Why DeMolay?

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

RWB Michael H Shirley

Jacob Shirley with Kelsey Birdsell, Illinois DeMolay State
Sweetheart (left) and Nicholas Capes,
Illinois DeMolay State Master Councilor (right)

I’m originally from Evanston, Illinois, the city immediately north of Chicago, but I’ve lived in central Illinois for the last twenty-five years. There are frustrations common to both places, but I’ve learned that one difficulty that rural areas have that urban areas don’t is the lack of a good-sized population to draw from when you want to do things in groups. So the problems inherent in trying to rebuild a DeMolay chapter in a small town aren’t surprising. Tuscola, Illinois, is the county seat of Douglas County, and has a population of only 4600, which makes it the major metropolitan area around here. There are a couple of other towns of some size nearby, but the whole county has only 19,000 people in it, so finding boys who would be interested in DeMolay is not the easiest thing. We have an excellent Chapter Dad, and my wife, Debra, who’s on the board of advisors, is a font of ideas, but, in terms of numbers, we haven’t had much success so far. 

So why do it? I can’t speak for the other advisors, but I don’t think I’d be involved with DeMolay had I not seen it as a positive thing for my son, Jacob. Jacob is thirteen, and joined DeMolay three days after he turned twelve. He has Asperger’s, an IQ somewhere north of mine, a deep and abiding love of video games and animals, and the most inherently logical mind I’ve ever run across. DeMolay’s focus on leadership development, good citizenship, and basic decency seemed a good fit for him, especially since the only organized outlets for kids his age around here are sports, which he can’t stand, and Scouts, which he finds too outdoorsy. So we’ve been taking him to state events, where he’s been meeting other DeMolays from all over and generally having a good time. Last year, I took him to Fall Fest, the annual DeMolay Ritual Competition and Dodge Ball Tournament, and he enjoyed himself thoroughly, Dodge Ball being his one exception to the “no sports” rule. So this year, at my urging, he entered the ritual competition in Fifth Preceptor, Junior Division. And won it. We knew he had before the announcement, but it was a total surprise to him, and the joy and shock on his face when he received his medal and certificate from Nick Capes, Illinois DeMolay State Master Councilor, was infectious. He didn’t stop grinning for days, and neither did Deb and I. He’s already started preparing for next year’s competition, when he hopes to try at least the Magnificent 3 (three of the seven Preceptors’ recitations), or maybe even the Mag 7. I have no doubt he’ll succeed. DeMolay has taught him that some success can be earned by hard work and persistence, and now he wants more of it.

So when I wonder why I do it, I look at that picture of him with his medal and certificate, and remember: it’s about giving as many boys as possible that opportunity for excellence, for brotherhood, for growth. I certainly get something out of it (just look at that picture again), but it’s not about me. The best things never are.

~MHS

R. W. B. Michael H. Shirley is Assistant Area Deputy Grand Master for the Eastern Area for the Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M, as well as a Certified Lodge Instructor and Leadership Development Chairman for the Grand Lodge of Illinois. A Past Master and Life Member of Tuscola Lodge No. 332, a plural member of Island City Lodge No. 330, F & AM, in Minocqua Wisconsin and he is also a member of the Illinois Lodge of Research, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star, and the Tall Cedars of Lebanon. The author of several articles on British history, he teaches at Eastern Illinois University.