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Editor - Tom Williams, Sr.

National Best Club Bulletin

1980-1981, 1981-1982, 1986-1987

1987-1988, 1998-1999, 2012-2013

9 January 2017

Exchanger

Volume 91, No. 28

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Inspired by advocates

of nonviolence such as Mahatma Gandhi, King sought equality for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind water-

shed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,

a U.S. federal holiday since 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr.: Early Years and Family

The second child of Martin Luther King Sr. (1899-1984), a pastor, and Alberta Williams King (1904-

1974), a former schoolteacher, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929.

Along with his older sister, the future Christine King Farris (born 1927), and younger brother, Alfred

Daniel Williams King (1930-1969), he grew up in the city’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood, then home to

some of the most prominent and prosperous African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, King attended segregated public schools and at the age of 15 was admitted to

Morehouse College, the alma mater of both his father and maternal grandfather, where he studied

medicine and law. Although he had not intended to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the

ministry, he changed his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an influential theologian and outspoken advocate for

racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where

he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of

his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a graduate program at Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and

earning a doctorate in systematic theology two years later. While in Boston he met Coretta Scott (1927-

2006), a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple wed in 1953 and settled in Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. They had four children:

Yolanda Denise King (1955-2007), Martin Luther King III (born 1957), Dexter Scott King (born 1961) and

Bernice Albertine King (born 1963).

Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family had been living in Montgomery for less than a year when the highly segregated city

became the epicenter of the burgeoning struggle for civil rights in America, galvanized by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision of

1954. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks (1913-2005), secretary of the local National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People chapter, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a

Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days, placing a severe economic strain on the

public transit system and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the

protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King, heavily influenced by

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) and the activist Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), had entered the national

spotlight as an inspirational proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance. (He had also become a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.) Emboldened by the boycott’s

success, in 1957 he and other civil rights activists–most of them fellow ministers–founded the Southern

Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to achieving full equality for African

Americans through nonviolence. (Its motto was “Not

one hair of one head of one person should be harmed.”) He would remain at the helm of this

influential organization until his death.

King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

In his role as SCLC president, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled across the country and around the world,

giving lectures on nonviolent protest and civil rights as well as meeting with religious figures, activists & political leaders. (During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity to meet family members and followers of Gandhi, the man he described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique

of nonviolent social change.”) King also authored several books and articles during this time.

In 1960 King and his family moved to Atlanta, his native city, where he joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This new position did

not stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players in many of the most

significant civil rights battles of the 1960s. Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly

severe test during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and

marches to protest segregation, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s

most racially divided cities. Arrested for his involvement on April 12, King penned the civil rights

manifesto known as the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent defense of civil disobedience

addressed to a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

King Marches for Freedom

Later that year, Martin Luther King Jr. worked with a number of civil rights & religious groups to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful political rally designed to shed light on the

injustices African Americans continued to face across the country. Held on August 28 and attended by some 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the event is

widely regarded as a watershed moment in the history of the American civil rights movement and a factor in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The march culminated in King’s most famous address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, a

spirited call for peace and equality that many consider a masterpiece of rhetoric. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial–a monument to the president who a century earlier had brought down the institution of slavery in the United States—he

shared his vision of a future in which “this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:

‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'” The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; later that year

he was named Man of the Year by TIME magazine and in 1964 became the youngest person ever

awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international attention to the violence that erupted

between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC

and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter registration

campaign. Captured on television, the brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from across the country to gather in Selma and take

part in a march to Montgomery led by King and supported by President Lyndon Johnson (1908-73), who sent in federal troops to keep the peace. That August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act,

which guaranteed the right to vote–first awarded by the 15th Amendment–to all African Americans.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Years and Assassination

The events in Selma deepened a growing rift between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods & commit-

ment to working within the established political framework. As more militant black leaders such as

Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998) rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam War and

poverty among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was

to include a massive march on the capital.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, King was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of a motel in

Memphis, where he had traveled to support a sanitation workers’ strike. In the wake of his death,

a wave of riots swept major cities across the country, while President Johnson declared a

national day of mourning. James Earl Ray (1928-98), an escaped convict and known racist, pleaded guilty

to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. (He later recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the

King family, before his death in 1998.)

After years of campaigning by activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday of January, it was first celebrated in 1986.

I Have A Dream Speech

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for

freedom in the history of our nation/

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous

decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the

flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation

and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself

an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic

wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes,

black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obli-gation, America has given the Negro people a bad

check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that

the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We

have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of

segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of

racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s

children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until

there is an invigorating autumn of freedom & equality. 1963 is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will

be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The

whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of

justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our

rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for free-

dom by drinking from the cup of bitterness & hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow

our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the

majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has

engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white

brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with

our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We

cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There

are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be

satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can

never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the

motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We

can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity

by signs stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot

vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not

satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a

mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left

you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to

work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back

to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this

situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the

American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold

these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of

former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of

injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by

the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips

dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little

black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and

brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low,

the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it

together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With

this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to

go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ‘tis

of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride,

from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the

prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of

Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom

ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every

hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children,

black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands

and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we

are free at last!”

Washington,D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is situated on a 4-acre site along the Tidal Basin, adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial & shares a direct line of sight between the Lincoln & Jefferson memorials. Its official address is 1964 Independence Avenue SW, in honor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark

legislation in which King played an important role.

The centerpiece of the memorial is a 30-foot statue of Dr. King, featuring his likeness carved into the Stone of Hope, which emerges powerfully from two large boulders, known as the Mountain of Despair. Together, they represent soul-stirring words from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Text from this

speech is cut sharply into the rock of the Stone: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

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Today’s program will be a PowerPoint presented

by your editor on the unbelievable, one of a kind,

Sarah (Mrs. William) Winchester mansion in

California. If you have never visited the

mansion or even seen pictures of this amazing

home, I guarantee you will be amazed by the

story and photos. If you believe in ghosts or

spirits, you are on your own. Sarah’s husband,

William, invented the “Winchester Rifle”

which historians say “Won the West.” After

William’s death the “eccentric” Sarah had so

much money she didn’t know what to do with it,

hence the one of a kind Winchester Mansion.

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Our speaker today is Rene Dunn from the Orpheum

Children’s Museum in downtown Champaign. Some

of you may remember Rene who was previously the

assistant to the Champaign Police Chief for

Communications for many years before moving out of

state for a couple of years. If the proposed major

downtown development takes place the Museum will be

in for a major change. I look forward to seeing Rene

again and having an update on the Museum.

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The speakers for this week and next may yet be

inverted as we were still working out the

details when we left on our cruise. Today

we hope to have Steve Adams from the

Prairielands Council of the Boy Scouts of

America. To the best of my knowledge, the

Prairielands Council includes East-Central

Illinois and West-Central Indiana. Their Scout Camp, Camp Drake, is located in

Vermilion County and it provides a wonderful experience for young men. It’s located

about seven miles west of Danville and 4-5 miles mostly south of Route 150. Your

editor spent many weeks in the summer from age 13-17 at summer camp and was very

honored to have received the “Order of the Arrow” designation for his efforts in

scouting with Troup 1 & Post 1 at the First Methodist Church in downtown

Champaign. In the photo at the left the boy on the right might be me.

Coming Events

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Nancy is working on the program hopefully for this Monday or

one of the Mondays in February with the Daughter’s of the

American Revolution (DAR). She is arranging through

Georganne Marty, one of our Proudly We Hail recipients last

May and a former Grand Poobah of the Urbana-Champaign

Alliance Chapter of the DAR. Georganne was the Alliance

Chapter’s Regent in 1985-1987. She’s a really nice lady.

More details will be forthcoming next week.

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According to Wikipedia the day was first associated with romantic

Love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages,

when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century Eng-

land, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their

love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery &

sending greeting cards. Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include

the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the

19th century, hand-written valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

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Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated

the 3rd Monday of February. Established by

Congress in 1885 in recognition of President

George Washington, it has come to be universally considered a holiday in honor of all the

Presidents of the United States during which schools and government offices are closed.

It's still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by our federal government.

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In 1829, Englishman George Stephenson

brought to life the first steam-powered

locomotive—named Rocket—and marked

the birth of train travel. Fast-forward 183

years, and today’s jet-setting lives are lived

at breakneck speed. One can climb aboard

a Gulfstream G550 jet in Miami, FL, and

make it to Seoul, South Korea, in a bit

less than 15 hours. But when it comes to

luxury train travel, finding the fastest route

between two points is not the goal. It is

more about settling back in one’s seat and savoring the experience, one station at a time.

Coming Events

The Death of Queen Elizabeth will be the Most

Disruptive Event in Britain Since the End of WWII

Coronation Of Queen Elizabeth II On

June 2, 1953

Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God

Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and

Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender

of the Faith, is not going to live forever.

Since ascending to the throne in 1952, the monarch

has seen 13 Prime Ministers serve Britain, and lived

through another 12 US presidents (with number 13

on the way). She's now 90. At some point — not for

many years yet, we hope — Queen Elizabeth II's

reign will come to an end.

But what happens then?

For at least 12 days — between her passing, the funeral

and beyond — Britain will grind to a halt. It'll cost the

British economy billions in lost earnings due to the

chaos. The stock markets and banks will likely close.

And both the funeral and the subsequent coronation

will become formal national holidays, each with an

estimated economic hit to GDP of between £1.2 and £6

billion, to say nothing of organizational costs.

But to focus on the financial disruption doesn't begin to

describe the sheer magnitude of it. It will be an event

unlike anything Britain has seen since the end of the

Second World War. There will be trivial disruptions —

the BBC will cancel all comedy shows, for example —

and jarring cultural changes. Prince Charles may

change his name, for instance, and the words of the

national anthem will be changed, too. The British

Commonwealth might even unravel completely.

Princess Diana's

The deaths of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother

both brought on waves of public mourning and

hysteria. But the Queen, due to her longevity and

fundamental place atop British society, will be on

a whole new level above that.

The vast majority of British people have simply

never known life without the Queen.

It will be a strange, uncertain time.

The early hours

Much depends on the manner of the Queen's passing. If

it is expected (from a long illness, say), then detailed

plans will have been put in place for handling it and

making the announcement. These plans are already

being made: Inside Buckingham Palace, arrangements

for after the Queen's passing and the subsequent

succession are known as the "Bridge."

But if it's sudden, unexpected, or even in public — as

was the case with Princess Diana's death in 1997 —

then the news will get out immediately, in an

unplanned, uncontrolled fashion.

Either way, the majority of staff at the Palace and

associated institutions will be immediately sent home.

(According to The Daily Beast, if it happens overnight,

it will be announced at 8 a.m.) The Royal Court has a

staff hotline for distributing news and instructions to

employees in the event of occasions like this. Many

of the details in this story were provided to Business

Insider by a former staff member of the Palace.

Assuming the Queen's passing was expected, the news

will spread at first via the main TV channels. All BBC

channels will stop their programming and show the

BBC1 feed for the announcement. The other indepen-

dent channels won't be obligated to interrupt their

regular programming. But they almost certainly will.

This is how the BBC initially announced the death of

the Queen Mother in 2002: At the BBC, anchors

actively practice for the eventuality of the Monarch's

passing so they won't be caught unaware on their shifts.

The BBC's Peter Sissons was heavily criticised for

wearing a red tie to announce the Queen Mother's

passing (as seen above), and the BBC now keeps

black ties and suits at the ready at all times.

Presenters also run drills in which they're required to

make sudden "spoof" announcements that are never

broadcast. In 2015, a BBC journalist tweeted that the

Queen had died (on the same day she was visiting

hospital, no less) after not realising a rehearsal was

going on — with the "news" subsequently being

picked up by foreign news outlets.

"A journalist working for the BBC's language services,

who had not been sent the email [informing staff about

the rehearsal], saw an internal TV monitor which was

showing the rehearsal," the BBC Trust said. "A

number of tweets were sent from her Twitter account.

The first stated that the Queen was being treated in

hospital, the second stated that the Queen had died;

the tweets included a link to BBC World's official

Twitter feed."

All Comedy Will Be Cancelled

There will be no Charlie Chaplin for weeks.

The last death of a Monarch was in 1952, and the BBC

stopped all comedy for a set period of mourning after

the announcement was made. The Daily Mail reports

that the BBC plans to do the same again today,

cancelling all comedy until after the funeral.

CNN has pre-recorded packages on the Queen's life

ready to be aired at a moment's notice, we're told —

and so will every other major news channel.

The London Stock Exchange will likely close if the

announcement happens during working hours, and

other businesses may too. The protocols government

bodies will follow will emanate from the Dept. of

Culture, Media and Sport (though they may also

originate from the Palace). But the immediate

government response beyond official statements of

condolences will be hard to predict, the former palace

employee we spoke to said. The last monarch died in

1952; procedures that seemed apt then may be

woefully antiquated in the twenty-first century.

Mourners wore black armbands to show respect for

George VI, for example, but would similar public

displays of mourning be employed today? It's

impossible to know until it happens.

Flags will be flown at half-mast until 8 a.m. the day

after the funeral, according to guidance from the

Greater London Lieutenancy, with the exception of

Proclamation Day (more on that shortly). Churches

may also toll their bells — either on the day of the

death, or the day after.

Whatever happens formally, the shock on the day of

the Queen's passing will see Britain effectively cease

to function. The day of the funeral, around two weeks

later, will be declared a bank holiday, but "shell-

shocked" mourning will continue throughout this time.

There Will Be A Brief Resurrection Of the

British Empire

Given the Queen's international significance, it will

almost certainly be the top news story across the

entire world. It will trend globally on social media.

After all, Britain has a massive overseas presence —

not just via its embassies, but also former colonies

and the Commonwealth, which swears loyalty to the

crown, and more informally in any country where

English is spoken.

The British Empire once covered a quarter of the earth's

landmass and for a brief, surreal period it will feel as if

the Empire still exists, as all its former subjects will

turn toward Britain for the news.

A former ambassador we spoke to said what will

happen overseas depends on the manner of the Queen's

passing. If it has been long-expected, there will be

detailed plans and procedures in place. If it's sudden,

overseas posts will look to the Foreign Office for urgent

guidance.

A few things will definitely happen overseas: Social

functions will be cancelled. The Union Jack flag will be

flown at half-mast until after the funeral (this will also

happen at home in the UK). Officials will enter a period

of mourning, and dress appropriately. Condolence

books will be prepared for visitors to leave messages in.

But the ambassador also stressed there is a massive

amount of uncertainty as to what will actually happen.

It has been more than 60 years since the last monarch

died. Society has changed a huge amount in that time.

We're getting ahead of ourselves, however. What will

happen inside the Palace?

Behind closed doors at the Palace, an "Accession

Council" will convene

Once the majority of the staff are out the way and the

public tourist attractions are closed, an Accession

Council will be held at St. James's Palace to declare the

successor formally — Prince Charles, barring any

unforeseen circumstances. The Accession Council will

be attended by Privy Councillors, Lords, the Lord

Mayor of the City of London, and High Commissioners

of certain Commonwealth countries, amongst others.

This council is not required to make Queen Elizabeth

II's successor "official" however — Charles will

become the monarch from the moment of her passing.

There is never not a Sovereign on the throne. This is

also why the the Royal Standard is never flown at

half-mast (unlike the Union Jack).

Charles could change his name

It's also worth discussing the possibility of the crown

"leapfrogging" Charles in favour of his son, Prince

William — a possibility that has been discussed in the

media repeatedly.

This would cause a constitutional crisis, and definitely

will not happen. Prince William himself has said there

is "no question" of it happening. Instead, Prince

William will become the new Prince of Wales —

Charles' current role.

After all, Charles has waited and prepared for this job

for his entire life. And his mother's longevity means

that he's no long young either — he will be at least 68

when he takes the throne, past the British age of

retirement.

Prince Charles

"Impatient? Me? What a thing to suggest! Yes of

course I am," he said in 2012. "I'll run out of time

soon. I shall have snuffed it if I'm not careful."

At the council, the new Monarch (presumably Charles)

will swear loyalty to Parliament, and to the Church

of England. He will also become the new Supreme

Governor of the church. (Catholics cannot ascend to

the throne.)

The council will also make a "Proclamation of

Accession," to be read out on "Proclamation Day" soon

after the death in London Edinburgh, Windsor, York,

and other towns and villages throughout the country.

This was the most recent Proclamation, from when

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne:

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to His

Mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George the Sixth

of Blessed and Glorious memory, by whose Decease the

Crown is solely and rightfully come to the High and

Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary:

WE, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this

Realm, being here assisted with these His late Majesty's

Privy Council, with representatives of other Members

of the Commonwealth, with other Principal Gentlemen

of Quality, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and

Citizens of London, do now hereby with one voice and

Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim that

the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra

Mary is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of

happy memory, become Queen Elizabeth the Second,

by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of all Her

other Realms and Territories, Head of the

Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom Her

lieges do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience

with hearty and humble Affection, beseeching God by

whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal

Princess Elizabeth the Second with long and happy

Years to reign over us.

Charles won't necessarily become "King Charles,"

however. Upon ascending to the Throne, royals may

pick their "regnal" name from any of their Christian or

middle names. Arthur Bousfield and Gary Toffoli

write that when Queen Elizabeth II was asked, she

opted for "my own of course — what else?" But if

Prince Charles felt inclined to change, as Charles

Philip Arthur George, he could also be "King Philip,"

"King Arthur," or "King George."

The Queen's Body Will "Lie In State"

As these discussions are ongoing, the Queen's coffin

will be prepared to lie in state — that is, to be presented

for public viewing so people can pay their respects.

Before this, however, both Houses of Parliament will

sit, or be recalled if necessary. Members will have the

opportunity to take a new oath of allegiance to the new

Monarch. All MPs must swear allegiance to the present

Monarch — though some republican MPs will cross

their fingers when making the 500-year-old oath.

Members of both houses will also present addresses of

condolences and loyalty to the new Sovereign, a House

of Lords spokesperson told me, in a format that is yet to

be determined.

After this, both Houses will be suspended until after the

official State Funeral.

The Queen's body will lie in state in Westminster Hall.

There will be a short ceremony to mark the coffin's

arrival, after which the public will be able to file past

and pay their respects. The Hall will be open all but a

single hour a day for the duration, the spokesperson

says.

When the Queen Mother lay in state for three days, her

grieving grandsons relieve the official guard to stand

guard over the coffin for a short period; it was called

the Vigil of the Princes. Something similar happened

for George V. While not a formal ceremony, it's likely

a similar act of remembrance would be accorded to

Queen Elizabeth II. More than 200,000 members of the

public paid their respects as the Queen Mother lay in

state; the scale of mourning for the Queen should

easily eclipse this.

Throughout this period, there will be a massive,

hysterical outpouring of public grief. It won't just be

sombre dress and a minute of silence at sports games

— it'll be a punch to the gut of the national psyche.

When Princess Diana died, the public turned out in

their tens of thousands to lay flowers outside

Buckingham Palace — by some estimates as many as 1

million bouquets were left. A memorial appeal raised

£20 million. People queued for ten hours or more to

sign memorial books.

"Everything closed, saturation TV coverage, no one at

work" on the day of the funeral, recounted one witness

to the BBC (despite it not being a national holiday).

There were "scenes of unbelievable grief," said

another: "It was as though all of these people had lost

someone incredible dear to them and their emotion was

genuine. It worried me hugely — especially after days

of mounting hysteria on the streets of Kensington,

people walking into the road blinded by tears, etc. —

people appeared to be losing their grip on reality."

The Guardian's Jonathan Freedland writes that many

Britons felt "forced to close their shops or cancel

sporting events on the day of the funeral, lest they

feel the rage of the tear-stained hordes outside."

Given the Queen's stature, and how intrinsically she is

woven into the fabric of modern Britain, it's likely

there will be even greater public mourning for her

passing.

It will be an extremely star-studded funeral

Queen Elizabeth II's body will continue to lie in state

until the day of the funeral, which will be a public

holiday. The Daily Mail believes this will be 12 days

after the death. The coffin will then be transported to

Westminster Abbey by gun carriage for a State

Funeral.

It will probably be the best-attended funeral of all time.

World leaders from across the globe will flock to

attend. She's the most senior head of state in the world

— on the throne for nearly 65 years.

The service will be led by Justin Welby, the Archbishop

of Canterbury and the second-most senior figure in the

Church of England (after the Monarch). According to

The Daily Beast, the Queen has been actively involved

in planning parts of her funeral, and has a "sanguine"

view of her mortality.

On the day of Princess Diana's funeral, "more than a

million people lined the route of the funeral cortege,"

according to the BBC, with 30 million Brits tuning in to

watch it. Worldwide, there were as many as 2.5 billion

viewers. The viewership of Queen Elizabeth II's

funeral is likely to be equivalent, if not even more.

What About The Queen's Final Resting

Place?

Once the funeral is concluded, it'll be time for the

burial. Queen Elizabeth II may well have already

decided this — in which case it could either be

Sandringham or Balmoral in Scotland. These two

properties are unique in that they belong to the Queen

in a personal capacity, rather than to the crown.

Alternately, she could be buried at St. George's

Chapel at Windsor, the site of the grave of King

George VI — her father.

After a certain appropriate period of mourning — up to

a year or so — there will be a coronation. It's a highly

ceremonial affair, although the new monarch

technically has the ability to do whatever he wants —

after all, he is already the King. Charles' authority as

sovereign does not derive from the ceremony, so he

could choose to eschew it altogether, should he desire.

But assuming Charles does not wish to totally break

with tradition, it will — again — be held at

Westminster Abbey. And, again, it will be officiated by

the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The entire event will be broadcast on television (and

also streamed online), and there will be parties up and

down the country. After the Royal Wedding of Prince

William and Catherine Middleton in 2011, there were

thousands of street parties celebrating. The same will

be true of the coronation. As a national holiday, the

Royal Wedding in 2011 lost the economy between £1.2

and 6 billion, and the Coronation will be similar — in

addition to the direct cost to the taxpayer of holding

the largest British ceremonial event since the 1950s.

The Little Things...

The Queen buried, a new King on the throne... is that

it? Of course not.

There will be hundreds of changes taking place up and

down the country in the weeks and months ahead.

First off, new currency will begin being printed and

minted immediately. The portraits of Charles will

already have been made in preparation. They won't

seek to replace the entire stock of currency overnight,

however — it will take several years to do so, much

like how older notes and coins are gradually removed

from circulation today.

Of course, the national anthem, "God Save The

Queen," would change too. Here's Dame Julie

Andrews singing "God Save The King" for George VI

in 1948:

Even Trafalgar Square Will Change

Another unexpected change: Police will need new

insignia on their helmets. They currently display the

Queen's initials and regnal number. Likewise, a great

deal of military insignia will require updating.

Passports too will need a refresh. The British passport

currently "requests and requires in the Name of Her

Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the

bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance." Stamps

will also need updating so that they show the new

King's head rather than the Queen's.

These small changes matter more than you would

expect. After the current Queen was crowned, her

regnal number — II — caused controversy in Scotland,

which she also rules, as there was never a Scottish

Elizabeth I. When postboxes bearing her cypher were

erected in Scotland, some were attacked and

vandalized.

As signs of the Queen's reign are slowly erased, she

will also be memorialised. The fourth plinth in

Trafalgar Square is currently dedicated to temporary

statues and works of art, but former London Mayor

Ken Livingstone says his understanding is that "the

fourth plinth is being reserved for Queen Elizabeth II."

It May End The Commonwealth

The Queen's passing may have far more profound

and long-lasting consequences than just new postage

stamps, however. It may well spell the end of the

Commonwealth as we know it.

The 53-country organization includes 16 countries

where the British Monarch is officially the Head of

State, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New

Zealand, and Barbados. It's a remnant of the British

Empire which today exists mainly as a trade and

political organization. It has few formal powers but

carries the weight of symbolism: Many of these

countries were part of the Empire against their will, and

almost all of them declared independence long ago.

With Queen Elizabeth II out of the way, some may

choose to end this union with Britain once and for all.

Australia, for example, has already held a referendum

on becoming a Republic once before, in 1999. It was a

relatively close-run thing, with the republicans

ultimately losing 45% to 55%. But much support for the

Monarchy arguably derives from personal affection for

the Queen herself. With her gone, many Commonwealth

nations may decide the time has come to separate. In

Canada, for example, there is speculation that the death

of the Queen might prompt a severing of ties: "I think

Charles might solve the problem," Ajax, Ontario mayor

Steve Parish told The Guardian.

This also depends on the time of the Queen's death.

Many politicians in Commonwealth countries — like

former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott — are

staunch monarchists, certain to try and block any

attempt at Republicanism on their watch. But if the

Queen's passing comes when politicians less enamored

with the monarchy are in office, resurgent

republicanism may find a more receptive audience.

A Republican Britain?

Depending on Charles' reign, republicanism may grow

in prominence in Britain too. But there's no chance

of Britain becoming a Republic in the near future.

Support for the Monarch is deeply entrenched in the

nation's psyche, with 66% of respondents in one survey

saying Britain is better off as a Monarchy, and with

just 17% opting for a Republic.

On September 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II broke

the record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen

Victoria, becoming the longest reigning British

monarch ever. And in December 2016, in an

apparent concession to her age, the Queen

announced she is stepping down as patron of a

number of organizations she has supported, including

charities and academic institutions.

Though her death is hopefully a long way off yet, it’s

definitely coming — and with it, the end of an epic

chapter in Britain's history, and the start of a new one.

A Note From Your Exchanger Editor

The first half of this issue I’m honored to featured one of our “Greatest Americans”’ for the week of the holiday

that honors him – Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. I hope you enjoyed it.

A few days ago I found a very interesting (well I thought it was interesting anyway and I’m really not a big fan of

the Royal Family) on what would happen if the Queen of England’s current illness were to take her life. This

article explains in detail what to expect on this momentous occasion. I in no way want to take away from Martin

Luther King and the holiday in his honor, but you know me by now. I love to share things that I find interesting.

By the time you read this issue our cruise ship should be about to pull into the harbor on Curacao Island in the

very southern part of the Caribbean. If the weather man cooperates Nancy & I will be back in Champaign in two

weeks on Sunday evening January 23rd at 10:00 PM. I will be presenting the program the next day for you at

O'Charley’s. And, no it won’t be on our just completed 14-night, 7-island cruise.

P.S. That will bring us up to 58 foreign countries visited since 2005. Not bad for someone who’s had cancer

surgery, spine surgery, three eye surgeries, and may be looking at another spine surgery this spring. Can’t keep a

good man down if he has a good woman supporting him!

If you’ve made it this far in the Exchanger and have read every word, you have earned a special award and a Big

Thank You. You are now in the official Champaign Exchanger Fan Club (there’s now 3 members). Norma

Dieker is the President & Richard Adkins the Vice President, but I may have lost Norma & Richard with this

issue. There will not be an issue of the Exchanger next week. I can’t leave without a couple “feel good” stories.

Dog Sees His Injured Friend on the Train Tracks

and Does Something Remarkable to Save Her Life

Dogs are known for their unwaver-

ing loyalty to their humans. (We

don’t call them “man’s best friend”

for nothing, right?) But we must not

forget that dogs are, naturally, social

animals that live in packs and

instinctively take care of their own. So it’s no surprise that, when one dog was injured on train tracks in

Ukraine’s Uzhgorod district, her 4-legged friend refused to budge.

Residents of Ukraine’s Uzhgorod

district were shocked to discover an

injured dog on nearby train tracks. What was most surprising, however,

was the dedication of her friend, who

patiently and unwaveringly

guarded his pal for two days. Denis

Malafeev, who posted the story on

Facebook, called his friends after

seeing one dog trying to warm the

other with his body heat on the

snowy tracks. The injured dog had

apparently been struck by a train,

but her friend would not leave her,

despite the danger.

“He kept her warm for two days under the constant threat of danger!” wrote Denis on Facebook. “I don’t know what to

call it: instinct, love, friendship, attachment. I only know this: not every human is capable of this. We should all learn

from it!” Since they were found, the dogs have been adopted, and are named Lucy and Panda.

It wouldn’t have been possible, though, if Denis hadn’t been so vigilant and helpful! It’s so nice to see such a strong

friendship between these sweet animals. Friendship is all about sticking together, through both the good and the bad.

3-Week-Old Puppy is Rescued From a Burning Home, & What the Firemen Do With Him is Unreal

When Jake the puppy’s home caught fire just three weeks into his young life, it looked like it might be the end for him.

His family was able to escape, but in the mayhem, Jake became trapped. Even as he tried to flee, the ceiling collapsed,

leaving him helpless in the blaze.

Suddenly, a neighbor and off-duty firefighter, Bill Lindler, heard Jake’s family screaming about a puppy trapped inside

their home. With no time to spare, Bill grabbed some of his gear and got to work. Jake the puppy was saved from a fire

just in the nick of time. A neighbor and off-duty firefighter named Bill Lindler was able to heroically save him, but not

before some damage was done. Jake had sustained burns on 75% of his body, including the pads of his feet.

His owners eventually had to give Jake up to the vets because they couldn’t afford the bills. Luckily, he had someone else

watching out for him. “I contacted the vet and the vet informed me that […] the family had abandoned him at the office.

That’s when me and my family decided we would adopt him,” said Bill, the very firefighters who saved Jake! With the

love of his new family, Jake was on the road to recovery. But it wasn’t going to be easy.

The city of Hanahan, South Carolina,

had an idea on how to help the sweet

pup. They decided that Jake could help

others by becoming the newest member

of the fire department! Jake now goes

with Bill to schools all over the city to

teach kids about fire safety. “I would

honestly like to get him certified to be a

therapy dog for burned children.”

Recently, Jake switched lanes a bit.

Now he’s being trained as an arson

detection dog.

It was no easy feat for Bill to rush into

that burning house, but now it looks like

he got a new friend and coworker out of

the deal. What a cute little firefighter!

A National Program of Service

To help uphold Exchange's Mission, inspiring

communities to become better places to live, and as a

component of the Americanism Program of Service,

we have partnered with Veterans Matter, a national

nonprofit organization devoted to housing homeless

veterans.

Veterans Matter is solely dedicated to providing

deposits/first-month-rents for ready, waiting

veterans who can use can use HUD-VASH vouchers

to cross the threshold into safe, permanent housing.

Veterans Matter has a 100% success rate in getting

veterans housed in a government program that has a

91% success rate in keeping veterans housed. There

are veterans waiting now; so, the urgency is

immediate, and we're asking for your help!

Have you ever passed a homeless person on the street

and wondered if they were a veteran? Have you ever

seen a homeless person holding a sign declaring

he/she was a veteran? Has your heart ever ached as

you passed by one of these individuals - knowing

what you could give would hardly impact his or her

situation? Do you know that veterans account for

about one (1) of every 4 home-less people living on

the streets - streets within the very communities they

served to protect? Did you know that it's not only

veterans who are homeless, but their children and

spouses as well?

The reality that any vet is homeless, let alone nearly

50,000 of them, is a stain on our nation's honor. But,

working together, we can make a difference.

Exchange believes there's no better way to show

gratitude for American freedoms than to thank a

veteran; and, there's no better way to thank a

veteran than by taking care of those left vulnerable

by homelessness. That's why Exchange & Veterans

Matter are committed to raising the funds needed to

get at least 2,000 veterans housed, as fast as possible,

at a national average of $750 per deposit.

So, how can you help these American heroes? YOU

can help us spread the word, raise funds, and recruit

others to join us in kicking off this fund-raising

campaign! The plan is for Exchange Clubs and

communities across the country, to host "11/11@7"

rallies (on Veterans Day, at 7 p.m.). These events will

be celebrations of veterans and of patriotism. The

more support we have, the better our chances of

meeting, and even exceeding, our goal.

This event will also be a great opportunity to help

Exchange Clubs achieve another goal - raising

awareness & building Exchange! Through increased

visibility and by developing community partner-

ships, Exchange Clubs can become even stronger!

Exchange & Veterans Matter have developed many materials

to help club's plan their events, as well as recruit community

partners to help host the rallies. These materials can be found

by logging onto the Member Resources section of Exchange's

website, located under the "Current Campaigns" section.

Veterans Matter has also developed a useful fundraising tool to

help each club reach its goal. This tool allows clubs to develop

"teams" to which donors can contribute.

Chartered 27 July 1926

Champaign Exchange Club

1812 Coventry Drive

Champaign, IL 61822

Phone: (217) 356-1057

Meeting Every Monday at 12:00 Noon Except Holidays

O’Charley’s Restaurant 730 W. Town Center Blvd.

President: Tom Williams, Sr.

President-Elect

Thomas Williams, Jr.

Secretary/Treasurer:

Nancy Williams

Directors: Richard Adkins Norma Dieker Anne Johnston Wally Lehman Dottie Mikucki

E-Mail: tw1812@aol.com

Firefighter of the Year

Police Officer of the Year

Nursing Scholarships

A.C.E. Award

Prevention of Child Abuse

Time Out Teddy

Crisis Nursery

Eastern Illinois Food Bank

Seniors Vial of Life

National Day of Service

Believe in the Blue

Campaign For Kids

GiveAKidAFlagToWave

One Nation Under God

Freedom Shrines

Proudly We Hail Awards

Book of Golden Deeds

Student of the Month/Year

Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club Snacks For Kids

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

Americanism - Child Abuse Prevention - Community Service - Service to Youth

Champaign Exchange Club

1812 Coventry Drive

Champaign, IL 61822

Exchange, America's Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.

Exchange, America's Premier Service Club, working to make our communities better places to live.

Website: www.champaignexchangeclub.