Centennial Memory #4: Lee Cram Elected International Congress Secretary

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

DeMolay International has two Elected positions for Active DeMolay Members. These positions are the International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary. In the history of the two positions, which dates back to 1967, PA DeMolay has had one representative serve DeMolay International in this capacity.

In 1982, Lee. L. Cram was elected to the position of International Congress Secretary, serving the 1982-1983 year. "Dad" Cram is a Past Master Councilor of Friendship-Bray Chapter. He served as State Master Councilor of Pennsylvania DeMolay from 1981 to 1982. He then took his chances and was elected International Congress Secretary at the annual sessions in Reno, Nevada. Since then, a few young men have run for offices, but only "Dad" Cram was fortunate enough to have served. Below, you will find the article from the winter 1983 issue of the DeMolay Cordon. You will also find pictures from his election, which are kept in the PA DeMolay archive.   

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin

DeMolay International to Meet

Thanks to "Dad" Peter Brusoe, of Nation's Capital DeMolay, for this blog post!

 

This week DeMolays from around the world  will be gathering in Minneapolis, MN, for the annual DeMolay Congress and Supreme Council Session.  At session, the delegates and supreme council members will be discussing legislation and the future direction of our Order.  It's a jam packed few days; in four days they will be electing their new international leaders - the International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary, volunteering at a service project, meeting in focus groups, listening to important speakers, and even going to a baseball game (Phillies versus the Twins, lets go Phils!) Andrew Prescott, our good friend from New Jersey, will be presiding over the congress session.  He has done a number of things to open up the Congress session to everyone.

 

First, we have opened up the pool of people who can ask questions for our future international leaders you can complete your question on this form and submit it to see if it is asked during the candidate caucus. What things are you looking for from your international leadership?

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17py9SXsyRsO5zPLdWoTWMa9Hn14Suexh9DyKbfW22jM/viewform

Second, a list of details and profiles of candidates seeking elected office, feedback on pending legislation and some essay responses have been put up here. Previously, Congress Applications were not shared: https://sites.google.com/site/demolaycongress46/

Finally, Andrew knows a good thing when he sees it.  This year, PA's very own Senior DeMolay, Matt Blaisdell, was commissioned to develop the session logo, the volunteer shirt for Thursday morning.

 

See you at Session!

A Preview of Things to Come

Here at the PA DeMolay office we juggle many projects at once. One such project is the upcoming online DAD Training program. While still in its infant stages, we are working diligently to pull together the resources necessary to do DAD and DAD Plus training programs through an electronic medium. This requires us to produce a lot of documentation and resources. One of the things I've been pulling together is an organization chart of DeMolay. Today, I thought I'd give you a preview of that piece. This should give the newbies a good idea of how the youth lead our organization while giving veteran DeMolay folks a new way to look at things.

Please keep in mind that these are draft documents and do not represent a final product. They are also tailored for Pennsylvania.

First, let's look at the chart itself:

Now, let's go through the descriptions for each entry on the chart:

DeMolay Youth Leader Organization Chart Descriptions

• DeMolay International Congress – Composed of two representatives from each jurisdiction, as well as cabinet members and the International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary; this body serves as the voice of the members of DeMolay to DeMolay International. In Pennsylvania, two of the Elected State Officers serve as the representatives.
• The International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary – Elected by their peers, these two members of DeMolay hold seats on the Board of Directors of DeMolay International and act as the public face of DeMolay. They represent the interests of the DeMolay International Congress when not in session.
• Regional Cabinet Members – Represent the interest of DeMolays from various geographical areas. Each Region elects its own Cabinet member, who then works with the International Master Councilor and International Congress Secretary to achieve programming goals.
• State / Jurisdictional Master Councilors – Each state or jurisdiction selects a State / Jurisdictional Master Councilor to lead DeMolay. He will act as a liaison between DeMolay and the Masonic Fraternity, as well as the public. In Pennsylvania, he is also given the responsibility of organizing and leading the DeMolay program across the Commonwealth through initiatives and program planning. The State Master Councilor is elected by the DeMolays in Pennsylvania at the annual Convention. He must have served as least one term as an Elected State Officer before submitting his name to run for State Master Councilor.
• Elected State Officers – The Elected State Officers are the backbone of PA DeMolay. They assist the State Master Councilor in executing his goals, as well as provide leadership to the young men in the local Chapters.
• Appointed State Officers – The State Master Councilor appoints several young men to leadership positions within the fraternity. These members will take part in ritual presentations and serve on jurisdictional committees.
• Chapter Master Councilors – Every DeMolay Chapter elects a Master Councilor who will lead the Chapter for a six month term. He will plan and execute several activities and programs aimed at providing a fun and educational experience for his members and serving the community in which the Chapter is located.
• Members of the Chapter - These are the young men; the DeMolays themselves.

I hope everyone will find this useful and feedback is always welcome!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth C. 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

Just what is a Supreme Council anyways?

Today marks the start of the DeMolay International / Supreme Council Sessions, being held in Dallas, TX. For most DeMolays, this event isn't even on the radar, as it deals with senior leaders and advisors from any given jurisdiction. During my time as a DeMolay, and as an advisor, I've heard many misconceptions about what actually goes on at, and the purpose for, a meeting of the Supreme Council.

To understand what's happening, we first have to understand who it is that's meeting. At a DeMolay International Session two groups meet concurrently, namely the DeMolay International Congress, and the Supreme Council. The Congress is made up entirely of active DeMolays, with each Jurisdiction being given two delegates. This is much like our Convention, where each Chapter gets a set number of delegates to vote on items and for officers, however, in the case of the Congress, it's divided by States instead of Chapters. So, how does one get to be a delegate? In PA, it's quite simple - become State Master Councilor or Deputy State Master Councilor, as they are the two that go to each Session to represent PA. While the Jurisdictional Delegates make up the majority of the active DeMolays participating in the Congress, there are a few others who also attend and get a vote, namely the Regional Cabinet Members, the International Master Councilor, and the International Congress Secretary. Who are these folks? Well, the Regional Cabinet is composed of one representative from each Region of DeMolay International (if you've been following along with the blog, I'm sure you're well aware that PA is in Region II.) The International Master Councilor and the International Congress Secretary are elected by the Congress each year to help steer DeMolay on a national level. The International Master Councilor is the public face of the organization, and it's his job to relate the issues facing active members to the Supreme Council. The International Congress Secretary assists the IMC in that job, as well as takes minutes of any session of the Congress. Pretty complex, huh? Well, let's talk about the Supreme Council, then!

The Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay is made up of advisors who have been elected to represent their respective Jurisdictions. These men are divided into two groups, Active Members and Deputy Members. Active Members are allowed to speak their mind, and vote on any proposals and elections to come before the Supreme Council, whereas Deputy Members are only able to speak. At any given time, there can only be 200 Active Members of the Supreme Council, but there is no cap to the number of Deputy Members. Each Jurisdiction is automatically granted one Active seat, as the Executive Officer is always an Active member of the Supreme Council. This means that roughly a quarter of the Active members of the Supreme Council are Executive Officers. That leaves roughly 150 other seats open for men to serve as Active Members. To become an Active member one must first be a Deputy. To accomplish that task, an Advisor, who is over the age of 25, must be sponsored by the Executive Officer of Jurisdiction and submitted to a committee. That group then recommends who they think should be elected to Deputy status. Once a Deputy, an Advisor must serve in that capacity for at least three years, and be 30 years of age, before he can be elected to Active status. I say "he" because members of the Supreme Council must be Masons in good standing in their Lodges. "Who are the Active and Deputy Members from PA?" you ask... well click here to find out!

That's DeMolay International in a Nutshell.

Oh, I haven't forgotten about the Region II Spotlight series either. I'm waiting for some of our guest contributors to put the finishing touches on their articles.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony