High Twelve International
The Wolcott Foundation, Inc.

Wolcott Foundation Fellowship 

In the beginning...

High Twelve International had its beginning in Sioux City, Iowa in 1920. Its founder, Edgar C. Wolcott was, at the time, General Secretary of the Y.M.C.A. in Sioux City. He felt very strongly that members of the Masonic fraternity were in need of additional fellowship not gained in the Lodge room.

As High Twelve expanded beyond the confines of Sioux City to Oakland, California and the Midwest, the “passing of the cup of fraternal assistance” became a feature of club meetings, accompanied with good natured fining. The earliest reference to High Twelve considering a scholarship program centered on discussions of a “Penny Fund” at the St. Louis meeting of the Club representatives in June 1946. This followed the presentation of a purse to Brother Wolcott and his wife as an anniversary gift. The Wolcotts, in turn, contributed to the purse a sum of $400.00 toward the “Penny Fund” which, at some point in time, had a name change to the “Founders Fund.”

The little red schoolhouse is passed at every Fellowship High Twelve meeting to raise funds for the Wolcott Foundation Scholarship Fund.  Passing the “Little Red Schoolhouse” is an important part of most every High Twelve club meeting.  As the name implies, it is a miniature red school house with a chimney that blows no smoke, but accepts folded contributions for the benefit of the Wolcott Foundation that awards fellowships to US Citizens who are attending George Washington University.

In 1950, Dr. J. Wallace Forbes, a professor of Dentistry at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, submitted a resolution changing the “Founders Fund” to the “Wolcott Founders Fund” in honor of the founder of High Twelve International. At the Chicago Convention in 1951, Dr. Forbes pushed for the use of funds from the Founders Fund to be used in promulgating more Masonic ideals into our Government. To that end, he suggested “establishment of an annual scholarship in diplomacy and statesmanship in one of the colleges or universities that offer such subjects.”

To learn more about the Wolcott Foundation please visit http://www.wolcottfoundation.com/wolcott.html.

Contact a Wolcott Foundation Representative in your area to find out how you can contribute to this very important cause.

Donations can now be made directly to the Foundation
using this LINK and scroll to the bottom of the page.