G+A+L+L+A+N+T+R+Y

The Electronic Newsletter Serving the Chivalric Community

November 1994

© 1994 The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the copyright holder. One archival copy may be downloaded and printed for private use.

Elevations to the Rank and Dignity of Knighthood

At a Command Investiture, the following were invested and decorated as Knights of the Holy Sepulchre on Saturday, October 15, 1994:

Rt. Hon. Chev. Harlan Ellison, K.O.H.S.
Rt. Hon. Chev. Devendra P. Varma, K.O.H.S.
Rt. Hon. Dame Connie Willis, D.O.H.S.

Chev. Ellison is the internationally acclaimed writer and futurist.
Chev. Varma was the world's leading scholar in Gothic literature.
Dame Willis is recognized as one of America's leading science fiction writers.

Representing the Supreme Council at the Command Investiture were the Sovereign Grand Master and the Grand Prior Rt. Hon. Chev. Rev. Fr. Brian P. Satterlee, K.O.H.S. Representing the Universal Chapter were Baroness Worley of Christy, G.C.H.S., Rt. Hon. Chev. Albert S. Worley III, K.O.H.S., and Rt. Hon. Dame Erin S.W. Satterlee, D.O.H.S.

Valdheim Made Papal Knight

Pope John Paul II has created former UN Secretary General a Knight of the Ordine Piano, one of the seven elite Orders of Chivalry whose knights are named, created, and decorated at the appointment of the Pope. Despite protests over Valdheim's former Nazi connections, the Investiture was held on July 6, 1994 at the Vatican embassy in Vienna. Acting on behalf of Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Donato Squicciarini, the papal nuncio to Austria, conferred the honor on Chev. Waldheim. Knighthood is recognized as a great honor for a Roman Catholic layperson, and Chev. Waldheim called the honor "the greatest gift he had ever received."

King Michael of Romania

King Michael of Romania was again denied entry to Romania on October 7, 1994 by current government officials in Bucharest. While claiming that King Michael failed to apply formally for a visa, it is generally understood that Romanian officials fear that King Michael would act as the catalyst of a popular movement for the restoration of the Monarchy. The King contends that because he is a Romanian citizen who holds a valid passport, he does not need a visa to visit his country. King Michael's country fell under Soviet Communist domination in 1945, and in 1947 the Communist government forced the King to abdicate by threatening his life. However, an "abdication" is not a renunciation of a throne, and an "abdication" forced upon a rightful monarch under death threat by a hostile government has no legal standing in international law. Hence, King Michael is still considered by many as the legitimate King of Romania. His Majesty is not an "ex-king," since that refers to a monarch who has renounced the throne, nor is His Majesty a "former King," as the press often refers to him. Before its abolition by the communists, the Kingdom of Romania conferred 14 Orders of Knighthood and of Merit. During his exile, His Majesty has continued to confer two distinguished Orders of Knighthood, The Order of Carol I (the highest Romanian Order) and the Military Order of Michael. His Majesty's fourth daughter, Princess Sophia, visited Denver, Colorado October 4 - 6, 1994 while on an American charity tour for the orphans and children of Romania.

Prince Louis Ferdinand (1908-1994)

His Royal Highness Prince Louis Ferdinand died at age 86 on Sunday, September 25, 1994. His Highness was Chief of the House of Prussia and Sovereign Grand Master of three active Orders of Chivalry: The Order of the Black Eagle, The Royal Order of Hohenzollern, and The Order of Louise (for women). The Black Eagle is the highest Prussian Order and was founded in 1701 by King Frederick I. The Hohenzollern Order was originally founded in 1841 by two Princes of the Hohenzollern House, Frederick and Charles; it was later absorbed by Prussia. The Louise Order was founded by King Frederick in 1814. Prince Louis Ferdinand would have been Kaiser of Germany had that country been permitted to maintain its monarchy after the disastrous events of W.W.I. The 18-year-old grandson of Prince Louis Ferdinand, Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, now succeeds to the title of head of the House of Prussia and the Grand Mastership of the Knightly Orders.

New Knights

The following persons have been named to the Rank and Dignity of Knighthood and will be invested Knights at a time convenient to the Sovereign Grand Master:

Raymond P. McNally, author and Professor of History at Boston College;
Radu Florescu, author, folklorist, Professor of Slavic Studies at Boston College, and Honorary Consul to Romania.

Order of Merit

The following were inducted into the Order of Merit of St. Joseph of Arimathea at a Command Investiture on Saturday, October 15, 1994:

Medal of Merit
Lady Susan Ellison, M.M.St.J.A.
Decree of Merit
Sheryl Beck, D.M.St.J.A.
Patricia Bragg, D.M.St.J.A.
Steph Christiansen, D.M.St.J.A.
Audrey Feldman, D.M.St.J.A.
Jayson Frederick, D.M.St.J.A.
Jayne Higgins, D.M.St.J.A.
Jason Horn, Ph.D., D.M.St.J.A.
C. Scott Kippen, D.M.St.J.A.
Steve MacDonald, D.M.St.J.A.

Devendra P. Varma (1922-1994)

Internationally acclaimed scholar, author, teacher, and Full Profesor of English at Dalhousie University (Canada), The Right Honorable Chevalier Prof. Sir Devendra P. Varma, Ph.D., on his return trip to his home in Canada after being received into Sepulchre Knighthood, suffered the first of a series of strokes that finally took his life on October 24 at 4:30 PM New York time. The first of the strokes occurred on October 17. Chev. Varma's son, Hemendra, and daughter-in-law, Susan, flew from Canada to New York and were present at the famous Knight's passing. Chev. Varma was retired Full Professor Emeritus from Dalhousie University at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Born in north India to landed gentry parents, Varma eventually became a British/Candadian citizen. He was an internationally acclaimed scholar and the author of dozens of major articles and books in the scholarly discipline of Gothic Studies, making him the preeminent scholar in the field. His text, The Gothic Flame, is the definitive work on the topic. Chev. Varma was the keynote speaker for such major literary bodies as The Lord Byron Society and The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, which granted him the Outstanding Scholar Award. Both the British House of Lords and the Japanese Diet invited Chev. Varma for major presentations. His latest book, On the Trail of Dracula, is in publication. Chev. Varma also held the coveted decoration of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Caballero Grand Cruz de la Orden de Nuestra Se–ora de Guadalupe). He held the Order of the Lion and the Black Rose and was a Fellow of the Augustan Society. Chev. Varma received Sepulchre Knighthood at a special Command Investiture in Greeley, Colorado where, as Invited Scholar, he addressed the Conference on Literatures of the Fantastic at the University of Northern Colorado on October 14-16. Chev. Varma was a great scholar and true European gentleman. He will be missed.

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