DeMolay
Chevalier Rings
Brief History of
the Chevalier Degree Ring
In the early 1930's DeMolay
founder Frank S. Land had been thinking of an honor
he could bestow on DeMolays and Senior DeMolays for outstanding service
to the Order. He wanted to honor them now, instead of waiting for
them to be nominated for the Legion of Honor in
years to come. He also wanted to
honor Senior DeMolays who had been working with chapters even though
they were not Masons, but had performed outstanding service to the Order.
In those days, DeMolay was recognized by only
about 50% of the Grand Lodges, consequently
many Senior DeMolays were active in chapters due to the
lack of Masonic support. In November of 1936, "DAD" Land, assisted
by Harold Bergstresser and John McKibben,
proceeded to write a Ritual for the conferral
of the Chevalier Degree. This became a reality in March, 1937 and "DAD"
Land began to nominate DeMolays and Senior DeMolays for this distinguished
honor. Mother Chapter, of course, had
the first investiture and it was held June 2,
1937 at the Little Theater in the Municipal Auditorium. Forty-one
active DeMolays or Senior DeMolays of
Mother Chapter were invested with the Degree on
that date. John S. McKibben, Jr. was recognized as the first
Chevalier, and the rest of the nominees
were numbered accordingly. Today, the rolls
of the Chevalier Degree number approximately 27,000, many of
whom are organized into Chevalier Courts. These Courts are encouraged to
be active in their support of DeMolay and its
ideals.
A special
"Thanks" to Brother Richard L. Kurtz, a Past Master of Hamilton
Lodge No. 664 in Bettendorf, Iowa and also a Senior Demolay for providing the
description of the Chevalier Degree. Thanks Brother Richard!
