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Our History

Ninth Grand Lodge Meeting


Ninth Grand Lodge Meeting Hosted by Sisilija Lodge of Buffalo, NY

The Ninth Meeting of the Grand Lodge hosted by Buffalo Lodge (later Sisilija Lodge) at Camp Rotary, Pilot Knob on Lake George, New York was held September 11-13, 1931. At least 15 lodges were in attendance with an unknown number of delegates. The Grand Lodge reaffirmed action of the Grand Lodge in 1927 (although it does not appear in the 1927 minutes) “that the word ‘fraternity’ be replaced with the word ‘brotherhood’ throughout all printed matter.” The Order was starting to pull away from the fraternal roots that influenced its beginnings. The Order was no longer a camp fraternity; it was a brotherhood and had begun using terms that would be more acceptable to the BSA national office. (Note - the Latin root for the word fraternity means brother.)

Another decision made at the 1931 Grand Lodge Meeting, by motion of J. C. Foster of Delmont Lodge, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, was that the official colors of the Order of the Arrow would be red and white.

A nominating committee created a slate of candidates nominating two Arrowmen for each office. For Grand Chieftain Theodore Shearer of Shaginappi Lodge, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (although records show Shaginappi Lodge chartered as the sixty-first lodge on March 11, 1932, Theodore Shearer had been with Owasippe Lodge) and Charles M. Heistand of Suanhacky Lodge, Jamaica, New York were the nominees. For Grand Vice Chieftain Myron C. Rybolt from Makajawan Lodge, Highland Park, Illinois and A.P. Newkirk of Wakpominee Lodge, Glens Falls, New York were nominated. The Grand Scribe nominees were Stanley R. Miller, Owasippe Lodge, Chicago and W.F. Livermore, Ajapeu Lodge, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The nominees for Grand Treasurer were Joseph N. Pattison, Unami Lodge and George Wycoff, Tonkawampus Lodge, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

When nominations were opened up to the floor Grand Chieftain Robroy Price was nominated for an unprecedented second term. To date, no Grand Chieftain had served for two terms and Robroy Price had just served a two-year term with the change in the WWW constitution effective 1927. The nominations closed and Robroy Price was elected to a second term as Grand Chieftain. In the history of the Order of the Arrow, Robroy Price is the only national level chief to be elected to more than one term (H. Lloyd Nelson would later be re-appointed chief during war years). Myron C. Rybolt was elected Grand Vice Chieftain, W.F. Livermore was elected Grand Scribe and Joseph N. Pattison was re-elected Grand Treasurer.