Nobles, Illustrious Sirs, Ladies and Friends of Bektash
Thank you all for the confidence and faith that you have given me by electing me as 2023 Potentate for Bektash Shrine. It will be an incredible honor to serve in this role and continue to help Bektash strengthen and grow.
I would like to congratulate Illustrious Michael Tebbetts and his Lady Kat, on a successful year in 2022.
I would also like to thank Illustrious Past Potentates: John Freeman, Lloyd Doughty and Bill Hebert for all the support and advice that you have given me over the years. Your guidance has been invaluable and has readied me for the year to come.
The Christmas Party in December had a record 152 in attendance. Many new faces and everyone had a great evening. What a great way to close out the year and celebrate the holiday season with our Bektash family. A big Thank you to the co-chairs, Ladies Mili, Emilie and Dixie for putting on this event. The hall looked great.
Our first event of the year will be the Installation of officers on January 14th, 2PM. At the conclusion of the formal Installation, the officers of the various 2023 Units and Clubs will be installed while our guests enjoy social time with some carefully selected appetizers and hors-d’oeuvres, followed by a plated dinner and dancing for the evening.
As many of you have seen over the years, our kids have seemingly grown up with Bektash being a big part of what they do. They truly believe in the Shriners magic and behold all the Nobles and Ladies as family. Mili and I could not agree more. The pieces of the puzzle have been put together, and the team is in place. Now, we can celebrate in true Shrine fashion as a family that is comprised of all the Nobles, Ladies and children of Bektash.
From Lady Mili and I, and through the entire 2023 Divan, we have a strong bond of family respect for each other. We hope to embody that sense of Shrine Family magic as Brothers, Nobles, Ladies and Friends. And we cannot think of any better way to showcase the Bektash family, than at the Northeast Shrine Association, as we host the NSA this year. There is no better way to celebrate than with several hundred of your closest friends and family.
In February, our High Priest and Prophet, Kenny Thorougood and his Lady, Dixie will be hosting our annual Valentines Day Ball. This is always a classy and elegant night out and we look forward to the famous pie auction. We hope to see you all there.
In closing, I want to thank you again for electing me as your next Potentate. The entire Divan, and our Ladies pledge to remain transparent and have an open door policy. We are all here for you and we represent the larger collective we call our Bektash Family.
Paul M Little
Potentate Elect, 2023