Frank S.
Land
Founder of
The Order of DeMolay
Frank Sherman "Dad" Land
Founded the Order of De Molay. Mr. Land was inspired to
found the Order of DeMolay during World War I. Many young men lost their
fathers in battle and were left adrift with no adult males to guide them on the
path to adulthood. As a community leader and a member of the Masonic
lodge, he modeled the organization on the idea that his Masonic brethren should
take an interest in the young men of the community with the purpose of acting as
their friends, advisors, and employers. He gathered a group of young men
and suggested that they form a club. During that meeting, he also related
the story of Jacques DeMolay, who had been a member of the Knights Templar in
the 13th century and had been martyred for refusing to betray his friends by
disavowing a forged confession. T his standard of loyalty to friends appealed to
the group, and they decided to name their club after DeMolay. The group
quickly grew to many chapters and was given official approval by the Masonic
fraternity to be considered as an appendant body, with each DeMolay chapter
being sponsored by a local Masonic lodge. Mr. Land's influence grew both within
and without the Masonic fraternity, and he associated with politicians,
celebrities, and prominent business men. He was an inspiration and an example to
many generations of young men who were members of the Order of DeMolay. Some of
DeMolay's notable alumni are Mel Blanc, Frank Borman, Walt Disney, Buddy Ebsen,
Paul Harvey, Alex Spanos, John Steinbeck, and John Wayne. The group is
known today as DeMolay International and is one of several Masonic youth groups,
which also include the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and the
International Order of Job's Daughters.
Bio and Photos are
courtesy of www.findagrave.com
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6871248
