Chiefly Speaking (Spring, 2014)

Dear Arrowmen, 

 

    Five years ago this July, I was taking Citizenship in the Nation at Lewis and Clark Scout Camp. , the 

current Lodge Chief (at that time) was my instructor. At that point, I hadn’t joined the OA and never 

really knew  much about it besides the fact that most of the “cooler” staff were involved. I never 

When the weekend concluded and we newly inducted Ordeals mingled with the general members, the 

staffers who I had held in high esteem were revealed to be leaders in the lodge, many of them for 

several years. 

 

    By the time I was a Counselor in Training (CIT) at Lewis and Clark, the staff had changed nearly 

completely. The staffers who I looked up to had nearly all gone and joined the “real world.” The 

same was true within the lodge. The officers who had been there, and made the lodge the way it was, 

had either aged out or moved on. The leaders who I had looked up to had moved on, and been 

replaced by leaders who the young scouts of today would look up to. 

 

    In the Order of the Arrow, leadership comes in waves or generations. Right now, all of the Lodge 

Officers were inducted after 2009, some as late as 2013. Compared to our LEC in 2010, even 2011, 

we’re currently experiencing the rise of a new generation of lodge leaders. But, even as the current 

generation of leadership rises, we can’t forget that the next generation of lodge leaders is currently 

being inducted. The Scout fresh from his Ordeal this spring could easily be the Lodge Chief within a 

few years. Keeping this in mind, we need to remember to nurture the growth of the next leaders. 

Too often do I hear people (in different lodges) claim that their LEC is a “clique with no concern for 

the general members.” That won’t be true this year; we’re here to serve you and we want to have the 

best leaders in office or representing the lodge. 

 

    We’ve recently found success in our efforts. We saw the highest membership growth in the section 

and grabbed the Regional, National spotlight in several ways. We raised around $1000 for a local 

breast cancer foundation and provided scholarships to several Scouts so they could attend summer 

camp. This year, we have several responsibilities including NOAC planning and determining a 

venue for the 2015 Section C-1A Conclave (which we’ll be hosting). We can’t afford to falter in our 

efforts and growth, we’ve come too far in recent years to relapse on our progress. This year, we’ll do 

our best, to serve you, to grow the lodge, to serve the council, and to prepare the next generation of 

leaders. I ask that you help us make 2014 a great year by actively attending events (be it a chapter, 

lodge, or section event), and encouraging arrowmen you know to do the same. It’s only with your 

help that 2014 will be a great year for Tetonwana Lodge #105. 

 

Yours in Service, 

 

Gerald Fraas 

2014 Tetonwana Lodge #105 Chief 

2013-14 Section C-1A Secretary