All Kodiak Elks should admire one man above all others whose dream of creating an Elks Lodge in Kodiak was fulfilled through his own zealous efforts. He was Max Lalande. In 1946 he brought forward the idea of forming a Kodiak Bills Club to the town of Kodiak. He needed fifty members, but by April 1947 he had persuaded ninety candidates to join Anchorage Lodge #1351 so that Kodiak Bills Club could be formed He was elected, wisely, as the first president of the club. The members decided to rent the former Cheechako Café as a meeting place. The facility was not the best, especially during rainy weather when buckets were placed to catch the drips coming through the roof. A new building was needed to further the principles of Elkdom in Kodiak, so it was decided that the old Coca Cola bottling plant, only two doors down the street could be obtained. In 1949 the Kodiak Elks Lodge was instituted by the members and officers of the “mother lodge” Anchorage. Max Lalande was installed as Kodiak’s first Exalted Ruler. The meetings continued to be held in the Cheechako building until 1951. During those two years the members had donated all volunteer help to make the Coca Cola plant the first permanent Kodiak Elks Lodge #1772. We moved into our new building in 1966, after the old building was destroyed in the 1964 tidal wave.
So we Thank you Max Lalande, you are in our hearts and memories as we celebrate our Lodges 61st Birthday this month. Our Brother Max was born in 1912 and passed away November 1999.