The Distinguished Service

Award

The Distinguished Service Award ("DSA") recognizes outstanding overall service by a DeMolay in various fields of life.  The purpose of the DSA is to recognize a DeMolay member’s outstanding service to others in his home, school church, community, county and Chapter.

Established by DeMolay International in 1959, it is awarded to a maximum of two (2) DeMolay members per jurisdiction per year, and complete applications for consideration MUST be received by May 15. Of those two recipients each year, the Executive Officer will transmit one of the two winners to DeMolay International for its consideration as DeMolay International "DeMolay of the Year". If a member is not selected as a recipient, his advisory council may re-submit his nomination for consideration the following year, with any additional materials they deem necessary in support of his application. It should be noted that this award is different from (but may, in fact, be awarded to), the same individual who receives the honor of New Jersey DeMolay of the Year, as selected by the State Master Councilor and the Jurisdictional Officers.

Since the DSA is an award, rather than an honor, the prospective recipient may participate actively in preparing his own nomination. Applications may be submitted at any time; however, recipients will only be notified of their selection at the annual banquet of New Jersey DeMolay each June. The Executive Officer, in consultation with other staff, selects the recipients from among qualified applicants, and he further may submit his own nomination if no nominations are received from any chapter during the year. It is strongly recommended that for a candidate to receive this award, he first must have received the Representative DeMolay Award and Lamp of Knowledge .

There is no standard form for applying for the DSA. Rather, the applicant, working with his local Advisory Council, assembles a package of materials demonstrating his service in various areas. The local Advisory Council generally assists in soliciting recommendations from individuals who have worked with the applicants in various areas of service. The nomination for the Award officially comes from the Advisory Council, though a member may apply for his own nomination through his Advisory Council.

The information below will help you in assembling an application for the DSA and outlines the essential information that should be included. The package of materials should reflect the personality and experience of the nominee, while showcasing his qualifications to be designated as truly distinguished in his service, both in DeMolay and beyond.

Please submit all forms and any questions to Dad Strucek, Director of Awards, at astrucek@njdemolay.org.