DEMOLAY INTERNATIONAL

(Redirected from Order of DeMolay)

'DeMolay International' (originally known as the 'Order of DeMolay'), founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919, is an international youth fraternity for young men. DeMolay derives its name from Jacques DeMolay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. It is a Masonic youth organization for boys ages 12-21, though no relation to a Mason is required in order to join. DeMolay was incorporated in the 1990s and is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3).

Contents
Overview
History
Structural organization
Chapter officers
DeMolay Honors and Awards
Famous DeMolays
DeMolay Hall of Fame
Notes
External links

Overview


DeMolay is open for membership to young men between the ages of 12 to 21, and currently has about 18,000 members in North America. It uses a model of mentoring; adult men and women, often fathers and mothers of DeMolay members, and past DeMolay members, referred to as Senior DeMolays, mentor active Demolay members. The mentoring focuses on the development of civic awareness, leadership skills and personal responsibility.
As a member of the Masonic family of service organizations, DeMolay is closely modeled after Freemasonry, and like Freemasonry, members are initiated into DeMolay through ritual and an allegorical program. Though not directly connected to Freemasonry, DeMolay is considered an appendant body to it; every DeMolay chapter is sponsored by a Masonic Lodge or other Masonic body. DeMolay is also considered to be part of the family of Masonic youth groups along with Job's Daughters, and the Rainbow for Girls. Unlike Job's Daughters, a young man does not need to have a familial tie or sponsor in a Masonic organization to join DeMolay.
DeMolay has seven ''Cardinal Virtues'', which are:

★ Filial Love

★ Reverence for Sacred Things

★ Courtesy

★ Comradeship

★ Fidelity

★ Cleanness

★ Patriotism

History


The organization is named after Jacques DeMolay, a knight and crusader who was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Members are encouraged to model their conduct after his example of loyalty and fidelity.
DeMolay was founded in 1919 by Frank S. Land, a successful businessman in Kansas City, Missouri and alumni of The Acacia Fraternity. During World War I, Land became concerned with the plight of boys who had lost their fathers to the war. He decided that there was a need for an organization where they could associate with other boys and learn responsibility and other important life skills. A fatherless boy named Louis Lower and eight of his friends became the first DeMolays.
The organization rapidly grew, and by the end of 1921, Land realized he had to devote full time to the new organization. As the organization continued to grow, interest developed in the Masonic fraternity, and official recognition and approval by Masonic groups began in many states. Today, many members of DeMolay go on to join The Acacia Fraternity (a social Greek letter organization founded in 1904 by Christian and Jewish Master Masons) while attending college and later petition for membership in the Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masons.
DeMolay continued its growth, initiating new members and instituting new chapters in every state of the USA. DeMolay then went international, as the organization was developed in many foreign countries.
Since then the organization has spread to many other countries around the world, including Canada, the Philippines, Aruba, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Panama, and Colombia .

Structural organization


A local DeMolay organization is known as a 'Chapter' and is headed by a Master Councilor. The Master Councilor is elected by members of his Chapter and is usually among the older members of the group. The Master Councilor is assisted in his duties by a Senior Councilor and a Junior Councilor. The Senior Councilor is usually considered to be next in line as Master Councilor. All the officers of a Chapter are appointed by the Master Councilor, except for the Councilors and Treasurer, who are elected, and the Scribe, who is appointed by the chapter's Advisory Council.
Senior DeMolays, Masons, or other adult mentors supervise the Chapter and are usually referred to by the moniker "Dad," a term hearkening back to one of the first members, who thought of founder Frank S. Land as the father he never had, and took to calling him "Dad Land." In recent years, women have also served as advisors for the group, and are referred to as "Mom".
Above the individual Chapter, the DeMolay organization has an officer structure at the state level. A ''State Master Councilor'' or ''Jurisdictional Master Councilor'' is the head of a statewide DeMolay organization. There are also other state positions based off of the officers of a chapter, which vary for each jurisdiction. The lead advisor (usually a Master Mason) in a state is called an ''Executive Officer'' and the lead advisor (usually a Master Mason) nationally is known as a ''Grand Master''. There are also officers at an international level as well; the ''International Master Councilor'' and ''International Congress Secretary '' are the heads of the International DeMolay Congress and serve on the Board of Directors. These officers are always past State Master Councilors.
Chapter officers

The Officers of a Chapter are as follows:
'Elected:'

★ Master Councilor

★ Senior Councilor

★ Junior Councilor

★ Treasurer
'Appointed:'

★ Scribe (appointed by Advisory Council)

★ Senior Deacon

★ Junior Deacon

★ Senior Steward

★ Junior Steward

★ Orator

★ Chaplain

★ Marshal

★ Standard Bearer

★ Almoner

★ Sentinel

★ Seven Preceptors (representing the seven Cardinal Virtues of a DeMolay)

DeMolay Honors and Awards


Degree of Chevalier is the highest honor that an active DeMolay can receive. This honor may also be granted to a Senior DeMolay. The Degree is a citation for outstanding DeMolay service and activity. In order to receive the honor, a DeMolay must be at least 17 years old on January 15th of the year nominated and have been a member for at least two years as of that date.
The Legion of Honor is the highest Degree and Honor conferred by the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay. Since amendment of the Statutes of the International Supreme Council in 1985, nominees for the DeMolay Legion of Honor must be at least twenty-five years of age before January 15. The International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay may confer the DeMolay Legion of Honor (LOH) upon a Senior DeMolay for outstanding leadership in some field of endeavor, service to humanity, or for success in fraternal life, including adult service to the Order of DeMolay. The International Supreme Council may confer upon a Freemason, who has performed unusual and meritorious service in behalf of the Order of DeMolay, or who has evidenced a spirit of cooperation and appreciation for the Order of DeMolay, the Honorary Legion of Honor (HLOH).
Some DeMolay chapters elect a member of a neighboring Job's Daughters Bethel, Rainbow Assembly, Triangle, or Constellation as a "Chapter Sweetheart." The "sweetheart" must meet the age requirements of a particular jurisdiction or chapter, usually set at fifteen to twenty-one. Some chapters also elect a "Princess" or "Junior Sweetheart" in addition to the Chapter Sweetheart.

Famous DeMolays


Over the years, DeMolay has had many alumni who have gone on to achieve wide recognition outside of the organization. Some of them have been elected to the DeMolay Hall of Fame. http://universe.demolay.org/halloffame/ DeMolay Hall of Fame
However, not all DeMolays who have received recognition have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Some of them can be found on other lists [1].

DeMolay Hall of Fame


The following is a list of the members of the DeMolay Hall of Fame:[2]
Name Dates Profession Notes
Carl B. Albert b. 1908 d. 2000 Politician Speaker of the House (1971-77)
Cecil D. Andrus b. 1931 d. ---- Politician Governor of Idaho (1971-77, 1987-95), U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1977-81)
Reubin O'Donovan Askew b. 1928 d. ---- Politician 37th Governor of Florida (1971-1979)
John S. Bailey b. 1929 d. ---- Soldier, International Educator
Walter "Red" Barber b. 1908 d. 1992 Sports Broadcaster
E.P. Baruth b. 1906 d. 1995 College Track Coach
Robert Lee Beck b. 1936 d. ---- Dentist, Physician, Olympic Athlete
Mel Blanc b. 1908 d. 1989 Cartoon Voice Actor "Man of a Thousand Voices"
Frank Borman b. 1928 d. ---- Astronaut Commander of Apollo 8, CEO of Eastern Airlines (1975-86), recipient of Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Vance D. Brand b. 1931 d. ---- Astronaut
Floyd A. Cailloux b. 1913 d. 1997 Businessman
Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. b. 1940 d. 2005 Politician Governor of South Carolina (1987-95)
Curtis L. Carlson b. 1914 d. 1999 Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
Mel Carnahan b. 1934 d. 2000 Politician Governor of Missouri (1991-2000)
Bill Clinton b. 1946 d. ---- Politician 42nd President of the United States
Gary Collins b. 1938 d. ---- Actor Best known for ''Airport'' (1970)
Walter Cronkite b. 1916 CBS Evening News anchor "The Most Trusted Man in America"
Walt Disney b. 1901 d. 1966 Cartoonist and entrepreneur
Lee S. Dreyfus b. 1926 d. ---- Educator and politician Governor of Wisconsin (1979-83)
J. Robert Duncan b. 1942 d. ---- Businessman, Avid Pilot
Buddy Ebsen b. 1908 d. 2003 Actor Jed Clampett in ''The Beverly Hillbillies''
Roy E. Fitzgerald b. 1907 d. 1999 Businessman, Philanthropist
Raoul L. Frevel, Sr. b. 1951 d. ---- Businessman, Civic and Masonic Leader
David Goodnow b. 1940 d. ---- Broadcast Journalist
Paul Harvey b. 1918 d. ---- ABC Radio broadcaster Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom
Mark Hatfield b. 1922 d. ---- Politician Governor of Oregon (1959-67), U.S. Senator (1967-97)
Burl Ives b. 1909 d. 1995 Folk musician and actor ''A Holly Jolly Christmas'', narrator of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''
Henry M. Jackson b. 1912 d. 1983 Politician U.S. Senator (1953-83)
Brereton C. Jones b. 1939 d. ---- Politician
Harmon Killebrew b. 1936 d. ---- Former professional baseball player and businessman
Richard King b. 1938 d. ---- Former President of Rotary International
Elmer Lower b. 1913 d. ---- Journalist, Media Executive
Bob Mathias b. 1930 d. ---- Olympic Athlete, Politician
Tom Osborne b. 1937 d. ---- Athlete, Coach, Politician
Walter C. Ploeser b. 1907 d. 1993 Businessman, Politician
Karl Reed b. 1911 d. 2000 Businessman
Pete Rose b. 1941 d. ---- Baseball player
Ronald W. Roskens b. 1932 d. ---- Educator, Researcher, Administrator
David Gray Ross b. 1935 d. ---- Judge
James Nicholas Rowe b. 1938 d. 1999 United States Army Colonel Vietnam POW, Author of ''Five Years to Freedom''
Harold Schafer b. 1912 d. 2001 Philanthropist and businessman Founder of Gold Seal Company
Lance P. Sijan b. 1942 d. 1968 United States Air Force Captain Winner of the Medal of Honor
Alex Spanos b. 1923 d. ---- Owner of the San Diego Chargers
Dean Spanos b. 1950 d. ---- Businessman, Community Leader
John Steinbeck b. 1902 d. 1968 Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Nobel laureate
John Cameron Swayze b. 1906 d. 1995 Newscaster
Fran Tarkenton b. 1940 d. ---- Professional Football Player, Businessman, Entrepreneur
John Wayne b. 1907 d. 1979 Actor
Lawrence Wilcox b. 1947 d. ---- Actor, Businessman
James C. Wright, Jr. b. 1922 d. ---- Politician

Notes


1. Cherokee Chapter, DeMolay's list of famous DeMolays
2. DeMolay Hall of Fame Accessed August 22, 2007.

External links



DeMolay International's website

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

psst.. try this: add to faves
Featured Companies
Vacation By VVacation By V