Volume 18, Issue 1 Independent Order of Odd Fellows News January—February 2015 Units of the Order Odd Fellows Lodge Rebekah Lodge Encampment Ladies Encampment Auxiliary Patriarchs Militant Ladies Auxiliary Patriarchs Militant THOMAS WILDEY (1782–1861) founder Junior Odd of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Fellows Lodge (I.O.O.F.) in North America. Theta Rho Girls’ Club United Youth Groups Wildey was born in London, England, 15 January 1782. He was left an orphan ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ five years later - and the I.O.O.F. pledge to “Educate the Orphan” sprang from his The World personal childhood experiences. At the age of 14, Wildey went to live with an uncle. of After he had 9 years of schooling, he became an apprentice to a maker of coach Odd Fellowship springs. He joined the British Oddfellows in 1804. 1 Australia When Wildey emigrated to America in 1817, the British were still unpopular in the 2 Belgium States because of the War of 1812. In that year Baltimore was suffering both a yellow 3 Belize fever epidemic and mass unemployment. An outgoing personality, Wildey missed 4 Canada companionship and advertised in the newspaper to determine if there were any other 5 Czech Republic Odd Fellows in Baltimore; he requested them to meet him at the Seven Stars Inn. 6 Chile On 26 April 1819, Wildey and the four men who responded to the advertisement, 7 Cuba John Welch, John Duncan, John Cheatam, and Richard Rushworth, formed the 8 Denmark Independent Order of Odd Fellows in North America, dedicating the Order to achieve 9 Dominican philanthropic goals. Other Englishmen who were Odd Fellows had grouped in the Republic states along the Eastern Seaboard, and Wildey gathered them all into the newly formed 10 Estonia fraternity. He traveled widely to set up lodges in the most recently settled parts of the 11 Finland country. 12 Germany At the time of his death in 1861, there were more than 200,000 members of the 13 Iceland I.O.O.F. in 42 states. In the late 19th century and early 20th century the I.O.O.F. 14 Mexico became the largest Fraternal Order in North America with more than two million 15 Netherlands, The members. 16 New Zealand 17 Nigeria 18 Norway 19 Philippines Sovereign Grand Master’s Message 3 20 Poland 21 Spain President - I.A.R.A. - Message 4 22 Sweden General Commanding / President - I.A.L.A.P.M. - Messages 5 23 Switzerland 24 United Kingdom 2015 Session Information 7-11 25 USA 26 Uruguay Membership 21-24 Sympathy to: The family of Lady Durea Russell, PP- Celebrating IALAPM 90-91 from Ohio — 14 November 2014. 109 years— The family of Donna J. Larrison, PP-IARA 85-86 from Michigan — 13 December Calvin K. Quier of PA 2014. 4 February Jan Simmonds, PP-IARA of Nebraska and family with the death of her husband Earl 90 years an Odd Fellow — 20 December 2014. 2 March ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thank you from: Orchard Park Lodge No. SGM Jimmy Humphrey for the many 187, NY—100 years kindness offered during the testimonial weekend. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Thinking of you: Jenny Sue Pearson, PP-IARA Lady Patty White, PP-IALAPM I.O.O.F. News Phone: 336-725-5955 Fax: 336-722-7317 E-Mail: [email protected] I.O.O.F. News is the official publication of the Notice: Independent Order of Odd Fellows. New Members are given a one year subscription to the I.O.O.F. News. Please Jimmy C. Humphrey, Editor check the expiration on your paper and make The Sovereign Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F., Publisher. sure to continue your subscription by sending I.O.O.F. News is published bi-monthly at 422 Trade St. in the proper fee shown on the back of you NW, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-2830, U.S.A. paper. 2 - I.O.O.F. News — Vol. 18, Issue 1 Office of the Sovereign Grand Master Independent Order of Odd Fellows January 2014 Brothers and Sisters, Greetings all, within the Order; it is quite simply the perception they get with their brief view in. Tom Peters, the I wish to share this article from Rick Boyles, a Past management guru, coined the phrase “perception is Grand Master of California because it speaks to a all there is” meaning that first impressions by an subject we all need to address. interested onlooker may be all the attention one receives. If they perceive disharmony, distrust, To Change or Not to Change — that is the hatred, or a general sense of malaise, they will shut Question… off any further view of such things. A happy, Whether ‘tis nobler . … just joking, to outgoing lodge spawns members. This should be continue my Shakespearean appropriation. … obvious. Almost all members I have met of late feel that at least some change is needed, but what form of So then, the question should arise as to how do change? The sad thing is that often lodges finally we become a happy lodge? Simple, really, we must decide change is needed when it has pretty much put our heads together within our individual lodges become too late. Lodges that have 5 or fewer and see what makes us happy, not some external members in attendance, often members of one group or mentality. Different lodges have different family, are already dead lodges walking. The interests. There is no worth in being a cookie cutter Lions’ club near my lodge, conversely, is panicking lodge. No two lodges are alike, and it can be our because their lodge has fallen below 600 members! differences that attract. The problems within our Do we really think 5 members makes up an Order come from our expectations that everyone adequate lodge structure? In reality, it is only the should behave in an identical manner. This will not skeletal vestige of a lodge. We must change to and should not happen, and clearly our name proves include today. What does that mean? We must this out. While the Declaration of Independence accept the simple fact that much has changed since declares “All Men are Created Equal”, which is a 1850 and show the world that we realize that. One perfect statement, it does not translate to “All Men of the questions I generally hear from those outside are Created Identical”. If everything were identical our order is “do you guys wear funny hats?” Thank where would the flavor and depth of life occur? goodness we do not. The point is that the interested No, it is our differences which are of most onlooker is asking such questions trying to ascertain importance, our personalities. It could easily be whether or not we have climbed into today’s world. proven that most conflict arises in the world out of In my year as Grand Master, I found that some someone’s misguided need to have everyone else lodges really have not advanced at all. To an walk in lockstep. This must never happen to our outsider contemplating membership, it is not about Order, but you can see the vestiges of that whenever charitable deeds (because they don’t know of them), you go into a troubled lodge, a few misinformed it is not about cash handling (also an internal issue), members squeezing the life’s blood out of their own it is not about some sort of political disagreements (Continued on page 6) “WE SEEK TO IMPROVE AND ELEVATE THE CHARACTER OF MAN” Vol. 18, Issue 1 — I.O.O.F. News - 3 Office of the President International Association of Rebekah Assemblies I.O.O.F. January 2015 Greetings Sisters and Brothers all, Here we are in a bright New Year. promote our Order. I hope this letter finds you all Our lodges here in Fort Worth work healthy and the holidays were great for with the UFO to get much needed you. supplies to our troops. My congratulations to all of the new Brother Gordon and I attended the officers. I hope your installations go testimonial weekend for our Sovereign well. Grand Master Jimmy Humphrey. It was a good time had by all. I thank you all I hope you all look forward to your for the love extended to me in the past lodge meetings. Do you try to do and I look forward to seeing and meeting something different some of the time? you in the coming months. That is what makes our Order so great. Fraternally, We can and should try different things to keep it interesting. Do you look forward to the meetings as a time to be with friends and as an opportunity to do the work that we can do or just hurry up Sharon Burt, President and get through so we can go home and watch the football game or just watch TV? I truly hope you look forward to the meetings as I do. Our Order needs more publicity. Our Order is civic welfare and our fraternal accomplishments should furnish our greatest publicity. Let the world know that Odd Fellowship is right. The future of our Order depends TEDDY BEAR—A SOURCE on how active we are in our Order. OF COMFORT AND JOY Please get out into the community and ALL OVER THE WORLD. Together we can succeed! 4 - I.O.O.F. News — Vol. 18, Issue 1 Office of the General Commanding General Military Council, Patriarchs Militant January 2015 Chevaliers, Ladies, Brothers, and Sisters, but I only had 15 sign up for the tours so I rented a 15 passenger van – It work out great.