Otis Watts Cromartie, Sr., 33°

Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons

Jurisdiction of Illinois

He attended grade school and graduated from High School in Thomasville, GA. Received a Bachelor of Science Degree (BSBA) in Business Administration from Roosevelt University, Chicago.  He is married to Mrs. Mae Joyce Island-Cromartie of Dallas, TX, and they parented four children.

He served over thirty years in the United States Army before retiring in 1983.  His overseas assignments were in Korea, Germany, Alaska, and Viet Nam.  State side assignments were at Fort Jackson, SC; Fort Hood, TX; Fort Meade, MD; Fort Drum, NY; Fort Belvoir, VA; and Fort Sheridan, IL

Among his awards and decorations, he received the Legion of Merit, the highest award one can receive during peacetime. His last assignment was Command Sergeant Major of Fort Sheridan. After retiring from the Army, he entered the Civil Service Employment System as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist and retired as EEO Program Manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago, IL.

His Masonic travels began in 1950 in Miami, FL.  In 1982, he joined several brothers at Fort Sheridan to establish a Lodge on Fort Sheridan.  A charter was received from the Jurisdiction of Illinois in 1984 establishing William Scruggs Military Lodge No 147. He served as lodge Secretary and Worshipful Master and as Grand Senior Warden of The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Illinois, where he was elected Grand Master on August 7, 2009.

MASONIC AFFILIATIONS

Past Master William Scruggs Military Lodge No 147; Past Excellent High Priest Stanley J. Harris Chapter No. 60 Holy Royal Arch Mason; Past Eminent Commander Leonard Kendrick Commandery No 72 Knights Templar; Past Commander-In-Chief North Shore Consistory No 91; Past Worthy Patron Emblem Chapter No 140 Order of the Eastern Star PHA, Created and Elevated GIG in May 2004 at the United Supreme Council Northern Jurisdiction, PHA, Annual Session.

OTHER NON-PROFIT AFFILIATIONS

American Legion, Sharvin Post No 397; Noncommissioned Officers and Sergeants Major Association; Toastmasters Club No 9310, Douglass High School Alumni Association, Illinois Masonic Charities Foundation and Roosevelt University Alumni Association and a Usher at Eternal Flame A.M.E. Church, North Chicago, IL.