The Unknown Washington

As Americans, we all look to the leadership and integrity of our first President, George Washington. He is revered in the annals of American history and has been placed a pedestal so high, that many cannot even imagine him as a human being. It's no coincidence that the painting the decorates the Capitol Rotunda is titled "The Apotheosis of Washington." For those who have never encountered the term "apotheosis," it means "ascension into god-hood." Yes, Washington has become a god like figure to many Americans.

Yet, there is one group that holds Washington in even higher esteem - the Masonic family. There are dozens of Masonic organizations named after Bro. Washington. His place in Masonic history is well documented and much lauded. Even we, as DeMolays, honor his memory by emulating his position of prayer used at Valley Forge when we kneel. Heck, it was the Order of DeMolay that paid for the giant bronze statue of Washington that sits at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA. But, for all his greatness, Washington was just a man - a brilliant one, yes - but a man none the less.

As I was looking for an interesting blog topic for today, I stumbled across a blog on leadership over at http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/. One of the posts they have is titled "30 Things You Didn't Know About George Washington." I found the list to be a very interesting read and I think anyone affiliated with DeMolay or the Masonic Fraternity will find it intriguing as well.

"30 Surprise Facts About George Washington"

• Washington was the only major founder who lacked a college education. John Adams went to Harvard, James Madison to Princeton, and Alexander Hamilton to Columbia, making Washington self-conscious about what he called his "defective education."
• Washington never had wooden teeth. He wore dentures that were made of either walrus or elephant ivory and were fitted with real human teeth. Over time, as the ivory got cracked and stained, it resembled the grain of wood. Washington may have purchased some of his teeth from his own slaves.
• Washington had a strangely cool and distant relationship with his mother. During the Revolutionary War and her son's presidency, she never uttered a word of praise about him and she may even have been a Tory. No evidence exists that she ever visited George and Martha Washington at Mount Vernon. Late in the Revolutionary War, Mary Washington petitioned the Virginia legislature for financial relief, pleading poverty—and, by implication, neglect by her son. Washington, who had been extremely generous to his mother, was justly indignant.
• Even as a young man, Washington seemed to possess a magical immunity to bullets. In one early encounter in the French and Indian War, he absorbed four bullets in his coat and hat and had two horses shot from under him yet emerged unscathed. This led one Indian chief to predict that some higher power was guiding him to great events in the future.
• By age 30 Washington had survived smallpox, malaria, dysentery, and other diseases. Although he came from a family of short-lived men, he had an iron constitution and weathered many illnesses that would have killed a less robust man. He lived to the age of 67.
• While the Washingtons were childless—it has always been thought that George Washington was sterile—they presided over a household teeming with children. Martha had two children from her previous marriage and she and George later brought up two grandchildren as well, not to mention countless nieces and nephews.
• That Washington was childless proved a great boon to his career. Because he had no heirs, Americans didn't worry that he might be tempted to establish a hereditary monarchy. And many religious Americans believed that God had deliberately deprived Washington of children so that he might serve as Father of His Country.
• Though he tried hard to be fair and took excellent medical care of his slaves, Washington could be a severe master. His diaries reveal that during one of the worst cold snaps on record in Virginia—when Washington himself found it too cold to ride outside—he had his field slaves out draining swamps and performing other arduous tasks.
• For all her anxiety about being constantly in a battle zone, Martha Washington spent a full half of the Revolutionary War with her husband—a major act of courage that has largely gone unnoticed.
• Washington was obsessed with his personal appearance, which extended to his personal guard during the war. Despite wartime austerity and a constant shortage of soldiers, he demanded that all members of his personal guard be between 5'8" and 5'10"; a year later, he narrowed the range to 5'9" to 5'10."
• While Washington lost more battles than he won, he still ranks as a great general. His greatness lay less in his battlefield brilliance—he committed some major strategic blunders—than in his ability to hold his ragged army intact for more than eight years, keeping the flame of revolution alive.
• Washington ran his own spy network during the war and was often the only one privy to the full scope of secret operations against the British. He anticipated many techniques of modern espionage, including the use of misinformation and double agents.
• Washington tended his place in history with extreme care. Even amid wartime stringency, he got Congress to appropriate special funds for a full-time team of secretaries who spent two years copying his wartime papers into beautiful ledgers.
• For thirty years, Washington maintained an extraordinary relationship with his slave and personal manservant William Lee, who accompanied him throughout the Revolutionary War and later worked in the presidential mansion. Lee was freed upon Washington's death and given a special lifetime annuity.
• The battle of Yorktown proved the climactic battle of the revolution and the capstone of Washington's military career, but he initially opposed this Franco-American operation against the British—a fact he later found hard to admit.
• Self-conscious about his dental problems, Washington maintained an air of extreme secrecy when corresponding with his dentist and never used such incriminating words as 'teeth' or 'dentures.' By the time he became president, Washington had only a single tooth left—a lonely lower left bicuspid that held his dentures in place.
• Washington always displayed extremely ambivalence about his fame. Very often, when he was traveling, he would rise early to sneak out of a town or enter it before he could be escorted by local dignitaries. He felt beleaguered by the social demands of his own renown.
• At Mount Vernon, Washington functioned as his own architect—and an extremely original one at that. All of the major features that we associate with the house—the wide piazza and colonnade overlooking the Potomac, the steeple and the weathervane with the dove of peace—were personally designed by Washington himself.
• A master showman with a brilliant sense of political stagecraft, Washington would disembark from his coach when he was about to enter a town then mount a white parade horse for maximum effect. It is not coincidental that there are so many fine equestrian statues of him.
• Land-rich and cash-poor, Washington had to borrow money to attend his own inauguration in New York City in 1789. He then had to borrow money again when he moved back to Virginia after two terms as president. His public life took a terrible toll on his finances.
• Martha Washington was never happy as First Lady—a term not yet in use—and wrote with regret after just six months of the experience: "I think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else… And as I cannot do as I like, I am obstinate and stay home a great deal."
• When the temporary capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790, Washington brought six or seven slaves to the new presidential mansion. Under a Pennsylvania abolitionist law, slaves who stayed continuously in the state for six months were automatically free. To prevent this, Washington, secretly coached by his Attorney General, rotated his slaves in and out of the state without telling them the real reason for his actions.
• Washington nearly died twice during his first term in office, the first time from a tumor on his thigh that may have been from anthrax or an infection, the second time from pneumonia. Many associates blamed his sedentary life as president for the sudden decline in his formerly robust health and he began to exercise daily.
• Tired of the demands of public life, Washington never expected to serve even one term as president, much less two. He originally planned to serve for only a year or two, establish the legitimacy of the new government, then resign as president. Because of one crisis after another, however, he felt a hostage to the office and ended up serving two full terms. For all his success as president, Washington frequently felt trapped in the office.
• Exempt from attacks at the start of his presidency, Washington was viciously attacked in the press by his second term. His opponents accused him of everything from being an inept general to wanting to establish a monarchy. At one point, he said that not a single day had gone by that he hadn't regretted staying on as president.
• Washington has the distinction of being the only president ever to lead an army in battle as commander-in-chief. During the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, he personally journeyed to western Pennsylvania to take command of a large army raised to put down the protest against the excise tax on distilled spirits.
• Two of the favorite slaves of George and Martha Washington—Martha's personal servant, Ona Judge and their chef Hercules—escaped to freedom at the end of Washington's presidency. Washington employed the resources of the federal government to try to entrap Ona Judge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and return her forcibly to Virginia. His efforts failed.
• Washington stands out as the only founder who freed his slaves, at least the 124 who were under his personal control. (He couldn't free the so-called 'dower slaves' who came with his marriage to Martha.) In his will, he stipulated that the action was to take effect only after Martha died so that she could still enjoy the income from those slaves.
• After her husband died, Martha grew terrified at the prospect that the 124 slaves scheduled to be freed after her death might try to speed up the timetable by killing her. Unnerved by the situation, she decided to free those slaves ahead of schedule only a year after her husband died.
• Like her husband, Martha Washington ended up with a deep dislike of Thomas Jefferson, whom she called "one of the most detestable of mankind." When Jefferson visited her at Mount Vernon before he became president, Martha said that it was the second worst day of her life—the first being the day her husband died.

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Futurama

I realized last week that this humble little blog has recently passed some major milestones and is on its way to reaching a few more. This post is number 252 for the PA DeMolay blog. Our first post was created on January 4, 2010, just a couple months short of two years ago. While two years may not seem like a long time to some (and may seem like an eternity to others) in the world of the internet, that's an incredible amount of time. To our knowledge, there is no other DeMolay related blog that has been as consistently updated for any length as this one. However, anecdotal evidence doesn't make a case, so I'd like to share with you some statistics related to this site.

• Views to date: 23,394
• Most Views in a Single Month: August 2010 with 2,434 views.
• Average Views Per Month (Over the last 12 months) - Just above 1500
• Average Views Per Month (Last Quarter) - Just above 2000
• Most Popular Post A Closer Look at Regalia: Part 1 - Aiguillettes - Posted August 19, 2010 (767 views)
• Largest Referring Site: Google
• Largest Referral by Link: http://freemasonsfordummies.blogspot.com/
• Top Five Search Words:
• Unplug - 113
• Aiguillette - 100
• Aiguillettes - 79
• Colonel Mustard Costume - 29
• DeMolay - 24

Now some of you may be looking at those search terms and thinking "What in the heck?!?" Actually, those terms are good for the Blog. Why? While they may not be truly DeMolay related, they are bringing people to our Blog who are looking for something else. While they are here, they are probably learning at least a little bit about DeMolay, which is a very good thing! Just where do those viewers come from? Here is a break down of the top countries that check out this site:

United States 14,354 Philippines 1,567 Brazil 1,254 Canada 898 France 632 United Kingdom 486 Germany 241 Netherlands 186 Russia 175 Australia 166

Obviously the top four countries are all major areas for DeMolay, which explains their high hit rate. 

So, where is the blog going from here? That's a tough question. It's interesting to see how the blog has changed over time, but I know that it will continue to grow and prosper. As always, I'm open to new contributors and people who would like to have their opinion heard. Just drop your article in an e-mail to webmaster@pademolay.org and we can talk about posting it!

Also, in the coming months, I will be doing a new feature called "Active DeMolay Spotlight." Like our popular Senior DeMolay Spotlight series, these articles will highlight what some of our current members are doing in their homes and communities. This is a great way for Active DeMolays to get their name out there to College Recruiters  Community Leaders, and other DeMolays (hint hint for those of you thinking of running for Elected State Office next year!)

So, stay tuned for another year and see where the Blog takes you!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Spring is on its way...

While it may seem that PA is mired in snow, here in the office we are already knee deep in preparing for the Spring. In the world of PA DeMolay that means Spring Leadership Weekend. This year, the weekend will be themed around the Mario video game series and looks to be another fantastic event. As I am preparing for SLW, I always like to look back and see what came before. This program holds a special place in my heart as it was one of the first events I ever did as a DeMolay (way back in 2002 when we launched the CLUE program.)

As I was researching, I came across some documents from the event that I had previously missed. Many know that "Dad" Ray Gottschall is the king of these kinds of events. His costumes are limitless, as is his enthusiasm. He is truly a character actor, liking to have lots of back story to work with. During the original CLUE he played Colonel Mustard. Not to be pleased with just a simple title and color, he developed a whole back story to his character that had me laughing all the way through. So, as a precursor to more news about SLW, I present to you, Colonel Mustard, an abridged biography.

The Life and Times of:

Colonel Sir Guldin Smythe Biggles Mustard, V.C., K.C.B.E., M.P.

Born in the Village of Whapping Foghole to an English father, Sir Doris Perambulator Mustard, Lord Windesmere, M.P. and his French born wife (from the Dijon region) Lady Maudlin Marquise de Milquetoast e’ clairvoyant, Lady in waiting to the French Queen and champion bare knuckles boxer.  Guldin led a very careful life full of very little worth mentioning up until the age of 12 when his parents were forced to sell him to a Clan of wandering Scotsmen, so that they might pay their taxes to the Crown.  The Parent’s taxes, not the Scotsmen’s.

At the able age of 17, Guldin engineered his own escape after 5 years of grueling labor, from the wholly unguarded potato patch where his Scottish Overlords had set him working at smashing as many potatoes as possible in a cunning Scot plan to take over Ireland by starving it’s inhabitants, and headed to London.  With only crushed Potatoes in his pocket he bartered for a room with an Innkeeper of a local hostelry (thereby becoming the inventor of mashed potatoes, which were unheard of up until that time).  The Innkeeper took quite a shine to young Guldin and upon realizing this, Guldin had the coppers pinch the old goose for attempted crimes of an unnatural preoccupation.  Once again homeless, he wandered in the Flippin Wagbone section of London doing odd jobs and living off his mashed potato royalties until he blundered into an Army recruiting station, and before he could say “shut your filthy Cakehole” he had enlisted in 1^st Company, 2^nd Guards Regiment of Her Majesties Royal Coldstream Guards.  Thus began his Military Career, which was to culminate in his highly suspect and mostly undeserved rise to the rank of Colonel of Guards, Exchequer of the Office of Taxation (responsible for the taxation of all Foreigners living abroad) and Royal Poultry Inspector.

On his very first day in the barracks, Guldin was immediately noticed by several of his superiors and singled out for the peculiar mark of their respect.  After spending 6 weeks in Hospital, and as a special circumstance of several recent Courts Martial, which had served to eliminate several of his superiors, Guldin was invited to enter Officer Candidate School.  After attending O.C.S. for a short period of 4 months, Guldin was promoted early by the School Commandant (The poor man’s last act before retiring to the rest home) and he was Officially Commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the Guards and, as a special recognition of his abilities, he was forthwith posted to the most harrowing and potentially life threatening assignment that his superiors could come up with, namely collecting for Irish Relief in Glasgow.  Having survived this grueling duty for 3 years, Guldin received new orders to report back to London for promotion and reassignment to Egypt.  After having new teeth fitted in the Village of Simpering Wimpole, as a consequence of his last assignment as Choir Director at Newgate Military Prison, Mustard boarded a ship for Memphis.  After returning from Tennessee, Mustard boarded the correct ship and proceeded to his posting in Egypt as a 1^st Lieutenant.  He distinguished himself at the Battle of Limeygetout where he single handedly led the retreat that saved hundreds of his fellows and prevented the General’s prize Tea Service from falling into enemy hands.  Having been promoted to Captain, he was given command of the Calcutta Garrison.  While in India he became embroiled in an ill advised tax dodge wherein he packed his apartment with cheap brass artwork which he was then planning to sell at 10 times the price through a type of mail order catalog (which of course would never work).  Unfortunately, the cheap metalwork tended to tarnish easily and turned his overcrowded apartments into a black, sooty colour.  One day, several of Mustards neighbors and fellow Crown subjects, while attempting to pleasantly surprise the young Captain, snuck into his apartments while he was away on Llama spotting duty and decided to tidy his apartments using torches and oil, unfortunately, they became trapped by an avalanche of sooty Brass figurines.  The oil and torches turned the cramped rooms into hot and acrid dungeons where many of his fellow countrymen lost their lives and from that day on his rooms, and the entire incident, became known to the world as the Black Hole of Calcutta, although the official Details were slightly different as reported at the time. 

Having been cleared of any charges (as stupidity is not a crime recognized by the crown), Guldin was promoted out of India.  The now Major Mustard was given command of the Royal Engineers and the Natal contingent at Rourke’s drift, South Africa.  It was his actions here which earned him the Victoria Cross by his single handedly digging a tunnel several hundred feet underground in a matter of hours which successfully allowed the contingent to withstand the onslaught of the mighty Zulu Army.  His Victoria Cross certification stated; “Never before has the British Army seen such an act” and “By his Ferret-like digging, he allowed the Competent Officers of his Command to concentrate on the Battle”.  Along with his decoration came the inevitable promotion and transfer, this time back to Headquarters.  His last assignment had him searching for The Holy Grail in the Tower of London.  After several weeks of searching for Holy Relics in the basements of the Tower of London, and several years of searching for the exit from the Tower of London, during which time he survived off of his wits and much more importantly, the Potatoes that now grew unchecked from his pockets, Colonel Mustard returned to his Regiment and was again ready for a new assignment.

Colonel Mustard was granted an early retirement with the caveat that he would go forth and travel the world, never to return to active service, staying away from England as much as possible.  Upon the death of his Father, Colonel Mustard was granted the peerage due him by right of birth and became Lord Windesmere, also with the caveat that he never show his face in Parliament or attempt to represent the British Government in any way whatsoever, at home or abroad.

In his retirement, Colonel Mustard has gotten into many complicated and ridiculous adventures that are extremely involved yet far too uninteresting to bother mentioning here.

Recently Colonel Mustard has sold his rights to Mashed Potatoes (If you were making them before that time, you owe him royalties) and lives comfortably in Wapping Foghole with his wife, Bo and their three Daughters, Rosie, Ellen and Jodie (who don’t take after their Mother) and one son Rock (who does).  He was raised a Master Mason in Apathy Lodge #449 in Horking on the Thames.  He is currently a Member of Complacency Lodge # 112, Whapping Foghole, where he serves as Tyler for life.  His involvement with the Order of DeMolay goes back to his days in Fargin Lumpchester Chapter and he would love to talk to you about it…at length…

Perhaps someday you'll get to meet this crazy character, or one like him...

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

PA DeMolay - Now Recruiting

One of the biggest challenges of running a DeMolay Chapter is ensuring that there are enough Advisors on board to make the program work. Not too long ago a "Want Ad" for Advisors was circulated. While the ad is meant to include a gentle ribbing, it is a good description of what it means to be a DeMolay Advisor. Share this resource and modify it if need be. Use it as a resource and a tool - as well as a laugh!

WANTED:       An advisor for a local DeMolay chapter.  Applicant may be a Master Mason in good standing, or a Senior DeMolay, or a parent, or a community leader who is able to enjoy working with young men, young ladies, and other adults.  Chronological age is unimportant, but you must be young in heart, physically and spiritually active, and mentally alert.  Applicant must be clean in mind and body, healthy, and secure in your job and finances.  You must have some free time to spare, and no bad habits, and have a monumental amount of patience.  A college major in psychology and the intelligence of Einstein are beneficial.

The applicant will find it helpful to have the following qualities:  the enthusiasm of a puppy, the effervescence of an Alka-Seltzer, the dedication of Billy Graham, the brashness of Harry Truman, the speed of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the inquisitiveness of a child, the stability of a bulldozer, the patience of a squirrel hunter, the endurance of an oak tree, and the constitution of a high pressure boiler.

The applicant must have a good set of ears and be able to listen to tales of joy and woe involving girls, jobs, grades, girls, cars, football games, teachers and more girls.  You will be expected to consume large amounts of hamburgers, tacos, cheeseburgers, pizza, hot wings, French fries, cokes, milk shakes, and pizza—at all hours, and in prodigious quantities.  You must not alarm easily, as your door bell and telephone are apt to ring at any hour, and you must be an “answer man” with the right answers to questions involving cars, manners, sex, girls, clothes, parents, school and teachers, and you’d better have the right answers—if you answer at all.

You must be a disciplinarian and handle such unpleasant tasks as, “Get that coke can out of the lodge room, no horseplay in the building, and meetings start at 7:30 and that doesn’t mean 7:35.”  Applicant must be capable of suffering utter devastation without showing it.

A prospective advisor must learn, sooner or later, that the DeMolay Chapter is not the only organization in the world which appeals to young men, and somehow it must peacefully coexist with band, track, baseball, dates, basketball, football, drama, hockey, chorus, soccer, religious youth groups, and 10,000 other activities.

An applicant must be a role model to the DeMolay members, to the advisory council, to the sponsoring body, and to the world in general.  You must think in your heart as you would have your young men think, to act as you would have them act, to be inspired yourself in order to inspire.  You must understand that if you expect dedicated service from others you must be dedicated yourself.  In fact, the applicant must be a prime mover—a force which sets other forces in motion, which in turn creates active, bubbling, energetic, dedicated and enthusiastic young men who have the sky as their limit for their potential to succeed.

The pay?--  Lousy!  The hours?—Miserable!  What does it do for your mental state?  Well, there will be times when you’ll feel inclined to jump off the highest building, and others when you’ll want to kneel in the privacy of your own bedroom and thank God for blessing you with this opportunity.  There will times when you’ll be so proud you could pop the buttons off your vest, when you see the results of your labor, when you observe their nobleness and cleanness, their honest morality, their efficiency, and, as the years pass, their accomplishments.  The pride you’ll feel in your association with these young men is exhilarating.  The benefits?—Nothing that will pay your doctor’s bills, nothing you can invest in a retirement fund, but just the reward of seeing youth at its finest and knowing you had a hand in its development.

Prospective advisors may apply to the nearest DeMolay Chapter.  

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Just what is a fez?

Recently, I've had some people question my obsession with fezzes (along with my sanity.) I honestly cannot explain my fascination with these goofy little hats, other than to say they remind me of a golden age of fraternalism, when every man had his club to go to and other men to call his brothers. To me, it represents a time of social interaction and friendship that we seem to have lost today. However, the fez is an ancient adornment, with quite a history. I decided to dig up some facts and share with you the real deal on the history of the fez.

Let's start with the name. It probably came to be known as a "fes" because the red hue, that the hat so often has, is obtained by dying wool with the juices of the "fes" berry. The name was anglicized to "fez" and is now often thought to denote that the little hat first took root in the city of Fez, in Morocco. There is an oft told myth that the red color and name came from the sacking of the city of Fez by Muslims, which resulted in the subsequent killing of thousands of Christians. The story further claims that the invaders dipped their hats in the blood of those murdered, which gave it the red color. This story is a complete fabrication, however, and has no historical merit.

So, what's the real story? The fez is an innovation of the near east, specifically the cost of eastern Africa and the former Ottoman empire (what is today Turkey and it's surrounding countries.) It started as the inner portion of a turban, which would be wrapped around the outside of the hat, but the wrapping was later dropped. It was formally adopted as the official hat of the Ottoman's in 1826 and became so associated with the empire that even today it is spiritually tied to that part of the world. It's wearing became so entrenched that in 1926 the nation of Turkey banned the wearing of the fez in an effort to force it's population to modernize and come out of the Ottoman era.

The fez fad eventually moved West, into the Balkans, where it became a popular fashion statement, especially with the Slavs and Bozniaks during the occupation by the Ottomans. The hat also moved East along with the Muslims who were exploring the world. It quickly became popular in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, where it still remains associated with the Moorish population to this day.

The fez has had it's fair share of dark days, too. A black fez was the adopted head wear of the Italian Bersaglieri units during the fascist regime in Italy in the 1930's and 40's. Some Nazi units also adopted a red fez, but decorated with the "death's head" symbols used by the SS. The red Nazi fez was most often associated with the archeological wing of the 3rd Reich, who were in search of ancient artifacts that would prove German supremacy. Recently, the black fez has been adopted by Muslim radicals, including Mu'ammar Gaddafi in Libya, where the hat is known as the "checheya." Even with all these rough connotations, the fez is still most often encountered in fun settings, or on the heads of hotel clerks and porters in Middle Eastern tourist cities.

How did the fez come to be seen as the hat of relaxation? Well, that's actually pretty simple. During the occupation of the near and far east by the British, around the Victorian era, it became popular for well to do gentlemen to retire in the evening for a period of refreshment and gamesmanship. This usually involved the donning of the fez and a smoking jacket, part of the local culture picked up by the British aristocracy. The practice soon became popular among the lower classes as well, and eventually made it's way back to ol' Blighty where the tradition took hold. This practice was soon lampooned in cartoons and magazines of the day as well, bringing even more attention to it.

So, how did the fez jump the pond and become such a part of Masonic and fraternal culture? In 1870, a group of Masons were meeting at the Knickerbocker Cottage, in NYC, for lunch once a week. Regular attendees to this group soon began thinking that they should form their own organization, by making the lunch club a more formalized Masonic group. Two of the members took this idea to heart, namely Dr. Walter Fleming and William Florence, an a doctor. These two began to collaborate on what the new club should be like. Florence, having just returned from an acting tour in Europe, described a show he had recently seen where the actors portrayed a middle eastern royal court, which would then engage the audience by making them members of a "secret" club for the evening. The show was getting rave reviews and Florence relished in the idea. Fleming was also intrigued, so, he took the ideas supplied by Florence and molded them into what has become the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, or Shriners.


The first Shrine chartered was Mecca Temple, in NYC, with Fleming as it's first President, known as a "Potentate." Early in it's formation, the Shrine adopted the wearing of a the red fez as a unique distinction for it's members, a practice which has become synonymous with the organization to the present day. As with any good idea, imitators soon followed, and it wasn't long until fraternal groups all over the country began using fezzes as a symbol of their fellowship. DeMolay was one of these adopters as well, with many parade and drill groups in DeMolay taking on the fez as their hat of choice. Fezzes are certainly not new innovations in the fraternal world, that's for sure!

So, there you have it - the curious history of the eccentric little hat, known as a fez!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony

Yo JO!

This week I have been updating the website to prepare for Convention 2010 and the election of State Officers for the next year. While doing this task my mind turned to an area that interests me... history. Who are all of those men that served as State Master Councilor? What about all of the others who were elected but never became SMC? So, I dove in to the PA DeMolay history file and came up with some fun facts in relation to the PA DeMolay State Officer Corp.

18 Chapters in PA DeMolay have had one SMC. Of the 18 Chapters that can claim one, only six of those are still active PA DeMolay Chapters today (Susquehanna, Lincoln, Westmoreland, Somerton, Delaware Valley, George Washington).

7 Chapters have had two SMC's, only two of which are still active Chapters (Joppa and Templar.)

3 Chapters have had four SMC's, Elizabethtown, Friendship-Bray, and Lancaster. Lancaster Chapter has since closed and been reborn as Lancaster-Phoenix Chapter. Elizabethtown is unique in that they have had four SMC's in an eight year period.

Pilgrim, Erie, and Allentown Chapters can each claim 5 SMC's to their credit. Erie was unique in this case in that they had 4 SMC's by 1959, and did not have another until 2007!

Lorraine Chapter stands alone at having six SMC's, all of them since 1957.

The Chapter with the most SMC's is Reading Chapter with 7 since 1956.

The office of Deputy State Master Councilor was established in 1987, and since that time 23 people have held the title. Of those 23 only 5 have not gone on to be State Master Councilor.


Since 1987 only one person elected to the office of State Treasurer has gone on to be State Master Councilor. This number can be deceptive however, as not all persons elected to the State Officer Corps intend to be SMC someday!

Of State Master Councilors elected since 1980, 19 of 31 have been from Chapters on the eastern side of the State. 8 of the 31 were from decidely Western Chapters, with the remaining 4 being from other areas of the Jurisdiction.

So what's the point of all of this? Well, there isn't really one... it's just some random intersting facts, and I hope you enjoyed them!

Frat! ~ "Dad" Seth Anthony