I pondered whether a blog post on the day of our founding – yesterday, December 3 – or a blog post the day following our centennial (today, December 4) would be more appropriate. I obviously chose the latter.
If you search earlier blog posts, you’ll find that in 2012 and 2013, I posted on our Society’s Founders’ Day. Both posts were looking forward to our centennial in 2014. Earlier this week as I considered what to write as part of my 2014 Founders’ Day blog post, I found myself struggling a bit. Had I said everything there needed to be said about a one-hundred-year-old organization? Probably not. Had I run out of clichés and reflective rhetoric? Maybe.
As I sat in the airport in Albany, N.Y. yesterday morning en route to Lexington, Va. to celebrate our centennial, I perused social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like. Not surprisingly there was lots and lots of “chatter” celebrating our Society’s 100th “birthday.” A significant milestone for any organization.
I didn’t end up making it to Lexington yesterday. Mechanical issues with my plane kept me grounded in Albany, so I missed all of the pomp and circumstance associated with our organization turning 100. But as I left the airport – admittedly bummed by not being able to visit National Headquarters and the centennial reception at the Grigsby’s home in Lexington – I began to think about tomorrow (which is today).
For nearly 12-months I’ve concluded communications – letters, emails, speeches – by alluding to our Society’s “second century.” Well, today’s that day. Today’s the beginning of Omicron Delta Kappa’s second century. And while yesterday was a big deal (actually, a huge deal), I believe that today is an even bigger deal.
Today, we’re already 100. Today, we’re nearly 300,000 members strong. Today, we boast a national volunteer corps of nearly 100 committed men and women who believe in the OΔK Idea. Today, our National Headquarters staff is among most talented group of professionals in association management in the country. Today is the start of our second century.
Nationally, we remain committed to the unique characteristics of each of our nearly 300 circles on campuses across the country. Each of our circles’ (and their associated campus communities) discerning qualities is what contributes to our members’ depth and breadth of unique experiences. Experiences which our Society has honored for a century and will honor for years to come.
Today is day one. Today, we are all founders of Omicron Delta Kappa’s second century. It is our responsibility to ensure that one hundred years from now, our successors will be able to celebrate our Society’s bicentennial.
Here’s to today, and all the days to come in our second century!
