Sethos Court No. 105

The Beginning

History of Sethos Court No. 105 On Wednesday evening, April 30, 1947, wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of Nobles of Sethos Temple #170 met at Brown’s Funeral Home, on 7th Street, to organize Sethos Club and receive information on procedures for setting up a Court. Noble Clark S. Brown, the appointed Advisor who later became our first Illustrious Advisor, was designated to preside and hold election of temporary officers as follows: President-Mrs. Thelma Critten Cobb, Vice President-Mrs. Dorothy Mitchell, Secretary-Mrs. Cornetta Hawkins, Treasurer- Mrs. Mollie Poag. Meetings continued at Brown’s Funeral Home and later at Pythian Hall, at 7th and Chestnut Streets.

Charter Members Thelma Critten Cobb - Illustrious Commandress (President) Dorothy Mitchell - Vice President – 1st Lt. Commandress Cornetha Hawkins - Secretary Mollie Poag - Treasurer Mable Allen Pauline Benbow Marie Brown Sarah Johnson Sarah Grace Johnson Petronell Jones Bernice Murrell Julia F. Quick On July 30, 1947, members of Sethos Club were initiated by Khalif Court, No. 90 and thereafter known as Sethos Court No. 105. Sethos Temple gave an elaborate banquet at the Flamingo in honor of the new Daughters of the Order. The Charter was issued on August 16, 1947 with 13 Charter members. The black camel of Death has removed all Charter members.

In 1953 Sethos Court and Temple were recognized for having more Imperial Officers than any other Court and Temple in the Desert of North Carolina. Sethos Court has had 42 Past Commandresses of which 16 are active, three are inactive and 23 are deceased. Since 1961, the major fund raising project has been the Annual Queens’ Contest. We have had 42 Queens of Sethos Court. Our First Queen was Dt. Sarah Grace Johnson. Dt. Vivian Kelly-Surratt represented the Court in the Centennial Queen Contest. Our reigning Queen is Dt. Monica Funderburk.

Sethos Court and Sethos Temple have hosted 10 North Carolina Gala Days (excluding the Regional and Mid-Atlantic). The last two Gala Days in our Oasis were in 2000 and 2004. On June 28, 1997 the Court held a 50th Anniversary Celebration Banquet. June 7-8, 2002, Sethos Court held a 55th Anniversary Celebration honoring Daughters with 30 plus years of Service. In 2008 and 2009, Sethos Court was awarded Desert Court of the Year. Dt. Marie Matthews was the first Directress of the Isiserettes Club chartered on March 27, 1999, and in 2001 under the leadership of Dt. Audrey Jones held their first Harvest Ball.

Past Imperial Deputy for the Oasis Bernice Murrell - 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 Doris Robinson - 1978 - 1988 Ruby Rogers - 1989 Josephine Jones - 1991-1993 Juanita Archie - 1994, 1995, 1996-1997 Thelma Cooper - 1998 Queen Cooper - 1999, 2002, 2003 Larn Dillard - 2000, 2001 Yvette Tolliver - 2004 – 2010 Ruby Charles - 2011- Past Imperial Deputy for the Desert Mollie Poag* - 1949 - 1966 Bernice Murrell* - 1966-1972 Doris Robinson - 1997 Past Elected Imperial Officers Ruby L. Rogers, Imperial Recordress - 2004-2011 Past Appointed Imperial Officers Bernice D. Murrell* - Imperial Regional Directress 1973 Wyvonia Attucks - Imperial Marshal 1997 – current Carol Henry - Imperial Nurse