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OBJECTIVES OF THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY

The general nature of the Society is that of a cultural, educational, and benevolent organization. Its principal objectives are: To dispense charitable and educational assistance to Scots, lineal descendants of Scots, and to their spouses and children. To extend educational assistance to Scots and their spouses and children. To study and perpetuate Scottish traditions and culture, including Scotland's history, heraldry, pageantry, music, literature, language, crafts, and all the arts of Scotland. Promote friendly association between its members and the Scottish community at large.

SAINT ANDREW Very little is really known about Saint Andrew himself.  He was thought to have been a fisherman in Galilee (now part of Israel), along with his elder brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter).  Both became apostles of Jesus Christ, founder of the Christian religion. Saint Andrew is said to have been responsible for spreading the tenets of the Christian religion through Asia Minor and Greece.  Tradition suggests that Saint Andrew was put to death by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece by being pinned to a cross (crucified).  The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of Saint Andrew which appears on the Scottish flag. Early Scots claimed to possess relics of the apostle, including an arm bone, signifying his readiness to protect them.  This was explained by a fable relating that Saint Regulus had removed relics of Andrew from Constantinople and brought them to what is now Saint Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Another tale tells of Angus, King of the Picts (730-761) battling against the Scots of Dalriada, the Angles of Northumbria, and the Britons of Strathclyde.  Legend holds that in one his campaigns, Angus had a vision of the cross of Saint Andrew in the sky.   He may well have been the founder of the monastery at Saint Andrews. The saltire, or cross of Saint Andrew, became the Scottish national emblem in 750 AD and much later was adopted as the foundation for the Union Jack. TOP ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY OF JACKSONVILLE In early 1977, approximately 150 Scots, Scottish-Americans, and Americans of Scottish descent gathered to discuss the formal organization of individuals in the Jacksonville area who were interested in their Scottish heritage. These early gatherings, supervised by a Steering Committee under the leadership of Darlene Tye, were spent in search of a name. In March two names were put to the vote: the Scottish Society and The Saint Andrew's Society. A unanimous vote was rendered in favor of The Saint Andrew's Society and a committee was formed, under the chairmanship of J. Kinloch McCollum, to develop and present a charter and by-laws. By July, the by-laws and articles of incorporation had been approved and nominations began for the Society's first slate of officers. By August votes had been counted and the Society was formally chartered on August 18, 1977. On September 10, 1977, the first meeting under the new charter was held at Valle's Restaurant in order to properly celebrate the inaugural Installation Banquet for the 241 charter members, officers and managers of the Saint Andrew's Society of Jacksonville.