Jason Vandermause
It was several months ago at an affair in Park Falls honoring deceased Past State Deputy and Supreme Advocate Pat Donlin that Past State Deputy Erv & Helen Jankowiak told Richard & Janet Rebman and Father Al Lis that Jason would be moving to Green Bay soon. [Jason notes that since the College Councils tend to be quite active and visible, "State Deputies sort of take to them."] The Jankowiaks knew Jason from his time in Madison and thought he might be interested in Council 10243, so they suggested that we check on him soon after he arrived in town. One of the newest residents of Green Bay, Jason came to the area right after graduating UW-Madison on May 17. His career in the Knights of Columbus is not much longer a span than that, but certainly one replete with accomplishments. It was at the invitation of his roommate that he got involved with Council 6568, the college Council at Madison. As a Sophomore, Jason found himself being asked to do quite a bit in the Council and he served as Chancellor and Fund Raising Director. His Junior year saw involvement as Deputy Grand Knight and Membership Chairman. As a Senior he also found the time to serve the Council as Grand Knight and preside over a Council which had fifty-six programs running. Council 6568 has some similarities to Council 10243 in that there are about 120 members on the rolls and they manage to get about 70 members actively involved in activities with meeting attendance at somewhere between 15-30.
His Council was also selected by Supreme as the 'Most Outstanding College Council,' and Jason has had the opportunity to be at the Supreme Office in New Haven several times. He also served as Chair of the Coordinating Committee of the College Council Conference, and he had the privilege of being one of ten men chosen by Supreme to spend a week in Paris in the company of Supreme Chaplain Bishop Thomas Daily to attend World Youth Day in 1997. Jason attended his first meeting of Council 10243 in June and after the meeting he completed the necessary paperwork to transfer to our Council. After the 45-minute meeting was completed he seemed surprised by the brevity of it.
Raised on a dairy farm in Casco, Jason is the oldest of five; he has three sisters and a brother. He attended Madison with the help of a scholarship and ended up with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While in Madison he was involved in St. Paul Church where he served as Lector and was involved in other aspects of the life of the parish. He currently puts his engineering degree to good use at Proctor & Gamble, working as a trouble-shooter and keeping an eye on several machines. He seems happy to be back in the area and enjoys biking, running, golf and camping. We are certainly happy that he feels comfortable with us. It's not too often we have the opportunity to welcome a Past Grand Knight to our Council and we look forward to experiencing all he will bring to us.
September 1999