DI Rules and Regs - What You Need to Know - Part I

Last week I was chatting with my long time friend "Dad" Zack Panitzke. We were discussing how to improve things with the Chapter he is working with in Virginia. At the beginning of this year he was elected Chairman of the Advisory Council. Now, he is trying to learn his place in the Chapter and get a better handle on his role. As part of that discussion, I asked him if he had looked over the DeMolay International Rules and Regulations as it pertains to local Chapters. O_o best describes the look I got in return.

Every Chapter must have a copy of the Rules and Regs of DeMolay International, however, in many cases they are out of date, misplaced, or just forgotten. Frankly, much of what is contained in the document has little to no bearing on what you do in a local Chapter, but there are some very specific sections that are important for you to know about. In the PA DeMolay version of DAD Training we discuss these, but sometimes we don't look at them as closely as we should. So, I'm starting a series of blog posts that will talk about each section, one at a time. I hope this will help new and veteran advisors alike.

As a warning, some of these posts are going to be a bit longer, as we show the section of the Rules and Regs and then talk about it.

Today, we tackle Part I: Article 14 - The Advisory Council

314.1      Advisory Council Required.

                (a)   A Chapter must have an Advisory Council, at least three of which members must be Masons in good standing.

                (b)   All Advisors must be at least 21 years of age and recommended by the sponsoring body.

                (c)   No person may serve as an Advisor until they have successfully completed the DeMolay adult worker training program and the Executive Officer has approved the adult worker application. (2011)

                (d)   Any Mason in good standing, Senior DeMolay, or the father, mother, stepfather, stepmother or legal guardian of a DeMolay and any other individual permitted by the Executive Officer may serve as an Advisor.

                (e)   To be eligible to serve as Chairman, an Advisor must be a Mason in good standing.

                (f)    Every Advisor must annually by December 31st of each year sign and file with the Executive Officer a completed adult worker application, a certificate of change or a certificate of no change. (2001) (2005) (2010) (2011)

Discussion: This is the basic article that defines what an Advisory Council is and who can serve on one. Key points are the age of Advisors (21), who is eligible to serve, and how an Advisor qualifies and renews. Pretty simple stuff, actually.

314.2      Appointment. All Advisors and adult workers are appointed by the Executive Officer.  He may only appoint a person to serve as an Advisor or as an adult DeMolay worker after confirming that the person has successfully completed the DeMolay adult worker training program and has completed and filed an adult worker application. (2001) (2011)

Discussion: Again, a simple article. It just describes who has the final say on our Adult Volunteers - specifically, the Executive Officer.

314.3      Vows.  Each member of an Advisory Council shall take a vow of allegiance to DeMolay International and the Executive Officer, and be duly installed.

314.4       Term.  The term of Advisory Council members is one year.

314.5      Vacancies.  Vacancies are filled by the Executive Officer.

314.6       Removal.  The Executive Officer may remove any Advisory Council member who does not or will not perform his duties in accordance with the bylaws, these rules and regulations, or as directed by the Executive Officer.

Discussion: For ease, I parts 314.3 to 314.6 together, as they are all short. Basically, each Advisor takes a vow to support the order. Advisors serve for one year and any vacancies are under the authority of the EO. The key here is 314.6 - any Advisor can be removed at any time. Period. No reason must be given and no appeal can be made. The EO has total control. This makes it easy for the EO handle sticky situations.

314.7      Duties.

                (a)   The Advisory Council has duties assigned to it by the bylaws, these rules and regulations, DeMolay International, the Grand Master and the Executive Officer.

                (b)   The Advisory Council governs the activities of a Chapter consistent with these rules and regulations and as directed by the Executive Officer.

                (c)   An Advisory Council must organize and select a Chairman and a Chapter Advisor.

                (d)   The Advisory Council shall meet at least monthly and a full record of each meeting shall be made.  Each member of the Council has a vote.

                (e)   At least one member of the Advisory Council must be present at all meetings of the Chapter. (2003) (2005)

Discussion: This article defines exactly what an Advisor has agreed to do by serving. In a nutshell, they agree to work on the Advisory Council and obey the authority of the other leaders. They also agree to elect a Chairman and Chapter Advisor, to meet monthly, and keep minutes.

314.8      Chairman.  The Chairman of the Advisory Council presides at its meetings, and performs the other duties required of him by his office or the Advisory Council.

314.9       Chapter Advisor.  The Chapter Advisor:

      (a)   Is the liaison between the Advisory Council and Chapter members.

      (b)   Sees that the Chapter is conducted in accordance with the bylaws of DeMolay International, these rules and regulations, the directives of the Grand Master and Executive Officer, and the Chapter bylaws.

      (c)   Sees that the directions of the Advisory Council are observed.

                (d)   Performs other duties the Advisory Council assigns to him.

Discussion: In the previous article, the Advisors agreed to elect a Chairman and Chapter Advisor, but what do those jobs entail? Well, 314.8 and 314.9 tell you! The Chairman presides at meetings of the Advisory Council (amongst other duties) while the Chapter Advisor is the conduit between the young men and the rest of the Advisors. Of note is the fact that the Chapter Advisor is actually the one responsible for making sure that rules and regulations are followed with the young men. 

314.10  Financial Responsibility.  The Advisory Council is responsible for the Chapter budget, and shall review the monthly financial reports of the Chapter, and revise the Chapter budget if necessary.

314.11  Election or Rejection by Declaration.  The Advisory Council with the approval of the Executive Officer may declare an applicant elected or rejected if, in their opinion, the best interest of the Order will be served.

Discussion: A couple more short sections here, combined for ease. It basically says that the Advisors have fudiciary responsibility when it comes to Chapter funds. The second part outlines further the EO's interactions with Councils.

Now, on to the big one! 

314.12  Disciplinary Authority.

      (a)   With the approval of the Executive Officer, the Advisory Council may drop from membership in the Order a member over which it has disciplinary authority who is guilty of violating DeMolay law, who is not of good morals, or whose conduct is unworthy of a member of the Order of DeMolay.

                (b)   An Advisory Council has disciplinary authority over the members of its Chapter wherever residing, and all members of the Order of DeMolay, belonging to any Chapter, but who reside nearer to its place of meeting than to that of the Chapter in which the member holds membership.  In places where more than one Chapter exists, the Chapters have concurrent penal authority over DeMolays residing in the area who are not members of any of them.  When a member has been suspended for cause, his Chapter has exclusive penal authority over him.  A change of residence after charges have been filed does not divest the Chapter of the power to act.

                (c)   If a DeMolay pleads guilty or Nolo Contendere, or is found guilty of a felony, he may be expelled from the Order.  The Advisory Council shall obtain a certified copy of the court's order and forward it to the Executive Officer.  The Executive Officer shall notify the DeMolay by certified mail that he has thirty days from the receipt or forty-five days from mailing, whichever is later, to show cause to the Executive Officer why he should not be expelled from the Order.  If good cause is not shown, the Executive Officer shall forward to the Grand Secretary copies of all documents pertaining to the expulsion.  The Grand Secretary shall then strike the DeMolay's name from the rolls and notify the Advisory Council, Executive Officer and the former DeMolay.

                (d)   Except as provided for felonies, the power to drop from membership may be exercised only under this subsection, after notice to the Executive Officer.  Written charges and notice of hearing must be served on the member at least thirty days before the hearing.  The hearing must be held by the Advisory Council in closed session.  The member may at his choice be present, represented or accompanied by any male relative or Mason.  At the hearing, the member may answer the charges either orally or in writing.  The decision of the Advisory Council must be reduced to writing, signed by a majority of the Advisory Council present and voting, and a copy of all proceedings certified and forwarded to the Executive Officer for his rejection or approval.  The Executive Officer, shall in writing, notify the young man, the Advisory Council and Grand Secretary of his decision.  The action of the Advisory Council and the Executive Officer are subject to appeal to DeMolay International, whose decision is final.  If the Executive Officer approves a decision to drop from membership, the Grand Secretary shall strike the DeMolay's name from the rolls if no appeal has been filed within thirty days of the Executive Officer's written decision or when the appeal is dismissed or the decision is affirmed.

                (e)   The Advisory Council may suspend a DeMolay for un-DeMolay conduct for a definite or indefinite term.  A report of the circumstances of the suspension must be promptly made in writing to the Executive Officer for his approval or disapproval.  A suspension under this subsection may not exceed sixty days unless the procedures that apply to dropping from membership are followed.

                (f)    With the approval of the Executive Officer, an Advisory Council may take such other disciplinary action as is necessary for the best interest of the Order.  Such actions may include temporarily prohibiting a member from participating in or being present at activities of the Order or requiring a member to perform specific service acts.  A record of any such disciplinary actions must be entered in the minutes of the Advisory Council meeting where approved and shall be reported in writing to the Executive Officer.

                (g)   The Executive Officer may substitute himself for an Advisory Council in any proceeding under this Section.  He shall report all his actions under this Section in writing to the Grand Master. (1998)

Discussion: Whew! That was a long and complicated section! 314.12 details how a Chapter should handle a formal disciplinary process for a active member of the organization. It gives the Council the authority to expel a member for misconduct - but not before a trial has occurred. It is a very complicated and legalistic section which (thankfully) rarely gets used. If you or your Advisory Council is ever in a situation where you feel you might need to use this section, please have your Chairman contact the Executive Officer immediately so that he can assist you with this section.

That does it for our first section. Next time I do this I'll be discussion Section 15 - Membership.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Today we make history!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

A Promising Night

The spring time brings an important yearly event in nearly every high school in the United States - Prom. Short for "Promenade," this yearly dance is the highlight of the social year for most young people. The Senior Prom has become the "be all and end all" of the High School career - a summation of four years of work let loose in one night.

In reality, it's whatever you make of it. Some people treat it like a chance to have a good time and enjoy themselves. Others make it into an excuse for poor life decisions and irrational behavior. But, as a DeMolay, you can make your Prom experience a memorable one, marked with positive feelings and great photos. The best way to do that is to follow some advice.

Thankfully, the folks over at "The Art of Manliness" blog have created a how-to guide for all the Prom going gentlemen out there. You may think it's lame and corny, but let me tell you, if you follow this guide, you'll be the one looking back on Prom as one of the best experiences of your life, while your friends look back with second thoughts.

So, check out "A Young Man's Guide to Prom" - you'll be glad you did!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Frank and the Flag

I recently took a dive into the rabbit hole that is the PMYF server and came up with an interesting piece of DeMolay history. I found a great article from the early days of DeMolay, written by Frank Marshall - the same fellow who wrote the DeMolay ritual. In the article, "Dad" Marshall writes as the persona of the American Flag and offers an interesting glimpse into the values and feelings of the time. Enjoy!

Remember - You can click on the image to make it bigger for reading!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Thanks to some special Advisors!

Today's post comes from a special guest - "Dad" Bruce Neubauer of Westmoreland Chapter. "Dad" Neubauer prepared this piece as a personal exercise, never expecting it to be used as a blog post. However, after reading it, I realized that he did a great job of summing one person's positive experiences with DeMolay. I hope you enjoy it!

Four short years ago I got involved in DeMolay. My wife thought it would be good for our son. We inquired and had a lot of questions but we agreed that it was the thing to do. Our son joined and really enjoyed the experience. We had a couple young men that held the Chapter together and an Advisory Council that cared deeply about DeMolay. Shortly after we joined, we had a few more young men added to the ranks. Our Master Councilor agreed to stay on for another year. In the meantime, our Council grew by a few more members when "Dad Holtzer" and I joined the board. We could see that our DeMolays wanted to travel. They got excited about "the Judge" (PA DeMolay's travelling gavel) and the road trips began. We were fortunate over the next couple years to grow the Chapter. We were up to 9 or 10 active DeMolays. We even added another advisor or two. We were a very active Chapter and traveled all over the State. At the last two Conventions we even won some awards; most miles traveled was one of the favorite of the Chapter!

During this time we adopted the "Unplugged Theory" of adult involvement and let the DeMolays run the Chapter. This was hard because we did not have any DeMolay leaders. All of our young men were new. At times other than the meetings the advisors worked hard to educate the DeMolays on how to run committees, have fund raisers, and many other things. During Isaac Holtzer’s term you could see some young leaders developing. During Adam Neubauer's term we again continued  to grow and you could see the ritual come along on top of  having more activities with the Rainbow girls. We still had our issues, but they were addressed at the Councilors meetings. We were not totally "Unplugged" in these meetings. At times we had the feeling that the DeMolays might have thought that we were too tough.

In the beginning of March we had our Installation of Officers and Bro. Dominic Bruno was installed as Master Councilor.  We currently have about 14 active DeMolays. After the Installation was completed, Isaac Holtzer and Adam Neubauer asked if they could come up front. At that time Isaac stated that they had two Advisors that they were going to honor. He commented about how these Advisors were always there and never said no. They took them everywhere they wanted to go. He then called up "Dad" Holtzer and myself. "Dad" Holtzer looked at me and I at him and said the same thing - "did you know about this?" We looked at the other advisors and they all shook their heads.The young men then presented us with the DeMolay Medal of Appreciation - a little known award used to show thanks for service to DeMolay.

We found out that  about  five months before Isaac and Adam, along with our other DeMolays,  felt they needed to do something to honor "Dad" Holtzer and myself. They took a vote of the DeMolays and it was unanimous. They took it upon themselves to complete the paperwork and mail it to "Dad" Dave Berry, Executive Secretary. The enveloped arrived full of cash and change (pooled together from the young men) as the members didn't want to risk the surprise by having the Advisory Council write a check. "Dad" Berry knew right away that this was being done by the DeMolays of the Chapter. Our DeMolays and "Dad" Berry kept this quiet all the time. The DeMolays were so proud of what they had done.

I can tell you words cannot explain how humble we were by the experience. Not many times in my life will I ever receive an award as important as this one. This came from the DeMolays and that means the world to me.

Senior DeMolay Highlight - John Steinbeck

It's been quite some time since I did a Senior DeMolay Highlight on the blog. As the school year winds down and the winds of Spring bring warm air to the Commonwealth, many young people are turning their attention to the final projects and papers required to complete their coursework. There are very few high schools that don't require some sort of reading and one of the most widely read authors is also a Senior DeMolay. Let's find out more about...

John Steinbeck

Great American Author

Bro. Steinbeck is probably one of the most notable writers of the 20th Century. His works have become standard fare for high school and collegiate English classes and many young people cut their proverbial teeth analyzing his novels. However, John never wanted the spotlight. He was a solitary man and valued his personal time more than anything else.

Born February 27, 1902, John was much loved by his parents. His father, John, was the Treasurer of Monterrey County in California, where the family resided. His mother, Olivia, was a retired school teacher. Episcopalians by faith, the Steinbecks were actually of German descent, while his mother was Irish. In his youth, John worked at a local farm and ranch where he encountered the darker side of migrant and farm labor that later influenced his novels. He assisted in founding Watsonville Chapter, Order of DeMolay, in Wastonville, CA, as a Charter member. As he aged, he attended Stanford University, but left after three years without earning a degree.
John entered the workforce, finding little success. He bounced from job to job, including acting as a tour guide and working in a warehouse. The only good thing to come out of this labor was that he met his first wife, Carrol, whom he would marry in 1930. Seeing his potential, his parents put he and Carrol up in a small flat where they subsidized his income so that he could concentrate on writing. He found a groove and penned his first books in the 1930's, but his life took a turn when he divorced Carrol in 1941. By 1942 he had remarried, this time to Gwyn, with whom he would have his only children - Tom and John IV.

Steinbeck wasn't immune from World War II. He served as a war correspondent until the completion of the conflict in 1945. Following the war, John travelled around the world, including several trips to Russia. In 1948 he returned to California to visit a dying friend, but sadly the man passed before John could arrive. Upon returning to his home from that trip, Gwyn asked John for a divorce, leaving him a broken man at the end of the 1940's.
 
If the 40's were rough for John, the 50's and 60's were his golden years. He met his third wife, Elaine, and wed her in 1950. He spent the next 18 years with her while he furthered his literary career. John passed away on December 20, 1968, at the age of 66, due to complications from a life time of smoking.

Before passing, John left such a volume of work that he would be lauded for decades to come. His books "The Grapes of Wrath," "Of Mice and Men," and "East of Eden" are considered modern day classics. He won a Nobel Prize in 1962 for his literary work. He was also honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Lyndon B. Johnson.
 
The legacy of John Steinbeck is apparent. Sometimes the most creative and talented people are the most reserved and quietest in group situations. While he may not have been a Master Councilor, Bro. Steinbeck was certainly a leader in his own right.
Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

The Wisdom of William Penn

With the Republican Presidential nomination looking more certain, it seemed like another "Wisdom" article is in order. This article is part of series that consists of thoughtful quotes from leaders of our country in the past. You'll recognize most of the names, but in many cases not the quotes. Take some time to think about them and what they mean. How can you apply them in your chapter and take control of you organization?

Today, I'm going a bit askew - instead of a national founding father, I'm going with a more localized person. We all know that Pennsylvania is named after William Penn, but how many have really read his thoughts and wisdom?

The Wisdom of William Penn

• "I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness or abilities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."

• "Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."

• "A good end cannot sanctify evil means; nor must we do evil, that good may come of it...To do evil that good may come of it is for bunglers in politics as well as morals." (From Some Fruits of Solitude)

• "Force may make hypocrites, but it can make no converts." (Letter to Lord Arlington, while imprisoned in the Tower)

• "The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious and devout souls everywhere are of one religion and when death has taken off the mask, they will know one another, though the diverse liveries they wore here make them strangers."

• "There is a zeal without knowledge, that is superstition. There is a zeal against knowledge, that is interest or faction; there is a zeal with knowledge, that is religion; and if you will view the countries of cruelty, you will find them superstitious rather than religious. Religion is gentle, it makes men better, more friendly, loving and patient than before."

• "Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders, than from the arguments of its opposers. Never marry but for love; but see that thou lovest what is lovely. Sexes make no Difference; since in Souls there is none..."

• "Between a Man and his Wife nothing ought to rule but Love. Believe nothing against another but on good authority; and never report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to some other to conceal it."

• "If thou thinkest twice before thou speakest once, thou wilt speak twice the better for it."

• "Friendship is the union of spirits, a marriage of hearts, and the bond thereof virtue"

• "There can be no friendship when there is no freedom; Friendship loves the free air, and will not be fenced up in straight and narrow enclosures."

• "Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly, for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood."

• "Equivocation is half way to lying and lying the whole way to hell."

• "Inquiry is human; blind obedience brutal. Truth never loses by the one but often suffers by the other."

• "He that has more Knowledge than Judgment, is made for another Man's use more than his own."

• "Fear and Gain are great Perverters of Mankind, and where either prevail, the Judgement [of God] is violated."

• "No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown."

DeMolay Around the Web

If you are looking at this blog, then it's quite probable that you have used our main website located at www.pademolay.org. While we are quite proud of the PA DeMolay website, we recognize that it is not the only DeMolay website out there. Almost every other jurisdiction has a website of their own, reporting on what their members are doing. I try to visit these other sites on a regular basis, not only to find out what is going on with DeMolay around the country, but to get some ideas on what I can do to make our website better.

I think it's important for DeMolays to realize just how vast our program is. Remember, this isn't just a "Pennsylvania" thing. Rather, DeMolay exists and thrives in many other parts of the US (and the world.) So, I've compiled a list of ten of my favorite DeMolay websites. Give them a visit and see what you can learn from your Brothers outside of PA!

• Missouri DeMolay - Check out the website of the largest DeMolay jurisdiction.
• Northern California DeMolay - While you're at it, check out the Nor Cal site too!
• DeMolay Region 2 / MATOC - Have you ever visited the site for our very own Region 2?
• Georgia DeMolay - Get a little Southern charm on Georgia's excellent website.
• Ohio DeMolay - Our neighbors to the west have a great site that you should enjoy.
• DeMolay Italia - Ready for a challenge? Decipher the website of our Italian brethren!
• DeMolay Philippines - Travelling from West to East, we find DeMolay in the Philippines.
• Wikipedia on DeMolay - Have you ever looked us up on Wikipedia?
• Albert Pike Chapter - One of the largest Chapter websites out there.
• Kingdom of DeMolay - If you haven't checked out the Kingdom of DeMolay previews, you're missing out!

I welcome any thoughts or feedback in the comments section!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony