| MAY 3, 2012 -- Inspection season is well upon us and we sincerely thank all of the secretaries, treasurers and lecturers who work so hard to make sure their Granges are ready on the night of inspection. It brings us the greatest joy to find everything in perfect order and very little in the line of suggestions needed when we visit a particular Grange.
For those Granges who are awaiting the arrival of your Deputy, please remember to review the inspection report found in the center of the current Blue Book and fill in as much of the “Additional Information” material requested and make sure all of the Grange’s records are available for the Deputy on the night of inspection. While we encourage Granges to keep records electronically, we require either a print-out of these records on the night of inspection or the ability to review the records on a laptop. It is not acceptable to say that they cannot be brought in because they are on a desktop model computer. The inability to bring in the records for inspection also indicates the same records are not readily available to your members.
There have been a few changes to the Deputy team in recent months that need to be explained. When Farmington Valley Pomona disbanded, Cherry Brook and Cawasa Granges joined Mountain County Pomona. The remaining Granges have moved over to East Central Pomona. Farmington Valley’s Deputy, Lin Erickson has become a Deputy of Mountain County Pomona along with Peter Keefe. I’ve heard Irene Percoski referred to as the Deputy of North Central and Kay Ruff as Deputy of East Central. In fact, both deputies are deputies of East Central Pomona. While the revitalization of Litchfield Grange progresses, the State Master has appointed Earl Phillips, of Eureka Grange, as Special Deputy for Litchfield Grange, ensuring the hall is well-cared for and ready to go when the Grange is reopened with new members.
It pains me to have to write the following paragraph but there have been a couple of incidents that have prompted me to address the treatment of Deputies at Grange meetings. For 99% of our Granges, this is ABSOLUTELY not an issue. You are well prepared for the Deputy’s visit and are welcoming and respectful. However, I do need to re-state the purpose of Deputies. Deputy is shorthand for Deputy State Master and each of the ten men and women who serve as your Deputies are the eyes and ears of the State Master and are his representative at your inspections. In fact, on inspection night, the Deputy outranks the State Master when he or she is making an official visit to your Grange (this is the only occasion when this occurs). In short, give the Deputy the same respect given to the State Master when he visits. |
