BY STACI WILSON
Alton Arnold, 90, has been a member of the Odd Fellows for 70 years. He joined the organization in 1944.
It’s not often a person stays involved in one organization for seven decades. But, then again, it’s not often that a man like Alton Arnold comes along.
Arnold joined the Montrose chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1944, right after he returned home from World War II.
Through the years, he rose through the ranks, serving as the Grand Master and traveling to all the clubs in the state.
Arnold was honored Saturday by the Odd Fellows, at the annual tri-county picnic held at Green Gables. He received his 70 year pin, as well as a certificate of recognition from the group.
“He’s an outstanding example in all he does,” fellow lodge members noted as Arnold was recognized several times during the picnic.
The fraternal organization dates back to 1819, with the first lodge in Pennsylvania established in 1823. The Montrose lodge was founded in the 1850s, but lagging membership led to its consolidation with the Lawton-area lodge in the 1990s.
Grady Slade, a member of the Odd Fellows Patriarchs Militant, presents longtime member Alton Arnold with a certificate of appreciation at the organization’s annual Tri-County held Saturday at Green Gables in New Milford
Junior Past Grandmaster Justin Bailey, of Tamacqua, said the Odd Fellows, along with the female counterpart the Rebekahs, were founded and work based off the parable of the Good Samaritan.
“It’s common people helping common people,” Bailey said.
Within the association, there are several subgroups – including the fez-wearing Ancient Mystic Order of Samaritans (AMOS); and the uniformed, Patriarchs Militant, founded during the Civil War.
The local AMOS members will be handing out school supplies, August 9, at 1 p.m. on the Green in Montrose.
As an organization, the Odd Fellows work focuses on Juvenile Arthritis.
While Grand Master, Bailey also focused efforts on raising funds for the Make a Wish Foundation.
Current Grand Master Joseph Giebel is continuing the work with Make A Wish but is also supporting Camp JRA – a camp for children with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Four Odd Fellow lodges and three Rebekah groups were represented at the Tri-County chicken barbecue on Saturday, but the organization reaches far beyond the U.S. Giebel said there has been an explosion of membership in Cuba and the Philippines in recent years.
At the picnic, members were recognized for their involvement with the branches of the Odd Fellows, as well as for their years of membership.
Scholarships were awarded to Brianna Thompson, a Montrose Area High School graduate. She plans to attend Penn State University – University Park with a major in Spanish education; and Jeremy Dunbar, of Dunmore, who is heading into his fourth year at Westchester University and majoring in accounting.
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