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William A. Steel Elected New National Grange President

For information contact: Carl Meiss, Public Relations Director Ph: (717)-234-5001 or (800)-552-3865

November 4, 2003

Burlington, VT, November 12, 2003 - William A. Steel is the newly elected 21st Master (President) of the National Grange. On Wednesday, November 12, 2003 at the 137th Annual National Grange Convention in Burlington, Vermont, the delegates of the oldest rural advocacy organization in the United States elected Steel to the highest office of the National Grange of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry.

Steel is a native of western Pennsylvania. He became affiliated with the Grange more than 50 years ago when he joined the Big Knob Juvenile Grange. He has served as Master of his Juvenile, Subordinate, Pomona and State Granges.

In 1969, Steel became the Director of Youth Activities for the National Grange in Washington, D.C. He also supervised the production and supply departments and organized the Grange-Farm Film Foundation.

Steel returned to Pennsylvania in 1985 and again became active in local Grange activities and was elected Pomona (County) Master. He was elected Overseer (Vice Presidnet) of the Pennsylvania State Grange in 1992, serving four years before becoming Master. He was elected to the National Grange Executive Committee in 1998.

Steel is active in the Lutheran Church and has served his home congregation as a certified lay worship leader since the death of their pastor in 1991. He is a former representative for Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society.

Recently, Steel was re-elected to the position of agricultural trustee for Penn State University. He has also served on several other statewide agricultural and educational boards.

Bill has three sons and two grandchildren. His wife, Mary-Lee, died in 1998.

Founded in 1867, the National Grange is the nation's oldest general agricultural and rural advocacy organization. It has grassroots units in 3,600 local communities in 39 states, with nearly 300,000 members. It serves farm, non-farm, rural families and communities on a wide variety of economic, educational, legislative and family issues.