Membership

    Membership in Sons in Retirement is limited to men of good character and who have retired from full-time employment, regardless of age.

General Luncheon Meeting:

    The General Luncheon Meeting for Damian Reynolds Branch Number 1 is held on the second Wednesday of every month, and is where members get together, socialize, and renew acquaintances. This is the only meeting that is mandatory for every member to attend. Meeting attendance to the General Luncheon Meeting is a basic necessity dating back to the very beginning of the SIR's Organization. The luncheon is a place where members have a chance to socialize with fellow members, and make new friends.

    The normal business of Damian Reynolds Branch Number 1 is conducted at these meetings. The meeting will begin by reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" followed by the "Star Spangled Banner". Click on either of the underlined titles for written details of these titles. Induction of new members will also be performed during each meeting, if there are any, except at the Special Meetings. Once a year in November, there will be an election of officers for the ensuing year. After the new officers have been elected, they will be installed into their respective offices by a State Official of Sons in Retirement.

    There are two General Luncheon Meetings that are considered special meetings, in which the members are not required to attend. They are the Ladies Day Luncheon in May or June, and the Holiday Luncheon in December. They are both held on the second Wednesday of those months. Members wives or special guests are invited to attend these two special meetings. There is usually some special entertainment performed during these meetings. These meetings may be held at some other place other than the San Mateo Elks Club. These meetings are conducted in the same manner as any General Luncheon Meeting and will include the normal business functions, except there will be no induction of new members. Reservations for these special meetings must be made in advance in order to insure availability.

    The dress code for the General Luncheon Meetings is a coat and tie. There is only one exception, and that is the meeting in August. This is called "Wild Shirt Day", and one should endeavor to wear the wildest shirt that he has in his collection. There are prizes that usually awarded to those who have the wildest or best-looking shirts. This is the only day that members can relax from the formal dress code.

    Click on General Luncheon Meetings to read Minutes of past meetings.

    There are other meetings that are conducted in Sons in Retirement and the details of these meetings are covered under the various activities.

Basic Rules for Members:

    It is required that members attend all General Luncheon Meetings unless prevented by illness or absence from the area. Members are considered to be in attendance only when they are present for the entire meeting, including lunch, business, and the scheduled program. If any member knows he cannot attend any particular General Luncheon Meeting, he must contact the Attendance Committee Chairman and let him know of his absence and why he is unable to attend, at least 3 days before the Meeting. He is still obligated to pay the donation for any missed General Luncheon Meeting. There is a form on the back of the Newsletter for a member's convenience, which a member can mail into the Treasurer along with his missed donations.

    Any member who misses 6 General Luncheon Meetings in one year may be subject to termination. Any member who misses 3 consecutive meetings without notifying the Attendance Committee Chairman, will be contacted by the Attendance Committee Chairman to explain their absence. Missed meetings can be made up by attending another branch of Sons in Retirement as a visitor, and mailing a Certificate of Attendance of that branch to the Membership Committee Chairman. It will be considered as credit to one's attendance. There are six other branches within the local area in which one can make up such attendance. Five of them meet in the Elks Club in San Mateo on a different day. Sons in Retirement exists from members attending the General Luncheon Meeting. It is not like most other organizations in which, if one pays their yearly dues, they will remain a member even though they never show up for any meetings.

New Members:

    Any member of Sons in Retirement is eligible to sponsor a new member. The sponsor is the sole judge of the new member's character and acceptability. It is very important that SIR gains new members.

    All proposed applicants are required to attend one General Luncheon Meeting as a guest of their Sponsor before they can apply for membership. At this meeting, the applicant will be presented with an Application for Membership along with other information about Sons in Retirement by the Registrar Chairman. He should fill out the Application, have it signed by his Sponsor, and then return it to the Membership Committee Chairman at least two weeks before the next General Luncheon Meeting.

    A short time after the applicant's Application for Membership is received by the Membership Committee Chairman, the applicant will receive a letter from the Membership Committee Chairman inviting him to the next General Luncheon Meeting. He is requested to attend the New Member Orientation Meeting at 9:45 A.M. along with their Sponsor, the morning of the General Luncheon Meeting. At this meeting he will be given information about the rules, regulations, and various procedures of Damian Reynolds Branch No. 1, as well as other information about SIR. He will also be given his new Lapel Badge, Table Reservation Card (Tent), Wallet Card, Membership Roster, and several pages of information about the SIR's Organization to be taken home and read at his leisure. There will also be Past Big Sir present toward the end of the meeting who will give a short presentation of the history of the SIR's organization.

    After the New Member Orientation Meeting is concluded, the applicant will be invited to attend the Executive Committee Meeting, which is in progress at the same time. This meeting will be adjourned for recess in order to permit the new candidates to enter the meeting and be seated. It is requested that the applicants sit in the first row in front of the Executive Committee and beside their Sponsors. Before going into this meeting, it is requested that the new applicants go into the Dining Room and place their Tents at the place they wish to eat at the table that is reserved for New Members.

    After the Executive Committee reconvenes, the Executive Committee will introduce themselves to the applicants giving a brief description of each of their individual functions. The Committee will then ask each applicant to introduce himself to the Committee, and give a few words about himself and his former employment. After the meeting is closed, the applicants are requested to have their picture taken by Club Photographer.

    After the Executive Committee is adjourned, the applicants will go into the Dining Room where lunch will be served at 12:00 noon. The applicant's luncheon will be paid by the applicant's Sponsor. The applicant will have about 45 minutes to socialize with the other members before lunch begins. The Elks Club Bar will be open for those who wish to have a drink.

    During the luncheon meeting, the applicants will be asked to stand in front of the Big Sir who will induct them as members of Damian Reynolds Branch Number 1. The Big Sir will then pin each new member with the symbol of our club, The Golden Chanticleer. The new members will be thanked for joining Damian Reynolds Branch No. 1, and may then sit down. There is nothing further.

How to Join:

    Simply send us an E-Mail by clicking the underlined title. Your E-Mail software will activate. Send us your name and the name of the city or branch number whose SIR chapter you are interested in joining, along with your telephone number and E-Mail address. You will be contacted by a member from that area.

    You may also telephone us at 1-650-347-1949, which is a recording. Just leave your name and telephone number and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.

    You will be invited to attend the next meeting of SIR. If you like what we have, you simply fill out an application which will go to the Membership Committee for approval.

    SIR will not share your information with any outside business or organization.

    We encourage you to join our fine group of men who meet ust for the fun of it.

Name Badges:

    Each new member will receive a Name Badge at the New Member Orientation Meeting before he becomes a new member. These badges are to be pinned onto the members lapel or shirt where it can be easily seen at every General Luncheon Meeting, in order that others can readily recognize one by name. The badge will have his full name displayed in bold type as well as his nick name in larger bold type. The badge will also display his Badge Number which has been randomly assigned to him from a computer base. This number will remain with him as long he remains a member of Sons in Retirement. The Name Badge will also display at the bottom of the card the name of his former employment before he retired.

    Badge numbers of members are used for Branch Number 1's filing system, rather than by the alphabetical listing by names. Members will be asked their badge numbers when picking up their Name Badges or Tents at the General Luncheon Meetings, rather than their names. This procedure speeds up the lines that are formed when picking up these items.

    The Name Badge that is first given to any new member has a green background, which signifies that he is a new member, and will encourage other members to welcome him into the SIR's organization. There is an identical Name Badge underneath the green badge that is white, which signifies that the wearer is a regular member. The new member may remove the green card at any time he wishes, preferably before the next meeting that he attends. There are other badges with different color backgrounds which helps identify Branch members as follows:

Table Reservation Card (Tent):

    Each new member will receive a Tent at the New Member Orientation Meeting before he becomes a new member. It is used to reserve his place at a table in the Dining Room where he wishes to eat, as long as the table is not reserved or there is not another Tent at that particular place. It sits like a tent, hence its name, and has the member's name engraved on each side of the flap, along with the SIR's emblem and name of the branch. It also has his Badge Number engraved at the top right-hand corner, by means of which the card is stored in the Tent Box. Once the tent is placed at a table in the Dining Room, no one is allowed to move the tent without the approval of the member the tent belongs to.

Wallet Card:

    Each new member will receive a Wallet Card at the New Member Orientation Meeting. This is a card each member can carry in his wallet, and is useful for a member who happens to forget his Badge Number.