THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH DEPARTMENT

“The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them: for she came from the utmost part of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here”…. Luke 11:31

The QUEEN OF THE SOUTH is a complimentary segment of the Order of the Eastern Star degree. The Queen of the South degree is designed to compliment the members who have previously received the five degrees of the Order of the Eastern Star, by giving them an intimate bond and a token of recognition whereby they may know Masons and be known to them.

Daughter Dorothy Riley complimented the Order of the Eastern Star as International’s Associate to Daughter Pernella Tubbs for many years. During the year 1967, Illustrious Dr. William V. Banks, 33 ˚ founder and Supreme President (deceased) separated the degrees and appointed Daughter Dorothy Riley to establish a Queen of the South Department.

Princess Dorothy Riley traveled from state to state appointing and electing Grand Queen Bathsheba’s and in 1972 the Supreme Queen of the South Department was chartered and the work began by-laws, rituals, guidelines, executive boards and committees were enacted.

Princess Riley needed time to promote plans and programs to the membership. She was allotted 6:00 am sessions at the Supreme Convention for this purpose. Some members complained~~~”too early”, but they kept coming, and come they did! This department grew, grew and flourished. Presently we have Palaces in twenty-eight states, governed by six National Districts.

From the early bird two-hour session Monday-Friday at the Supreme Convention, the request for a National Convention for the Queen of the South Department was granted by our Supreme President, Illustrious Dr. George Mathews, 33 ˚.
History making began January 5, 1995 at the Castlegate Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia and continued as follows;

1996 Tennessee	1999 New York	2002 Alabama
1997 New Jersey	2000 California	2003 New Jersey
1998 Illinois	2001 Florida	2004 New York (returned to Supreme)

Well eight national conventions later, some members were still complaining: “to close to the holidays, weather to inclement to travel, hard to get flights/etc.,” but, we keep on going, going, gone! We are now back with the Supreme Convention on Thursday. We thank God for the faithful; however, if each of us will be the wind beneath the Queen of the South Department’s wings we all can soar to higher plains.