Kelly McQueen Elk Family Member

The following news article was published by the Grand Lodge on their website. Congratulations Kelly and Roger McQueen! Outstanding examples of “Elks Care – Elks Share”!

Fathers know best

By MIKE CHAMERNIK

Publications Coordinator

Many Members can proudly say that their grandfather was an Elk. How many can say the same for their grandfather’s grandfather?

Kelly McQueen, of Shenandoah, IA Lodge No. 1122, is a rare fifth-generation Elk. Her paternal grandmother’s uncle, Len Oviatt, was a Charter Member of the Shenandoah Lodge in 1908. Oviatt got his brother, William (McQueen’s great-great-grandfather) to join, and membership has been passed down through the generations of her family ever since.

Given her family’s history, it was fitting that in 2015 McQueen was the first female Elk to join the Shenandoah Lodge. The ceremony was presided over by Roger McQueen, Kelly’s father and President of the Iowa Elks Association at the time.

“Because of this long line of Elks, I feel that the Elks play a vital role in my family,” said Kelly McQueen, who is now a Leading Knight. “My parents raised my brother and I with ideals of supporting veterans, giving back to the community, and being an important Member of an organization. I grew up realizing what this meant and knew that Elks was exactly where all of that could be done.”