Page 3 - FALL Sojourner Newsletter-11202020

Vol. 97 Iss. 4 3

Bro. Colonel Robert William Roth • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Ripon Chapter #497, Da Nang Chapter #498, Semi-

USA RET College, 1970 nole Chapter #373, Fort Sam Houston Chap-
ter #17, Pasadena Chapter #265, Honolulu
Personal: Born, Lansing, Mi., 1948 • Juris Doctor, Marquette University, 1975 Chapter #09, Truax Chapter #197, Milwau-
• Attorney at Law, Civil Trial Work, licensed kee #27, and many other Chapters.
Military Career: in Wi. and Az., practicing 45+ years
Retired from the 84th Division, United States • Owned and operated a Skilled Care Nursing • Life Member of the 3-6-5 Club. Installed
Army Reserve in April of 1998, as Acting As- National President of the Order on June
sistant Division Commander, and Special As- Home in rural Wi. for 35 years. 2020.

sistant to the Commanding General. Military & Civilian Awards & Honors: Other Masonic Honors and History:
• Commissioned Second Lieutenant, Field Among his service awards are the Legion of • Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons,
Artillery, US Army in 1970 from ROTC. Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak State of Wisconsin Grand Tiler
Served with the 4th and 5th Infantry Divi- Leaf Cluster, and Army Commendation Medal
sions as a forward observer, liaison officer, with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army • Grand Lodge of Wisconsin 2018-2019 Reso-
and Assistant Battalion S1. Achievement Medal. U.S. President’s Awards lutions Committee: Chairman 2010-2011
• Assigned to 84th Division, United States for Civilian Volunteer Service, 2005 Jurisprudence Committee, Member & Chair-
man, 2008-2009, 2011-2021 Grand Lodge
Army Reserve, 1972. Served as a battery National Sojourners: Education Committee, 2018-2021
commander, Battalion S2/3, Brigade S3,
battalion commander, Assistant Chief of • Joined in 1999, serving as President of Mil- • Freemasons Lodge 363 Past Master 2008,
Staff for Personnel (G1) and Assistant Chief waukee Chapter #27 in 2003-2004, and Lodge Trustee 2008-2011
of Staff, Information Management. Follow- Camp Commander of Paul Revere Camp, • Crandon Lodge 287
ing those two division general staff assign- 2004-2005. • The Wisconsin Masonic Home, Inc, Three
ments, served six years in two consecutive • In 2010, appointed to the National Member- Pillars Senior Living Communities: Member
brigade command assignments with the ship Committee and became a member of the 2003, and Vice Chair, Board of Directors,
Training Support Brigade and 1st Brigade of Committee of 33. 2006, Chairman of the Board, 2006-2009.
the 84D. • Became Chairman of the National Member- Reappointed to the Board of Directors: 2019-
• Graduate of the Basic and Advanced courses ship Committee in 2012. 2022 Member, Planning Committee, Board
of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Ok., • Elected National 3d Vice President, National of Directors, 2009-2021
the Field Artillery and FORSCOM Pre- Sojourners, Inc. in 2016. • Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite: Past Com-
command courses, the Command and Gen- mander-in-Chief, Consistory, Valley of Mil-
eral Staff College, and the United State Army • Helped lead a multi-year campaign to open waukee 2003-2004 Trustee, Valley of Mil-
War College. the membership ranks of National Sojourners waukee 2004-2014 Chairman, Trustees, Val-
to all Master Masons who had honorably
• Continues to serve the US military in a vol- served and stood with over 80% of the voting ley of Milwaukee 2008-2011 Honorary
unteer capacity and is past State Employer members in attendance at the National Con- Member & 33º, AASR of the Northern Juris-
Outreach Director, with the Employer Sup- vention in Charlotte, S.C., in June 2016 to diction, USA 2010
port of the Guard Reserve (ESGR), a Depart- pass that resolution. • York Rite: Royal Arch, Waukesha 37 Red
ment of Defense activity of the Office of the • Written extensively about retention, recruit- Cross of Constantine St Wilfred Conclave:
Under Secretary of Defense for Reserve Af- Puissant Sovereign 2010-2011
fairs. Currently, State Committee Historian. ing, and recovery of members in the National
Sojourner magazine. • Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic
Education & Training, Civilian Work Activity: • Member of the Royal Order of Barrow Shrine Tripoli Temple, Milwaukee WI. Ritu-
• East High School, Green Bay, Wi., 1966 Wheelers, Chicago Chapter, Past Masters alistic Divan Legion of Honor

National Secretary’s Desk vides a system that is stable, reliable, repeatable and scalable.
The National Office needs more organization, a thorough re-
Fellow Sojourners, the last five months for me has had more vamping from top to bottom - mountains of paperwork and rec-
than a fair share of trials and tribulations since taking the reins ords need to be digitized to provide much needed space, and
here at the National Office. For example, COVID-19 continues labor-intensive or mundane tasks need to be automated. Much
to present various problems and challenges, staffing issues, needs to be done and much will be done in due time.
working with legacy systems and hardware that needed to be On a side note -many of you probably signed up for access
retired years ago, migration challenges to a new office system to the web page long ago using an email address that is no long-
and new server, creating or updating forms and procedures, and er valid. If that is the case, please try to sign into the web page
creating processes to become more streamlined with today’s and sign up using the email address you have provided to the
technology so we can be more responsive to our membership. I National Office, as we use that database to determine whether or
need to align the National Office with the upcoming migration not you are a Sojourner in good standing to allow you to access
to the new server and the new website, which will be our mem- the Sojourner-Only section of the web site. Any website prob-
bership and Chapter Secretary portal, and to take advantage of lems, contact the webmaster, Bill Hickey (wa3h@hotmail.com)
all the features the future database system promises to offer. I have enjoyed emailing with you or speaking on the phone with
Every piece must work in unison and in concert with one anoth- many of you these past few months. I have made some new
er in order to provide first class service to our members and to friends. I hope to meet and greet with each and every one of you
our Chapters. I ask for your prayers, patience and understanding in due course. If you have a problem or something that needs to
during these most trying times. be resolved - and you feel the National Office can help you –
As I get time and review Standard Operating Procedures, please reach out to me any time. I may need a few days to react,
and with an eye towards efficiency, I am trying to guide us to- however I welcome the opportunity to help you or your Chapter.
ward a particular business acumen and philosophy, with updated
processes, that not only make sense, but which meet or exceed Sincerely and fraternally, and proud to be a Sojourner,
the EXCOM/Trustees mandate for this National Office and pro- Mark W. Underwood, ANST