Br. Richard Riley, our newest Hall of Fame Member

On Saturday Night of Session DeMolay International Honored one of her outstanding sons, Br. Richard Riley of South Carolina, with admittance into the DeMolay Hall of Fame.  Br. Riley is an outstanding example of what it means to be a DeMolay.  He helped to reform the state of South Carolina and improve education for all South Carolinians.  As a Secretary of Education he helped to reform the state of national education and improve educational opportunities for all Americans.  See below for his comments:


DeMolay International

Hall of Fame Induction

Grand Rapids, Michigan

June 18, 2011

          I'm so pleased to be part of your Grand Master's Banquet this evening.  Congratulations to all who have been paid tribute. I truly am honored to be included in your Hall of Fame.

          Thank you so much, Rusty, for that kind introduction and this beautiful plaque . . . and what a wonderful video your folks put together.  It brought back many fond memories for me.   I appreciate everyone's hard work to make all of this so special.

          I am so proud to be inducted into DeMolay International's Hall of Fame.   Among other things, it is an honor to be part of a group of such distinguished honorees as Walt Disney, John Wayne, my good friend Bill Clinton, and my hero, Walter Cronkite, to name just a few.

         

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I don't know if it's planned that DeMolay holds its International Convention on Father's Day weekend . . . but I think it's entirely fitting that you do.   After all, the founding father of DeMolay, Frank Land – as well as the organization's namesake, Jacques DeMolay – possessed strong traits that we all want to see in our fathers, as well as our sons . . . and mothers and daughters.

          Not that I want to see any of us burned at the stake for it – as Christian Crusader Jacques DeMolay was – but courage, loyalty and friendship are every bit as important today as they were in his time . . . perhaps even more so in this 21^st Century age of instant communication – good and often not so good. 

          And Frank Land was a visionary who, at a young age himself, saw a need to help young boys – many of whom were without fathers due to the war and other difficulties.   He wanted to provide opportunities for them -- opportunities, in his words, "to grow into decent men who will be respected in the community."  

         

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Proverbs 22, Verse 6 tells us . . . "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."   By recognizing that, and by taking one young man and then a few others under his wing, Frank Land created what became, and still is, the DeMolay organization to help "train children the way they should go."

A friend recently wrote that there's a difference between being a "father" and being a "dad."   "Fathering," he said, "is an act of nature;  being a Dad is all nurture."   I tend to agree with him.

          I was fortunate to have a Father who was indeed a Dad in every nurturing sense of the word.   For all of my 61 years until he died (at the age of 93), he taught me, among other important things, good character, personal responsibility and civic awareness.

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Among other things, he was president of the State Bar Association – and an active Mason.  In fact, when asked in a press interview what would be the best thing a person could say about him, my father responded that,  in our great, free democracy, the highest compliment one can receive is that you are "a good citizen."    That really says it all.

The leadership and other life skills I gained from my DeMolay activity at Greenville High School were built on top of what I learned from my dad.   I am one of the lucky ones . . . as perhaps many of you are.   But far too many young boys and girls are not.

         

And that's where the benefit of DeMolay comes in.   Just as "Dad Land" did for Louis Lower and his eight friends . . . and just as your DeMolay leadership and alumni are enriching your lives ... I ask each of you to do the same for a younger child in need of help.

         

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Invite someone to join DeMolay with you . . . be a caring friend . . . a mentor . . . a tutor . . . a role model . . . an advisor … whatever you can do to help "train up a child in the way he should go."  

These are things you can do at the age you are now, as well as all through adulthood.   And I'm sad to say that there are many less fortunate children all over the world, with and without fathers, who are in great need of all kinds of nurturing.   So you have no shortage of opportunities.

          The renowned American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead, once said . . . .  "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.   Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

          "Dad" Frank Land was a prime example of Margaret Mead's observation.   Through my DeMolay service and beyond, I have tried to follow his example . . . and I trust each of you will do the same.

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          Thank you again for the honor of being inducted into the DeMolay International Hall of Fame.   I am flattered and proud of this fine tribute.  And I wish for you all, especially the young DeMolays here, a life of caring and public service – so that each of you can be called truly "a good citizen."