here is the exterior of the Land residence, in 1920.
The house and the stone fencing still stands today.

This photo of the neighborhood from 1920 shows buildings that no longer exist.




This photo of the neighborhood shows Frank driving the family car.  You can see a multi-bay neighborhood garage in the background for those who had vehicles.


Frank and Nell with a German Shepherd that we can assume was a family pet.

This portrait shows some of the the traditional middle-European clothing Nell wore, reflecting her Polish heritage.

This unusual photo of a group of DeMolay leaders includes Frank Land (center) and Frank Marshall. (front, right).  I am not certain of the identities of the other two, but I believe the one standing in the back is EITHER Alexander G. Cochran, SGIG for Scottish Rite in Missiouri and the first Grand Master Councilor, 1921-1928, OR Frank I. Buckingham, the man who led the committee that established the first Obligatory Days.  The man to the far right is EITHER Dr. Zoro D. Clark, of Nebraska, OR John Glazier, who hired Land to be the Administrator and Secretary of the Scottish Rite Masons' Relief Committee and the Scottish Rite Employment Bureau in 1914.  Glazier was the second Grand Master Councilor, 1931-1936.  I am speculating on these, based on scant photographic evidence, and I would be glad for some help with this identification.

Interesting photos, but what do we learn from this glimpse into the past?

Well, it reminds us that Dad Land was a "regular guy" doing his job, and being a family man.

It helps us think of DeMolay starting small-- as a neighborhood club, that grew as the vision for the Order got bigger and clearer.

It suggests to us that there was a normalcy to Dad Land's life, before the growth took off and he began to travel across the country extensively, helping to start DeMolay in new jurisdictions every month.

It tells us that life was much simpler in 1919, no TV, no internet, few cars on the road, and that everything moved at a slower, more deliberate pace.

It is a reminder that the teachings of the Order of DeMolay grew out of this less-complicated setting, and yet, has survived and stayed relevant through all of the social and technological changes of the past 95 years.

That's about as up close and personal as we'll ever get to Dad Land, but then, it's a lot closer than we've been before.  I hope you have enjoyed this new look at the Founder of the Order of DeMolay.

Hanging "DAD"

In the November 2014 Issue of the Keystone Crusader, "Dad" Tom Labagh, Executive Officer of Pennsylvania DeMolay, shared the details of a very special fundraising appeal that has been launched by DeMolay International: the placing of a portrait of "Dad" Frank S. Land, DeMolay Founder, in the Pillars of Charity Hallway in the Southern Jurisdiction's Scottish Rite House of the Temple.

Located in Washington, DC, the House of the Temple Pillars of Charity Hallway features portraits of the great philanthropists of the 20th Century who have given one million dollars to the Scottish Rite Museum.  Some of the notables with portraits in the Circular Hallway, as it's commonly known, include President Harry S. Truman, General Douglas MacArthur, Astronaut John Glenn, Golf Legend Arnold Palmer and Entertainer Burl Ives.

DeMolay International has partnered with the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite to raise a half a million dollars for this project - with a bit of a twist: the funds raised by DeMolay will be returned to DeMolay International to improve the investment package and programs of DeMolay.

In support of this special endeavor, Pennsylvania DeMolay has pledged $25,000.00 to the cause, and "Dad" Labagh has challenged each DeMolay Chapter in Pennsylvania to help raise these funds over the next two years.

During the Volleyball Tournament, on January 10th, Elizabethtown Chapter became the first chapter to support the appeal by presenting a check for $500.00 to State Master Councilor Isaac Holtzer.  In making the presentation, Elizabethtown's Master Councilor, Evan Crawford, joined by the members of the chapter who were at the volleyball tournament, encouraged other chapters to step forward and support this important project.

"Dad" Labagh has asked that all contributions to the "Dad" Land Pillars of Charity project be made by Convention 2016.  Please contact the Pennsylvania DeMolay Office at 800-266-8424 X4 or Executive Secretary Dave Berry at dwberry@pademolay.net for more information.

Hi, Dad!

Today's post comes from"Dad" Dan Kane, of Erie Chapter, who volunteered to write this piece in honor of our recently observed Obligatory Day, "Dad" Frank S. Land Day. Enjoy!

You don’t have to be involved with DeMolay for very long before you learn about a man named Frank S. Land or “Dad Land” for short.  Dad Land is known as the founder of the Order of DeMolay, a Masonic youth group for boys ages 12 to 21,  the story of which is shared with many through Herbert Ewing Duncan’s book titled, Hi Dad!  The root of the story is grounded in the relationship that Dad Land had with a young fatherless boy named Louis Lower. 

Dad Land, having no children of his own, developed a friendship with Louis and served as a mentor to him.  Dad Land recognized that there were many young men who would also benefit from this type of mentorship from a father figure and discussed the idea with Louis and some of his friends.  This event is known as the birth of DeMolay.

To this day, all advisors are addressed as either “Dad ____” or “Mom ____.”  I must admit that having boys address me as Dad was awkward at first as I have no children of my own, but it was something that I grew accustomed to hearing within the confines of the club or Chapter Room.
A couple of weeks ago, I entered a fast food restaurant and was immediately greeted by the boy behind the counter taking orders with “Hi Dad Kane!”  I was taken back by hearing this greeting outside the walls of the Chapter Room and with others close by who did not know of the customs of DeMolay.  Then, instead of hearing “number 46, your order is ready,” I heard, “Dad Kane, your order is ready.”  I laughed to myself as I retrieved my order wondering what questions were going through the minds of the others in the restaurant.

As I sat and enjoyed my meal, a sense of humility and honor came over me - humility in that did I live up to the example set by Dad Land? Then, honor, by being recognized by a DeMolay as being worthy to be called “Dad!”

Finding the Founder's Cross

Here we are at Day 3 of Blog Week, and this is a doozy.

This post has been in the works for several months and I'm excited to be able to share it with you. I also hope that all of you out there in DeMolayland can help me with this project. It's something I've become quite passionate about and I hope to be able to complete in the years to come (yes, I said years; it's that big of a project!)

Previously, on this very blog, we've talked about the Founder's Cross. For those that may not know what a Founder's Cross is, we'll take the description from the 9th Edition DeMolay Handbook for our starting point:

The Founder's Cross is the most prized and highest distinction that could possibly come to anyone connected with the DeMolay movement.

The award is not a Supreme Council honor but was a personal recognition by the late Dad Land of those whom he desired to honor for their personal, consistent and conspicuous loyalty and service to him in making the Order of DeMolay the greatest youth movement of its kind in the world.

The award was established in June, 1937, and only 135 were presented up to Dad Land's death on Nov. 8, 1959. The Founder's Cross is now officially retired.

It was with that tiny block of text and a failed eBay auction, that my journey began. Over the course of my years with PA DeMolay, I've worked to recover and locate a couple of Founder's Crosses (with little success, sadly.) Knowing of my passion for this subject, "Dad" Labagh swung by the DeMolay International Service and Leadership Center in Kansas City, MO, during his last visit. He went on a hunt for information relating to this honor. With the help of Dad Frank Nordstrom, Director of Education for DI, he located a file full of typewritten papers, detailing the known recipients of the Founder's Cross.

These documents contained more information than has ever been publicly available about the Founder's Cross and the men whom Dad Land chose to honor. I devoured this information and quickly began digitizing it, putting it into a spreadsheet so that I could get a better grasp on what I was working with. The first thing I immediately noticed was the number of awards - 137. As stated above, it was thought that Land gave out 135 during his life. However, we now know that the final tally was 137. This breakthrough would be the first of many.

After digitizing the data, I began researching every person listed. Some were easy to find, as they were very prominent citizens. Others, however, have remained highly elusive. Several names only contained initials and a last name, along with a city of residence, making tracking very difficult. I persisted, eventually researching every person on the list. Now, my attention turned towards verifying what I had found and locating as many of the jewels as possible, in an effort to prevent them from coming up on the auction block or being lost to history.

With my initial investigations complete, I wrote a letter to every Executive Officer from a Jurisdiction wherein a Founder's Cross was presented, asking them to help me reconcile the information and locate the jewels. Several responded, sometimes with corrections, sometimes with more information, and in a few cases, with the locations of the jewels.

Speaking of which, the jewels themselves have turned out to contain some interesting historical nuggets as well. While at DeMolay International, "Dad" Labagh discovered a Founder's Cross jewel in the file with the documents. It was supposed to have been presented to William B. Massey, of Missouri. Massey was an involved Scottish Rite Mason and served as the Sovereign Grand Inspector General for Missouri, which is probably how Land knew him so well. The interesting part, however, is that the jewel designated to go to Massey contains the 1949 DeMolay emblem (the one we use today.) All previously known versions of the jewels used the logo from the 1930's. This indicates to us that Land had at least two "strikings" of the jewels done, one prior to 1949, and one after.

With all of this research done, I'm now turning to you, the general DeMolay public, to help me with my research and hopefully locate more of these pieces of history. If you'd like to help, or if you'd like to view the data, you can click here to download a .pdf copy of my master spreadsheet.

If you can offer any more information, such as the location of a jewel, or biographical details of a recipient, please email me at webmaster@pademolay.org. Together, we can work to restore a piece of DeMolay's history for future generations.
Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

A Record for Members

Welcome to Day 2 of Blog Week here at PA DeMolay!

Yesterday, we referenced a book entitled the 9th edition of the "DeMolay Handbook." This book was the precursor to our current DeMolay Leader's Resources Guide. Over the course of nearly 100 years, these books have contained all of the information a new Brother or Advisor would need to get into the DeMolay program. While not comprehensive, these tomes contain vast amounts of information and knowledge and offer a glimpse into the DeMolay world at the time of publishing.  The first edition was published in May of 1959, only a few months before Dad Land died.

I recently came across a very, very early predecessor to this document, dating from around 1927. This book was called the "Member's Record Book" and contained spaces for a DeMolay to fill in pertinent information about his fraternal career. The Member's Record Book was regularly published and mailed to every new member until the mid-1980's, when it became cost-prohibitive.  However, of more value to us, today, is the historical context we can pull from this particular piece.

Highlights include graphics and images, including previously unavailable photos of Frank Land and Alexander Cochran (the Order's first Grand Master); details on the early organization and operation of the "Grand Council"; information on early honors and awards, previously unidentified; details on the early Legion of Honor and how it was administered prior to the creation of the Degree of Chevalier; along with a plethora of information on how the early leaders of the group envisioned its place in society.

As a service to all DeMolays, PA DeMolay has made this document available for download. Just click here!

We hope you enjoy this resource and that it can provide a point of reference for DeMolay historians the world over!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth C. Anthony

History in Pictures

I received some positive feedback from my recent post with pictures from my trip to DeMolay International. In keeping with the theme of posting photos, I plumbed the depths of the PA DeMolay archives for some historical photos that I thought would be interesting to share. I hope you enjoy these!

Let's start with a photo that's fairly unassuming. It looks to be a picture of a piece of old paper. Nothing major, right? This is actually a photo of the original (and I do mean very first) typed copy of the DeMolay Ritual. "Dad" Frank Marshall wrote the ritual in a single sitting under a tree in his front lawn. But, being a newspaper man, he knew that the document needed to be typed up so that it could be better distributed. This is the first ever typed copy of the DeMolay ritual, presumably produced by "Dad" Marshall himself, soon after completing the work. This picture was taken by our Executive Officer, "Dad" Tom Labagh while on a trip to DeMolay International.

The DeMolay International Service and Leadership Center isn't the only DeMolay landmark to see while visiting Kansas City. Two other very important structures exist to commemorate the impact our Order had a this Midwestern town. First up we have the memorial to "Dad" Land that was erected on the 50th Anniversary of the founding of DeMolay. The memorial itself is fairly large, being just a little shorter than the height of an average person. It serves as a testament and a reminder of one the greatest men to call Kansas City his home. 

In the same vein as the first picture, we have a great view of another sacred site - that of "Dad" Land's grave. Compared to the memorial, it's a simple structure, consisting of an in ground plaque and a small stone bench which bears his name and the symbols of the Order. "Dad" Land passed away in 1959, leaving a vacuum of leadership in DeMolay at the national level. The history of the events surrounding "Dad" Land's passing and the subsequent change in leadership is another interesting topic. However, I don't have enough room to discuss it here - but it would make a great subject for another blog post!

The dramatic portion of the DeMolay Degree, which depicts the final trial of Jacques DeMolay, is one that makes a lasting impact on many of us. Few of us have ever actually been to Paris to see where these events took place, though. Here we have a picture of some DeMolays who got just that opportunity. This is a photo of several DeMolays kneeling at the place where Jacques DeMolay was burned those many centuries ago. It seems like a fitting memorial for the martyr who's name we bear.

This one can be filed under the "what were we thinking" category. Modern day DeMolays wear a simple black and red cape (or robe, depending on what you want to call it.) But, "back in the day" DeMolays truly wore robes. As you can see at left, the original DeMolay meeting attire was a heavy velvet robe with intricate lacing and designs that incorporated a high collar and shoulder capes. If you think the current regalia is uncomfortable, imagine what these bad boys must of been like! Oh, and don't forget to take into account that most Lodges weren't air conditioned in those days! Those had to be some stinky meetings!

Now, for the "piece de resistance." At right you'll find a picture taken in front of Ranken Hall around 1980-81. You might recognize some of the young men in that picture. At the far left is our very own "Dad" Lee Cram, now a member of the Supreme Council. Accompanying "Dad" Cram is "Dad" Eric Ullom, third from the left. The one thing you can say about the early 80's - "...man did they have some good hair!"

I hope you had fun with this little pictorial history! Catch you on Monday!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony