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| National Grange News |
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Luttrell elected national Grange leader |
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By Marcus Hathcock, The Sandy Post, Sandy, OR (11/21/07) |
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DECEMBER 2007 --
Sandy, Oregon resident Ed Luttrell made history last week when his peers from across the country elected him as the 22nd president/master of the National Grange.
Luttrell, 47, is the first Oregonian to lead the 141-year-old agriculture-based community organization, and the second picked from west of Nebraska.
“I’m very honored,” Luttrell said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity. There’s so much we can do, and I’m very honored that they had that much faith in me”
The humble Alder Creek man said he didn’t seek out the presidency. Instead, delegates from around the country drafted him into the role, he said.
“I looked around, and all fingers were pointing at me,” Luttrell said. “I was rather surprised at the results of the election.”
Those who know Luttrell – a member of the Boring-Damascus Grange since the late 1980s and a member of the organization since 1974 – say it’s no surprise the experienced leader was tapped for the Grange’s top job.
“He is very honest, dependable, and he would help anybody in any aspect of their Grange career,” said Oregon Grange President Phyllis Wilson. “He has been a tremendous support system for me. He was absolutely the right choice.”
Wilson also touted Luttrell’s intricate knowledge of Grange policies and procedures, obtained over a lifetime of service to the organization.
“I didn’t realize how well-respected Ed was at the National Grange level,” Boring-Damascus Grange Lecturer Deby Olson said. “But he is a very inspirational man, the driving force behind our Grange. This is a huge honor, and we are very proud to have one of our own in this position.”
Luttrell has held several positions in the Grange at various levels. He has served at the local level on the Boring-Damascus Grange Executive Board, at the state level as president, and, most recently, at the national level as the director of leadership and membership development for the past six years.
“He just proves that if you are dedicated to the Grange, you can go to the very highest levels of the organization,” Wilson said.
During his two-year term as president, Luttrell will oversee the national organization, which is made up of 36 state units and approximately 2,400 local Granges.
“My task is to coordinate staff and resources to benefit the local Granges,” Luttrell said. That job description will be time-consuming, requiring Luttrell to travel often.
“The key is to balance life so I can stay fresh and full of energy,” he said.
Luttrell said his No. 1 goal as president will be to have every community Grange in the nation increase in membership, active participation and activities.
In short, he wants to bring the successes of the Boring-Damascus Grange to the rest of the country.
“If every Grange was like Boring, we’d have to figure out how to provide all the increased services that would be needed, which is what we want,” Luttrell said. “Everyone at the Boring-Damascus Grange is excited to meet the needs of our membership and the community. It’s really a great thing to be around.”
Luttrell already has been busy talking with state presidents and gearing up for a trip to Washington, D.C. As president, he has the opportunity to meet with government leaders and even testify before Congress, but Luttrell says the most important people are his constituents.
“I guess I’ve never been the kind of person who looks for perks in life,” Luttrell said. “What I like best is working with people, and to me, Grange people are the best people in the world. I’m excited to get out in the different parts of our country and work with them.”
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