Order of the Arrow to mark 100 years

Photo

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR — Seth Welch looks over some of the history collection gathered by the Greater Western Reserve Boy Scout Council Lodge known as Wapashuwi Lodge 56.

Staff report

The Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s National Honor Society, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year with a major event taking place at the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Michigan State University on Aug. 3 through 8 in East Lansing, Mich.

More than 10,000 Arrowmen comprising youth, men and women members and staff will attend the historic conference with 71 members coming from our local area. As part of the event, the National OA office has instructed all lodges to gather their local history, create a Lodge History Book and submit it for the celebration.

The Greater Western Reserve Boy Scout Council Lodge is known as Wapashuwi Lodge 56, which was formed July 1, 1995, from the merger of three former lodges, Stigwandish Lodge 114, Tapawingo Lodge 368 and Neatoka Lodge 396.

Wapashuwi Lodge has been working on gathering its history from 1995 to date and the history of the three former lodges in the area now served by the Greater Western Reserve Council.

Stigwandish Lodge 114 began in 1938 in the Northeast Ohio Council serving Geauga, Lake and Ashtabula counties. Tapawingo was formed in 1947 in the Western Reserve Council and served Trumbull County. Neatoka served the Mahoning Valley Council beginning in 1948 and was first called Mahoning Lodge 396. By 1955 the lodge had lost its charter and in 1957 it was rechartered as Mahoning Lodge 396. Later that year it changed to Neatoka Lodge 396.

According to Mike Kupec, adviser to the Lodge History Project, there is no information about Mahoning Lodge from 1948 to 1955. He suggested that the help of the community might be needed. Maybe someone’s father or grandfather has some materials or memorabilia from that period.

They also are looking for the same kind of items for Neatoka, Stigwandish, Tapawingo and Wapashuwi. History project members have been contacting past lodge chiefs and advisers and doing video interviews of their experience in the OA to add to their history book for submission to the National OA.

The Order of the Arrow consists of nearly 300 lodges. Through the program, members live up to the ideals of brotherhood, cheerfulness and service set forth by its founders, E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson.

Anyone having material to loan or donate should contact Kupec at 330-799-1475 or email mike.kupec@gmail.com.

Information on Wapashuwi Lodge can be found at wapashuwi.org, the National Order of the Arrow at oa-bsa.org and the Greater Western Reserve Council at bsa-gwrc.org or call 330-898-8474.