Founding Landmarks of the Widows Sons
1998, 2001
To become a
Widows Son, or to form a chapter of Widows Sons, you
must be a Mason first. You must then promise to
support the goals and purposes of the Widows Sons
Organization.
Notice the words "promise
to support the goals and purposes of the Widows Sons
Organization?" It does not say make any changes
to what my chapter of Widows Sons will support.
The sole founding goal and purposes of the
Widows Sons is to support widows and orphans of
Master Masons. This will be done autonomously in
each state by the founding of a Widows Fund from
within the Grand Chapter of the state. This Widows
Fund is the first and foremost purpose of granting a
charter for any Grand Chapter. Always remember: The
Widows Sons is being founded to support widows and
orphans of Master Masons. No other charity or any
other object of monetary support, from any Widows
Sons Grand Chapter, or any affiliated chapter, or
any member should take precedence over the Widows
Fund which supports only widows and orphans of
master Masons in its state.
This is the main goal and
purpose you promise to support as a Widows Sons or a
chapter of Widows Sons. Are you supporting it or
have you placed you own agenda to precede it. (read
the last line of the sole founding paragraph above.
The second purpose of founding the Widows Sons was
to promote fellowship and unity among brother Masons
who ride motorcycles.
This was not one of the
founding purposes. It was introduced IN 2001 along
with the third purpose, as Florida and Texas were
founding Grand Chapters. What does your chapter have
written as its founding's first purpose on its
publicity vehicle? I'm talking about a website,
Facebook, or anything else your chapter uses to
promote its cause. If you don't have your founding
purpose correct, your wordage is misrepresenting our
founding purpose and is also misleading those who
are interested in becoming Widows Sons into thinking
the Widows sons were not founded to aid and assist
Widows. Please Change your verbiage to reflect the
proper Founding purpose of aiding and assisting
widows and orphans of Master Masons, rather than
promoting fellowship among masons who ride...
The third purpose of the founding of the Widows Sons
was to introduce Freemasonry to the world of
motorcycling and to introduce the world of
motorcycling to freemasonry.
No chapter or member of any chapter shall recruit
motorcycle riders for the purpose of increasing the
Widows Sons numbers in membership. The Widows Sons
shall not allow any member of any outlawed
organization(s) or any motorcycle club(s) that
considers it self to be a one percent club to become
a member of any chapter of Widows Sons, nor will any
member of the Widows Sons associate with any
member(s) of any outlawed organization(s) or any
motorcycle club(s) that considers it self to be a
one percent club while wearing Widows Sons
regalia.
This was written because the
1% world is much much different than the Masonic
world. Our membership is predicated by membership in
the Masonic fraternity. Many Masons, who if they
should be associating with a 1% group could sooner
or later make problems for themselves or the Widows
Sons, because they don't understand how the 1% world
revolves. You cannot function in the 1% world if you
don't know how it operates. This is not meant as
disrespect to anyone. It was only added to protect
our membership from getting involved and in trouble
from something they know little or nothing about.
No Widows Sons Grand Chapter shall have any say, or
any rule or authority over, nor any vote in the
business of another Grand Chapter. Each State or
Province Grand
Chapter is autonomous of one another. Autonomous,
being defined as; ruling and governing their own
state, province or Masonic jurisdiction's business and activities in accordance with the
due boundaries of Freemasonry of their jurisdiction first,
then within the due boundaries of these Widows Sons
founding by-laws and founding landmarks of the
Widows Sons.
There shall be no governing or ruling committee or
consulting body, or person in a position with any
authority to make decisions for, council, or to rule
over any entire national entity of the Widows Sons
that has more than one jurisdiction.
Each jurisdiction rules all Widows Sons business in its own
jurisdiction.
This rules out any person,
group, committee, round table, coordinator,
Presidential Board or Grand Board that is based on
creating some "national" body of Widows Sons.
Anything populated on a "National" intent is a
direct violation of this bylaw.
Autonomous, being defined as; ruling and governing
their own business and activities in
their own Masonic jurisdiction in accordance with the due boundaries of Freemasonry of
their jurisdiction first, then within the due boundaries
of these Widows Sons founding by-laws and founding
landmarks of the Widows Sons.
An established Widows Sons Grand Chapter, that is in
full compliance with the Founding By-laws and
Landmarks may charter another Grand Chapter in
another state into existence upon the promise given
by the chapter that it will adhere to these
Landmarks and the Widows Sons Founding by-laws,
making changes to the by-laws only necessary to
resolve any conflicts in these by-laws and landmarks
with their Grand Lodge by-laws, rules or edicts. No
other changes to the founding by-laws or founding
landmarks should be made to appease any personal or
Grand Chapter preferences. No single person shall
issue charters to new Grand Chapters. They must be
chartered by a Grand Chapter.
This is how it was intended.
Only Grand Chapters could charter a new Grand
Chapter. This was written to prevent any person,
group or committee from having the power to decide
who and or cannot be chartered. It was intended that
anyone who wanted to be chartered, should contact a
Grand Chapter, get the paperwork, make the promise
to support the goals and intentions and by laws of
the Widows Sons, making changes only to the founding
bylaws to solve a conflict with their Grand Lodge,
and get their chapter going.
I believe the chartering should be done by the Grand
Chapter. If someone wants to be a coordinator, he
should be no more than a coordinator in his own
Masonic jurisdiction. He should stay out of the
business of other jurisdictions and not make decisions for them,
nor tell them anything other than what the founding
bylaws stipulate. According to the founding bylaws
and intentions there are no persons or groups for
chartering new chapters other than Grand Chapters.
At the time
there are fifty (50) Grand Bodies of Widows Sons in
the United States, and bodies outside the U.S.
Changes, alterations or amendments or additions to
the Widows Sons Founding By-laws or the Founding
Landmarks shall be made with a ratification vote of
a ninety (90) percent majority of the fifty (50)
widows Sons United States chapters and all chapters
outside the U.S. by a ballot voting in favor of the
purposed changes, or by a Grand Lodge proclamation.
This was intended to keep the bylaws as written. It
also has been ignored by those who think they know
better or have a way better than Freemasonry has
followed for more than 299 years.
Adopted:
2001:When a logo, patch or insignia of the Widows
Sons is adopted, only men who are Masons shall wear
it. No wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, moms
or grandmothers shall display a patch on their back.
There will be no ladies’ or support or associate
patches. No member or affiliate chapter shall create
a patch, button, decal pin or any other item that
advertises, names or promotes the Widows Sons. This
is reserved for Grand Chapters.