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Ten New Masters Take Charge of 2007
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| Left to Right: Clyde Berry (VT), Phyllis Wilson (OR), Roger Bostwick (KS), Robert Sendewicz (CT), Randall Lewis (CA), Gaye Hunt (AK), Scott Sherman
(RI), Viola Wayne (OH), Beth Merrill (NH), and Ruth G. Gray (FL) |
By DeAnn M. Cardarella
The leadership roles in many
State Granges across the nation
have changed following the
2006 state conventions. The
faces may be new, but their mission
remains the same. In the
name of rural America, community
service and their neighbors
and friends, they work for
the betterment of their community
by continuing to build on a
quality family organization with a
140-year organization.
“We have ten new state Masterss
who have taken on the leadership
roles in their states,” said
National Master William Steel.
“Each one of them brings years
of experience with them and we
are excited to welcome each to
their new positions. Through my
travels and Grange work, I have
had the opportunity to meet and
work with each of them. I am
excited for their states and wish
them all the best in their service
to our Grange members.”
At the close of 135th Annual
Kansas State Grange convention,
Roger Bostwick of Ozawkie,
KS, was ready to assume
his responsibilities as the 26th
Master of the Kansas State
Grange.
A lifelong and third-generation
Grange member, Roger
started out as a Gardner Junior
Granger. A Pleasant View
Grange member, Roger is the
third resident of Jefferson County
to take on the leadership role.
He is no stranger to the National
Grange scene. In 1993,
he served on National Grange
Youth Team and was the 1995 national public speaking winner. For 10 years, he was president
of his local Grange and vicepresident
of the Kansas State
Grange.
He and his wife, Melanie,
have two daughters: Molly, a
student at Kansas State University,
and Mandy, a junior at Jefferson
West High School.
Phyllis Wilson of Salem,
OR, is the first female to take
on the top position at the Oregon
State Grange. Since joining
the Grange in 1969, Phyllis
has been very active on a local,
county and state level. Since
the fall of 2002, she has served
as Oregon State Overseer. On
the subordinate level, she has
served as Master, overseer and
secretary, a position she still
maintains. She has served as
Master in her Pomona Grange
and still holds the position of
Secretary at Pomona #30. She
has served on the Oregon State
Grange Foundation since 1996.
Scott A. Sherman of Portsmouth,
Rhode Island is the 31st
Master of Rhode Island State
Grange. He joined the Grange
in 1984 and is a fourth generation
Grange member. In talking
with State Grange historians,
Scott was told he is the youngest
State Grange Master of the “Ocean State.” Scott is only 36-years-old.
Scott has been secretary for
his local and Pomona Grange.
He has been past Master too.
He has served as assistant
steward, steward, overseer,
state deputy and eventually
Master. “I’ve seen an awful lot
of changes take place in the 22
years and I’ve been involved. I
hope we can convince some of
the older members to adapt to
change in order to keep moving.
We must change to adapt to the
times of today and the way we
live. Modern technology is beneficial
to our organization,” Scott
said.
Scott is self-employed and
owns a landscaping business.
He and his fiancée, Amanda Carsten, have a three-month old
daughter, Jessica Lynn.
Gaye Hunt of Anchorage,
Alaska is only the second state
Master of that state. She has
been a member for 49 years.
Most of those years were in
eastern Washington State.
Gaye is interested in starting
new Granges in her state. She
believes the area would greatly
benefit from what she calls a “fantastic family organization.”
Gaye was born and raised
on a wheat ranch in eastern
Washington. She now owns and
leases out the family farm.
Viola Wayne of Sebring,
Ohio, is that state’s Master. She
is Ohio’s first woman Master and
is the 17th individual to step into
that leadership role. Not only is
she the first woman, but she is
also the first Master to lead the
way from the new Ohio State
Grange building, which makes
its home in Fredericktown.
Viola has been a Grange
member for 46 years. She has
served as the state’s secretary,
overseer and the junior director.
She also served many years on
the lecturer’s committee. “I believe
strongly in the Grange. It is
a wonderful family organization.
I am a third generation member
of a five-generation Grange family.
Viola is a retired from the West Branch School District after
23 years as a library aid. She
has three children: Mark, Diana
and Michael – all married. She is
the grandmother of seven children
and the great-grandmother
of two. She is a widow.
Beth Merrill makes her
home in Antrim, New Hampshire.
She is the 32 state Master
of the Granite State. Beth is the
first female Master of that state.
She first became involved with
the Grange as a Junior Grange
member in 1969 and was a third
generation member.
She was her state’s youth
director from 1988 to 1992 and
held several additional positions.
“I’m looking forward to the many
challenges,” Beth said. “I’m hoping
that I can accomplish some
important things while I’m the
state Master, in particular net
gain in membership.”
Ruth G. Gray of Wiersdale,
Florida is the new State Master
of Florida. Ruth has a history
with the Grange – a fifty-year
history. She joined the Grange
when she was 17- years old at
the urging of her husband. Ruth
will celebrate her golden anniversary
as a Grange member
this May. But even with years
of Grange experience, Ruth is
somewhat new to the area. She
only moved to Florida six years
ago. It was a move that was best
for her husband’s health. Ruth is
originally from New Hampshire.
When she first joined her
Grange in New Hampshire, she
became immediately involved
with the youth. “I really enjoyed
it and stuck with it,” she said.
While in New Hampshire,
she made her mark. She was
written up in New Hampshire
Grange History as one of the outstanding
women in that state.
As mentioned previously,
New Hampshire Grange Master,
Beth Merrill, is the first woman
Master in that state. Ruth was
her Junior Grange Leader when
she held that position in New
Hampshire. “I am very proud of
her,” she said. “She is the first
woman Master in that state.”
As for her new home state of
Florida, Ruth would like to see
the membership increase under
her leadership. “That is my priority,”
she said.
Ruth also said she is pushing
community service within
her state. “There are not a lot
of farms in Florida, not many at
all. Therefore, I want to push the
community service.”
Clyde Berry of Hartford,
Vermont is the 23rd state Master
of Vermont. He has been a
Granger for 46 years. Clyde
was first attracted to the Grange
because it was a family organization. “I’m a fourth generation
Grange member,” he said.
Most of Clyde’s life was
spent with his home Grange in
Maine. He relocated to Vermont
four years ago and eventually
found his way to the State office.
While living in Maine, he held
almost every office, including
state Master from 1989 to 1997.
“I’m not really a new state Master,”
he said with a laugh. “I’ve
done it before, just in a different
state.”
For Clyde, the move from
Maine to Vermont was an easy
one. Through the Grange, he
had friends waiting in the New
England State. “New England
states are very close,” he said.
“I was the state lecturer and attended
the New England Lectures Conferences.”
As the new leader for Vermont,
he puts membership recruitment
at the top of his priority
list. “We are aggressively going
into a membership program that
we are really hoping will start
something membership-wise
for us. That is our big goal right
now,” he said.
Randall Lewis of Los Angeles
is the new state Master of
California. Randall comes from
a long-line of Grange members.
His father was appointed the
insurance agent of the Grange
Insurance in his state when he
was younger. Randall admits,
back in 1971, when he joined
the Grange, he joined for the
benefits. Now, over 35 years later,
he finds himself leading the
way for California Grangers.
As one would imagine, he
has held many offices over the
years at many levels within the
Grange. He founded Browns
Creek Grange in Los Angeles.
He is not exactly new to this
position. After California’s State
Master passed away suddenly,
Randall became acting-Master.
According to Randall, California
is very diverse in its membership.
Although there is a lot of
agriculture within his state, there
are many Granges located within
city-limits – major cities. For
many Granges, the city grew up
around them.
“In our state, we are working
diligently with the California Department
of Food and Agriculture.
We are working to develop
programs that Granges can participate
in. One such program is
Ag in the Classroom.
“I am also working with the
California State Legislative program
so our focus is the State
of California. I want to bring us
closer to the issues in Sacramento.
“My goal is to provide programs
and services to our subordinate
Granges that will make
them successful so we can begin
to grow and become the organization
we should be.”
Randall and his wife, Linda,
have been married for 36 years.
They have twin sons, Richard,
who is married with two children,
and Robert who has recently become engaged.
Robert Sendewicz of Danbury
has been a Granger for almost
28 years. It was when his
two youngest children became
involved, he took notice to the
Grange. At the urging of a friend,
Robert’s wife, Margaret, joined
her local Grange. Very soon after,
she was elected to an office.
When Margaret was installed as
an officer, Robert was there to
support his wife. That was the
night Robert realized the Grange
was for him.
Robert immediately became
involved in the Grange, holding
an office not long after joining.
Robert became Pomona Master
only two to three years after joining.
Through the years, he held
almost every office and eventually
landed gatekeeper in the
state office and soon took the
title of Master.
One of Robert’s priorities is
in the area of membership. Over the years, Connecticut has experienced a steady decline in
membership. The loss has been
due to deaths. Robert wants to
take in enough new members to
level off the decline.
“First thing we have to do,
is level off,” he said. “Then after that, we will look at increasing
our membership. Our Grange
services are good and we are
very good at community service.”
Robert and his wife are the
proud parents of three sons: Kevin, Brian, and Eric. They have five grandchildren.
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Telling Our Story
By Adam B. Hinslaw