CHURCH PROGRAMME
12th Annual Convention
Omaha, Nebr. July A, 5, 6, I937
MEMORIAL SERVICES
Sunday July 4, 1937, 11 a. m.,
St. John A. M. E Church ,22nd and Willis Avenue
Proecbsional . ... — ...-..—.. St. John Choir
3—Anthem . ...—. St. John Choir
3— Tnvoeaticn ........ Pastor
4— Scripture Reading .——.—*
§_-Song .............. ... St. John Choir
B—Silver Offering
7— Uiter»li«ic Service
8- Music Quartette
9- —General Eulogy .. . . . Rev. R. A. Adams
Pastor St. John A. M. E. Church
10— Elk- Penology and Benediction Announcements
PUBLIC MEETING—WELCOME ADDRESS
Pilgrim Baptist Church, 23th and Hamilton Sts., 5 p. ra
Nationai Anthem . by Audience, Choir
Snvocution. .Rev G. E. Stevenson, Pastor
Song.„ .. ..i...by Choir Pilgrim Baptist Church
Address of welcome on Behalf of Business Men i t
Address of Welcome on behalf of the Professional men by
.Hon. Joan Adams, Jr
Address of Welcome on behalf of the Omaha Churches by
Rev. M. K. Curry, Zion BaptistChu rch
Address of Welcome on behalf of the Negroes of Omaha by
Hon. Johnny Owen, N-.gi'o Mayor
Address of WeJoome on behalf of City of Omaha by
Hon. Dan. B. Butler, Mayor of Omaha
Response Hon. A. E. Toney, Pres. Mdwest Ass’n.
Atty. Chas. F. Davis, Master of Ceremonies
ORATORICAL CONTEST
Zion Baptist Cliurcb, 22nd and Grant Sts., 8 p. m.
1— National Anthem ..... Audience and Hillside Chorus
2— Introduction of Master of Ceremonies by State Director, Education
.Bro- J. Westbrook McPherson
S—Remarks . Bro. Dr. G. B. Key, Regional Director
4— National Negro Anthem . Audience and Hillside Chorua
5— Invocation . ...... .Rev. M. K. Curry, Pastor
6— Vocal Solo ..-. M s. Estelle Roberson
7— Orations
8— Song ..... ... By Hillsde Chorus
9— Oration
10“&olo
11— Oration
12— Report of .fudges
13— Announcements . Bro. Dr. G. B. Key, Regional Director
of Education, St. Louis, Missouri
Music by Hillside Chorus, Director Rev. J. S. Williams
Midwestern AssVi.
I.B.P.O.E. of W.
a
d I
I •
r -.—... - — - - -■
| A. E. TONEY
| Pros. Midwest Association
I
Convening
In Their
Twelfth
W. J. SHEPPARD
2nd Vice President
j Annual Convention
1 July 4 to 6, 1937 |
\ Omaha, Nebraska !
Snonsored Bv Iroquois Lodge No. 92, and Cherokee Temple No. 233. !
PROGRAM
B UNDAY, JULY 4, 1937
11:00 A. M.—Memorial Service,
St. John A. M. E. Church
1:30 P. M.—Midwest Assn. Annual Parade
4:00 P. M.—Public Meeting, Welcome Ad
dresses, Pilgrim Baplist Church
8:00 P. M—Oratorical Scholarship Contest
Zion Baptist Church
MONDAY, JULY 5, 1937
10:.00 A. M. to 12 M.—Lodge Business Ses
sion, Ellts Hall
10:00 A. M. to 12 M.—Templ'd, Business Ses
sion, Clare Chapel
10:00 P. M.—Banquet, Floor Show, Elks Hall
-o
TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1937
10:00 A. M.—Business Session. Temple and
Lodge, (same as Monday)
• **
2:00 A. M.—Election of Officers and meet
ing place for 1938
4:00 P. M.—Sightseeing Bns Trip 1o All
Parks iand Points of Interest.
10.00 P. M.—Midwest Grand Ball.
M. L. HARRIS. CHAIRMAN CONVENTION COMMITTEE
CHAIRMAN OF LOCAL COMMITTEE
General Chairman . Dt. Merritt, M. L. Harris
Finance . .Dt. Ethel Price, Dr. D. W. Gooden
Program--Publicity .M. L. Harris
Reception . Dt. Bonetta Cleveland, J. E. Gant
l arade .
Entertainment . Roy M. White <
Oratorical ....J. Westbrook McPherson
Housing .Dt. Jessie Montgomery, P. S. Holliday
Decoration . Dt. Eva Mortimer. Jack Hall
f MRS. NFOLA SANDERS Secretary of Women’s Division
MRS. M ARY MONROE, State President Women’s Division
RESUME I. B. P. 0. E. of W.
I i H'.:)9 a few honest intentioned men of our
1 :> up met in Cincinnati, Ohio and perfected an
organization which afterward was known as the
Improved Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks of
the World.
The founders of this organization had only one
thought in mind and that was the relieving of dis
tress among the unfortunate of the Negro race.
Originally the menubars of this organization re
ceived no benefits or expected any, but as time
went on, a groat influx from the other fraternal
organizations joined, and as was natural, they
brought with them the customs and traditions of
thoi lo.-pective orders. It was not long before a
great clamor was raised to add sick benefits and
death claims as part of their program there being
only a ew who retained the unselfish vision upon
which this order was founded, as expressed by
Pauls' letter to the 1st Corinthians, 13 Chapter to
the 10th Verse, the proponents of the old order
was swept aside and the new order prevailed.
From then on the progress of the order was re
tarded by the persistent fight waged against it
by the white B. P. 0. E. In every state in which
they attempted to operate the officers of the I. B.
P. 0. E. of W. wnere hailed into court to answer
charges restraining them from using the name,
wearing the emblem or otherwise identifying
themselves as Elks.
Happily in 1916, the Grand Lodge of the
white Elks elected as Grand Exalted Ruler, a
gentleman by the name of Riddles and fortunately
the Grand Lodge of the Negro Elks elected as
Grand Exalted Ruler, Judge Ormond W. Scqtt.
Mr. Piddles seemed to have had quite a differ
ent point in regard to the policy which had been
in vogue relative to the Negro Elks. By some
means, not knowrn to the writer, a compromise
was effected between the two Grand Lodges
in which the form of “a gentlemans agreement”
based on the proposition, that the Order of the
Improved Eenevolent, Protective Order of Elks of
the World would not do certain things set forth in
the agreement and for the faithful observance of
said agreement the Benevolent, Protective Order
of Elks would discontinue further Court actions
against them.
To date both Orders have religiously adhered to
this agreement
Not until tho presomt Grand Exalted Ruler, Dr.
J. Finley Wilson, Washington, D. C., came into
office, 1922, was there any appreciable degree of
progress made especially as far as the educational
health, athletic, civil liberties and Junior Herd are
concerned.
Su'rounded by such able members of the Order
ns Judge W. C. Houson, Educational Commis
sionei • Dr. Wm. J. Thompkins, Health Commission
or: Hon. Parry W. Howard, Grand Legal Advisor;
Hon. Jns E. Kelly, Grand Sec’y; J'udge Henry,
Grand Trims.; and many others, whose names the
writer i s not familiar, five departments
were ndded to the program of the Order as nam
ed above which had the signal effoct of chang
ing the attitude of people toward it over night
In every city from 600 to 260,000 Negro popula
tion n lodge of Elks was organized. Its member
ship increased by leaps and bounds. Thousands of
dollars were spent annually on the education of
the Negro youth, regardless of the affiliation of
themselves or their parents with the Order.
Health clinics and surveys were conducted
through our Health department. As stated by
Dr. Thompkins in his report of the saving of Ne
groes on insurance rates alone from ‘28 to ‘33
was over $26,000,000. In the ten years the
Educational department has been established near
ly 100 boys and girls have been graduated
through this channel and are now respected citi
zens end leaders in their respective communities
Wherever the Junior Herd of Elks has been es
tablished thoire is a noticeable decrease in juven
ile delinquency. Our Athletic department has
done a good job in developing the physical life
.of our boys and girls at the same time the Edu
cational department was developing the mental.
The Midwest Association I. B. P- O. E. of W.
was organized in Kansas City, Missouri, May 24,
1926, composed of Lodges and Temples of the
states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Okla
J. FINLEY WILSON, Q. E. E.
homa, and Wyoming. The purpose of organizing
the association was to establish closer relations,
one toward the other and to promote a more per
fect understanding of the purposes of the Order
in this section.
At this meeting, which was presided over by
Mr- J. l'inley Wilson, G. E. A. Omaha and Iroquois
Lodge was honored by electing as its first pre
sident, Count Wilkerson, at that time Exalted
Ruler of Iroquois Lodge. And St. Louis, Missouri
was chosen as the city in which to hold its first
convention.