Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent BENEVOLENCE
The State Of Texas, Founded 1897
HUMANITY
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 DECEMBER 29, 1976 52
VOLUME 64, NUMBER
PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE AND REPORT (Part I) Dear Members: Shortly after our recent convention, I promised that I would submit my observations on that convention to the membership, and now that our Proceedings (minutes) of that convention have been published, and the by-laws have been finalized and are about to be printed, I thought I would incorporate my comments on the last convention into the President's traditional New Year's Message and Report. Amended Charter Name and Perpetual Charter. For sometime before the convention, our Legal Adviser, Brother Reuben Lesikar, had recommended that we seek a perpetual charter from the Secretary of State. In the process of seeking that perpetual charter, he discovered that we were still chartered under the Czech name — Slovanskit Podporujici Jednota Statu Tex as, although we have been doing business for many years, including our life insurance contracts so stating, under the name of the Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas (SPJST). The original charter did not include the initials SPJST. Consequently, Bra. Lesikar sought action by the last convention and the name of Slovanske, Podporujici Jednota
SL President Nick A. Morris Statu Texas (Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas) was changed to "Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas (SPJST)". Such name change was accomplished by charter amendment duly filed with the State Board of Insurance of the State of Texas and ordered to be filed in accordance with the Insurance Commission of the State of Texas by order dated October 26, 1976.
The filing of charter amendment was unanimously authorized and directed by the delegates to the recent convention. At the same time, we were granted a perpetual charter, which means that it is valid from here on. We are indebted to Bro. Lesikar for his efforts in these matters. Social Members. The status of social members, as identified in Art. 1(k), was further clarified in the convention in Art. 73 by stating that ". . . such social member is not eligible to vote or hold office. Such social member may, at the discretion of the local lodge, have the right of deliberation and may serve on a committee." This was in response to appeals from some of the delegates who felt that only those social members who hold a prematurely paid-up certificate of less than $500 should have the right to speak and deliberate in local lodge meetings and serve on a committee. In other words, other social members do not qualify for this privilege extended by the lodge. Delegates. There were some good articles passed (Arts. 4, 5, & 6) further defining just who may be elected delegate to conventions, and clarifying questions that came up prior to this convention. For example, a lodge organized less