Friday, Aug. 10, 2012
John Spevak: Celebrating nephew's turn as Shriner leader
Spending a weekend with Shriners is enjoyable and
inspiring.
That was my experience, after driving 900 miles in
a mini-van from Ohio to Minnesota with my older brother and sister.
The final 450 miles went smoothly. My nephew Ed and
his wife, Mary, joined us in DeKalb, Ill., dropping the average age of the
mini-van travelers. No longer were we an exclusively senior citizen tour group.
As the five of us drove north out of Illinois, we
noticed the fields and lawns along the highways became greener, first in
Wisconsin and then in Minnesota. Later I learned that Minnesota and Wisconsin
had received considerably more rain this summer than had Midwestern states
farther south.
In fact, the day before we arrived in Mendota
Heights, a suburb of St. Paul, a strong line of showers had passed through and
doused the area, followed by a cool front. Our Minnesota weekend weather turned
out ideal, highs around 80 with cool breezes.
We came to Mendota Heights to honor the 2012
potentate of the Osman Shrine, a district covering roughly the eastern half of
Minnesota.
Shriners call districts "shrines," and
each shrine director "potentate." Every shrine's name has a Middle
Eastern derivation. The other Minnesota shrines, for example, are Zuhrah and
Aad.
This year's potentate of the Osman Shrine is Frank
Spevak III, my nephew.
The extended Spevak family traveled to Minnesota
not only to celebrate the accomplishments of Frank (we call him Bud) but also
to have a mini family reunion. The travelers consisted of Bud's father Frank,
brother Ed, sister-in-law Mary, aunt Joan and uncle John.
Ed and Mary came from St Louis, Frank and Joan from
Ohio, and I came from California. During the weekend we reunited with Bud's
family: his wife, Joan; daughters Kate and Mari and son Frank IV; and aunt
Evelyn. Our last time together was in January 2010.
The highlight of the weekend was a Saturday evening
gala for Potentate Frank and his wife (Lady Joan), including dinner and dancing
in the new Osman Shrine building, which had been completed this year, a new
two-story building ideal for receptions.
The extended family also attended an informal
gathering of Shriners on Friday night and a ceremony inducting new persons into
the Shrine on Saturday morning. During this time, I learned a lot about the
Shriners, especially the Osman Shrine and its potentate.
The Osman Shrine, like the other 190 shrines in
North America, is very active. Osman Shriners participate in many parades
around the state, and they sponsor a circus every year in St. Paul.
For parades, a group of Shriners usually ride on
different types of motorized vehicles, from large motorcycles to "Mighty
Mites," tiny cars that Shriners don't really sit in but sit on. Wearing
their fezzes and driving their cycles and mini-cars in patterns, they are fun
to watch.
The annual circus, which is their main fundraiser,
requires many hours of work from many members. It includes elephants, tigers,
clowns and the rest of a typical circus entourage. Bud was the director of the
St. Paul Circus last year.
All of the fun and work serve an overriding
purpose: raising money to help support the 22 Shriners children's hospitals in
North America, including one in nearby Minneapolis.
In talking with Bud, I discovered that becoming a
potentate requires a 10-year commitment of Shriner apprenticeship. Bud served
in nine other increasingly responsible positions for nine years.
During 2012, his year as potentate, Bud will put in
more than 500 hours of Shriner work. Many other Osman Shriners also volunteer
hundreds of hours.
Members thoroughly enjoy all the hours they invest
in the Shriners cause -- because they work together as a team and have fun
along the way. I experienced the Shriners' spirit in their congeniality and
laughter during the weekend.
All five of the visiting Spevaks agreed that their
trip to Minnesota was worth it. We were able to tell Bud how much we appreciate
him, not only as a Shriner but as a person. We learned a lot, and we had one
heck of a good time.
Comments on the writings of John Spevak, an Enterprise columnist for 29
years, are encouraged, and can be sent via email to john.spevak@gmail.com.
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