kneeling with the active members, made him feel so old. Already "Dad" Land was seeing his second generation of DeMolays, and yet he still felt a parental concern for the boys whose new-found adulthood meant that they were entering upon the duties of family life and citizenship.

The more he thought about their struggle to grow and their desire to "fight the good fight" he realized that the Order of DeMolay needed to reach out to them. In 1925, Land and Frank Marshall again collaborated to create a ritual, this time for the Legion of Honor.

We all know the almost-apocryphal story of Frank Marshall staying up all night to write the Initiatory and DeMolay Degrees in one sitting. A similar legend developed about the Legion of Honor, concerning Frank Land's love of history. He himself told the story of his fascination with Plutarch's Lives of Illustrious Men, and in particular, the biography of Caesar who had inspired his "immortal Tenth Legion" with his empathy for their hopes and fears for the future. Whether Land thought himself to be like Caesar, or simply realized that his own personal interest in his boys had been the key to his early success, he felt it was time to recognize those who had lived their early adult years in keeping with his Order's teachings.

Before bringing the proposal to the Grand Council, he shared his ideas with Marshall, and his trusted friend Charlie Boyce, who suggested that he also honor those Master Masons who had been too old to become DeMolays, but had provided the leadership to make the Order a nation-wide success. It wasn't until later that the distinction between a red and white cordon was used to designate the Active and Honorary Legionnaires. The ring was originally created only for the Active Members. In "Dad" Land's conferrals, only the Active members participated, received the touch of his sword, and heard the words, "Arise, Legionnaire." The Honorary designates assumed seats of honor on the sidelines, where they had always served effectively.

By the end of 1925 the criteria had been approved and the final script was completed. The first Investiture of Active Legionnaires was held on May 28, 1926 in Kansas City. Frank Land, robed in a crimson cape with white satin lining, performed as Commander in the East, a position in Mother Preceptory that was his from that day until 1955.

Of course, Louis Lower, the first DeMolay, was selected to become the first Active DeMolay Legionnaire. Several, but not all, of the original nine members were also singled out for their success and continued interest in the Order.

Two months later, in July 1926, the secret obligation written by "Dad" Land was given in his office to three of his closest friends and advisors, creating the first Honorary Legionnaires. A year later, this investiture was included in the public ceremony, when, following the Active investiture, "Dad" Land would call out the names of several Master Masons and Advisors to step to the center of the room, hear their credentials recited in public, and receive the white cordon of the Honorary Legion of Honor. Imagine those emotions you felt at your investiture, and how you would have handled them had you not learned of the honor until the evening of the conferral, and in public!

Several years later, "Dad" Land wrote a personal message to each Legionnaire, which you received in booklet form at the time of your conferral. Let me share with you a few of his words:

"The Legion of Honor was created for the purpose of banding together a selected few...who bore the stamp of possible leadership not only in their community but in national life as well, whether it be a civic, industrial, professional, business or spiritual field of endeavor... A group of men who could be implicitly relied upon as the years pass to aid boyhood, carry the ideals of DeMolay into every walk of life and to unswervingly uphold national ideals..."

"If you have ever entertained the thought that this honor came to you for ritualistic work or special activity in your Chapter, I hope that you will immediately forget it. You probably felt that you were entitled to it for past performances, but, then again, you are wrong. The truth of the matter is that the Grand (or Supreme) Council selected you [upon recommendation by] men who know you personally, feeling with a certain degree of intuition that you were destined to develop into a man who would be honored in your community, one who is trusted, honest of purpose and one who will assume a high place of leadership in some field of worthy endeavor."

"Those who nominated you frankly admitted that they were taking a long chance in prophecy...You are builders of tomorrow. Vision the countless millions of young men of the future. Make you life so valuable that they who follow you might well marvel at your devotion to their cause..."

Rules and regulations were developed for all the Preceptories by the Grand (later Supreme) Council. These were modified by "Dad" Land for his own Preceptory. He authorized men to wear Legion of Honor Medallions from Cordons of intertwined red and gold strands, signifying those who had earned BOTH the Degree of Chevalier and the Legion of Honor. He also had a habit of giving out as personal gifts a special Legion of Honor Ring with the red Malta cross decorated with a diamond instead of a ruby. He was, after all, "Dad Land" --who would tell him not to do this?

You will recall that your investiture vows, the ceremony, and all the literature about the Legion of Honor consistently reminds you of your duty to promote the growth and expansion of the Order. It is time to once again renew you commitment to youth. No matter how old you are now, and how inadequate you may feel in dealing with the challenges of today's teens, there is something you can do to be of service. The DeMolay Chapters in this area need your help. They need your physical presence. They need each of you, as an individual, to get involved. Show up. Be a side-liner. Share in the program. Show your interest and pride in the Order.

You may recall your Investiture, and the Commander in the East's declaration that, "Tonight, the door of service opens wide to you." Brethren, as a Legionnaire, that door is ALWAYS OPEN to you!

I invite you to step through it again.