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Hoover Elected President

Herbert Hoover was inaugurated as the 31^st President of the United States in 1929. During his Presidency, Hoover focused on pushing farm subsidy bills through congress; cracking down on gangsters participating in tax evasion (Al Capone was prosecuted); increased the amount of land used for National Parks and Forests (5.3 million acres).  Herbert Hoover was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts. He launched the ‘Forward Movement and Development Program’ during a dinner in honor of the 20^th Anniversary of the BSA in 1930.

2, Non-Scouting

25th Lodge Formed

On November 27, 1926 Garrison Lodge forms the fifth and last of the original five Chicago Council lodges to form. Carroll A. Edson founded all five of them. Garrison Lodge’s formation marks a milestone in the growth of our Order as the twenty-fifth lodge to charter. Garrison Lodge would later join the other four Chicago lodges when E. Urner Goodman consolidated them together to form Owasippe Lodge.

2, OA, Scouting

Goodman - Chicago Scout Executive

On May 1, 1927 E. Urner Goodman took the helm of Chicago Council as Scout Executive. This was a great professional opportunity for Goodman. Chicago was the largest council in the nation outside New York. And James E. West and the national office dominated New York. Chicago was the most significant Scout Executive position in the BSA. It was a long train-ride away from New York, calling was expensive. Because of this, Chicago had a propensity for doing things their own way. Goodman would bring Chicago Council into national compliance. This position led to a director position in the national office.

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1927 New York Yankees

The 1927 New York Yankees, featuring the “Murderers Row” of batters is considered by many to be the greatest baseball team ever. The team starred Babe Ruth who broke his own home run record with 60 homers, a .356 batting average and 164 RBIs. Batting behind Ruth was Lou Gehrig whose numbers included 47 home runs, 218 hits, a .373 batting average and 175 RBIs. Tony Lazzari, Bob Meusel, Earle Combs and Mark Koenig completed the “Murderer’s Row”. The Yankees broke the all-time win record posting 110 wins against only 44 losses and went on to win the National League championship in four games.

2, Non-Scouting

Coolidge Becomes President

John Calvin Coolidge Jr., became the 30^th President shortly after President Harding died of a heart attack and was elected President on his own accord in 1924. President Coolidge had two sons that were Boy Scouts. In 1926, Coolidge attended the 16^th Annual Meeting of the National Council in Washington DC. There, the President presented the first Silver Buffalo Awards. Some of the recipients that year included: Lord Baden-Powell, Dan Beard, James West, W.D. Boyce, E.T. Seton, and the Unknown Scout. Coolidge himself would receive the Silver Buffalo Award in 1929.

2, Non-Scouting

Third Grand Lodge Meeting

The Third Meeting of the Grand Lodge was held on October 12 and 13, 1923 at Camp Linstead. Nentico Lodge was the host along with their Supreme Chief of the Fire (Scout Executive) and Grand Lodge Scribe W. Perry Bradley. Seven lodges were in attendance with a total of 17 delegates. The Grand Lodge was dealing with a financial issue. The Grand Lodge Treasurer and the twelth Arrowman to keep the Third Degree (Vigil Honor), Bartram H. Dilks, a Scout professional from Harrisburg had disappeared, as had the Grand Lodge funds. Additionally, Dilks had received dues and installation fees from the new Chicago Lodges, however, the Grand Lodge Scribe had no record of these new lodges (hearkening memories of their votes not being allowed the year before), nonetheless their checks had been cashed.

A decision was made to have a Regional Executive, Roy F. Seymour, write Mr. Dilks a letter in his professional capacity and as a member of the Wimachtendienk. The letter would remind Dilks that it was “a serious indictment against the standing of a professional official of the Boy Scouts of America…” It is unknown if the money was returned or what happened to Dilks.

E. Urner Goodman was absent from the meeting due to illness (tuberculosis). As a result he was not present to see his co-founder Edson run unopposed securing the position of Grand Chieftain after falling short the previous two meetings. William Stumpp of Ranachqua Lodge, The Bronx, New York defeated Robert Henderson of Minsi Lodge, Reading, Pennsylvania to become Grand Lodge Scribe. Host W. Perry Bradley who had served as Grand Scribe was elected Grand Lodge Treasurer defeating J. D. Carstang of Pamrapaugh Lodge of Bayonne, New Jersey. Horace Kern of Unami Lodge was elected Chief Supply Officer defeating Alfred Nichols of Unami Lodge.

There was other business regarding ephemera and insignia. The Grand Lodge authorized the Chief Supply Officer to create engraved membership cards. Regarding insignia, a motion was made to change the insignia to a totem pin where the lodge totem was separated from the arrow, and instead connected by a chain. This type pin was already in use by Minsi Lodge in Reading Pennsylvania. The motion was not approved and would not change for another five years.

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Rule - Only One Lodge Per Camp

The Order of the Arrow’s local lodge organization was very different in 1923. The lodges were associated with their camp, not their council. Wimachtendienk after all was born a camp society. The greatest association with the council was through the Scout Executive who was the Supreme Chief of the Fire for each lodge in their council and could at his sole discretion terminate those lodges. The rule in effect in 1923 was the number of camps in a council that had the Order determined the number of lodges possible in that council. In the early years of the Grand Lodge there were two larger councils in the Order, Philadelphia and Chicago. Most of the other lodges were from smaller councils such as the councils in Reading, Pennsylvania and Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Both Philadelphia and Chicago Councils were so large that they had more than one council camp. Philadelphia had two, Treasure Island and Camp Biddle. Chicago had five camps, Camp Dan Beard, Camp McDonald, Camp Checaugau, Camp Blackhawk and Camp James E. West. And at those five camps Edson would eventually form five lodges (Moqua, Wakay, Checaugau, Blackhawk and Garrison).

The five lodges also had the effect, whether intended or not, of granting Edson five votes at Grand Lodge Meetings at a time when there were only ten or twelve votes in total being cast.

On May 28, 1923, this topic was very much on the minds of the Grand Council when they met in Richmond, Virginia. The Grand Council was comprised of the elected officers of the Grand Lodge and their meetings were open to other members as well as other Scout professionals interested in Wimachtendienk. They typically met at professional Scouter conferences that they would be attending anyway in their vocational capacity. The Grand Council was actually sitting on several applications for the very much up and running new Chicago lodges and although they had cashed the check for the charter fees, they had not acted upon the charters.

Now word had been received that Edson intended to initiate a sixth lodge. But this sixth lodge was different than any other lodge in existence. This lodge was to be formed at Camp Belnap, the camp for the segregated African American Scouts of Chicago assigned to Douglas Division. It also meant that the Second Degree, a blood-rite at the time (that is, as a fraternity, all Brothers in Wimachtendienk were blood brothers of each other, the original meaning of being a fraternal society) would at some point be administered between different races.

The official framing of the issue by the Grand Council was that Camp Belnap was part of another camp that already had a lodge. At the 1923 Grand Lodge Meeting the ruling came down that there could only be one lodge per camp. Any decision about issues of having a segregated lodge was averted. Chicago would be denied the lodge for Camp Belnap.

2, OA, Scouting

Grand Lodge Bulletin First Published

The member lodges of the Grand Lodge needed a way to communicate with each other. It was decided that a newsletter would be sent to members of the Grand Council and local lodge chiefs. The lodge chief was typically a professional Scouter although not in his professional capacity and was most often the Scout Executive. Grand Scribe William Stumpp first sent out the newsletter called the Grand Lodge Bulletin in 1924. In 1934 the name changed to the National Bulletin, the name it is published under to this day.

There are no known examples of most Grand Lodge Bulletins published prior to 1931. Copies of these bulletins are sought by the OA archives.

2, OA, Scouting

Order of the Arrow Public Name

One of the peculiarities of the OA is its name. The proper name, Wimachtendienk Wingolauchsik Witahemui, was a secret name. For public usage the name was simply WWW. That changed at the 1922 Grand Lodge Meeting. Another group, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), was using similar letters. To avoid confusion, the public name became Wimachtendienk, W.W. That was really a mouthful for non-members to say. At the 1924 Grand Council Meeting held in conjunction with a Scout executive Conference at Estes Park, Colorado, it was decided to change the public name at the next Grand Lodge Meeting to Order of the Arrow.  At the Fourth Grand Lodge Meeting the public name was changed to Order of the Arrow.

2, Founders, Goodman, OA, Scouting

Fourth Grand Lodge Meeting

Ranachqua Lodge hosted the Fourth Meeting of the Grand Lodge at the Kanohwanke Scout Camp near Tuxedo, New York. A record 10 lodges were present, it is unknown the number of delegates. A major topic involved voting rights. All Lodges had one vote at a Grand Lodge Meeting. A lodge with 400 members had as much voting power as a lodge with six Arrowmen. It was decided that each lodge should get one additional vote for every 100 Arrowmen. Alfred C. Nichols, Jr. of Unami Lodge was elected Grand Chieftain. Harvey A. Gordon of Cowaw Lodge, Perth Amboy, New Jersey was elected Grand Scribe. Joseph D. Carstang of Pamrapaugh Lodge, Bayonne, New Jersey was elected Grand Treasurer. Goodman remarked that the Order was being run by a young man, “who as a boy was initiated in the mother lodge years ago” about the election of Al Nichols.

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Harvey A. Gordon

Harvey A. Gordon was one of the early pioneers of the Order. Like most of the other early leaders, Gordon was a Scout professional. He was the only Arrowman to ever receive the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) posthumously as one of the 11 inaugural DSA recipients.

Gordon started in Scouts as a volunteer. He became Scoutmaster of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Troop 42 in 1913. In 1917 he was hired by Philadelphia Council to be Chief Field Executive and was inducted into Wimachtendienk by Unami Lodge. In 1919 Gordon became Chief Field Executive for the Greater New York Councils. In 1919 he became the Chief Camp Director of Kanohwahke Lakes, a national reserve for Scout camps.

In 1924 at the fourth Grand Lodge Meeting hosted at Gordon’s camp, Gordon was initiated as the Order’s 30th Third Degree (Vigil) member. At that Grand Lodge Meeting Gordon was elected to his first of four consecutive terms as Grand Lodge Scribe.

Gordon continued as Chief Camp Director at Kanohwahke Lakes until 1928 when he was selected to be the Director of Construction for Ten Mile River Scout Camps. In that capacity Gordon planned and constructed five camps for the five boroughs of New York. The camps were Camp Aquehonga (Staten Island), Camp Ranachqua (The Bronx), Camp Man (Queens), Camp Manhattan (Manhattan) and Camp Brooklyn (Brooklyn).

In 1930 Gordon was transferred to the national office in New York City as the first National Camp Engineer. In that role Gordon was in charge of the layout for the BSA subcamp at the 1933 World Jamboree and the pioneering gateway for that subcamp. Gordon also was Director of Physical Arrangements for the 1935 and 1937 National Jamborees. Gordon died after a long illness in 1938.

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Fifth Grand Lodge Meeting

For the Fifth Grand Lodge Meeting and 10th Anniversary of Wimachtendienk, W.W. the Grand Lodge returned to Philadelphia and Treasure Island with Unami Lodge the host. 27 delegates from nine lodges attended the assembly. At the meeting it was determined that certain changes had to be made in ceremonies to satisfy religious organizations. Also a full update of the constitution was passed. The greatest change was in nomenclature. First, Second and Third Degrees would now also be called "Ordeal", "Brotherhood" and "Vigil".

A Statement of Policy was also created. The policy stated that the Order of the Arrow was an adjunct of Scouting and no OA policies could be in conflict with the BSA. It further stated that the mother tongue of WWW was Lenni Lenape and that the Order was a “camp honor brotherhood of the Boy Scouts of America, designed to further Scout ideals therein.” Other points included that meetings of the lodge could be for business, social, planning or operational purposes to serve camp and camp spirit between seasons. One point specifically cautioned against over emphasis of Indian lore. Another policy stated that only First Class Councils (those with a full time professional) could have Wimachtendienk. A key guideline was an admonition that the Order must grow under its own merits and that no propaganda or promotion shall take place.

The last point in the guidelines was a requirement that lodges maintain the tradition of non-members electing members. Lodges were not allowed to replace what Goodman considered important democratic principles. Lodges also were forbidden from vetoing a candidate elected by his peers. This provision prevented blackballing; where a single member for any reason or no reason could keep someone out even if duly elected.

E. Ridgeway Carrick of Sanhican Lodge, Trenton, New Jersey was elected Grand Chieftain. Joseph D. Carstang from Cowaw Lodge was elected to the newly created Grand Vice Chieftain. Harvey A. Gordon, also of Cowaw Lodge was re-elected Grand Scribe. Lester Harrison of Chappegat Lodge was elected Grand Treasurer.

2, Elections, National Event, OA, Scouting