On Monday evening July 21, 1980 an organizational meeting was held in St. Therese Parish Center for the purpose of forming a Knights of Columbus Council in Cresskill. With the consent of Father Tiernan O'Callaghan, Paster of St. Therese, District Deputy Rich Tauschek, together with New council Development Officer Ed Cousey, Master of the 3^rd New Jersey District of the 4^th degree Al Anderson, and Wes Flanagan, Fraternal Insurance Representative presented a discussion and film about the Knights of Coumbus to nineteen (19) interested men and their wives. The purpose of the evening's program was to introduce those in attendance to the principles, goals, and objectives of the Knights of Columbus.

By the time the evening drew to a close, fourteen (14) new members had completed applications and five (5) men completed transfers from existing councils. All agreed to schedule future meetings for the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 8:00 p.m. in the St. Therese Parish Center. District Deputy Tauschek explained that thirty (30) new members, exclusive of transfers, would be required in order for a new council to be chartered.

On August 11, 1980, organizing officers and the members of the prospective new council met again. The purpose was twofold:

1. to accept new members and
2. to learn more about the workings of the Knights of Columbus.

The next meeting held on August 25, 1980 saw the exemplification of the Admissions Degree team on 24 candidates. Thanks to the Admissions Degree team from St. John's Council in Bergenfield the evening was a success. The evening was highlighted by the fact that 6 more new applications were accepted. Including additional transfers, membership had swelled to 41 in just one month and it was certain that the required 30 new members should be obtained. Confidence was such that Fr. O'Callaghan was requested to chair the Name the Council Committee, and Al Anderson promised the new council a charter on September 22, 1980 if it could produce the 8 more new members by September 8, 1980.

The meeting of September 8, 1980 was an eventful one. In addition to having met the requirement of 30 new members to form a new council, the members present agreed to name the council St. Therese of Lisieux in honor of the patron saint of th eparish. al Anderson again promised to have a charter for the council by September 22, 1980.

The report of the nominating committee chaired by Mike Corby proved to be unique. Having arrived at an acceptable slate of officers the committee members reached an impasse. Since the council was new and since most of the members did not know each other well, the committee wanted a chance to reconsider its selection based on larger membership. The highlight of the discussion was a motion by Mike Higgins, a member of the nominating committee, that all potetential nominees be personally interviewed by the committee. After considerable debate, this resolution was passed by the members present, with the approval of District Deputy Tauschek. The final nominating committee report together with the election of officers and the exemplification of an Admissions Degree were scheduled for the next meeting on September 22, 1980.

September 200, 1980 was an eventful day for the members of St. Therese Council. The Admission Degree was conferred on eight (8) candidates. Again the Admissions Degree team from St. John's Council Bergenfield lent their support and encouragement to the members of the Council. Al Anderson and Ed Cousey presented temporary Chairman Basil with a gavel symbolic of the chartering of the new council, number 7647, by the Supreme headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. Finally, the nominating committee reported on the results of its interviews with the prospective officers.

Nominating Committee Chairman Corby stated that his committee had interviewed twenty (20) men for the various official positions within the council. Mr. Corby's committee had spent a great deal of time evaluating the candidates and found that each was desirous of serving the council, the church, and the community. The slate of officers as presented by the committee appears on this page. Presentation of this slate to the members present resulted in unanimous agreement and these gentlemen were elected to manage the affairs of the council until June 30, 1981.

Having presented the circumstances which led to the chartering of St. Therese Council #7647, this narrative will be concerned with the extraordinary events in the Council's history. The reader is directed to the Recorder's Minutes Book for specific details pertaining to regular council meetings.