International Order of Rainbow for Girls.

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The International Order of Rainbow for Girls.
The Order of Rainbow for Girls is an international order for girls formed April 6, 1922, in McAlester, Oklahoma, by W. Mark Sexson and eleven adults, who comprised the first Supreme Assembly of the Order of Rainbow for Girls. The purpose of the Order is to prepare girls between the age of 11 and 20 years for a brighter, better, and more beautiful womanhood. The Order has two degrees: (l) Initiatory; and (2) Grand Cross of Color (which is an Honorary Degree).

The ritual is based upon Faith, Hope and Charity and the 9th Chapter of Genesis, "And God said . . . 'I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.' " It emphasizes seven colors - those of the rainbow - symbolizing love, religion, nature, immortality, fidelity, patriotism and service.

The Rainbow ritual teaches belief in a Supreme Being; great truths of the Bible; dignity of character; conception of higher things in life; effective leadership; church membership; cooperation with equals; patriotism; love of home; and service to humanity.

Local bodies are called Assemblies and are presided over by a Worthy Advisor and a Mother Advisor, and are sponsored by Chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star, Masonic Lodges, or other affiliated or appendant Bodies of Freemasonry. There is a Grand Assembly in Texas, which meets annually, and is presided over by a Grand Worthy Advisor and a Supreme Inspector or Supreme Deputy of the International Order. There is a Supreme Assembly presided over by the Supreme Worthy Advisor, which meets biennially.

Membership is open to girls recommended by an Eastern Star or a Freemason, but a girl does not have to belong to a Masonic or Eastern Star family. Rainbow Girls may invite friends to join. The age requirement is 11 to 20.

The girls of the various Rainbow Assemblies engage in a variety of activities - service projects, charitable activities, etc. Those adults working with the girls believe that they are helping to imbue them with dignity of character and helping them to become gracious, lovely young ladies.

William Mark Sexson was born at Arnica Springs, Missouri, July 8, 1877. He was the son of Thomas and Hanna Sexson who came from Illinois as pioneers in the early settlement of southwest Missouri, located upon a farm in the valley of Sac River, Cedar County, Missouri, near the village of Arnica Springs.

At twelve years of age he joined the church, and at fourteen began his ministry. At seventeen he was ordained a minister of the Christian (Disciples) Church by Elder John H. Breeze. He married Miss Edith Edwards of Windsor, Illinois, and as a young married couple they went to Bloomfield, Indiana, where he became pastor of the First Christian Church. After serving for two years as minister of this church, he moved to Indianapolis where he entered Butler College in further preparation of his ministry. He served as Evangelist in the Christian Church conducting revival meetings in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and a number of western states. He came to Cleveland, Oklahoma, in 1906 as minister of the Christian Church at that place. He afterwards served the church at Cherokee and Stroud, Oklahoma.

Mr. Sexson was made a Master Mason in Bloomfield, Indiana, during the time that he was minister of the First Christian Church of that city. He immediately became identified with the craft as a lecturer and contributor of fraternal literature. He spent practically all of his life in this field of research work and as a result of such research has been honored by the Fraternity on many occasions.

He was initiated, passed, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason Bloomfield Lodge No. 80. at Bloomfield, Indians, in 1902. He was made Master of the Royal Secret 32 degree in Oklahoma Consistory No. 1, at Guthrie, May 30, 1907. In October, 1911, he was crowned Knight Commander of the Court of Honor at Guthrie.

In 1912 he came to McAlester as Secretary of the McAlester Scottish Rite Bodies, serving them as such until January 1, 1922. In 1913 while Secretary of the McAlester Scottish Rite Bodies, he was mad a thirty-third degree Mason and coroneted as Inspector General Honorary by the Supreme Council at Washington. He was a Royal Arch Mason, a member of Indian Chapter No. 1, North McAlester; also, a Knight Templar, a member of McAlester Commandery No. 6; a Noble of the mystic Shrine holding active membership in Indian Temple at Oklahoma City, and honorary membership in Bedouin Temple at Muskogee, and Akdar Temple at Tulsa. He was a member of Amrita Grotto of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was Past Grand Patron, O.E.S., of Oklahoma.

He was Past Master of South McAlester Lodge No. 96 (1921) and served the Grand Lodge as Grand Chaplain in 1920 and 1921 and as Grand Orator in 1923 and 1924. At the meeting of Grand Lodge in Tulsa, 1925, he was elected Junior Grand Warden, in 1926 was elected Senior Grand Warden, and in 1927 was elected Deputy Grand Master. On February 15, 1928, he was elected to the highest office and given the highest rank attainable in Freemasonry, that of Most Worshipful Grand Master of a sovereign Masonic Grand Jurisdiction.

Mr. Sexson was initiated in South McAlester Chapter No. 149, Order of the Eastern Star, September 13, 1921; installed Worthy Patron, January 9, 1923; made a life member of South McAlester Chapter No. 149, in 1931; was elected Worthy Grand Patron of the O.E.S. Grand Chapter of Oklahoma in 1925-1926; served on the Ritual Committee of the General Grand Chapter, O.E.S., 1928 to 1931. In April, 1937, he was initiated in the White Shrine of Jerusalem at Muskogee, Oklahoma.

In 1909, he went abroad spending some time in the near European Countries and then journeying to Assyria, Palestine, and Egypt in search of Masonic information and further preparation for his work as a contributor to Masonic literature.

His greatest work was the organization of the Order of the Rainbow for Girls. This is a junior organization for girls of the teen age from Masonic, Eastern Star, and Amaranth homes, and the friends of members of Rainbow.

One evening in the spring of 1922, Mr. Sexson had been asked to make an address before South McAlester Chapter No. 149. As the DeMolay had come under his close study and observation during his Masonic activities, he became more and more conscious of the fact that an Order for girls setting forth some if the truths of Masonry would be necessary. He made a stirring appeal for such an organization in his address and the Worthy Matron, Mrs. Sarah Church, immediately replied, "We would start it if we had someone to write the ceremony of Initiation." Mr. Sexson said, " I will write the Ritual." The next day, he wrote the Ritual, giving it the name "Order of the Rainbow for Girls." He dictated it to the Church stenographer, Mrs. Helen Ambrose, in the study of the first Christian Church of which he was then a minister. He asked the regular officers of South McAlester Chapter No. 149, O.E.S., to exemplify the work and furnished them with typewritten copies of the Ritual.

On April 6, 1922, the degree were exemplified for the first time on a class of one hundred seventy-one girls in the auditorium of the Scottish Rite Temple, McAlester, Oklahoma.

The Supreme of governing Body was formed by Mr. Sexson in June, 1922. He wrote the law governing the Supreme Body was well as the law governing the Subordinate Assemblies. At the formation of this Supreme Body, Mr. Sexson was made the Supreme Recorder and later was given the title, Supreme Worthy Advisor Emeritus.

On December 20, 1953, Mr. Sexson died in a McAlester hospital, following a short illness. The funeral service was held at the First Christian Church where he served as minister for many years and where the Ritual of the Order of the Rainbow for Girls was written. Burial was in the Masonic Section of Oak Hill Cemetery in McAlester, Oklahoma.