It’s still a long, long way to Webbwood.

In a previous post I listed the 188 aeries closer to Toronto 2311 than is Webbwood 4269, the second-closest aerie to Toronto 2311 within the Ontario Provincial Aerie. This despite only one of them (London 4060) being in Ontario.

So let’s look at the other end: Sault Ste Marie 3991. There is one aerie (Heyden-Goulais River 4061) on the other side of Sault Ste Marie, 15.9 km (17 minutes) away, but Webbwood 4269 is Sault Ste Marie 3991’s second-closest aerie (230 km, 2 hours, 47 minutes) within the OPA as well.

There are 10 aeries closer to Sault Ste Marie 3991 than is Webbwood 4269, all of them in northern Michigan. The next-closest aerie to Sault Ste Marie 3991 after Webbwood 4269, however, requires driving almost the entire distance through the State of Michigan, a total distance of 679 kilometres (6 hours, 19 minutes) to London 4060.

That means every single Michigan State aerie (there are 127 of them) and all but eight of the 25 Wisconsin aeries are closer to Sault Ste Marie 3991 than is London 4060.

Every aerie in Wisconsin as well as every aerie in Michigan is closer to Sault Ste Marie 3991 than is Toronto 2311.

That, in part, would account for the Grand Aerie designating Ontario aeries as Ontario West (Sault Ste Marie, Heyden-Goulais River and Webbwood) and Ontario East (London and Toronto) for purposes of assigning them to different Regions.

Here are the Local Aeries closer to Sault Ste Marie 3991 than Webbwood 4061, with travel time in hours and minutes and distance in kilometers.

How to visit another Aerie

For Eagles in some places, visiting another Aerie is a matter of taking the crosstown bus. Ontario Eagles have a different experience. The distance between most Aeries is great enough to require an overnight stay.

Most Ontario Eagles have never visited an aerie other than their own, and that’s a shame. All of us, 1,500 aeries in Canada and the United States, have common purposes, very similar structures and memberships with much in common – “the fraternity for the common man”, as President Harry Truman called the Eagles, to which he belonged.

Because other aeries are so much like ours, you’ll see ideas you might suggest for your aerie or pitfalls to avoid, and in many cases something you can aspire to for your aerie.

In the vast majority of cases you’ll be very welcome as soon as you arrive. Sometimes you’ll feel like you’ve been a regular for years (North Vancouver BC, Hopkinsville and Louisville KY and Falls Creek PA come to mind). In rare cases members are unaccustomed to outsiders and it might take more effort. In my worst visit I had to show my membership along with photo ID and sign a waiver that I was not in law enforcement of any kind or municipal licensing, and that I was unarmed (though I felt like I was the only unarmed patron).

Eagles are at their friendly best when there’s something going on they’re proud of. There are plenty of special events ideal for visiting other aeries – Provincial and State Conferences and Conventions; District and Zone meetings; golf, bowling and horseshoe tournaments; and charity fundraisers that draw attendees from several aeries.

Something might take you out of town anyway – business, visiting relatives or cross-border shopping, for example. Whatever the reason, why not include a visit to one or more aeries that might be nearby?

Here’s what you might want to include in your planning:

Check the FOE Aerie Locator. Enter the city or town you’re going to and you’ll get a listing of nearby aeries with address, phone, meeting nights and whether or not they have Auxiliaries. Meeting nights (Aerie or Auxiliary) are the ones most likely attended by the most active members. The existence of an Auxiliary generally suggests a larger volunteer base for activities.

The aerie number also tells you how long the aerie has been around. Roughly, a number smaller than 1,000 means it was chartered in the heady first decade of the Eagles, likely by stagehands and entertainment people, and survived to the present. The 1000s means it was chartered in the 20s and early 30s, likely by community leaders interested in the growing activism in charities and lobbying for various political causes – and during Prohibition, when they couldn’t (legally) count on bar sales to support themselves.

An aerie number in the 2000s means it started post-prohibition but would in their early years see many of their members go off to war. Aeries in the 3000s started postwar, boom times for Eagles with returning veterans. Aeries in the 4000s are the newest and so have only recent history. Some have prospered right off the bat and others struggle to this day. This rough sense of history won’t tell you much, but it might suggest something of how well-established the aerie is in its community.

Check Google Maps next. The map itself will show you where the aerie is relative to highways, the airport, where you’re thinking of staying and the downtown, the beach or other areas you might want to visit. Next and still on Google Maps, check the street view. You’ll see the aerie in a big, grand-looking building, in a shopping plaza, in a modest converted house or storefront property. Go for a “walk” - drag your mouse along the street to see what’s nearby – farms, a residential neighborhood, a motel strip or a bustling shopping area, perhaps.

Then use “search nearby”. “Hotels”, for example, will tell you if they’re likely to be used to out-of-town visitors, and a check of room rates might suggest how expensive the neighborhood is. “Shopping malls” will do the same: a huge nearby mall suggests a prosperous market area. Search as well for Elks, Moose and VFW. A cluster of fraternal organizations is often a good sign. Finally, a look at Google Earth’s overhead view will tell you what parking there is, and what surrounds the aerie that you won’t always see in street view – industrial sites, fields and swamps, major highways, commercial or residential neighborhoods.

Next, Google “aerie xxxx, fraternal order of eagles” to see what comes up. If the aerie has a website or Facebook page you’ll see it quickly. Unfortunately these sites are meant for the locals and are more likely to see pictures of gussied-up banquet rooms for rent than you will of the social rooms showing you the regular atmosphere. Check for a calendar of events: lots of them is a great sign.

Google News with the same search term will show news coverage of a recent community event if they promoted it well; or, of course, a burglary, lawsuit or other catastrophic fire. Check its State or Provincial website to see if there are State or Provincial officers or committee people from the aerie you’re interested in, major State functions planned for there or if the aerie is home of a Grand officer or Hall of Fame member – all signs that the aerie is or at least has been outward looking rather than insular.

With what you’ve learned, ask your fellow Eagles. You know who the well-traveled ones are. Ask about their experiences, where they stayed, if there’s anyone special they should ask for and whether they’d want to return.

When you do visit, always take your FOE membership receipt with you. In many cases you won’t get in the door without it. Wear Eagles-identified clothing if you have any. Buy a few drinks for others as soon as you arrive.

Behave while you’re there. Respect your hosts and never be critical of anything you see. And perhaps most importantly, tell everyone at home when you return about your experiences.

Procedure 101: the By-Laws Committee

Boring, complicated, often overlooked, controversial and divisive they may be, but our Local Aerie By-Laws are important. That’s why one of the President’s first duties on assuming office (Statutes FOE Section 101.3) is to appoint a By-Laws Committee to review what’s now in place.

Their work takes time. Proposed changes then have to be read at three meetings (six weeks or more) before they’re voted on, require a two-thirds vote to pass and must (except for House Rules) be approved by the Grand Secretary (up to six months) before they take effect.

A Local Aerie in the Fraternal Order of Eagles is different from a local motorcycle or bridge club when it comes to writing or amending its By-Laws. The standard stuff of local groups needs to start with things we already have – an official name and purpose, how officers are elected and how often meetings take place, for example.

We in the FOE have 166 pages for the Aerie and 60 pages for the Auxiliary of requirements all of us must follow, as set out in the FOE’s Articles of Incorporation, Constitution, Statutes and Auxiliary Rules and Regulations. But those same requirements are chock full of phrases like “where provided for in its By-Laws”. The FOE at its Grand Convention considers By-Law changes every year, approving some and rejecting others. Throughout the Year, the FOE Grand Tribunal also rules on numerous interpretations of existing Statutes.

That’s why it makes sense (not to mention it’s required) that the President appoint a By-Laws Committee at the outset of his term to review the By-Laws you now have. It’s also important to keep them current because they have the force of law, not only with the FOE but in our civil courts, should the Aerie be sued, for example.

Here are just a few areas where a By-Law is required: abolishing the office of Outside Guard, allowing the President to appoint (rather than the Aerie elect) a Conductor and/or an Outside Guard, allow the Secretary and/or Junior Past President to also be a Trustee, limit consecutive terms in office, require past service to run for Trustee, compensate officers, discipline officers for not attending meetings and changing the meeting night.

Here are five questions the By-Laws Committee should deal with before it recommends any changes.

Does it need to be a By-Law or just a policy? Bylaws are intended to be hard to change, to make sure that’s the way things are done. Sometimes, though, you don’t need that level of protection. How bank accounts are set up to handle Aerie funds is important and must be set out in By-Laws. On the other hand, the Aerie can set up a Yard Cleanup Committee anytime it’s needed, but will it really be necessary to require the President to set one up every year?

Does it repeat or conflict with the Statutes FOE? Why complicate matters with By-Laws requiring something already required in the Statutes? It just makes the By-Laws longer and harder to understand. And if a proposed By-Law conflicts with the Statutes, the Grand Aerie will reject it anyway and your Committee has wasted its time.

Does it unnecessarily complicate officers’ duties? There’s plenty in the Statutes for your officers to do, and lots of protection to be sure they do it in accordance with the aerie’s wishes. Forget about the officers you have now and what they’re especially good at. You have elections, so anyone can fill that office in the future. Do you really want the next President to have to sing at Initiation ceremonies because this year’s President does it so well?

Do we or will we need it? You might not have a Past President’s Club, offer Life Memberships or plan to hire a full-time bar manager right now. All of those, however, require a By-Law and it takes months to complete a By-Law change. If you think you might need it you can always insert the provision now, with a By-Law saying “the Aerie may …” rather than “the Aerie shall….”

Does it have broad member support? You have a long process ahead of you reading proposed By-Law changes at three meetings before members can even debate an issue. What are the chances your proposal to increase or decrease dues, pay the President a salary or give the Trustees a five-year term of office will pass a vote? If it’s worth considering, fine, but if there’s no chance the aerie will accept it, why bother?

Ontario Aeries to be reassigned to 2 Regions

Ontario’s five aeries are to be redistributed to two different regions in a realignment of regional jurisdictions by the Fraternal Order of Eagles’ Board of Grand Trustees. The decision was communicated today to all State and Provincial Presidents and Secretaries, including Ontario Provincial Aerie President Robert Williams (London 4060) and Secretary Dana Leisk (Toronto 2311).

London 4060 and Toronto 2311, now together designated as Ontario East, will become part of Eastern Region, which also includes Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Sault Ste Marie 3991, Heyden-Goulais River 4061 and Webbwood 4269, now Ontario West, will become part of a reconfigured Great Lakes Region which will also include the upper portion of Michigan State Aerie and Wisconsin State Aerie.

The change takes effect with the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

Ontario will be the only Provincial Aerie and Michigan the only State Aerie where individual Local Aeries are not assigned entirely to single Regions. All other States and Provinces will be assigned entirely to their respective Regions.

The Ontario Provincial Aerie is currently part of the Eastern Canada Region along with Quebec, a Region that will no longer exist. Quebec Provincial Aerie will become part of New England Region, along with the State Aeries of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts/Rhode Island and Vermont.

In fact, all Canadian Local Aeries will become parts of primarily US-based Regions. British Columbia will be part of Pacific Northwest Region with Alaska, Oregon and Washington. Alberta/Saskatchewan Provincial Aerie will join Idaho, Montana and Wyoming in Mountain Region.

Until the mid-1990s, Ontario East was comprised of Toronto 2311 and the now-defunct Ft Erie Aerie, and was part of New York State Aerie (as were the Quebec Local Aeries). The remaining Ontario Aeries (including at that time London 4060) were Ontario West and were part of Michigan State Aerie. When Ontario and Quebec formed Provincial Aeries the two Provinces were joined as Eastern Canada Region.

Want to visit a New York aerie the easy way? Take the train.

Fully half of New York State’s 26 aeries are easy to visit via the Maple Leaf, the CN Rail/Amtrak route from Toronto to New York City that leaves Toronto’s Union Station at 8:20 every morning. Union Station itself is only a short distance from Toronto Aerie 2311.

The table below shows 13 New York aeries with the stations closest to them, the cab ride time and distance to the aerie from the train station, and the same-day arrival time if you took a cab immediately on arrival. Even including the two-hour stopover at the border, every trip is all-daylight, arriving at the latest by 7:00 pm.

Why the train? First, the cost is low enough to rival the cost of driving (even if you have no car trouble). Return fare ranges from $99 to Buffalo to $206 to Albany-Rensselaer for a senior’s coach seat.

You can take your own food and beverages to eat on the way. You can sleep, read, listen to music, walk around or enjoy some pretty spectacular scenery.

Luggage is another factor. You can take two carry-on bags of up to 50 lbs each plus a purse or small personal bag, plenty if you plan on some cross-border shopping.

It's a long, long way to Webbwood.

It's even farther, much farther, to two other aeries in Ontario for members of Toronto Aerie 2311.

Here's a chart showing the 50 closest Local Aeries to Toronto 2311. You'll note only one of them is in Ontario.

Distance is the OPA's biggest challenge

With more than 1,500 Local Aeries operating under similar rules and sharing common goals, there is much to be learned by visiting other aeries. In Ontario, however, that's not always practical. With enormous distances between aeries (and not many aeries to begin with), Ontario's Local Aeries generally operate pretty much n their own.

To put that into perspective, Ontario has one aerie for roughly every 215,000 square kilometers (the land area of Idaho per aerie) while, at the opposite extreme, Ohio has 191 aeries, one per 554 square kilometers - 38 times as many aeries in one quarter the land area.

The longest trip by car between aeries in Ontario is 691 km Toronto 2311 to Heyden-Goulais River 4061. If all of Ohio's Local Aeries were along that route, they would be about 3.6 kilometers apart, an average 40 minute walk from aerie to aerie. As it is now in Ontario, you would pass only one aerie (Webbwood 426) along that route. Walking eight hours per day, you would take 11.5 days to get to Webbwood from Toronto, and another six days to get to the end of your journey.

GWP visit to Ontario cancelled

Visits in May to London Aerie 4060 and Toronto Aerie 2311 have been cancelled.

In an email yesterday to OPA Secretary Dana Leisk, Vicki Ellis, executive Secretary to GWP David Tice, advised the following:

"I must let you now some bad news. GWP David Tice and his wife Roberta will be unable to travel to Ontario due to a problem with a passport. Their last name was spelled wrong on a passport and it will be a while before they get this straightened out.

"They asked that the Province accept their apologies for this unfortunate incident.  We can try to possibly get them up your way after the convention for an assignment of some sort if they are able."

GA issues Mother's Day press release

The Grand Aerie issued a very good news release yesterday on the 100th anniversary of the declaration of a national day of observance of Mother’s Day.

Here it is:

MOTHER’S DAY TURNS 100:
A Holiday Inspired by Scribbles on a Postcard

APRIL 29, 2014 - The American nationwide observance of Mother’s Day celebrates its
100th anniversary this year.  In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a Congressional Bill designating the second Sunday every May in honor of mothers, following a decade of activism led by the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE).  Many trace the origin of Mother's Day to a movement begun in 1904 by Eagles Past Grand Worthy President Frank E. Hering, which would prove to be the first of the organization’s many history-making accomplishments.

In the decades to follow, the FOE has played a similarly prominent role on a broad array of social and philanthropic causes, including helping launch Social Security and Medicare and ensuring legal protection against job discrimination based on age. This Mother's Day, the Eagles celebrate the completion of $25 million, multi-year commitment to establish the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the
University of Iowa, a state-of-the-art medical research facility dedicated to the prevention and potential eradication of diabetes.

Hering, a Notre Dame football coach and history professor and two-time FOE Grand Worthy President from South Bend, IN, made the first public plea for the establishment of a nationwide Mother’s Day during an event held at Indianapolis’ famed English Opera House. The inspiration had first come to him from a teaching colleague who set aside classroom time once a month to make his students scribble a postcard to their mothers.

Hering urged the Eagles to honor “the great things of the world that have been achieved by mothers’ love and devotion” and suggested that one Sunday each year be dedicated for that purpose.  The idea was firmly embraced and promoted by the membership, and within a short time, several states had moved to formally establish Mother’s Day observances. The growing movement helped galvanize lobbying efforts that led to legislation in the U.S. Congress for the Wilson proclamation. Anna Jarvis, the other major crusader for a memorial day for mothers, suggested the date in May.

Remarkably, the FOE was founded only six years before Hering’s speech by a group of six theater owners in Seattle, WA.  Meeting to decide on how to settle a musicians’ strike, the competitors also came up with the idea to join together in a non-profit organization dedicated to “uniting fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice and equality, to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills, and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope.” The popularity of the organization spread rapidly via the nationwide circuit of theaters and the promotion of touring actors, stagehands and playwrights who were among the earliest members. Their ranks have broadened to include seven former U.S. Presidents, celebrities and other notables from all walks of life.

Today, 800,000 members based in over 1500 chapters (“Aeries”) and 1300 women’s Auxiliaries raise in excess of $100 million each year to benefit local communities and charities. They have also donated millions of dollars to aid medical treatment and research on a host of conditions, most recently with a priority on the prevention and cure of diabetes.

"It brings us great pride to watch the world celebrate 100 years of Mother's Day, knowing how much work was done by Eagles to make this occasion possible," Eagles’ Grand Worthy President David Tice said. "That commitment to excellence carries on today as a signature of the Eagles and shines through in our efforts to find a cure for diabetes at The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center."

The top 10 excuses for not supporting FOE charities (and how to answer them)

Charity activity will transform our aeries - as long as we can counter the naysayers. Here are a few suggestions:

1. “Can’t afford it – the Aerie needs money.” If we raise money for the premises and not for charity, we end up as a bar that charges dues competing with bars that do not – and expecting people to contribute for improvements that our competitors pay for out of their bar revenues. A charity event gives more people a reason to support the bar. It gives them a reason to invite others to join them. And when a charity event raises money, the bar generally takes in more money that neither the charity nor the bar would have seen otherwise. Charity makes more money for the Aerie.

2. “Our members can’t afford it.” Instead of relying only on outright contributions and raffles, look first for ways we can together provide entertainment “bargains” for members – a lunch or dinner, entertainment or other social outing members wouldn’t have elsewhere or on their own. That by itself is an important contributor to the well-being of our community.

3. “We don’t even know where to begin.” Start by appointing Committee Chairmen for all or most of the FOE charities, even if their only role for now is to report at meetings whenever others express an interest in helping those causes. It gives people someone to go to when they have an idea. No Eagles Club in Ontario is large enough to become large donors to every FOE Charity Foundation charity, and some of those Committee Chairmen will only report that there’s no activity so far.

The FOE Charity Foundation logo is not free clip art people can slap onto posters for whatever fundraisers they like. It's meant to be used to show that your event is part of the very special effort that has helped Eagles raise well over $100 million so far – all of which aids research and treatment.

4. “We don’t have the money for expenses.” Start with small things that don’t cost much. The money raised will be in the Aerie Charity Fund if needed for investments in bigger events. You’ll know from the success of your smaller events and the volunteers they attract if you’re ready for a big event. If not, just keep on with the smaller activities until the opportunity does arise. Ten $50 events is the same revenue as a single $500 event, often at less total cost.

5. “People don’t want to be hounded for money all the time.” Raffles and 50-50 draws have their places, but they shouldn’t be relied upon for most fundraising dollars. With social events for charity, people with limited means should be able to have just as much fun as those with more money who choose to participate in extras like raffles. The event that turns a modest profit for the charity will also generate a big increase in bar revenues.

6. “We need to focus on increasing membership first.” New members come from sponsors who are current members. Our members need something to feel proud of, something to brag about to their friends and relatives who aren’t Eagles now. A member working for the Diabetes Fund now has a reason to bring in as a new member that diabetic cousin or nephew who otherwise wouldn’t be attracted to the Eagles, to help out in a cause that’s important to him. Relying on cheap bar prices only attracts cheap drinkers, discouraging others who want something more meaningful for their leisure time.

7. “We don’t have the volunteers for a big event.” Nothing succeeds like success. Start with a small fundraiser that needs two or three people to make it work. That makes people aware of the charity and generates the seed money to do something a little bigger next time. Now that others have seen exactly what’s involved, it’s easier to get more volunteers for the next time.

8. “We support the big charities.” The big charities are so well known because they keep so much of your donations for administrative expenses and salaries, advertising and promotion and “awareness
programs”. The small portion that’s left for research could be going anywhere. You as the donor have no say in who gets it. The Fraternal Order of Eagles Charity Foundation already has a structure, the Grand and Provincial Aeries, which we already pay for through our membership dues: no administrative rake-off.

9. “Charity begins at home – we should help local causes here in town.” Indeed we should. Only the Fraternal Order of Eagles Charity Foundation lets a Local Aerie “earmark” funds it raises to meet a local need – and then allows the Provincial Aerie to “top up” that money to produce a larger grant than would have been possible otherwise. Donations made locally might produce a thank-you letter that will gather dust on an Aerie bulletin board. But a grant from the FOE might make our aerie the largest single contributor to a local support group or treatment center.

10. “We don’t get any recognition for sending money to the Grand Aerie.” We don’t “give” the money we raise to the Grand Aerie. The Grand Aerie holds those funds in trust, and for the most part returns it to the Province or State it came from. Our money is spent on grants in our communities. We can’t count on that from other charity fundraising organizations. The only exceptions are funds used for large grants at our annual Conventions that significantly raise awareness of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and small grants provided to new Local Aeries to kick-start public appreciation of the Eagles in new communities.

Former Toronto 2311 member Kim Coady has passed away

Kim Coady, former member of Toronto 2311 Auxiliary, passed away two days ago from cancer.

She was no longer a member of the Eagles but will be fondly remembered by several old-timers. She passed away peacefully at the age of 54. Visitation will be from noon to 4:00 .m. Sunday, May 4 at Giffen-Mack Funeral Home at 2570 Danforth Avenue at the Main Street Subway Station.

There will be a Celebration of Life after the visitation at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 Baron Byng Beaches, 243 Coxwell Ave at Broadview Ave.

New FOE video promo posted

The Grand Aerie uploaded a short video promo yesterday for Eagles membership highlighting our involvement in Mother's Day.

There's still time to plan a function for Mother's Day

Every Eagle, surely, is well aware of the role played by the Fraternal Order of Eagles in having a national day of observance declared in 1914 to honour our mothers on the second Sunday in May.

For those who aren't aware, FOE member and entertainer Tony Orlando appears on Fox News' The Huckabee Show Mother's Day weekend. Here is the FOE information with other information sources. I'll try to post the interview on Saturday.

Frank Hering's campaign
 for Mother's Day gave
 the Eagles the political
 skills to fight for
 numerous causes in
later years.

My personal opinion is that the long-term importance of Grand Aerie President Frank Hering's campaign for Mothers Day was that it taught the Eagles how to lobby at the grassroots level - campaigning aerie by aerie in their cities and towns, in their States and Provinces, in support of an issue they felt was important.

The lessons the Eagles learned during that campaign served them well as they later campaigned for the first widows' pensions, then old age pensions at the State level, then the federal US Old Age Security program, which fellow Eagle and US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt admitted would not have been possible without the tireless campaigning of the Eagles.

Throughout those campaigns, many of the pioneering legislation for the first government pensions was actually drafted by Eagles before they were adopted State after State.

Our Statutes actually require a Mothers' Day observance. FOE Statute Section 72.4 says, in part, "On the second Sunday in May of each year, each local aerie shall hold services appropriate to Mother's Day."

We miss that occasion far too often.

At minimum we should do what the Eagles did a century ago: sell carnations to our members, who would wear a white carnation if their mothers were deceased, a red one if they were not. You've still got time. Take a look a this video the Grand Aerie produced for Mother's Day.

Even "dumb criminals" come to the Eagles

This is the funniest video about the Eagles I've ever seen.

Last month Aerie 3004 in Okanagon County Washington was burglarized - by the second time yet - by a genius who was at the time wearing an ankle bracelet awaiting trial on another charge.

In case you didn't know, ankle bracelets are equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) so the police can track you wherever you go.

The police wasted no time picking up a "suspect".

You can watch the video here.

Report of aerie physician? What’s that?

You’ll see it in the FOE Ritual book, the eighth item on the Order of Business for general meetings: “Report of aerie physician”. No President in Ontario reads that item, and I’m not aware of any aerie anywhere that does. But there was a time when it was a very big deal indeed.

You’ll see it in the Statutes FOE as well. Section 80.1 lists Local Aerie Officers, including an aerie physician “when so provided by an Aerie in its By-Laws”. Section 90.1 goes on to say those By-Laws should have provisions “regulating his or their duties and compensation, the manner of selection by election or appointment, and the term of office, which shall not exceed three (3) years.”

At the dawn of the 20th century some fraternal organizations contracted with physicians to provide medical care for their members in return for an annual fee paid by the fraternal from dues revenue. It was called the Lodge Doctor system, a wonderful free-market system that provided house calls, treatment, and even minor surgery for an annual cost to the lodge brother or sister for a dollar or two per year, about the cost of a single doctor’s visit on a fee-for-service basis. The big exception usually was denial of treatment for conditions caused by alcohol or whatever the lodge defined as “immoral behavior”.

The best and best-known account of the system is in  David Beito’s book From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967. You can also read about it in Puck Smith’s blog Things I’ve Found.

Beito in particular tells the story to make his case that a completely free market medical system would work best because the Lodge Doctor system was the free market: easy access, low cost and voluntary participation.

The Lodge Doctor patient had a good deal of power in the doctor-patient relationship: if they weren’t treated well and respectfully, they would be reported to the lodge, where there could be sanctions against the physician, who might even lose his contract.

It was first popular among small urban lodges, especially among eastern European Jews in New York’s Lower East Side and black women’s’ lodges in New Orleans – groups with low incomes and a tough time getting respect from society doctors.

Some 500 physicians catered to these New York Jewish societies by 1915 and among blacks in New Orleans there were more than 600 fraternal societies with Lodge Doctors in the 1920s.

And while the system was small-time, local and mainly for the poor who wouldn’t pay regular doctors’ fees anyway, it worked very well indeed. The low cost and guaranteed service encouraged early treatment (preventive medicine), less reliance on cure-worse-than-the-disease folk remedies and the patent medicines readily available, like morphine, laudanum, heroin and cocaine (if there was anything useful in them at all). A young doctor new in town could pick up an entire practice immediately with this bulk contracting of his services. There was nothing then (nor is there today) to match it for people of modest means needing regular care for their families.

Then it went big time. The Lodge Doctor system was adopted by the two fastest-growing fraternal organizations ever, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Independent Order of Foresters (where I worked before I retired). Many thousands of people opted for a Lodge Doctor instead of paying fees per visit. In Beito’s book he says that by 1906 in Seattle (where the Eagles was founded) some 20 per cent of adult males were covered by a Lodge Doctor.

Two things happened.

First, some doctors got greedy, contracting with as many as 10 different lodges to be their doctor and seeing as many as 100 patients per day. Then all doctors, through their powerful new closed-shop union, the American Medical Association, launched an all-out assault on this growing threat to their fee-based incomes. As early as 1913 the AMA founded a “Propaganda Department” to spread information about health fraud including the evils of the Lodge Doctor. They also campaigned stridently that there were too many physicians in the marketplace because there were too many medical schools.

Its Code of Ethics  prohibited the solicitation of patients by physicians in 1922, and by 1934  made it unethical for any physician to dispose of his or her services to any lay body, organization, group, or individual under the conditions that would permit any of them to receive a profit on the doctor's services.

Throughout this campaign, those Lodge Doctors were sometimes expelled from the AMA or denied hospital facilities. In some cases individuals who used a doctor who had worked even in the past for a lodge would be denied medical treatment, even sometimes emergency hospital treatment.

The campaign worked wonderfully for the AMA in protecting doctors’ fees. From 1916 to 1919 alone it is estimated that physician income soared by 41 per cent. As the AMA tightened the noose, the number of medical schools also plummeted, from 166 in 1904 to 81 in 1922.

By the late 1930s the Lodge Doctor system all but disappeared – except, apparently, in the Eagles’ ritual.

Tammey Artuso Eastern Canada Auxiliary President

Incoming 2014-2015 Ontario Provincial Madam President Tammey Artuso has also been named Eastern Canada Regional Auxiliary President for the same term.

A charter member (1981) of the Sault Ste Marie Auxiliary 3991, Tammey has held every office except Secretary in her Local Auxiliary, Mother and Grandmother.

During the years of Sault Ste Marie 3991’s association with Michigan State she was a District Chairman, Zone Chairman and Auxiliary Adviser for the Junior Eagle Thunderbirds. During the Sault’s years with the Ontario Provincial Aerie she has been Zone 1 Vice Chairman and Chairman, Provincial President, Vice President and Past President as well as Ontario Provincial Mother.

She is a past charity chair for the Diabetes Research Center, Art Ehrmann Cancer Fund, Robert Hansen Diabetes Fund, Jimmy Durante Children’s Fund, Lew Reed Spinal Cord Injury Fund and Alzheimer’s Fund.

She was also Co-chair of the Christmas Box Charity for Grand Madam President Katie Ziebol.

The Eastern Canada Region is composed of the Ontario Provincial Auxiliary and the Quebec Provincial Auxiliary.

Toronto 2311 to elect 3 officers May 14

Toronto’s Maple Leaf Aerie 2311 will hold elections May 14 for the offices of Vice President, Secretary and Trustee, while the positions of Chaplain and Inside Guard remain vacant following nominations April 23.

Candidates for Vice President are incumbent Tom Robson and previous officer Roger Hubbard. Candidates for Secretary are incumbent Jacquie Smith and Brad Fortner. Candidates for Trustee are incumbent Dan O’Reilly and Ron Rankine.

At the same meeting Ken Cooper was acclaimed for a fourth term as Aerie President and Vicki Reid was acclaimed for a fourth term as Conductor.

Treasurer Art Richard and Trustees Bob Boag and Mike Wolfe are serving multi-year terms and continue in office.

In accordance with Aerie 2311 Bylaws, polls will be open from noon to 7:30 p.m. Election will be by printed ballot. Under the FOE Model Election Rules, each nominee may have an observer at the polls and/or at the counting of the ballots.

Members voting must have their current official dues receipt with them – the Secretary cannot vouch for a member who does not have his or her receipt. Members do not have to vote for all positions. Tellers ignore blanks and count only ballots cast. Election tellers present their report at the meeting that evening, with the President announcing the results.

The new executive, including candidates elected May 14, will be installed at a ceremony May 28, scheduled to be conducted by Grand Worthy President David Tice. They take office officially at the first general meeting in June.

The Eagles' yellow card story

During the last half of the nineteenth century hundreds of fraternal organizations were formed in Canada and the United States, and most of them failed or were merged into other fraternals fairly quickly. So how did the Fraternal Order of Eagles do so well?

Founded in 1898, new lodges called aeries and new memberships soared: by 1911 there more than 1,000 aeries, more than a million members at a time when it had, as most fraternals did, men-only memberships. It was the fastest-growing fraternal organization in history.

Sure, the feel-good accounts about a commitment to equality, more open membership requirements and an early commitment to charity all contributed.

John Considine, left, and John Cort, right
 were among theatrical pioneers
 who founded the FOE.

But the short answer is that the Eagles came along at the right time, in the right place, and was founded by the right people; the show business industry was in the midst of unprecedented upheaval; and a great many jobs were at stake.

The FOE was one of the last attempts to form a fraternal organization, in 1898 Seattle Washington, by a group of theatre owners. They included two of the greatest show business pioneers: John Cort, who would become the owner of more independent legitimate theatres (assigned seating, no liquor) than anyone in history; and John Considine, co-founder of one of the largest vaudeville circuits in America, the Sullivan-Considine circuit, the first to offer top-level entertainers contracts for 26 weeks of continuous work from one town to the next.

The founders first called it The Order of Good Things. They wanted a place where theatre people could socialize among themselves, resolve constant labour disputes and business rivalries, and do some good for their community.

The Eagles founders started the fraternity in 1898 for theatre people to socialize among themselves, to settle labour disputes and business rivalries, and to do some good for the community.

The railway had just come to Seattle, transforming the city from a sleepy lumber town that had shipped most of its output by sea to San Francisco. The railway also made possible the choice of Seattle as the departure and return point for the many dreamers and schemers who joined the Yukon Gold Rush, the biggest and longest-lasting scramble for gold in history.

Seattle boomed, equipping would-be gold miners heading north and buying their gold when they returned. Most importantly for the Eagles founders, they also entertained legions of single men with get-rich-quick dreams, (sometimes) lots of money and no family responsibilities.

Crews of railway navvies were laying new track everywhere, transforming a continent used to travel only by ship, stagecoach, by wagon or on horseback. One of the biggest changes came to the entertainment industry.

All entertainment then, of course, was live entertainment. The talent would travel from town to town, find a local producer to put on a show and hire local people as stage hands, to build props and sets, to make costumes and whatever else was required for the show. The railway changed all that. Now entire shows – sets, props, costumes and instruments, along with the entire talent and support staffs could show up good to go.

So who got the work – the local people who made their living supporting shows when they came to town or the out-of-town crews down at the railway station? The conflict prompted formation of a new union, the National Association of Theatrical and Stage Employes (that’s how they spelled it), soon to be renamed the International Association of Theatrical and Stage Employes, or IATSE, when Canadian locals were admitted. Early Locals in New York and Chicago at first tried a local-hire-only approach, a losing battle when so much was to be gained shipping everything by rail.

The new Northwest District of the union, based in Seattle, had a better idea. There was this new fraternal organization where the producers mingled with show business people and support staff. They approached men like Cort and Considine with a proposal: we’ll do all the hiring here at the aerie, whether local or out of town, and guarantee fully-staffed shows for their entire runs, saving you labour strife and critical staff shortages.

There's a history behind the Eagles membership card
being yellow in colour.

By using the local aerie as a hiring hall (something the union couldn’t afford to set up itself), the union had a ready pool of members while the producers as Eagles leaders got a powerful incentive for show people to join the FOE to get those jobs.

Named after the FOE’s yellow membership cards, it was called the yellow card system, and the shows so organized were called yellow card shows (as they are to this day).

The union-fraternity partnership caused membership in the FOE to soar. New aeries were launched throughout the American northwest and in southern British Columbia, and then followed the railways. Aeries were numbered in order of their charter dates. Aerie 1 was (and is) in downtown Seattle, Aerie 6 in Vancouver BC. Aerie 10 in Rossland BC and Aerie 23 at Winnipeg’s railhead (both still operating) followed. Even Ontario chartered two aeries in 1904, in Sault Ste Marie and Toronto, though both failed the first time.

By 1911 the Fraternal Order of Eagles had its million members in 1,000 aeries. The yellow card system worked well for all concerned. IATSE became (and remains) one of the most successful unions in history. By 1913 IATSE members voted in international convention in Ottawa to adopt the yellow card system everywhere. And IATSE was now successful enough to have its own hiring halls, bypassing the Eagles altogether.

But the Fraternal Order of Eagles was now firmly established even without IATSE.

How's the rest of Canada doing?

In addition to the Ontario Provincial Aerie, Canada has four other provincial jurisdictions.

The brightest spot is Alberta/Saskatchewan, combining the two provinces. Its eight Aeries are, as of the end of March, 140 per cent of quota, with 337 new members signed up - 30 more than last year. Alberta/Saskatchewan's eight Auxiliaries are at 115 per cent of their annual quota already, with 166 new members, 22 more than last year.

By far the biggest Canadian jurisdiction is British Columbia. Its 402 new Local Aerie members in 23 aeries amounts to 99 per cent of its quota for the year, but it's 20 fewer than last year at this point. BC's 21 Auxiliaries signed up 91, only 32 per cent of its annual quota and 43 fewer than last year.

Manitoba's four Local Aeries make it the smallest jurisdiction anywhere in the Eagles, and continues to suffer declines. It had 12 new members by the end of March, 25 per cent of quota and 11 fewer than last year. Manitoba's lone Auxiliary signed up two, 17 per cent of its annual quota and one fewer than last year.

Quebec is the other Provincial Aerie in Eastern Canada Region. Its six Local Aeries signed up 81 new members, 96 per cent of its annual quota and two fewer than last year, while its six Auxiliaries signed up 18 new members, only 25 per cent of annual quota and six fewer than last year.

Best source of new members? New members, of course.

The new member initiation ceremony isn’t just the end of the process of recruiting those members; it’s the beginning of your best chance to grow your aerie or auxiliary membership even more. Those new brothers and sisters are themselves gold mines for new prospects.

New members have family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, fishing buddies and fellow softball team members who know little or nothing about the Eagles. They need to be motivated to recruit them.

Remember EMOALONMTHAEY? We often say (and most of us post a sign saying) “every member owes at least one new member to his/her aerie/auxiliary every year”. If all Eagles did that, of course, our overall membership would double every year, while we are in fact declining in membership numbers. The Grand Aerie Membership Department says only eight percent of us sign a new member in any given year.

If we can get new members to sign up others right away we can make a dramatic difference. According to Grand Aerie Membership Director Vince Kinman, “if only four percent of new members signed up another member during their first year, the FOE overall would have a net gain in members every year.”

Imagine what could happen if each of our Local Aeries set a goal of one new member from each new member. It’s a modest enough goal, but the payoff would be spectacular!

Here are a few suggestions for meeting that goal:
• Have an officers meeting before an initiation, to review what we know about each candidate. Assign an officer to be in charge of welcoming each new member, along with that new member’s proposer.
• The assigned officer’s job begins at the end of the ceremony: he or she now has to engage the new member in conversation, take him or her around to introduce other members, and let the new member know what upcoming activities there are that might be of interest.
• The assigned officer is given a list of upcoming events (dinners, dances, work parties, etc.) and regularly scheduled activities (darts, shuffleboard) that might be of interest to the new member. The goal here is to get a commitment from the new member to come back one more time.
• The assigned officer also gives the new member an application form and lets him or her know that we expect him/her to sign up someone else right away.
• The assigned officer’s job doesn’t end until the new member leaves for the night or gets involved in conversation with someone he/she did not know before the initiation.
• People organizing upcoming events should be asked to be present, and to have one or two specific tasks they could ask the new member to help with.
• Make sure there’s food available on initiation nights. It doesn’t have to be a full-blown dinner. Throw some Kraft Dinner into a crock pot or whip together a couple of loaves worth of egg salad sandwiches if you have to. The whole point is to give the new member a reason to stick around at least for a few minutes after the ceremony.
• The day after the ceremony, mail a personalized welcome letter from the membership chairman or the President to the new member’s home. Repeat the request to sign up a new member and include another application form.

By the end of March, Ontario’s Local Aeries signed up 60 new members. Imagine where we’d all be if each one of them signed another new member of their own. Three of our five Local Aeries don’t even have 60 members in total. Ontario’s four Local Auxiliaries (Toronto 2311 doesn’t have one) signed up 14 new members by the end of March. All of us could become net gain aeries or auxiliaries, and we could guarantee ourselves that every new member has a friend at the Eagles, a reason to come by more often.

Let me know if you can think of any reason this wouldn’t work.