Charlotte Moose News Charlotte, Michigan Lodge 2565 Loyal Order Of Moose 1809 N. Lansing Rd. Charlotte, Michigan 48813 November Issue The Birth of Mooseheart After careful consideration of numerous sites, the Moose Supreme Council in late 1912 approved the purchase of what was known as the Brookline Farm--more than 1,000 acres along the then-dirt surfaced Lincoln Highway, between Batavia and North Aurora on the west side of the Fox River, about 40 miles west of Chicago. Ohio Congressman John Lentz, a member of the Supreme Council, conceived the name "Mooseheart" for the new community: "This," he said, "will always be the place where the Moose fraternity will collectively pour out its heart, its devotion and sustenance, to the children of its members in need." So it was on a hot summer Sunday, July 27, 1913, that several thousand Moose men and women (for the Women of the Moose received formal recognition that year as the organization's official female component) gathered under a rented circus tent toward the south end of the new property and placed the cornerstone for Mooseheart. The first 11 youngsters in residence were present, having been admitted earlier that month; they and a handful of workers were housed in the original farmhouse and a few rough-hewn frame buildings that had been erected that spring. Addressing Need on the Other End of Life: Moosehaven Mooseheart's construction proceeded furiously over the next decade, but it only barely kept pace with the admissions that swelled the student census to nearly 1,000 by 1920. (Mooseheart's student population would reach a peak of 1,300 during the depths of the Great Depression; housing was often "barracks" style - unacceptable by today's standards. Mooseheart officials now consider the campus' ultimate maximum capacity as no more than 500.) Still, by the Twenties, Davis and his Moose colleagues thought the fraternity should do more, this time for aged members who were having trouble making ends meet in retirement. (A limited number of elderly members had been invited to live at Mooseheart since 1915.) They bought 26 acres of shoreline property just south of Jacksonville, Florida, and in the fall of 1922, Moosehaven, the "City of Contentment," was opened, with the arrival of its first 22 retired Moose residents. Moosehaven has since grown to a 63-acre community providing a comfortable home, a wide array of recreational activities and comprehensive health care to more than 400 residents. As the Moose fraternity grew in visibility and influence, so did Jim Davis. President Warren Harding named him to his Cabinet as Secretary of Labor in 1921, and Davis continued in that post under Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover as well. In November 1930, Davis, a Republican, won election to the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, and he served there with distinction for the next 14 years. As both Labor Secretary and Senator, Davis was known as a conservative champion of labor, who fought hard for the rights of unions--but felt that the workingman should expect no "handouts" of any sort. In the Senate, it was Davis who spearheaded passage of landmark legislation to force building contractors to pay laborers "prevailing" union-level wages in any government construction work. The law bore his name: the Davis-Bacon Act. An Independent, Autonomous Women's Component Katherine Smith First Grand Chancellor Women of the Moose Though the Women of the Moose (originally termed the Women of Mooseheart Legion) had received formal recognition as a Moose auxiliary in 1913, they at first had little structured program of their own beyond the Chapter level. That changed in 1921, when Davis met and hired a remarkable woman named Katherine Smith. When the 19th Amendment had granted women the right to vote in 1920, Smith, (from Indianapolis,) reasoned correctly, that women in politics would be a "growth market." She quit her secretarial job to go to work in Warren Harding's successful Presidential campaign--and, still in her 20s, she was rewarded with an appointment as Director of Public Employment in Washington. Labor Secretary Davis was her boss, and he immediately recognized her talent and drive. It took him five years to convince her to quit her government job and go to work for him running the Women of the Moose. A stereotypical "women's program" held no interest for her, Smith argued. "So get out there and make a program," Davis retorted. She did exactly that, as the organization's first Grand Chancellor, for the next 38 years until her retirement in 1964, at which point the Women of the Moose boasted 250,000 members. (It has since grown to more than 540,000, in approximately 1,600 Chapters.)

November Dinner

Our November dinner will be Deep Fried Turkey. Dinner will be served from 5:00 to 7:00. Cost to be $7.00 per person over 12. I also have information from a very good source that Santa Claus will make a special visit to our Lodge on December 11th at 2:00pm. If you would like to have your child / grandchild receive a "gift" from Santa pick one up, wrap it, label it and bring it to the Lodge for Santa to give to them. If you can't afford a gift, please send me an email or letter stating what you would like to give along with your phone number or a way to contact you for more details. Email to [email protected] or snail mail to
Larry Tissue
851 N. Wheaton Rd.
Charlotte, MI. 48813

October Dinner

The October dinner was a huge success. We had the biggest turnout ever. The kids bobbed for apples, bowled soda bottles with a pumpkin and decorated pumpkins. After dinner the women met and had their questions answered by Mary Dunn who is coordinating Women Of The Moose at the Charlotte Lodge.

Siren Shelter

We are taking up non-perishable food items and clothing / household items for the Siren Shelter. Stop by the Lodge and bring in your donations.

With Regrets

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of family members of our Lodge. Elizabeth 'Betsy' Mary Lowe, granddaughter of member A. G. Twitchell. We also wish to inform everyone that Marge Bishop fell during a recent trip to MO. The fall caused her glasses to be broken and as a result gave her a black eye.

November Birthday's

Happy Birthday to those people born in November. Robert Canada, Barry Class, Kenneth Conkey, Leslie McMann, and Don McMeen.

Lodge Officers

Governor Dennis Hall
Junior Governor Gary A. Jacobson
Prelate Morris Edgerly "Buster"
Administrator Ryan McGregor
Treasurer Gene Byrd 1st year Trustee Kenneth E. Young
2nd year Trustee Steven Wythe
3rd year Trustee Shane Copher

Electronic Newsletter

I would again like to ask everyone that has email and who would like to get the newsletter before anyone else to please send me an email with Moose Newsletter in the subject line. It will be in MS Word format. [email protected]

Yahoo, We Have It

Wow, after all this time we now have our liquor license. Thanks to all Moose members who helped with getting the liquor license for the Lodge. A special thanks to Gary Jacobson for his follow-up with the Liquor Control Commission and obtaining the license.
Also, along with the license we have new operating hours. We will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Friday we will open at 4pm and stay open until 10pm. Saturday and Sunday we will open at 12pm and stay open until 10pm. We also have lowered our prices on drinks and we also have a happy hour daily from 4pm to 6pm except on dinner nights.

Women Of The Moose

There will be another meeting Monday, November 1st, 7pm at the Lodge for WOTM for those that are interested in joining. You will need $15.00 application fee and $20.00 for your first years dues. This can be paid with one check or cash. This will be a great opportunity for the men of our Lodge to get their ladies involved.

New Members

We enrolled a new member Saturday. Greg Harris is our newest member. We put him to work at the October dinner taking pictures of the activities.

Can You Hear Me Now?

We now have phone service at the Lodge. The Lodge has had a phone installed (517-541-3629) and is gearing up for LCL.NET(LOOMIS). "For nearly two years, coordinating teams of Moose International staff, along with selected Lodge representatives, have researched options and have developed plans for a completely revised Membership Management System that will utilize Internet ".Net" technology much more modern than the current circa-1997 LOOMIS system, to transmit data and communications on membership and Lodge/Chapter/Moose Legion operations much more efficiently between these units and headquarters. This will incorporate the implementation of Centralized Dues renewals and collection and will be ready for implementation by September 2005 - hence the requirement for all Lodges and Chapters to be ready with Internet capability in their offices by next June."

Thank You

We would like to thank Gene Byrd, Buster Edgerly, and Dennis Hall for making and installing of the T. V. shelves. They have been placed higher so that everyone has a better chance to see them.

Legion News

Legion meetings will be held on the second and fourth Thursday.

Not A Costume?

When Amanda walked into the Lodge Saturday for dinner and fellowship very few knew the reason for the MSU outfit. This outfit is no ordinary outfit, it is a genuine MSU Cheerleader's uniform made special for Amanda. She was asked by the MSU Cheerleader's to be an honorary Cheerleader for the MSU - Minnesota homecoming game. She was also asked to be an honorary cheerleader for the Charlotte Junior High. Congratulations Amanda.

Adopt - A - Highway

We will be allowed to clean up the roadway as our part of Adopt-A-Highway. We have a two mile stretch along I-69 from Cochran Rd. to Stine Rd. This program will start up again in April of 2005. We will need volunteers to help the Lodge with this effort.

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