Senate Resolution No. 2210
BY: Senator PARKER
COMMENDING the Eureka Grand Chapter, Prince Hall
Order of Eastern Star, State of New York, upon the
occasion of hosting its 129th Annual Grand Session,
June 1-2, 2026
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those organizations of high purpose and worthy
accomplishment whose enduring commitment to sisterhood, service, and the
moral principles of the Order of the Eastern Star has enriched the civic
and spiritual life of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Eureka Grand Chapter, Prince Hall Order of Eastern Star,
State of New York, upon the occasion of hosting its 129th Annual Grand
Session on Monday, June 1 through Tuesday, June 2, 2026; and
WHEREAS, The Eureka Grand Chapter, Prince Hall Order of Eastern
Star, State of New York, traces its roots to April 17, 1887, when Alpha
Chapter was established in the City of New York under the guidance of
Past Eminent Grand Patron James Walker Hood, then serving as the
presiding Bishop of the New York Conference of the AME Zion Church, and
Brother Joseph Stills Curtis; Alpha Chapter was the first Eastern Star
Chapter established within what is now the Prince Hall fraternal family
in the State of New York, and its founding marked the beginning of a
tradition of women's leadership, service, and spiritual commitment that
has grown and flourished across more than a century; and
WHEREAS, On October 18, 1895, pursuant to the authority of the Most
Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of New York, six chapters came
together to be warranted and organized as Eureka Grand Chapter, Order of
the Eastern Star for the Jurisdiction of New York, with the first Grand
Session convened in June 1896, in New York City; since that first
gathering, the Eureka Grand Chapter has met annually, growing from six
founding chapters into a statewide body encompassing chapters across
every region of New York, united by the motto "Courage, Vision,
Commitment" and the unwavering belief that everyone has a legacy worth
building; and
WHEREAS, The 129th Annual Grand Session will convene under the
distinguished leadership of Grand Worthy Matron Marsha L. Mack and Grand
Worthy Patron Grant M. Valentine, whose stewardship of the Eureka Grand
Chapter reflects the highest ideals of the Order and calls for every
sister and brother to invest in the work of service, self-improvement,
and community with renewed purpose and dedication; and
WHEREAS, The Prince Hall Order of Eastern Star is a fraternal
organization comprised of women and men affiliated with the family of
Freemasonry, bound together by the five-pointed star and its teachings
drawn from the lives of Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha, and Electa, figures
of the biblical tradition whose stories of loyalty, constancy, faith,
love, and fidelity speak across the centuries to the enduring values of
the Order; and
WHEREAS, The Annual Grand Session is the highest governing
convocation of the Eureka Grand Chapter, bringing together officers,
members, and guests from across the State of New York for worship,
business, education, and fellowship, reaffirming the bonds of sisterhood
and brotherhood that have sustained this Order through every chapter of
New York's history; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to honor the Eureka Grand
Chapter, Prince Hall Order of Eastern Star, State of New York, its Grand
Officers, and its members across every chapter of this State, whose
combined years of service represent one of the most enduring and
consequential traditions of civic and spiritual engagement in the
history of our communities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Eureka Grand Chapter, Prince Hall Order of Eastern Star,
State of New York, upon the occasion of hosting its 129th Annual Grand
Session, and to extend congratulations to Grand Worthy Matron Marsha L.
Mack, Grand Worthy Patron Grant M. Valentine, and all officers, sisters,
and brothers of the Order; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Grand Worthy Matron Marsha L. Mack, Grand Worthy Patron
Grant M. Valentine, and the officers and members of the Eureka Grand
Chapter, Prince Hall Order of Eastern Star, State of New York, in
recognition of their steadfast dedication to the principles of Courage,
Vision, and Commitment.
