Winchester Resident Kamel Oussayef Awarded the Medal of Knight of the Order of Lafayette

Kamel Oussayef, a longtime resident of Winchester was recently inducted into the Order of Lafayette. He was presented with his medal of Chevalier (Knight) of the order during a brief ceremony that took at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington in the presence of family, friends and local and French political dignitaries.

A Chapter of the Order of Lafayette was created in the Americas in 1991 to foster the existing friendship between the people of the United States and France and to preserve and promote the long-standing memories of their common history.

Oussayef shared the ceremony with Marvin Gilmore who also received the same award. Gilcymore, 92, is a United States veteran of WWII who, at the age of 19, was sent to the beaches of Normandy, France to participate in the 1944 D-Day landings. D-Day marked the beginning of the liberation of France from Nazi occupation. Gilmore is also the recipient of the Legion of Honor Medal, the highest civilian French award. He is a prominent Boston businessman and philanthropist

The Marquis of Lafayette arrived in America at the age of 19 in 1777 to fight as a volunteer with the insurgents for the Independence of the American colonies. He was rapidly noticed by George Washington who named him Major General in his Army. Both Washington and Lafayette were Freemasons.

Lafayette, one of the wealthier French aristocrats of the time, kept on fighting for and supporting the American cause both financially and with weapons, especially during its most difficult moments of the war for independence.

Lafayette then returned to France where, deeply inspired by the ideal of the American Revolution, became an active participant in the political affairs of his country. He was engaged both during and after the French Revolution of 1789, which eventual abolished the monarchy and established the Republic. Having distinguished himself in France as well as in America, the Marquis de Lafayette became known as the “Hero of Two Worlds”.

Oussayef, is a 33rd degree Freemason, and has been Mason for more than 40 years. Oussayef is a past master of William Parkman Lodge of Winchester and of Converse Lodge in Malden. He was born in Algeria and schooled in France near Paris. He has resided in Winchester for more than 27 years with his wife Mary Park Lenox and two children.

Oussayef hold a Master Degree from both the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the School of Public Communications at Boston University.

Since 2003, Oussayef has worked as a research volunteer on precious, and sometimes unique historic French Masonic manuscripts preserved at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in. The Museum has recently published The Book of Wisdom by Doszedardski, one of Oussayef’s annotated translations of Masonic manuscripts. A new publication of his work is expected early next year.