The State of Texas declared “Grace N. Ellis Day” as she retired as Grand Worthy Counsellor (Chief Executive Officer) of the Grand Court Order of Calanthe Texas Jurisdiction. In 1990, Mrs. Grace N. Ellis of Texas City, Texas succeeded Mrs. Ruth Dare Harper of New Braunfels, Texas as Grand Worthy Counsellor (CEO). Mrs. Ellis has also served as Grand Worthy In-spectrix and as a Galveston District Deputy. She is the Worthy Counsellor (President) of Pride of LaMarque Court #457.
She organized a Youth Coun-cil, Pride of Norvel Jewels #68, the Galveston District Worthy Counsellors Council and began the first Calanthe Workshops. In 2012, Mrs. Ellis orga-nized Lillian Mitchell Court #480 (named for the late Dr. Lillian Mitchell a well known Houston musician) in Austin, Texas with Pamela Mitchell Wat-son as Worthy Counsellor (President).
Mrs. Ellis sponsors a scholarship pro-gram for high school graduates from Pride of LaMarque in LaMarque Texas. She is the secretary of Khayyam Tent #34 Princess of Omar Auxiliary. As a Calanthian, she continues a family tradition, her mother, the late Mrs. Norvel Turner served for many years as District Deputy of the Galveston District. On the organization’s national level, Mrs. Ellis served as Supreme Conduc-tress and the Supreme Assistant Conductress.
Mrs. Ellis represented Grand Court Order of Calanthe as a member of the President’s Marshall Section of National Fraternal Congress of America (now the American Fraternal Alli-ance). In 2001-2002, she served as president of Texas Fraternal Alliance ( now the Fraternal Alliance of Texas). Mrs. Ellis resigned the office of Grand Worthy Counsellor in July at the close of the 58th Grand Lodge Session held in Tyler, Texas.