Page A23 September 2024 EDUCATIONAL NEWS Order Direct at 1-800-782-8249 Free UPS Ground Shipping www.mccordcasketsandvaults.com The National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc. Turns 100 Years Old The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, Inc. has a rich history that spans across a century. Originally organized in 1924 as the Independent National Funeral Directors Association, under the leadership of R. R. Reed, it was established by a group of licensed funeral directors who aimed to maintain high professional standards for the betterment of the public and their own business community. While they had initially collaborated with the National Business League, it became evident that their full potential could only be realized through an association solely focused on the funeral industry. The first official president of the association was G. William Saffell, Jr. of Shelbyville, Kentucky. In 1926, the association changed its name to the Progressive National Funeral Directors Association. Then, in 1940, a merger occurred between the National Colored Undertakers Association and the members of the Independent National Funeral Directors Association who were still part of the organization. This merger resulted in the formation of the National Negro Funeral Directors Association. In 1949, Robert “Bob” Miller, a Chicago funeral home owner, was elected as the association’s first General Secretary. Ten years later, in 1957, the association adopted its present name, the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association. In 2019, the term “An International Association” was added. African American funeral directors have played significant roles in various historical events. For example, during the 1800s Yellow Fever epidemic, the Free African Society provided volunteers to assist the affected white population. These volunteers were responsible for gathering and removing the human remains. In 1978, African American funeral directors traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to recover the victims of the Reverend Jim Jones Mass Casualty incident in Guyana. Many of these victims were then laid to rest by their loved ones in African American funeral homes. Andrew W. Nix, Jr., a member and past national treasurer of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, managed the handling of the human remains from this tragedy. The association’s state association, The Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners Association, provided assistance during the mass flooding in Albany, Georgia in 1994. They played a crucial role in relocating over 400 displaced caskets from cemeteries throughout Albany. In April of 1995, the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association’s State Association, the State Embalmers and Funeral Directors Association of Oklahoma, collaborated with others in response to the Oklahoma City bombing, which claimed the lives of 168 people. Their collective efforts aimed to provide support and assistance during this tragic event. Under the guidance of John McGuire, the lead Disaster Coordinator for Washington, DC, funeral directors traveled to Dover Air Force Base to receive the victims of the Croatian air crash. This group included Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and other members of his party. The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association encompasses several organizations within its association. These include: Epsilon Nu Delta Mortuary Fraternity, Inc., founded in 1944 in Chicago, Illinois; the National Ladies Auxiliary founded in 1952; the Birdies and the 100 Black Women in Funeral Service founded in 1993. The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, Inc, An International Association is composed of state and local associations spread across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. 1940 National Negro Funeral Directors Association 1957 National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association 2019 National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc. An International Association 1924 Independent National Funeral Directors Association 1926 Progressive National Funeral Directors Association History In The Making come here because they have compared schools as opposed to just going to the closest.” Students enter with 60 credits and then spend only 16 months at CCMS earning a regionally and professionally accredited Bachelor of Mortuary Science degree. “A large number of people who enter the death care profession decide to leave early in their career, so having a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree is a great safety net,” he said. The fourth semester is packed with hands on training that takes place in the Educational Cremation Center. “We have the best and safest cremation equipment in the world” Lechner continued. The FT-III can cremate in as little as 75 minutes, requires no repositioning and the cremulator processes cremated remains in 3 minutes. All the cremation equipment was donated by FT-USA. Students cremate remains in the class, process the paperwork, re-establish the identity, work the chain of custody, process the cremated remains, and produce the cremation certificate. “Students didn’t just see power point slides about cremation, they actually perform cremations” Lechner said. In the ECC there is a witness room and a slumber bed. The witness window allows a family to see the alternative cremation container or casket automatically loaded into the cremation chamber leaving no doubt about the cremation. The family can elect to start the cremator with the start button conveniently located alongside the witness window. They’ve already had some Hindu families take advantage of the start button. The slumber bed provides an exceptional experience for a family who selected cremation without embalming an opportunity to say goodbye in a comfortable and safe setting. It also allows the family to confirm the identity of the deceased, helping to reduce the risk of cremating the wrong decedent. Alkaline Hydrolysis is legal in 28 states. However, it is not legal in Ohio. So, CCMS provides alkaline hydrolysis hands on training in conjunction with the pet loss course. “Over 70% of funeral homes are handling pet loss for their client families, it only makes sense to teach hands on pet loss training” said Lechner. They incorporated alkaline hydrolysis so they could provide hands-on experience operating alkaline hydrolysis equipment. All the people in the United States who say they are associated with organized religion are less than those who state that they are not associated with organized religion. A growing percentage FT High Speed Cremulator (HSC) and Ash Transfer Cabinet FT III Cremator and Auto Loader Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Cart and Scale CCMS’s New Educational Cremation Center Continued from Page A22 Continued on page A24 @Nomis.Publications Like us on Like
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