Knights of St. Andrew - Grand Forks, North Dakota

Knights of Saint Andrew
Secretary’s Journal

Entry One 12-17-05

It all started on the night of Thursday December 15, 2005. I was seated at our usual monthly Scottish Rite Communication. Brother Gary Spicer (KCCH) made salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits and apple crisp for dinner. The local Chapter of the Rainbow Girls served the meal and cleared the tables afterward. I sat next to Brother Fred Stewart 33°, as I have many times before, and enjoyed every bite of the hearty meal and warm fellowship.

After dessert Brothers Todd Hill 32° and Lon Kvasagar 32° presented the Lodge with an Organization that not only would increase interest in the Scottish Rite and give 32° Masons something to Work towards, but also give me the opportunity to find further light in this Great Fraternity, the Knights of Saint Andrew. Brother Todd presented a well-made PowerPoint slide show, while Brother Lon articulated the fine points of the KSA. A highlight of the presentation was when newly petitioned Brother Kevin Wiley displayed his Scottish attire, complete with authentic Prince Charlie Jacket, Kilt and Glengarry. Together they convinced me, as well as the Executive Council, to charge forward with organizing a Chapter of the Knights of Saint Andrew in our Valley. Brother Jim McGuire 33° came forward with a $40.00 donation, which was promptly put into the treasury.

When the presentation and fellowship was finished Brothers Lon, Todd, Fred, Kevin and I retired to the lounge to brainstorm about this exciting new venture. We talked about the fraternity’s dress code; including the selection of a Tartan, Kilt, and Glengarry. I was interested in designing a unique tartan, one specially made for our Chapter of the KSA. We put together a list of potential members and wrote their names on a bar napkin. These members would fall into one of 3 categories; active, emeritus, and associative depending on their respective degrees. We also put together a list of potential officers for the Charter; Venerable Master Benjamin Olson 32°, Senior Warden Lon Kvasagar 32°, Junior Warden Todd Hill 32°and Secretary/Treasurer James McGuire 33°.

The night was a complete success and I feel that we are on the horizon of great things to come. I look forward to the next meeting of the Scottish Rite so as a group we can present our new ideas to the Executive Council and further our agenda regarding a Chapter Charter.

Entry Two 02-01-06

Our first “un-official” KSA meeting followed the regularly scheduled Scottish Rite Communication on January 19, 2005. As always we enjoyed a hearty dinner prepared by Brother Gary Spicer (KCCH). 2 other potential members, Chris Larson and Dave Kosmowski, joined us for dinner and to learn more about the Knights of Saint Andrew.

Brother Todd Hill 32° presented the Constitution and By-Laws for our review and comment. We read each document paragraph by paragraph and each one of us made suggestions on how to improve the backbone and order of the Fraternity. One important addition to the By-Laws I made was that; The first (Charter) Venerable Master must provide a bottle of Glen Livet, and that this bottle must be open and available for all Knights at each stated meeting of the Knights of Saint Andrew. Each bottle thereafter will be provided by the Chapter and be available as the current Venerable Master sees fit.

The group was joined by General Secretary of the Scottish Rite Brother Gary Ebel 33° who was and will continue to be a pivotal member of our decision-making body and liaison to the Scottish Rite and its Executive Council. Brother Gary showed great enthusiasm for the KSA and I suspect he will make a great effort to help us get to the next level.

After the “nuts-and-bolts” were concluded with, we looked at Kilts, Tartans, Glengarries and a variety of other Scottish accessories. As a group we decided the best way to choose a Chapter Tartan was to each select 5-10 of our favorite Tartans and bring them to the next meeting, narrow that selection to a total of 5 and then vote. After many emails from Brother to Brother following the meeting I have decided to vote for only one Tartan, the Freemason Universal Tartan.

After the meeting, and salutations to the others, Brother Chris Larson and I enjoyed a few games of 8 ball said goodnight and returned to our "humble places of abode."

Entry Three 02-20-06

Our second "un-official" KSA meeting was more official than the first. This meeting, as others in the past was held immediately following the monthly Scottish Rite Communication on February 16, 2006.

Brother Gary Spicer prepared meatballs and gravy for dinner and the Rainbow Girls served the meal. Dianne LaValle made sure I had an extra loaf of Gary’s homemade bread at my table. I sat with Brothers Fred Stewart, Gary Ebel and Tom Wiggen.

After dinner we retired to the recreation room to conduct business. Brother Todd Hill and I signed petitions and received dues from all Brothers in attendance. Brother Gary Ebel donated an extra $60.00 to put towards the cause. The initial funds collected will be used to purchase lapel pins and fund the first Knights of Saint Andrew Ritual scheduled for this spring. In all the KSA collected $300.00.

We voted to amend Article I – Application for Membership of the By-Laws. We also voted to open a free checking account at Alerus Financial complete with debit card. After the business ended we played a few games of 8 ball, socialized and enjoyed good fellowship. Brother Todd Hill and I discussed a few ideas for some spring fund raising, one of which would be a Masonic wide indoor rummage sale located in the lower level of the Masonic Center. All proceeds to benefit the KSA.

Benjamin M. Olson

Chapter History