History Nerds Unite!

I'll admit it. I'm a history nerd. I enjoy learning about the past; finding out about how people lived, what they would have been like, and how their daily lives were. This week has been a great one for me in regards to this enjoyment. Thanks to a link my father sent me, I've spent several nights poring through old newspapers from the turn of the century. I read about the founding, height, and steady fall of fraternalism in the United States. I also spent some time reading about the early days of DeMolay in Pennsylvania. That's when I managed to make a discovery.

Since I took over the PA DeMolay website, which was roughly three years ago, there has been one glaring hole in our historical section. In 1937, a man named Arthur S. Rodeniser was named Executive Officer of Pennsylvania DeMolay. That pretty much summed up everything we knew about "Dad" Rodeniser. When I first went in search of a photo of him a couple of years ago, I found a newspaper article from the 1920's that mentioned in his name in conjunction with the Grand Commandery of Pennsylvania. That led me to believe that he was probably involved in that group to some extent. However, much beyond that, the information I could find was limited. I let the missing information slip to the back burner, but I never forgot that we were missing a portrait and information on one of our past EO's.

So, this week, as I'm going through old newspapers, lo and behold, I come across his name! What luck! After a quick search or two, I found out that "Dad" Rodenhiser was Right Eminent Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania in 1945. Eureka! Now that I had some information about him, I could dig further. I remembered that the Grand Commandery office, in Philadelphia, had recently been remodeled, and that a portrait of every Past Grand Commander hangs on the wall there. I called the Grand Recorder who confirmed that it was the right fellow and that he did indeed have a photo. He offered to send me a copy of the proceedings (like the minutes a Scribe takes) from the year that "Dad" Rodeniser was Grand Commander. I received them in the mail yesterday. Not only are they a valuable piece of information, they had a great picture of "Dad" Rodeniser!

Not wanting to miss any good information, I started to dig through the book, looking for any other details that might be useful. In his report to the Grand Commandery, "Dad" Rodenhiser stressed the importance of DeMolay in Pennsylvania and encouraged all the Commanderies to sponsor a DeMolay Chapter. It was obvious that he was a huge proponent of the program! The other important tidbit that this book contained was a list of the Past Grand Commanders and their years of service. Beginning with "Dad" Rodenhiser, I worked backwards, looking for important names. The next name that caught my eye was Louis U. Strassberger, another Past Grand Commander, who served as EO at the same time as "Dad" Rodeniser. I see that confused look on your face! Let me explain.

You see, in the early days, Pennsylvania was a rather large state that didn't have great means for travelling across it. It was thought that a single Executive Officer wouldn't be able to manage DeMolay on both sides of the State. Therefore, PA was broken up into Eastern and Western Jurisdictions. "Dad" Rodeniser would have served the Western half of the State, while "Dad" Strassberger kept an eye on the Eastern side. PA DeMolay would actually continue like this until World War II, when PA DeMolay was closed for a few years because of the war. After the war was over, transportation had improved, and a single EO was able to handle the entire Commonwealth. Now, back to our regularly scheduled story.

Continuing down that list of  names, I found another important one. In 1923, "Dad" Ralph C. Mineheart, the man who brought DeMolay to Pennsylvania in the first place, served as Grand Commander. We knew that "Dad" Mineheart was a well known figure in the Grand Commandery, and it's quite possible that he and "Dads" Rodeniser and Strassberger would have been friends and talked about the future of DeMolay in Pennsylvania. Thinking my search was complete, I readied to close the book, when one last name caught my attention - Thomas Ranken Patton.

Yes, that Thomas Ranken Patton - the founder of the Patton School and the namesake of Patton Campus here in Elizabethtown. He served as Grand Commander in 1921, just two years before "Dad" Mineheart. That means there is certifiable proof that "Dad" Mineheart and Thomas Ranken Patton not only knew each other, but were probably pretty well acquainted, as both were high ranking Templars. It's interesting to think that in 1921, as DeMolay was coming to Pennsylvania, and Thomas Ranken Patton was preparing to fund his school, that Patton was building an institution that would later house and continue the dreams of "Dad" Mineheart. While we know Patton would have loved his school, I like to think that he would approve of it being used to further the causes championed by Ralph Mineheart.

So, with lots of research complete, I headed to the website to put up the picture of "Dad" Rodeniser and to update the information on our Past EO's. After getting everything just right, I scanned the page one more time for any changes. I realized that one EO, "Dad" William Gregg, didn't have any information under his name. It was quite obvious from his photo that he was a Past Potentate of Syria Shrine in Pittsburgh. I recalled that "Dad" Labagh has a book about the history of Syria Shrine, which I retrieved from the shelf. I flipped through the pages and found the picture of "Dad" Gregg, who served as Potentate in 1946. This was great, as I could now add just a bit more information to the site. Again, I was ready to close the book, when a name nabbed by attention. The Potentate of Syria Shrine in 1947, the year after "Dad" Gregg held that position, was none other than "Dad" Clarence Head, Past EO of PA and Past Grand Master of DeMolay International (not to mention his time as Secretary General of DI after the death of "Dad" Land.) So, it would appear that we have two more men, who were most likely good friends, who helped to guide DeMolay in Pennsylvania for several years. I'm sure "Dads" Gregg and Head spent many nights talking about DeMolay and planning for its future.

These men took control of DeMolay in Pennsylvania and steered a course for many years to come. While we can't say for certain if they had "Unplugged" as advisors, we do know that without them PA DeMolay wouldn't be what it is today.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

How do you say thank you?

Over this past weekend I had the privilege and honor to participate in the Annual Gettysburg Memorial Service with the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania. Each year, usually in September, the Grand Commandery comes together to march up the hill that leads into the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. About mid way up the hill rests the Friend to Friend Monument, which was erected by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to commemorate the Masonic Brothers who fought on both sides during the American Civil War. It  is at this hallowed site, dedicated to Freemasons and soldiers, which is mere steps from where Abraham Lincoln delivered his immortal Gettysburg address, that the Grand Commandery remembers the Knights that have died during the past year. The service was very moving and provided great honor to those who have come before.

I know. I hear you. What does this have to do with DeMolay? C'mon guys, you know I always find a way to tie it back together!

As I stood guard for the service, I noticed that "Dad" John K. March, the Right Eminent Grand Commander of Pennsylvania (the State level president), was wearing a blue ribbon on his uniform. It looked very out of place, as Templar awards and medals generally are red, white, black, or purple. Blue is not a common color. Yet, there he was, wearing a blue ribbon. Upon further inspection, I realized that he was wearing a DeMolay Medal of Appreciation. That medal was presented to him by Bros. Matt Blaisdell (SMC) and Anthony Kallhoff (SJC) back in July at a testimonial dinner in his honor. As my eyes panned to the right, I spied "Dad" Kenneth J. Wyvill, Jr., the Right Eminent Grand Commander of Maryland. Lo and behold, he was wearing a similar jewel on his jacket! I was noticing a trend.

Pictured above (from Left to Right): Sir Knight and "Dad" John K. March (Right Eminent Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania), Sir Knight and "Dad" Seth Anthony (Division Commander, Division No. 5 of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Pennsylvania), Sir Knight and "Dad" Kenneth J. Wyvill, Jr. (Right Eminent Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Maryland)

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the Templar organization, the uniform codes are very strict. They specify not only what medals and decorations you can wear on your uniform, but also what order they are to be displayed in. The code is very strict and adherence to it is an important part of the Templar tradition. To see two of the highest officers in their respective states wearing adornments that are not listed as official in the uniform code is very unusual. Uniform codes are usually left up to each state, so the Grand Commander can do anything he likes in regard to his uniform, but to see two Grand Commanders both wearing DeMolay medals on their uniforms at the same time was really special.

I spoke with "Dad" March after the service and asked to take some pictures with him and of his Medal of Appreciation. He said to me "I promised those young men that I would wear this medal for the entire year that I'm Grand Commander. They did me a great honor by presenting this (the Medal of Appreciation) to me and I'm going to return that favor by wearing it everywhere I go this year." When I asked "Dad" Wyvill about his Medal he said "The young men of Maryland DeMolay are our future. They gave me this Medal and in a couple of weeks I'm receiving the Legion of Honor. It means a lot to me."

The DeMolay Medal of Appreciation is one of the easiest awards to bestow, but that doesn't cheapen it! The only requirements include the following: it must be approved by a Chapter;  it can be given to anyone over the age of 20; it can be given to community leaders, Masons, and others who help the DeMolay program; and lastly, it must be approved by the Executive Officer.  It provides an excellent way to say "thanks" to those who make the DeMolay program successful.  And, as demonstrated above, the potential impact it can have is enormous.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

You deserve nothing. Remember that.

Today was one of those days where I was experiencing a writer's block of sorts. After having recently completed the Masonic Youth Minutes, I'm now putting the finishing touches on the next issue of the Keystone Crusader. This means that I have done a lot of writing in the last two weeks. So, as I normally do in times like these, I turn to other bloggers for inspiration. As usual, I found some of that inspiration over at the Art of Manliness blog.

Recently, they posted an article on personal finance. Now, many of our members think they are too young to worry about money management. However, from the first time you collect a paycheck, you are managing your money. Most of us do this in a pretty poor fashion, but sometimes we can learn to adjust our habits and stabilize our financial well being.

In this article, entitled "4 Personal Finance Principals that Would Your Grandfather Proud", author Baker discusses some ideas on handling money. The four key points are Resourcefulness, Awareness, Negotiation, and Non-entitlement. Rather than rehash them here, I'll let you read the article for yourself. I will make one more addition to this discussion, however.

If there is one thing Generation Y / Millenials (meaning someone born after 1980) are despised for, it's the "entitlement" attitude. I have criss-crossed the Commonwealth speaking to Lodges and Masonic bodies about the Masonic Youth Groups and young Freemasons. At almost every one of these events I hear the previous generations lament how they thoroughly abhor young people who seemingly feel like they "deserve" things without working for them. They gnash their teeth and stomp their feet when I tell them what they need to do to attract young members and how they have to let them have a say. I have been called various sundry names and told in no uncertain terms that "if they want the fraternity to change for them, then they can go somewhere else." Well, that's certainly a way to get new members, now isn't it?

At one of these events, I had a Past Master say something that I never thought of before, but that was incredibly profound. As I was getting chewed on by some of the older members, he raised his hand and waited to be called on. Then, in a simple tone of voice he said "Hey guys, you may not like his generation or their attitudes, but remember on thing - we raised them that way." Wow! Talk about a face palm moment!

Now, I don't disagree with the previous generations. We, as young people, do have an undue level of self worth that most of us haven't earned. Yet, each of us is a product of the generations that have come before. There are certain personality traits and generational attitudes that come with our age group; but we needn't fall into the norm. We, as DeMolays, have proved ourselves better than the masses. Take some time to think about what you have and where you are going. Be thankful for that and not always lusting after the next great thing.

As the article says "You deserve nothing. Remember that."

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Senior DeMolay Highlight - Mark William Calaway

As we continue our Senior DeMolay spotlight series, I'm sure you saw the title of this post and thought "who in the world is Mark William Calaway?" Very few people know that name. He's not in the DeMolay International Hall of Fame. He's not a prominent Mason. That name doesn't even belong to a well known public figure. However, I'm guessing that you'll be able to identify who Bro. Calaway is if I used his stage name - The Undertaker. Yes, that Undertaker. Professional Wrestler, WWE Superstar, and all around creepy macho guy. So, how did he go from DeMolay to heavy weight champion? Read on!

Mark William Calaway a.k.a The Undertaker

Professional Wrestler and Entertainer

Bro. Calaway was born on March 5, 1965, in Houston, Texas, and from all accounts he was a regular kid who enjoyed sports and physical activity. He attended Waltrop high school where he played on the basketball team. It is unknown as to whether or not he attended college, but what is certain is that by the age of 19 he had already earned a contract with World Class Championship Wrestling to begin his career as a professional athlete and entertainer. Originally going by the name "Texas Red," his first match was against Bruiser Brody in 1984. We couldn't find information on whether he won or lost that bout. His career really took off on April 1, 1988, when he beat Jerry "The King" Lawler for the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship.

In 1989 Mark joined World Championship Wrestling. He adopted the ring name "Mean" Mark Callous and would become part of the Skyscrapers wrestling team, replacing an injured Sid Vicious. He continued to wrestle with various groups until 1990, when he scored it big, landing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now the WWE.)

On November 19, 1990, Calaway made his first appearance as "Cain the Undertaker," a persona which was adapted from a Western mortician theme, which included a slouch hat and a long, duster style trench coat. In this characterization, that of the "Deadman," he was supposedly impervious to pain. He made his first on camera debut on November 22 of that same year at the Survivor Series event. He was introduced as "The Undertaker" and went on to participate in his first match in incredible fashion, by eliminating "Koko B. Ware" with his first signature move, the Tombstone Piledriver. After this match, he would hook up with his ubiquitous manager, "Paul Bearer", and would adopt his signature finishing move of placing his defeated opponents in body bags.

His next major debut was at Wrestlemania VII, where he would defeat the world famous wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. This win would begin his streak of being undefeated at Wrestlemania, which still stands to this day. This match would also see him create his first real feud, having gone after the Ultimate Warrior. Within a year of this event, he would defeat Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship, making him the youngest person ever to hold the title belt up to that point. He would continue to wrestle as The Undertaker, participating in various story lines, up until 1998.

In 1997, Bro. Calaway participated in a story line involving his family being killed and a long lost brother, who also became a wrestler, named Kane. It should be noted that these events are purely fictitious and do not in any way represent his dealing with his real family. He would spend the next two years feuding with his "brother" and participating a high stakes bout called "Hell in a Cell"

In 1999 he re-conceptualized his character into the leader of a team known as "the Ministry of Darkness" which portrayed a darker and more demonic look. He was often seen sitting on a throne and said that he was taking his orders "from higher powers." The other big gimmick that he developed was "sacrificing" other wrestlers in an attempt to win them over to his side. However, this storyline was short lived when Mark pulled a groin muscle, forcing him to go on a four month hiatus. He would later rip a pectoral muscle during this time, forcing him to remain out for even longer.

By the year 2000, the comic book style characters of the previous generation of wrestlers was becoming less popular. When Bro. Calaway returned to the WWF in late 2000, he found that he was in need of another image change. This time, he took on the motif of a biker, but still retained the name of "the Undertaker." Gone were the signature references to the occult, replaced with the image of an American tough guy. He would take part in several plots over the next four years, which proved to be a prosperous time for him.

In 2004, the image of the biker was beginning to get stale, and in a ploy to increase ratings, the WWF brought him back in his original "Deadman" motif. He has continued to wrestle in this style since, having taken part in numerous stories and events. His current feud is with wrestler "Triple H."

In his personal life Bro. Calaway has been married twice, first to Jodi, whom he divorced in 1999, and later to Sara. Their marriage ended in 2007. He has a son, named Gunner, and two daughters, Chasey and Graci. He enjoys mixed martial arts and boxing and has appeared in support of contestants at many bouts. He is also an avid real estate investor, having recently finished construction on a $2.7m building in Texas called the Calahart.

Bro. Calaway has certainly found his Mission in life - controlling the ring and his body, making him an entertainer par excellence. How can you you use his life to teach you control?

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Well, I didn't vote for him!

It seems that the bonus post by Bro. Matt Blaisdell, regarding the No. 1 Pin, has caused quite the stir. I'm seeing commentary on it all over the internet. Mr. Blaisdell has apparently struck a chord with many of you and rightfully so. As members and leaders of the greatest organization for young men in the world, it is our duty to ensure that the leaders we elect (both directly and indirectly) know what our opinions are. If we don't tell them what we think, then we can't expect them to do what we want.

One of the unique things about DeMolay International is the way it is organized. The young men have a truly republican system for electing their representatives (at least in PA.) The members elect their Councilors in the local Chapter. In most cases, those Councilors represent the Chapter at the annual Convention. They then vote for the six elected State Officers. Of those six ESO's, two go to the annual DeMolay International Session and take part in the DeMolay Congress  (usually the SMC and DSMC.) The Congress is then tasked with electing the International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary. So, in a round about way, every DeMolay in PA has a say in who the IMC is, as they have elected the people who vote for him. This system is very much like our own government. We elect representatives who are supposed to vote in favor of our views as it pertains to laws (although we know this is easier said than done!)

On the other hand, we have DeMolay International (formerly known as the International Supreme Council.) This body is composed of around 200 Active Members / Executive Officers (who wear gold collars) and a varying number of Deputy Members (who wear silver collars.) Local participants in the DeMolay program don't get to vote for these individuals. Rather, Executive Officers and members of the national body submit nominations, who are then passed through a committee. If they are approved, they go to the floor of DeMolay International for final election. So, in reality, the national level leaders of DeMolay are part of a network of known supporters who have been recognized by the current members of the body for their work on behalf of the Order.

It is from the Active Members that the Grand Master, Grand Senior Councilor, Grand Junior Councilor, Grand Treasurer, and Grand Secretary are chosen. All must have been Active Members of the Supreme Council prior to running for office. This means that there is no way that the average Advisor could ever run for these positions. To attain an office at that level you have to have spent years of service in dedication to our Order, have been recognized by someone within the group, and then elevated to an Active Member before you could even ponder such a decision. In this way, the adult leadership of DeMolay International is almost exactly opposite of that of the young men. It is an oligarchy of the chosen who lead and direct us into the future.

Now, please understand that I am not intending to criticize or endorse either form of governance. Rather, I am using it as a tool to demonstrate the different ways that we operate within our own organization. It is my hope that everyone takes time to understand the process. It is only by understanding and working within the system that we can hope to make any improvements or changes.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony