The January George Mason Chapter meeting will be held at the Arlington-Fairfax Elk’s Lodge, 8421 Arlington Boulevard, on January 15, 2014. Social gathering will start at 6:30 PM and dinner will be served at 7:00 PM. The program will feature the Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Patriotic Oration Contest. The orations contest was initially established in 1945 by Compatriot Douglas G. High as an event in a Cincinnati High School. The following year it became a state project of the Ohio Society. In 1947 the National Society decided to sponsor the event on a national level, calling the event the Historical Patriotic Oration Contest with the first national event being held in 1949. Compatriot High was the original national chairman and served five terms before his death in June of 1952. The 1953 National Congress memorialized Compatriot High by naming the event after him.

In 1993 the name of the oration contest was changed to the Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Patriotic Oration Contest. Compatriot Rumbaugh (1911-1998) was a former President of the Florida Society, was well known for his interest in youth and youth programs and had been very generous in their behalf.

Winners at the Chapter level compete at the State Annual Meeting and winners at the state level compete at the national level. By virtue of donations to the Dr. Joseph Warren Endowment Fund, the prize awarded at the National level has been increased.