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

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?

The Key to Time

As we celebrate the new year, I'm reminded that we are really celebrating the passing of time. We spend New Year's Day looking back on 2014 and forward to 2015. It seems only appropriate that today's post deals not only with time, but with an article I posted earlier this year.

Back in January (almost a year ago now), I wrote a piece about watch keys, entitled "The Key to What?" In that article, I talked about the history of keys as they relate to DeMolay and their actual use. One of the pictures I used was of a PSMC's Key that was presented to Bro. K.C. Bare upon the completion of his term of office in 1935. It was a very interesting article of regalia that I'd never seen anywhere else.

Well, lo and behold, this Christmas I was surprised with the gift of a DeMolay watch key of my own. Hailing from the same era, but with a slightly different design, I presume this key to be for a Past Master Councilor. It's made of sterling silver and is fairly large. All of  the seed pearls are intact, but sadly four other stones have fallen out over the years (as evidenced by their empty settings on the bottom.) Regardless, it's a unique and beautiful piece of DeMolay history that's approaching 100 years old. I'll certainly be proud to wear it, that's for sure!

Enjoy your holiday and I look forward to seeing you in 2015!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth C. Anthony

The Terrible, No Good, Very Bad, Double Letter Foul

The first time I encountered the term "double letter foul" was from "Dad" Brent Richards. He was explaining the proper wearing of DeMolay regalia when he told us not to "double letter." Confused, I asked him what he meant by this. He explained that in the collegiate Greek fraternity system, it was considered bad form to wear more than one garment or piece of jewelry proclaiming your fraternity allegiance at one in the same time. If you were wearing your fraternity hat, you didn't also need to wear a fraternity sweatshirt. It was a simple, unwritten rule to keep people from going over the top.

In DeMolay, there are several ways to commit a double letter foul. For instance, if you are wearing your Chevalier cords, then you shouldn't also be wearing a Chevalier pin. Likewise, if you are wearing a Blue Honor Key, you shouldn't also wear your Founder's Membership Award. By displaying former, we already know that you have earned the latter.

I often see this happen with the multiple wearing of lapel pins and honors. Remember the old rule - one of each! You should wear no more than one honor or award around your neck, on your lapel, on your pocket, and on your hand. Also, as much as possible, they should all be for different things.

As an example, the wearing of an RD Medallion, a PMC Jewel, a Number One pin, and a Chevalier Ring is a perfect way to show that you have earned many awards and honors in DeMolay without going overboard. However, wearing your RD Medallion, Chevalier Cords, PMC Jewel, PMC-MSA, RD Lapel Pin, Chevalier Tie Tack, and Chevalier Ring is extreme and very overboard.

Whenever you are representing DeMolay in public, remember to wear only one DeMolay piece of clothing at a time. If you are wearing that awesome new shirt your Chapter just had created, you don't also need DeMolay shorts and a DeMolay hat. People will notice your shirt and ask you about it. They won't be any more inclined to ask you if you wear three more additional versions of the same logo. If they are interested, they'll ask. If not, they won't.

This issue isn't just limited to DeMolay! I see members of the Masonic Fraternity double lettering all of the time! More people than you may realize notice choices such as these and make judgments about the wearer without even knowing. It's always better to be safe and wear your affiliation in moderation. Be proud of what you have earned, but don't overdo it!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

 

The Temporal Value of a Memory

Earlier this week, I received an email that is not all that uncommon. In it, a gentleman was inquiring as to the value of some of DeMolay Merit Bars that had belonged to one of his family members. The man had fallen on hard times and was hoping that it might have some value that could help him with his situation. Sadly, Merit Bars don't have much of an after market, so I had to break it to him that the piece he had didn't have much worldly value.

However, in his email, the man discussed the history of the set of Merit Bars; how it had belonged to an important family member and it had become an heirloom to himself and his children. It was obvious that the thought of parting with the piece to help his situation was tough on him. Fortunately (at least in one way) the value of the piece to he and his family far, far outweighed the value of resale. Thankfully, the bars will stay with him and be passed down to the next generation of his family.

This story brings up a good point. What is the value of the regalia that we obtain? Sometimes, it can be quite valuable monetarily, being composed of precious metals or precious stones. More often, it is simply an outward display of our dedication, rendered in metal with enamel and made to look quite impressive. The regalia has value, not because it's worth money, but rather because it represents the hard work, time, and effort that went into earning it. The medallion and cordon of a Chevalier or a Legionnaire are pretty much nil in terms of metal and materials. But, the sentimental value they retain is priceless for nearly every recipient.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we'd like to thank all of those who have labored on behalf of DeMolay and may have earned an honor or award. In that same vein, we hope that those who have received awards and honors are thankful - not for the physical emblem they have received, but rather for the experiences they've passed through to earn it.

In the words of our motto for our 90th Anniversary - "It's not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage that you leave behind."

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Do you have a WHK?

Last week, PA DeMolay was "all hands on deck" for Key Man University, which went very well. Congratulations to all of the members and advisors who made the week such a success! Due to this event, however, we were unable to blog for a week. To make up for that, we're having "Blog Week" here at PA DeMolay. We'll be posting a new article each day from 8/11/14 to 8/15/14. This should make up for the "lost" posts, plus provide a bit of additional content as a bonus for our intrepid readers.

Today, I ask you "Do you have a WHK?" A what? Why, a White Honor Key, of course! Many DeMolays and Advisors are probably scratching their heads, wondering what a White Honor Key is. About the only place one would have encountered this term would be in the Leadership Correspondence Courses, where most would dismiss it as a "red herring" answer. But, the White Honor Key was a real thing.

Information on this peculiar award can be found on page 231 of the 9th Edition of the DeMolay Handbook, printed in 1967 by the International Supreme Council (now DeMolay International.) It states:

The White Honor Key is awarded to a Mason who has secured petitions for ten members accepted by the Chapters. It is not required that these ten petitions be secured for any one class or in any one year.

It is desirable that a Mason who expects to earn a White Honor Key keep a record of the boys whose petitions he has signed and the date on which they received their Initiatory Degree. This record will be very helpful in assisting the Scribe to make out the final order for the White Honor Key.

It goes on to say:

The White Honor Key is not given for acting as a sponsor of a petitioner. A Senior DeMolay who is a Mason can obtain a Blue OR White Honor Key. He can even take credit for petitions he was a first line signer on while an active member.

Yes, you read that right! A Senior DeMolay, who became a Master Mason, could continue to sign DeMolay petitions in an effort to earn either color of award. Herein lies the reason for the retirement of this award. DeMolay International firmly believes that DeMolay is an organization designed exclusively for young men and that Master Masons should assist the young men in gathering petitions, rather than signing them themselves. Our best records show that this award was phased out in the late 1970's and has not been presented for a number of years.

As you can see from the picture, it looks just like the Blue Honor Key, excepting that it is on a white ribbon (which is badly faded in this sample) and has white enameling in place of blue. The drop is made of sterling silver. This piece was purchased at auction.

We hope you enjoyed our first installment of "Blog Week!" Check back tomorrow for another post!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony
 

A Different Kind of Legion of Honor

DeMolay International met over this past weekend, with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with the annual meeting of a national organization. One piece of business that the organization must transact each year is the approval of nominations for DeMolay honors. This includes the Chevalier, Cross of Honor, and the Legion of Honor. PA DeMolay was pleased to have all of our Honors approved and a complete list will appear on the PA DeMolay website in the next day or so. However, the timing was fortuitous, as we recently came into possession of an interesting piece of regalia.

The Legion of Honor is most recognizable for its Red and White Cordons, from which is suspended the jewel of a Legionnaire. Anyone who has been around DeMolay, for even a brief period of time, will probably have seen these honors being worn by deserving men. But, there was a time, when innovations in regalia weren't all that uncommon. Enter the Legion of Honor breast jewel.

This jewel, purchased at auction, has a pin back, for affixing to a jacket or other garment. The Ribbon is white, being suspended from a top bar that says "Honorary." The Legion of Honor medallion that hangs from it is significantly smaller than the one comes on the cordons; it measures only two inches from top to bottom. The medal itself also says "Honorary DeMolay Legion of Honor," telling us that the drop was designed specifically for this award. These jewels are somewhat rare, with only a handful being held in collections across the Country (and in Brazil.) We're not entirely sure why these jewels were made or who distributed them (we presume that DeMolay International did) but it is an interesting addition to our collections.

While we are the subject of jewels and honors, we took some time to produce some high quality, high resolution images of some other DeMolay Honors and Awards, which you'll find below. You are welcome to use them in your publications and for promotional purposes. As always, you can click the image for a larger version.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Old Timey Regalia

I love finding odd bits of DeMolay history, especially as it relates to regalia. This advertisement was recently sold at auction, but I snagged a scan of it before it sold. Check it out!

 

Would your Chapter wear something like this today or is it too much of a relic of the past? Put your answer in the comments section!

 

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

 

The Key to What?

As a DeMolay (or Advisor) you can earn several awards which are unique in name - specifically the Blue Honor, the Advisors Honor Key, and the Zerubbabel Key. These awards are designed as breast jewels, consisting of a ribbon with a small charm hanging from the bottom. What do all of these awards have in common? They are referred to as a "key;" but, they aren't in the shape of a key as we know it. So, why are they called that?

When DeMolay was founded in 1919 there was a specific piece of men's fashion that was all the rage - the pocket watch. Time keeping technology has a unique history, but to summarize, by the time our Order was founded, the height of this trend was the man's pocket watch. These watches were entirely mechanical, keeping time with a complex series of springs and gears. There were no batteries, no digital outputs, and they certainly would not have been comfortable to wear on a wrist. When you think about it, it's pretty amazing that man designed such precise mechanical means to keep track of the world, down to the second. But, how does this relate to the Key awards?

Since their first inception in the 16th Century, many clocks and watches required a little piece of metal to wind them using a small stem. These would be inserted into a hole on the timepiece and turned, just like a key in a lock. Hence, these little tools became known as watch keys. They remained common for clocks and watches up until the last quarter of the 19th Century, when other winding mechanisms were developed.

Often, watch keys were attached to a pocket watch chain and affixed to a piece of clothing. This served a two fold purpose. First, it would "catch" the watch should a man have dropped it, thanks to the chain. Second, the chain provided a nice way to attach the key and keep it with the watch so it wouldn't be lost. Over time, men took to this fashion trend and watch keys started to become ornate pieces of jewelry all to themselves. As watch makers standardized their key sizes, jewelers were able to sell specially crafted keys on the secondary market as a luxury product, commonly made out of silver and gold. This gave way to the fashion trend we have today - watch keys as gifts and awards.

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, it became common for high schools and universities to award a watch key to their graduates. These could be very plain or very ornate, depending on the wealth of the institution. When schools stopped giving away the keys, the Greek letter system picked up the trend (which continues to this day for many fraternities and sororities.) Think of it as the first "rear window cling." A young man, fresh out of school, would wear his institution or fraternity's key with pride, giving him a way to discover other alumni throughout his travels.

This Past State Master Councilor's Key belonged
to Bro. Kendig C. Bare, who served as SMC
in 1934-1935.

Of course, DeMolay was (and has always been) a champion of education and a fraternal body. Since giving keys was a trend in schools and collegiate organizations (as well as business), it seemed only logical to give keys in recognition for achievements and as awards. Thus was born the Blue Honor Key, the Advisor's Honor Key, and the Zerubabbel Key. Other DeMolay awards have also appeared as keys in the past, including PSMC keys (see right.) By the time watch keys went out of style, the dies for these awards had been long paid for, and they were ingrained in the DeMolay program.

Hence, today, we still give out these awards. In modern times, they are suspended from a breast ribbon; but, if you stumble across old versions of these jewels, you'll often find them loose, not being connected to anything. In the early days, they would have been presented and worn using a pin or on the traditional pocket watch chain. Attaching them to a ribbon is a more modern invention, implemented when the trend of watches fell out of style.

So, next time you wear a "key" award, realize you are continuing a trend that is close to two hundred years old!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony (with research from several books and internet sites.)

Regale me!

I thought I'd try to do something a bit different today and share a video that I found on YouTube. It was made by someone who is friends with PA DeMolay (as he was at Key Man 2012) but I'm not sure who it is! If you know, please drop a line to webmaster@pademolay.org.

Anyways, the video is chock full of old DeMolay regalia and pins. It gives you a nice a contrast between what a real gold jewel looks like, versus one that is just gold colored. Check it out!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Who cares about history?

The last few days have been very interesting here at PA DeMolay.

Many of you know that I'm an avid eBay fan. There I buy my favorite item, fezzes, for my collection. I also happen to search on the word "DeMolay" every now and then. Yesterday I was presented with an item of immeasurable historical importance to PA DeMolay. There, on my screen, was the DeMolay Founder's Cross, given to Paul Miller Moore by "Dad" Land himself!

For those who don't know, the Founder's Cross is the rarest DeMolay honor ever given. It was only given by "Dad" Land to persons he desired to honor "for their personal, consistent and conspicuous loyalty to him."  The jewel was to be worn over the heart.  This was not a Grand or Supreme Council honor-- it was a personal expression of "Dad" Land's heartfelt gratitude.   Exactly 135 were given out in his lifetime between 1937 and 1959, and they are never to be issued again.  We have never seen a published list of all 135 recipients, and an extensive search of the internet only yielded the names of only a few recipients; James A. Wieland of Pittsburgh, PA; Paul Miller More of Butler, PA; Roy "Friday" Fitzgerald of Kansas City, MO; and Gorman A. McBride, of Kansas City, MO, the First Master Councilor of the Mother Chapter and the only one of the nine original members to be so honored.

In this case, "Dad" Land gave the honor to "Dad" Paul Miller Moore, a Past Grand Commander of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania, and Most Eminent Past Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America. "Dad" Moore was VERY prominent Freemason in Pennsylvania and even has a Legion of Honor Preceptory named after him (which meets in Butler.) To see "Dad" Moore's Founder's Cross for sale on eBay made my heart sink.

Somehow this important piece of PA DeMolay history made its way into the hands of an antique dealer in Pittsburgh who sold the item off to the highest bidder. PA DeMolay placed a bid on the item, which was close, but, sadly, wasn't high enough to purchase it. Unfortunately we don't know who the winning bidder was. We can only hope that it's a member of the DeMolay family. However, it's also possible that the buyer wasn't part of the Masonic fraternity. Experience has taught us that when pieces of history, like this medal, fall into hands outside of the fraternity it is very unlikely that we will ever get them back.

This is important lesson for our leaders, young and old.  As you dig through those old Chapter capes, boxes of regalia, and other items you may have around in your Chapter, think twice before tossing them in the trash. Also, talk to those Senior DeMolays and Master Masons in your community and encourage them to make arrangements for the return of their regalia and items should they pass on. We don't want to lose another piece of history like this one.

AS AN APPEAL - if you are the buyer of the Paul Moore Founder's Cross, or you know who the purchaser is, we would greatly appreciate you contacting us at webmaster@pademolay.org or pa.demolay@gmail.com. PA DeMolay is willing to negotiate a fair settlement for the acquisition of this unique medal and piece of PA DeMolay history, to be displayed for all Pennsylvania DeMolay members to see.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth 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 

DeMolay International Archives - A Photo Collection

As some of you may know, I recently returned from Kansas City, Missouri, where I attended Jurisdictional Management Training with DeMolay International staff members and newly appointed Executive Officers from many different parts of the country. It was a great experience and I learned a ton about how DeMolay operates on a national level. The training was held at DeMolay International headquarters, which provided a perk to the trip. I was able to see parts of the DI archive as well as artifacts relating to the founding of the Order. I saw many historical and unusual pieces of regalia, so, I thought I'd share them with you!

The first item up is something that I had only ever heard rumors about existing. The collar pictured at left looks like a DeMolay International Supreme Council collar. However, it has two unique differences.First, it is a light blue color, which is not used by Supreme Council members. Second, on the drop, you can see that it states "Supreme Council Staff." Yes, you guessed it - these were collars worn by Supreme Council employees. As you may know, employees of DeMolay International cannot be members of the Supreme Council in any capacity, meaning that they would never be able to wear a Deputy or Active member collar while employed by DI.  The story goes the collars were created for and worn by the staff members for only one session of DeMolay International. It is said that the Supreme Council was so upset by these collars that the staff has been asked to never wear them again, relegating them to display only.


My proclivity for haberdashery was immediately satiated by this next item. As I toured the reconstruction of "Dad" Land's office I was amazed to find the actual fez worn by "Dad" Land while he served as Imperial Potentate of the Shrine of North America. However, this fez has 3 gold stars and 2 silver stars (designating the wearer as a Past Imperial Potentate.) It would seem that "Dad" Land didn't want to shell out for a new fez, but instead just changed the color of the stars on the one he had. It is said the the Imperial Shrine has in its possession all of the fezzes of the past Imperial Potentates, except two. One of those two is "Dad" Land's, which resides at DeMolay International.

The next piece falls in to the category of simply stunning. At left you will find a picture of "Dad" Land's Past Imperial Potentate Jewel. This magnificent piece of jewelry would have been presented to "Dad" Land upon completing his term of office as Imperial Potentate. The picture does little justice for how large this item actually is. I would estimate it be close to 8 inches long. The jewel is primarily gold, with pieces in silver and other precious metals. The white portion of the crescent at the bottom is also very special. You see, those two half moon shapes aren't plastic or even ceramic, but actual tiger claws placed into the jeweled setting. How cool is that? The value of this piece is beyond measure, not only because of the precious metals involved in making it, but for the historical nature and its ties to DeMolay. It remains locked in a display case at all times. I was lucky to get my camera to take such a fine picture of it. It truly is one of those items you have to see to believe. There were several other pieces of jewelry and regalia that belonged to "Dad" Land in the same case, but sadly I was unable to get good pictures of those. They included several rings, jewels, and collars - all breathtaking to behold. Besides, I have to leave something for you to look at when you get to visit Kansas City, right?

DeMolay International gives out many awards for service to the organization and to humanity. One of the rarest of these is bestowed by the Supreme Council to an active DeMolay who saved the life of another person. Aptly named "The Medal for Saving a Human Life," it can only be given by approval of the Supreme Council which has been convinced that the act of heroism performed by the DeMolay led directly to a person being saved from a life and death situation. Up until I had spotted this award in the case I had only ever seen one other medal like it. It was given to a young man at the Supreme Council Session I attended in Denver, Colorado. That young man also received the little known DeMolay Medal of Heroism for his acts of bravery. I didn't get a good picture of the Medal of Heroism to share, or else I would have posted it as well.

Yes - even more fezzes! As I was packing up to leave from my trip, I couldn't resist taking pictures of some of the great old DeMolay fezzes that are on display near the entrance to the building. Both of these fezzes are of a nice deep purple color and hail from Galveston, Texas, and Ridgewood, New Jersey. The one from Galveston obvious denotes that it was worn by the Master Councilor while the Ridgewood model shows that it was given to Past Master Councilors. In all my time collecting fezzes, I have never come across two such as these. Using the logos to date the items, it appears that the the Galveston fez was made sometime between 1920 and 1932, while the Ridgewood fez can be dated to between 1932 and 1949. They are truly magnificent and rare pieces of DeMolay history. Maybe some the limited edition PA DeMolay fez can be placed along side these! 

There is nothing I love more than old DeMolay regalia, and there is a ton of it on display at DeMolay International. I even purchased a couple of pieces of regalia rarely seen in Pennsylvania. So, if you see me around Patton Campus, hit me up and I may share them with you.

Next up on the docket is a great picture of "Dad" Land's office. "Dad" Land took great care of his work space and had it designed to be both professional and functional. When the original office was sold, and the new headquarters built in 1986, it was quickly realized that "Dad" Land's office needed to be reconstructed just as it had been when he passed away. The current reconstruction is built with exacting detail. The only major difference is the width of the room (it is slightly smaller.) The reconstruction effort was so meticulous that even the seams in the wall panels are in exactly the same place! 

Just outside of the office space sits this beautiful portrait of "Dad" Land surrounded by photographs of the man throughout his life. It's really cool to see how the man aged. It's even more amazing to realize that DeMolay was started when Land was a young man - he was in his 20's when he helped found the organization! Today, we think of "Dad" Land as a grandfatherly patriarch, who took DeMolay from humble beginnings to national recognition. In reality, Land started the group as a young man and it was passion for helping young people that pushed him to make the Order into what is today. It was his life long mission, to be sure.

I hope you enjoy these pictures and find something interesting in the group. There were literally thousands of artifacts on display, each with their own story. Maybe someday you can visit DeMolay International and bring back some stories of your own!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

A Closer Look at Regalia: Part 2 - Collars

One of the very few "perks" of being an Elected State Officer is the collar of office that goes with each position. Most guys look at the collar as a symbol of status, success, or just plain "bling." Honestly, having served as ESO myself, I can tell you that sometimes they are more akin to choke collars that make it easier for "Dad" Labagh to get a hold of you (figuratively of course.) I can also say that the weight of the collar around your neck is a constant reminder of the weight on your shoulders to do your job and make PA DeMolay grow. The current collars the ESO's wear date back to the 1980's and could never be properly replaced. They have become true symbols of PA DeMolay, as unique to us as they can be. But, when we are out in public, or perhaps getting news coverage in other media, many people look at the collar and go "what is that?" This often made me wonder, just where does this tradition of wearing a collar come from?

For DeMolay, it simply comes from the Masonic fraternity. I know of very few Masonic organizations that don't wear collars at some level. Whether it be in your local Blue Lodge, in a Royal Arch Chapter, or at the uppermost levels of the Scottish Rite, almost every group has a collars of their own. The collars are usually used to denote what office a person holds and is a constant reminder of the duties one has been entrusted with. So, if the Masonic fraternity taught DeMolay to wear collars, who taught the Masonic fraternity to do so? Enter medieval England!

In England, as well as other European countries, it became commonplace for anyone holding a position of authority or power to wear a collar of office as a symbol. These were termed "livery collars." They were usually made of gold or some other precious metal and were adorned with a symbol of office that denoted fealty or allegiance to a person or institution. The oldest of these collars that still exists is the Collar of Esses, which has been in continuous use since the 14th century. The Collar of Esses started as a royal collar in England and is often used in movies and films to denote the Tudor time period. Interestingly, you'd think that "Esses" was a place, but no! "Esses" is just a clever name for the item that is made up of "S" shaped links!  As collars began to rise in popularity, they soon began to be adopted by groups outside of royalty.

The age of chivalry happened to coincide with this uptake of ornamental neck pieces and soon any knightly order worth its weight had a collar of its own for members to wear. The custom was begun by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, who gave his knights of the Golden Fleece badges of a golden fleece hung from a collar of flints, steels and sparks. In England, until the reign of Henry VIII, the Order of the Garter, most ancient of the great knightly orders, had no collar. But the Tudor king must needs match in all things with continental sovereigns, and the present collar of the Garter knights, with its golden knots and its buckled garters enclosing white roses set on red roses, has its origin in the Tudor age. 


Originally, most knightly orders only had one rank. You were either a knight or not. Then the invention of the "Grand Cross" came about and a rank structure was born. Masonry is very fond of the idea of "Grand Crosses" and many Masonic groups give them as a symbol of extreme devotion and service. This includes DeMolay; "Dad" Samuel C. Williamson, Grand Treasurer Emeritus and Past Executive Officer of PA DeMolay, is one of a select number of bearers of the DeMolay Grand Cross. But, I digress, back to collars!


In other situations a collar is the insignia of office of the Grand Master of the order; the French president therefore wears the collar of the Order of the Légion d'honneur. In other countries such as Brazil the collar is a rank above that of a Grand Cross and it is reserved for the president and foreign heads of state. Once the idea of monarchies became ill advised, the collar soon spread to elected offices throughout the land. It is still common for Mayors in England and European countries to wear a collar to denote their office. In the U.S., as a symbol of our break from old world traditions, this custom was done away with and today the collar is almost non-existent in the U.S. outside of fraternal groups.

As an aside, I can safely say that the PA DeMolay collars remain some of my favorite among the several hundred different varieties that I have seen. However, one other collar sticks out in my mind for uniqueness and interest; the collar used by Georgia DeMolay for it's Priory of Knighthood (an old additional DeMolay group that we no longer use in PA.) Check it out at left!


There you have it! A short and concise background on collars. Special thanks to Wikipedia, where I found much of this information. The next type of regalia I plan on tackling is capes, so, stay tuned!


Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

A Closer Look at Regalia: Part 1 - Aiguillettes

As we resume our regularly scheduled blog posts I find myself having trouble coming up with a topic. I headed over to Wikipedia, as I often do, and began to poke around for something interesting to write about. Now, many of you know that I really enjoy military history, especially the Napoleonic period, and how it relates to Commandery and other Masonic bodies. Much of the regalia adopted by the Masonic fraternity relates directly to military or civil commendations offered by governments around the world. I took this interest, and applied it to DeMolay, and decided to do some research on an often misunderstood part of DeMolay regalia, the aiguillette.

Now, I'm guessing most of you don't know what an aiguillette is, or even how to pronounce it! Simply put, it's a braided cord worn on the shoulder to denote some kind of service, award, or honor. It's most often seen on DeMolay officer capes in the form of a yellow cord held in place with a red button. The cord generally has a braided portion along with two unbraided loops and a metal tip, all being held together by a flowery looking loop (see the picture for more details!) But just what is the aiguillette supposed to denote in the real world or on a DeMolay cape? Thanks to Wikipedia, I have my answers!

Aiguellettes date back to the late 1700's, and are thought to have come into vogue with the ornamental uniforms of the Napoleonic times. Some people believed they developed from ropes used by Aide de Camps to wrangle horses, while others believe they were used by the artillery corps so that they would have an easily accessible metal pick to clean fouling (also known as gunk) out of their cannons. If you ask Senior DeMolay, and Past Grand Commander, Ken Faub (who wears a really fancy version of the aiguillette as part of his Knight Templar uniform) he says they were developed so that an officer would always have enough rope to hang himself should he not perform his duties up to par! Whatever the case, the real reason for these decorations seems to be clouded in mystery, but they continue to see heavy usage in militaries around the world.

In the United States the cords are used to denote special aids to elected officials and officers, members of elite units or corps, and specially assigned officers. Every qualified infantryman is given a blue aiguillete to wear on the right shoulder with his dress uniform to signify his completion of basic infantry training. Other countries around the world use them for various meanings, but they are most often used to denote aids to high ranking officials.

So, what do they mean when they appear on a DeMolay cape? I wish I had a simple answer for that because I've never been able to find a good reason as to why they are there. I've also noticed little consistency with how they are used by Chapters and Jurisdictions. When I put together the "good" set of PA DeMolay capes I choose to use three capes with aiguillettes for the Councilors to denote their higher responsibility, but an argument could be made that the Treasurer and Scribe should also wear them, as they are elected officers as well. There really is no simple answer. Many Chapters choose to have them on all of their capes, while other Chapters don't use any. It really is a mystery as to their purpose!

Does this mean that your Chapter should start or stop using them, or change who wears them? Absolutely not! This isn't an order, nor is it a suggestion. It's just some musings by a military buff who wondered why DeMolay chose to use an armed forces decoration on its capes.

So tell me, why do you think they are on the capes, and how does your Chapter use them?

Frat!~"Dad" Seth Anthony