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MASONIC MESSENGER
Vol. 100
June 2016
No. 3
Grand Lodge Office: 478-742-1475
Please send changes of address to the
Grand Secretary at 811 Mulberry Street,
Macon, GA 31201-6779 on your lodge
secretary’s monthly report. The editor does
NOT keep the list of addresses.
Grand Lodge Officers
Grand Master
P. O. Box 1534
E-mail: drewlane1995@gmail.com
F. Andrew“Drew” Lane, Jr. (182)
Dallas, GA 30132
770-317-0010
Deputy Grand Master
Gary H. Leazer (99, 262, 744)
3318 Mansfield Ln.
Snellville, GA 30039
E-mail: garyleazer44@gmail.com
770-851-0997
Senior Grand Warden
Larry W. Nichols (59)
5500 Interstate Pkwy, Ste. 415
Atlanta, GA 30328
E-mail: lnichols@lwncpa.com
404-735-3544
Junior Grand Warden
Michael H. Wilson (6, 84)
3655 Jensen Ct.
Loganville, GA 30052
E-Mail: mike.wilson@wilsonroofingcompany.com
678-410-0833
Grand Treasurer
Bobby B.Simmons (111, 756)
203 Williams Drive
Bonaire, GA 31005
Email: bnsimmons81@bellsouth.net
813-391-9616
Grand Secretary
811 Mulberry Street
E-mail: fam2@bellsouth.net
Grand Chaplain
230 SR 20 Spur SE
billcantrell2931@att.net
Joseph “Joe” W. Watson (298)
Macon, GA 31201-6779
Office: 478-742-1475
William E. Cantrell (63,747)
Cartersville, GA 30121
770-366-2931
Grand Marshal
James C. Newsome (121,747))
711 Fullwood Springs Rd.
Cedartown, GA 30125
Jnewsome@cedartowngeorgia.gov
(Cell) 404-425-8510
Grand Orator
1684 Pounds Rd.
jerrymoss@bellsouth.net
Jerry D. Moss, PGM (729)
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
(Cell) 678-910-6527
Senior Grand Deacon
P. O. Box 1921
garmon1@windstream.net
Johnie M. Garmon (114)
Blairsville, GA 30514
(Cell) 706-781-9565
Junior Grand Deacon
2897 Huntclift Drive
giddensj@comcast.com
Jan M.Giddens (33)
Marietta, GA 30066
678-232-4115
First Grand Steward
1262 Meadow Lane SE
don_combs@juno.com
Donald C. Combs (46)
Darien, GA 31305
478-235-3750
Second Grand Steward
3592 Woodstream Circle NE
kessler@bellsouth.net
Third Grand Steward
2859 Bridle Creek Dr. SW
bwposton@gmail.com
Michael A. Kessler (216)
Atlanta, GA 30319
678-947-1001
Benjamin W. Polston, II (6)
Conyers, GA 30094
(Cell) 678-571-2738
Grand Tyler
219 Jacob Dr.
marktireman@windstream.net
Mark A. Bradley (36)
Hoschton, GA 30548
(Cell) 706-983-9216
Grand Treasurer Emeritus
111 Tower Rd, NE, Apt. 417
Samuel R. Whitfield (323)
Marietta, GA 30060-6997
Grand Treasurer Emeritus
P. O. Box 129
Merrill L. Clark, Sr. (200)
Shady Dale, GA 31085
Grand Secretary Emeritus
150 Spring Creek Road
James E. Underwood, PGM (367)
Canton, GA 30115
Grand Secretary Emeritus
P. O. Box 6068
Donald I. DeKalb (111)
Warner Robbins, GA 31095
Dr. Gary Leazer, Editor (99, 262, 744)
3318 Mansfield Lane
Snellville, GA 30039-4631
Cell: 770/851-0997
E-mail: garyleazer44@gmail.com
garyleazer@yahoo.com
Publications Committee
Ross Laver, Chairman Home: 770-489-1864
E-mail: rosslaver@masonicmessenger.com
Paul E. Wells
Lawrence Anderson David L. Canaday
Published bi-monthly at 811 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201. The
Messenger goes to all Masons holding membership in Georgia Lodges.
Subscription $10.00 domestic, $16.00 foreign per year
ADVERTISING RATES ON APPLICATION -- CIRCULATION 38,000
2 / June 2016
— From Most Worshipful Brother F. Andrew Lane, Jr.
My Brethren:
Once again, I am pleased and
thankful to report that Freemasonry
is alive and well in our great State.
We have just had the long-anticipated Groundbreaking for the first
Cottage to be built at our Masonic
Home. There was a great crowd
present, including most of the Masonic Home Board of Trustees and
Grand Lodge Officers, several Past
Grand Masters, members of the local
press, our Masonic children and many
brethren and their families from all
over the State. The weather was better than anyone could have asked for,
as there was no rain, and the overcast
kept us all relatively cool. Bro. Walter
Matthews, whose generosity makes
this cottage possible, delivered very
touching remarks about his sister
Thelma, to whose memory this first
cottage is to be dedicated, and about
the importance of family.
We cannot thank Bro. Matthews
enough, as starting this first cottage
would not have been possible this
early without his magnanimity, his
dedication to Masonry and his love for
children and family, Thanks to everyone who was at the Home for the
Groundbreaking – you all made it
memorable and special. In addition,
and at the risk of omitting someone, I
would like to express special gratitude to MWB Ray Knittel, who did an
outstanding job as Master of Ceremonies; PGMs Edgar Land and Doug
McDonald, who filled key roles in conceiving and advancing the Cottage
Campaign: and the Board of Trustees,
especially WB Curtis Anderson, who
did much of the heavy lifting in putting the event together. Again, many
thanks to everyone who was present
and had a part in making this tangible
step toward family-style accommodations for our Masonic children a reality.
In other news, your Grand Lodge
Officers and I have been doing our
best to promote and support Freemasonry all over our great State. Since
the last issue of the Messenger, we
have attended and installed officers
at Conventions in the 6th , 7th , 8th
and 10th Districts and continue to be
impressed with the great work our
brethren are doing in our lodges and
in their communities.
Of course, the lessons and substance of Freemasonry itself are communicated directly and primarily in
our degree work, so your Grand Lodge
Officers and I are placing special emphasis on the “forms and ceremonies
of this Institution” this year. You
brethren have been quite busy doing
the work of Masonry – making Masons
–and thereby spreading Freemasonry
all over Georgia. On May 11, 2016, I
was honored to participate with the
Third Degree Team of the Valley of
Atlanta in conferring the Master’s
degree on two candidates, including
the son of Ill. Ross Laver, who did a
wonderful job in the East, as did the
whole team – a very special night indeed. I have also had the pleasure of
conferring the Master Mason degree,
with lodge officers, at a few other
lodges in the past couple of months,
including E.W. Hightower No. 679 in
Nelson, where it was wonderful to
work with their officers and the Dallas Fellowcraft Club; and most recently, Philomathea No. 25 in
Elberton, where the lodge officers did
a great job, with WB Andy Burns putting in an outstanding
delivery of the Special Charge. Through a last-minute
change in schedule, I was also able to participate in the
Annual Cove Waterfall Degree near Jasper – thanks to the
Cove Waterfall Association and the Dallas Fellowcraft Club
for inviting me to assist; although the rain in the middle
of the Second Section did require an impromptu change
of venue, it did not dampen the spirits of the brethren.
At the time of this writing, the Grand Lodge Officers
look forward to conferring the Fellowcraft degree on June
25 at the Annual Tri-State Meeting at Coosa Lodge No.
622, where teams from Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama
confer or exemplify work from their respective States and
enjoy a full day of fellowship. In addition, I am honored
to have been invited to confer the Entered Apprentice
degree with the officers of Tyrian Lodge No. 111 at the
Georgia-Alabama-Florida Tri-State in Tallahassee, Florida,
on July 30. I very much look forward to both of these traditional Tri-State meetings and would encourage all who
can to join us. Thank all of you for allowing your Grand
Lodge Officers and me to assist in directly spreading Masonry in this way.
Degree work and our other ritual and ceremonies are
only part of Freemasonry, of course; in order to give our
Craft meaning, we must put in into practice every day.
That is why the Grand Lodge theme for this year in “Living
the Learning,” and I pledge to continue to do my best to
apply Masonry to any issue that arises and encourage every Mason in our jurisdiction to do the same.
Brethren, I very much look forward to the remainder
of the year. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as
Grand Master, and I hope to see you somewhere soon.
Striving toward “Living the Learning,” I am
Fraternally and gratefully yours,
Drew
What a great day we had on Saturday. The Good Lord
showed favor on guys with dark suits. Attendance was
good, weather was good, Bro. Matthews was wonderful
and the food was great. Just an update on the paver idea,
$762.00 was collected for the commemorative paver. I
will make one honoring Thelma and Bro. Matthews. All
the money collected will go to GMCF, Inc. Even the
Matthews family bought a $100 paver for Bro. Matthews
and his wife (their mommy and daddy). The Ambassadors
took donations for other pavers also. I was really proud
to be a Mason Saturday and proud of what the Grand Lodge
and the Masons of Georgia are doing. We are off to a
great start with our goal of five cottages a real possibility.
Ross Laver did a great job on the buttons, Curtis with the
logistics on the grounds a great effort by all.
Thank all of you for what you do.....
At your service,
Jan Giddens, Junior Grand Deacon
Grand Master and Officers visit Wounded Trooper
Tuesday, January 27 started out as a routine patrol for
Brother Jake Fields. His day ended being anything but
routine. While patrolling Interstate 75 in Cobb County,
State Trooper Jacob Fields found himself in a situation
when he attempted to stop a motorist for a traffic
violation. It became obvious that the driver was not going
to stop. This resulted in a chase that traveled several miles
on I-75 with several officers attempting to assist Brother
Fields in stopping the violator. The violator’s vehicle was
boxed in by the pursing Troopers. The driver exited the
vehicle with a fire arm and began shooting.
Trooper Fields was struck four times but was able to
return fire. Brother Fields was taken to WellStar
Kennestone Hospital where he underwent surgery that
night to remove the bullet that was in his small intestine.
Later, he had a second surgery to repair his leg. He was
grazed by a third bullet and his hand cuff case deflected
the fourth bullet. Brother Fields is home now recovering
from his injuries. He is still facing more surgeries over
the next few months.
During his stay in the hospital he received visits from
Governor Nathan Deal and First Lady Sandra, Shaquille
O’Neal and Most Worshipful Grand Master F Andrew Lane
Jr. along with other Grand Lodge officers. He also had
many visits and calls from his Fellow Troopers, other law
enforcement agencies and Brother Masons. Brother Fields
is a member of Pickens Star Lodge No.220, and he would
like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and
asks that you continue to remember him in your prayers.
Brother Fields’ actions were consistent with our
teachings that Masonry Requires Bravery in the Highest
Esteem in our several stations before God and Man.
June 2016 / 3
Groundbreaking for First Cottage at Masonic Home
On a fairly cool day in Macon, 175 friends of the Masonic
Home to celebrate ground breaking for the first cottage, the first
of what we hope will be four
cottages to house the children
and youth at the home.
The first home was a gift
from Bro. Walter Wesson
Matthews in honor of his dear
sister, Thelma, who was 12 years
older than he and served as an
Army nurse during World War II.
Bro. Matthews and his wife Bro. Walter W. Matthews
Stella loved children but were not able to have a child of
Bro. Matthews’ family. His two daughters, Jeanie and
their own; they were blessed when they were able to
Stelly,
are closest to the camera.
adopt two daughters.
Recently
he
Bro. Walter Wesson Matthews said, “I Can Do That.”
learned of the hope
that cottages could
Each of these Grand Lodges Officers spoke at the
be built at the Masonic Home to move the children and
Groundbreaking on June 18.
youth from the dormitories where they were living. When
PGM Douglas W.
he learned the cost of the first cottage would be $500,000, PGM Edgar M. Land
McDonald, Sr.
Bro. Matthews said to himself, “I can do that,” — and he
did.
In his remarks, Bro. Matthews said, “May I say again,
home is what this drive is all about.
As we proceed to raise funds for the additional cottages, I was to bring a striking discovery I have made in
bringing these guests.
Nobody knew this was a children’s home until they
pulled it up on the Internet or I told them. I’m afraid this
is the case all over Georgia, except in the Macon area. . . .
Brother Snipes asked me what inspired me to make a
donation to build a cottage and I told him that Past Grand
Master McDonald’s remarks about the first new home for
our children struck me as exactly how I wanted to remember my sister. At our District meeting at Landrum Lodge
No. 48 when he gave me my 65-year-award, I asked him
what it would cost, and when he said 1/2 million dollars, I
said I can do that. I’m doing it for the future of our children in honor of my sister.
I thank you all for coming today and a few years from
now when I’m wherever the Good Lord assigns me, I hope
you will visit her again and say, ‘I was here when the
ground was first broken, and now look at all these wonderful cottage homes.’
God Bless you all!”
PGM E. Ray Knittel
MWB F. Andrew Lane, Jr.
Bro. Walter Matthews
Grand Master
sits behind him.
4 / June 2016
Eagle Scouts Recognized
Madison No. 376 Read to Ride Program
Wor. Bro. Dexter Harrison presented a Masonic award
to two Eagle Scouts, Coleman Brent Switzer and Ethan Lang
Light (Right) in Johns Creek.
Madison Lodge No. 376 sponsors the Joe Ward Read to
Ride Program at Morgan County Primary School. Three
times a year bicycles are given to students who read the
most or who improve the most in reading. For the last quarter this school year the winners were 1st Grade - Miriam
Sadler - Stephenson, 2nd Grade - Michael Henry, and Kindergarten - Jack Robbins. Stacey Chapman is in charge of
the program at the school. Lodge brothers from left to right
include: Harold Moss, Bob Nesbitt, Russell Brooks, L. A.
Hensley, Jim Briscoe, Jessie Mayfield, Aubrey Moon, and Bob
Wilbanks.
Augusta Masons Support Rainbow
After presenting a check
to her, Wor. Master Richard
Williamson, from Webb
Lodge No 166, stands with
Ms. Rain Beals to help with
her expenses to 2016 Supreme Assembly in Providence, RI.
Martinez No. 710 gave
her $900 (Richmond Assembly No. 38 meets at
and is sponsored by
Martinez Lodge No 710.)
Webb No. 166 also gave
her $250 at our May Regular Communication Monday evening, May 16.
She had also been given
something from the Sojourners and had made and sold T-Shirts that brought in
more than $600.
I believe that she should be fully funded for her trip or
extremely close to it – she still has a few T-shirts to sell as
well.
I am very pleased that both of my lodges stepped up
and is helping her compete along with several young ladies
from Georgia at Supreme Assembly in Ritualistic Competitions to be held in Providence RI in July.
Rossville Lodge Presents Scholarship
Rossville Lodge No. 397 presented a $1,000.00 School
Scholarship to Ms. Haleigh Young from Ridgeland High
School.Presenters were on the left: Brother Craig Leonard
and on the right: S.W. Howard J. Castello.
June 2016 / 5
Sixth Masonic District Holds One Hundred Tenth Annual Convention
Riverdale Masonic Lodge No. 709 hosted the 110th
Annual Convention of the 6th Masonic District at St. Johns
Masonic Lodge No. 45 in Jackson on May 7. Wor. Bro. and
District Master Paul Buckner and the 6th District officers
opened lodge at 9.00 before a very large gathering of Master
Masons.
Most Worshipful Bro. F. Andrew Lane, Jr., Grand Master,
was found in waiting, introduced and given Private Grand
Honors. He
introduced his
Grand Lodge
officers who
were present
and turned the
gavel over to
District Master
Buckner. A roll
call of District
officers and
District lodges was taken and 50 and 60-year Master Masons
were introduced, as well as District Past Masters and
Veterans.
Right Worshipful Brother Merrill L. Clark, Sr. conducted
the Memorial Service for Brothers who had passed away
since the 2015 Convention.
Wor. Bro. John Snipes, Superintendent of the Masonic
Home, gave a glowing report on the Home. He is working
on his 30th year as Superintendent of the Home.
Wor. Bro. V. S. “Mac” McGee, Senior Warden,
introduced the 6 th District Lodge Assistant Fund. He
mentioned the arson of Flint Hill Lodge No. 371 in which
the lodge lost their lodge hall and 122 years of history in six
hours. Flint Hill Lodge has built a new lodge hall at a cost of
approximately $470,000. Much of the money came from
small donations from Brother Freemasons. The District is
selling special coins for the fund and hopes to raise $5,000
to help any 6th District lodge suffering from a disaster such
as fire or tornado. They hope they never need the money
but it will be there if needed. A special gold District Coin
was present to outgoing District Master, Paul Buckner.
Wor. Bro. McGee, who is also District Custodian, said
128 White cards, 101 Blue cards, 28 Green cards and 8
Orange cards were issued during the
preceding year.
Wor. Bro. Brandon Yarbrough presented
the York Rite Gold Honor award to Wor. Bro.
Franklin Perry Holland, Jr., (right) who as
Senior Deacon of Pinta Lodge No. 88 helped
raise 28 Master Masons in 2015.
Attendance awards were presented to
two lodges. Jasper Lodge No. 50 won the
attendance award for lodges with fewer than 100 members
6 / June 2016
and
Hampton
Lodge No. 70 won
the attendance
award for lodges
with more than
100 members (far
right).
Mason of the
Year, Wor. Bro.
Andrew Dallas
“Brother A.D.” Rogers won the John S. Perry Award. He is a
World War II veteran and was raised to the Sublime Degree
of Master Mason in January 1954 in Lakewood Lodge No.
443 where he is
still an active
member. He is
active
in
Lakewood
Order of the
Eastern Star, has
served as head
of all three York
Rite Bodies and
has received
numerous
awards from
those bodies.
The District welcomed Hapeville Lodge No. 590 who
were made official members of the 6th District at the 2016
Grand Lodge session in October.
Newly elected District Master, Wor. Bro. Charlie Lane,
announced Jasper Lodge No. 50 would host the 2017 District
Convention on
the
first
Saturday in May
at St. Johns
Lodge No. 45.
Above: Immediate Past District
Master Paul Buckner holds his
plaque for serving as District Master, while newly elected District
Master Charlie Lane examines a
coin presented by the Grand Master.
8th Masonic District Convention holds 77th Annual Communication
District Master Walter McCannon and his officers
opened a called communication of Philomathea No. 25 in
Elberton to host the 77th Annual Communication of the
8th Masonic District Convention May 21. The Convention
was opened with prayer by Wor. Bro. Marcus Hall, District
Chaplain; a Pledge Allegiance to the American flag and
the singing of the hymn, “Amazing Grace” followed the
prayer.
Most Worshipful Brother F. Andrew Lane, Jr. was found
in waiting and escorted in by the District Deputies and
given Private Grand Honors. The Grand Master introduced
the nine Grand Lodge officers in attendance, as well as
other distinguished Freemasons. Seventy-two Brothers
registered for the Convention, including ten Grand Lodge
officers and two visitors from other districts.
Eight sitting Masters of Lodges were recognized as
well as one 60-year Mason. Wor. Bro. Harold Moss,
Madison Lodge No. 376, was recognized as the oldest
sitting Master in Georgia.
Wor. Bro. Harold Moss was recognized as the oldest sitting Master in Georgia and presented a plaque by District
Master Walter McCannon (left) and Most Worshipful F.
Andrew Lane.
The Convention moved alone smartly as all of the
reports were written in the program which the Brothers
had opportunity to read prior to the opening of the
Communication. Wor. Bro. Joe Colvard, Masonic Home
Trustee, reported trustees are raising monies for furniture
in each living area and the cottage program.
Groundbreaking for the first cottage is set for June 18 at
11:00. Wor. Bro. Russell Moore, Masonic Home
Ambassador, reported over 1,100 pavers have been
provided by donors which has raised over $180,000 for
the cottage program.
Wor. Bro. Joe Colvard was
named Past Master of the Year.
The District Custodians
reported 82 Brothers had
received white cards for
proficiency; 77 blue cards, seven
green cards, and 5 orange cards
were presented to Brothers
during the previous 12 months.
Twenty-six Brothers were
certified
in
Lodge
Investigations, one of the more
important MELD courses.
The Brothers donated $500 to the Masonic Home.
Wor. Bro. Bob Nesbitt, Madison Lodge No. 376,
presented a check
for
$2,206.25,
proceeds from
their
golf
tournament, for
the operation fund
at the Masonic
Home.
Wor. Bro. Barry
Stapp, GaChip for
the 8 th District,
reported that Mt.
Vernon Lodge No.
22, Rising Star
Lodge No. 4, Nancy Hart Lodge No. 690 and other lodges
identified more than 120 children in GaCHip events.
Wor. Bro. Joseph Johnson was recognized and
presented a plaque for his 11 years serving on the Board
of Relief. The Past Master of the Year award was presented
to Wor. Bro. Joe Colvard, Past Master of Philomathea No.
25.
The 2017 District Convention will be hosted by
Mansfield Lodge No. 489 on May 20 at 10:00.
The 8th Masonic District Convention ROCKS!
June 2016 / 7
Support the Grand Lodge Blood Drives: Be a Donor and/or Volunteer during a Blood Drive
Did you know?
• An adult of average weight has about 10 to 12 units or
pints of blood.
• You can donate whole blood every eight weeks.
• Blood fights against infection & helps heal wounds,
keeping you healthy.
• Every two seconds, someone needs blood.
• 1 out of 7 people entering a hospital needs blood.
• Thirty-seven percent of the U.S. population is eligible to
donate blood, however, only 10% donate annually!
• There is NO SUBSTITUTE for human blood.
• Blood must be imported into Georgia because Georgians
do not donate enough blood.
Tips for a pleasant blood donation experience:
• Get a good night’s rest.
• Eat a healthy meal before donating.
• Drink plenty of fluids before and after your donation.
• Eat iron rich foods.
• Wear clothing with sleeves that can be raised above the
elbow.
• RELAX!
• Avoid strenuous physical activity for a few hours after
your donation.
At Registration, you will need to
• Present a picture I.D. or a Red Cross or Shepeard Donor
Card (depending on the area in the state where you are
donating)
• Complete a Donor Record Form
• Refer to a Medical Cheat Sheet
They will check your
• Hemoglobin
• Blood pressure
• Temperature
• Pulse
The technician will confirm your
• Name
• Weight
• Age
For the procedure
• They will ask which arm you prefer and set you up
according to your preference.
• They will put a blood pressure cuff on your upper arm.
• They will sterilize the insertion spot on your arm.
• They will insert a sterile, non-reusable needle to draw
one unit/pint of blood. This usually takes fewer than ten
minutes.
• They will also fill five small test tubes so a lab can check
8 / June 2016
your blood type, and for various blood diseases such as HIV
and West Nile Virus.
After the procedure
• Rest and enjoy refreshments
• Drinks
• Snacks
• You need to stay in the refreshing area for 10 minutes.
• Feel good that you may have just saved a person’s life.
• If you cannot donate because of your doctor’s orders or
because you have traveled to a country where certain
diseases are prevalent, such as malaria, you can still
volunteer by guiding donors to the correct stations or
setting out refreshments.
• Be certain to wear your lodge shirt.
Report your donation to Wor. Bro. M. Steven Fishman
at 706.829.1155 or email him at mstevenfishman@juno.com
or the Brother in charge of your lodge donation.
Lodges Report Blood Drives
Brethren from Tucker Lodge No. 42 worked with the
Embry Hills United Methodist Church during a blood drive
on April 25. Forty-five units of life-saving blood were collected. Tucker Lodge now has 199 units for the year.
Brethren from Fulton Lodge No. 216 worked with the
Ahavath Achim Synagogue for a blood drive on May 1. The
drive collected 48 units of life-saving blood. The lodge has
recorded 157 units since Grand Lodge.
Fulton Lodge and the Jewish War Veterans started the
blood drive in late 1949. May 1 was 267 consecutive quarters. It was held in different places to start with including at
the Red Cross and the City Auditorium. The blood drive
moved to the AA Synagogue between 1965 and 1973.
Isadore Heiman, a past commander of the Jewish War
Veterans and a Past Master of Fulton Lodge (1930 and 1934),
was the driving force behind starting the blood drive. The
Jewish War Veterans now have a national blood donation
award named after Wor. Bro. Heiman. He was awarded the
Grand Lodge Distinguished Service Medal in 1936.
Top Ten Blood Drive Reports as of June 10
Webb No. 166:
741
Houston No.
260
A. J. Miller No. 204
231
Ft. Valley No. 110
231
Tucker No. 42
199
Fulton No. 216
159
Rockmart No. 97
149
Rising Sun No. 32
129
Lyons No 49
121
Oak Bowery No. 81
99
Fraternal Lodge No. 37 Holds CPR/AED Class Blue Mountain Lodge Honors their Ladies
Fraternal Lodge No. 37 of
McDonough hosted a
CPR / AED training class
on Saturday April 23 with
16 people in attendance
mostly members of Boy
Scout Post No. 61.
Blue Mountain Lodge No. 38 held its first Ladies’ Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday, 26 April. This special dinner’s
intention was to thank the Ladies of our Masons, that each
of them are an important part of our function. Flowers and
candles adorned the tables and a special meal was prepared.
All the Ladies received gifts to recognize their support of
their significant others to the fraternity.
Marion Lodge No. 14 and Cordelia Lodge No. 296 Hold Joint Communication
Marion Lodge and Cordelia Lodge held a join communication on May 3. The evening began with a fine meal at
the Tazwell Methodist Church. After the meal, Mrs.Sheila
Hall, widow of Wor. Bro. Ronald K. Hall, was presented a
certificate honoring her late husband who passed away in
January.
Bro. Ronnie was Worshipful Master of Marion Lodge
for 8 years and served as
lodge secretary for 5 years.
He was the DDGM for Subdistrict 3B, a Master Master over 46 years, an Air
Force Veteran, and very active in both the Methodist
and Baptist churches in
Tazwell. Ronnie and Sheila
were blessed with two The courthouse was also used
sons, Brad and Bryan, and as a Post Office, among other
three grand children. Bro. businesses.
Ronnie was a much beloved Mason by all who knew him.
Mrs. Sheila Hall
holds a framed certificate presented to her
by Wor. Bro. David
Simmons, Master of
the 3rd Masonic District.
Brothers of Marion Lodge No. 14, established in 1840,
have met in this old courthouse since its construction in
1848. Prior to this they met in the courthouse that burned
in 1845. Prior to meeting in the first courthouse, they had
their own lodge hall which also burned.
From the church, the Brothers drove the short distance
to the lodge hall where the joint communication was
opened. Twenty-five Brothers were present.
Marion Lodge is proud of the blue carpeted church pews
donated by Middle Georgia Daylight Lodge No. 756.
Wor. Bro. Lawrence Tondee
presented Marion Lodge’s Worshipful Master George R.
McGlaun, Jr. the Gold Award from
the York Rite College of North
America by the Middle Georgia
York Rite College No. 201.
Right Worshipful Brother
Gary H. Leazer, Deputy Grand
Master, presented Wor. Bro.
William Vaughn his apron as
the Custodian of the 3rd Masonic District. He previously
served as Assistant Custodian
under Wor. Bro. David
Simmons until Bro. Simmons
was elected District Master
earlier this year.
June 2016 / 9
Statham Lodge No. 634 Holds "Current Sitting Masters’ Night"
Statham Lodge No. 634 had every chair filled with current sitting masters from District 9G along with Grand Master F.
Andrew Lane, Jr. presiding in the East.
MWB Lane recognizing and
t h a n k i n g
Children's Home
Alumni
Mrs.
Brenda Brannon
and Mrs. Sylvia
Tarpley along
side WM David
Shockley.
Current Worshipful Masters from all lodges in District
Brenda Brannon
9-G are pictured with Grand Master F. Andrew Lane. From spoke on behalf of the Children's Home.
left to right in this photo. WM Chris Tullis - Hudson Lodge
No. 294; WM Robin Baker - Rockwell Lodge No. 191; WM
Brandon Haney - Winder Lodge No. 333; WM David Shockley
Worshipful Master
- Statham Lodge No. 634; WM Josh Wilson - Unity Lodge David Shockley from
No. 36; WM John Bush - Davidson Lodge No. 103; Grand Statham Lodge No. 634 preMaster Lane; WM Ernie Stovall - Barrow Jackson Daylight senting a scholarship check
Lodge U.D; WM Bill Garner - Johnnies Hill Lodge No. 748; to Worshipful Brother Larry
WM Stacy Burgess - Carter Hill Lodge No. 268; and WM Allen Boozer to benefit Barrow
Wiley - Auburn Lodge No. 230.
County High School students.
Sweetwater Gold Sponsor for Relay for Life
Sweetwater Team raises over $4,500
for Relay for Life
Sweetwater Lodge No. 421 was a Gold sponsor for the
Lilburn Relay for Life. Not only were we a Gold sponsor but
also cooked for the event. The Lodge brothers cooked Hot
dogs, hamburgers & BBQ. With the sponsor and cooking,
Sweetwater raised $1,400 for the event.
Please see the attached photo of just a few of the brothers that helped. From (L-R) Sr. Warden Brother Carl
McAdams, Jr. Deacon Brother Robby McAdams, Jr. Warden
Wos. Brother Andy McAdams, Brother John Todd, Worshipful Master Joe Martin Brown and Brother Richard Garner.
10 / June 2016
Brother Chuck Shaw,
Sweetwater Lodge No. 421,
formed a team honoring his Aunt
who died recently of cancer.
Brother Chuck's team raised over
$4,500 for the event which was
the second highest amount
raised by a team.
Shown in picture is Brother
Chuck Shaw holding his certificate for the Team with "Most
Team Spirit."
Important Words from the Desk of the Grand Secretary
Proposed changes to the Masonic Code must be
The following are several important Dates and
submitted to the Grand Lodge Office no later than
Deadlines for your consideration.
August 1. (Masonic Code Section 3-114)
All secretary’s Monthly Reports must be received
Per-Capita Statements are to be paid no later than
in the Grand Lodge Office no later than July 10. Beginning July 20, a $3.00 per day penalty will be charged September 1. After that date, a 10% penalty will be
that Lodge until all delinquent reports are received. accesseed. (Masonic Code Section 23-129) As a matter of information, the Per-Capita Statement will be
(Masonic Code Section 26-109)
mailed in July if all Monthly Reports have been received
Funds from the Endowment and Educational Fund on time.
(Penny Box) must be turned in to the Masonic Home
no later than July 31. Designation as to which Fund is Any changes to the Lodge’s By-Laws must be submitto receive the money should be annotated on the ted to the Grand Lodge Office no later than September 15 in order to be considered by the Grand Lodge.
check. (Masonic Code Section 25-122)
(Masonic Code Section 22-102)
108th Annual District Convention of the Tenth Masonic District Held
The District Master, Wor. Bro. Art Dickerson, and his
officers opened a called communication of Martinez No.
710 for the purpose of hosting the 108th session of the
10th Masonic District Convention at 10.00 a.m. on June 11.
Most Worshipful Brother F. Andrew Lane, Jr., Grand
Master, ws found in waiting and was found in waiting and
was received and given Private Honors. He introduced his
Grand Lodge officers present as well as the District Deputies to the Grand Masters and Grand Lodge committee
members.
Wor. Bro. Jarrod Coffey, Worshipful Master of Martinez
Lodge No. 710, welcomed all.
Wor. Bro. Wayne Collins, chairman of the Tenth District Deputies, and Grand Master Lane led in the memorial service for the 27 Brothers who had passed away in
the Tenth District since the 2015 Convention.
Martinez Lodge No. 710 won the attendance award.
Wor. Bro. Ronny D. Lanham announed that Wor. Bro.
James Oliver “Bucky” Summers had been awarded the E.
Alton Rogers Award from the Tenth District.
(Left) Outgoing District Master Art
Dickerson
(Right) Newly elected District Master
Douglas Bridges
(Above) Officers of the 10th Masonic
District
June 2016 / 11
Seventh District Masonic Convention’s 119th Annual Communication
At 9.00 a.m., the Seventh District Master, Wor. Bro.
Harold McDurmon, and his officers opened the 119th Annual
Communication of the Seventh District Masonic Convention
(That’s how they spell it.), hosted by Cherokee Lodge No.
66. The Most Worshipful Grand Master, F. Andrew Lane, Jr.
was found in
waiting and was
received by Wor.
Bro. Robert L.
Bryant, DDGM
District Chairman
and five of the
DDGMs.
The
Grand
Master
introduced his
Johnny Agan Traveling Men
Grand
Lodge
officers who were
present, after which Past Grand Master, E. Ray Knittel
welcomed other distinguished Masons. Bro. Tim Burkhalter,
Sheriff of Floyd County welcome all to the Convention as
did Wor. Bro. Jim Alford, Worshipful Master of Cherokee
Lodge.
Reading of the previous District Convention was
suspended when the District Secretary, J. Lynn Woodall,
announced the meetings could be found on his desk.
Reports were all printed in the program passed out to all
attending the Convention. The Secretary announced that
the 67 lodges in the District had raised 98 Master Masons
since the last meeting. District Master Harold McDurmon
announced the groups working together this year had
collected money to award 18 $1,000 scholarships. He
specifically mentioned the corporate sponsors, many of
whom were present to present scholarships, the Masonic
Ladies of
the
7 th
District
s o l d
cookbooks
and also
presented
scholarships
Scholarship Winners
a n d
money
raised from the 2nd annual charity golf event.
The 66 lodges in the 7th District contributed $44,844.69
to the Masonic Home Endowment Fund; ten lodges gave
$1,000 or more, with Tompkins No. 466 giving $14,940.30.
Wor. Bro. Eddie Gurley, Custodian, and Wor. Bro. Bill
Norton, Assistant Cusodian for the 7th District, reported they
issued 386 white cards, 370 blue cards, 59 green cards and
66 orange cards.
12 / June 2016
Wor. Bro. Richard Cunningham, Assistant State Director for
Masonic Education & Leadership Development, reported
that three lodges, Cherokee No. 66, Shannon No. 100, and
Caledonia No. 121, each held eleven courses during the year.
Wor. Bro. Gary Fisher, Floyd Springs No. 167, was named
Mason of the Year.
The 2016 Masonic Golf Tournament will be held
November 4 at the Stonebridge Golf Course. Golfers and
sponsors are asked to contact Wor. Bro. Harold McDurmon
for specific information.
A Lodge of Sorrow and Memorial Service was held after
dinner with Wor. Bro. Richard A. Cunningham, 7th District
Past Master, Wor. Bro. Howard Touchstone, 7th District
Chaplain, and all DDGMs present conducting the service.
The following morning Wor. Bro. Harry Nelson, Samuel
S. Lawrence No. 721, was elected District Master for the
ensuing year. Wor. Bro. J. Lynn Woodall asked that he not
be re-elected as Secretary. Wor. Bro. Stan Walker, Cherokee
No. 66, was elected Secretary. The other officers moved up
one station. Most Worshipful Bro. F. Andrew Lane, Jr.
installed each officer and each was escorted to his station.
The Convention concluded at noon with a fine BBQ
meal.
Past Grand Masters present at the Convention were
MWB. A. Ray Earwood (1988), MWB Edgar Land (2014),
MWB Dr. Gary D. Lemmons (2001), District Master Harold
McDurmon, MWB J. Edward Jennings (2009), MWB E. Ray
Knittel (2013), and MWB Thomas L. Blanton (2004).
Immediate District Past Master Harold
McDurmon (left) and
newly installed District
Master Harry Nelson.
Association of Blue Lodge Ambassadors
Bill Andrew, 7th District Ambassador
Brethren, the Association of Blue Lodge Ambassadors
has had a very busy year. The individual Blue Lodge
Ambassadors in the 7th District, in conjunction with their
District Ambassador, Worshipful Masters and DDGMs, have
rolled out the following programs.
The Children’s Garden is still producing great donation
results. To date, the Grand Lodge has received over 1,350
paver donations with over $170,000 having been raised.
Each lodge in the 7th District has been asked to make a
donation for a paver in lieu of flowers in recognition of
deceased brethren. It is important to note that all proceeds
from the Children’s Garden donations will go directly
towards the collage campaign.
Last year, a statewide Masonic Home Ambassador fund
raiser was established to raise funds for laptop PCs for the
college-bound students at the Home, and it was an
overwhelming success. The lodges in the 7th District made
significant contributions. Statewide, our goal was $3,000
and we raised $11,516 in total funds. These funds will be
kept in a laptop fund for future use for college-bound
students over the next several years.
This year, the Ambassadors are planning to take on a
much bigger project. We are raising funds to refurnish, recarpet and repaint all of the children’s living room areas.
This was last done over 14 years ago. All of our lodges are
asked to have a special fundraiser for this project, and a
number of lodges in the 7th District have already made
contributions.
All 7th District lodges have been asked to consider
purchasing a Masonic Home Lodge Ambassador Apron for
their Ambassadors to wear as their lodge aprons. This apron
is not mandatory for any lodge, but can be obtained for a
donation of $30. Proceeds from the apron sales will go to
the Masonic Home. The response from our lodges has been
very good.
This year the Grand Lodge started the Masonic Home
school supplies program. All lodges in the 7th District have
been asked to put a large box marked for “Masonic Home
School Supplies” in their dining areas and start collecting
school supplies for the children of the Home to use. The
lodges’ Masonic Home Ambassadors should take the
supplies to the Masonic Home Family Day or the Masonic
Home Appreciation Day. A list of needed supplies has been
distributed to each lodge.
The 7th District was well represented at Masonic Home
Workdays last year and again this year. That our brethren
are willing to give of their time and material resources for
the benefit of our children is truly remarkable. It exhibits
firm commitment to the principles of our Masonic Order,
as well as love of the fraternity.
I want to thank each and every brother in the 7th District
for their generous donations and hard work. Your efforts
are greatly appreciated by our Masonic Home Children who
are the true “Heartbeat” of Georgia Masonry!
Tonight the Worshipful Master, Wardens and brethren
of Dallas Lodge No. 182 recognized that 99% of what I accomplish, as Blue Lodge Ambassador to the Children's Home
in Macon, comes from my wife, Margie. Without her support in all my Masonic activities I wouldn't be where I am
today. Very proud of her.
Thanks,
Bro Tim
MWB F. Andrew Lane, Jr. poses with the newly installed
7th District officers.
MWB Drew Lane poses with Wor. Bro. J. Lynn Woodall
who retired as 7th District Secretary.
June 2016 / 13
Eight Secret Societies You Might Not Know
The popularity of these secret clubs peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries
By Jackie Mansky, smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Magazine, 07 March2016
By their very name, secret societies inspire curiosity,
fascination and distrust. When the Washington Post broke the
story last month that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent
his final hours in the company of members of a secret society
for elite hunters, people instantly wanted to know more about
the group.
The fraternity in question, International Order of St.
Hubertus, was incorporated by Count Anton von Sporck in 1695
and was originally intended to gather “the greatest noble hunters
of the 17th Century, particularly in Bohemia, Austria and
countries of the Austro Hungarian Empire, ruled by the
Habsburgs,” according to its official website. After the
organization denied membership to Nazis notably military leader
Hermann Goering, Hitler dissolved it, but the order reemerged
after World War II, and an American chapter was founded in the
late 1960s.
The order is just one of many clandestine organizations
that exist today, though the popularity of these secret clubs
peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, writes Noah Shachtman
for Wired. Back then, many of these societies served as safe
spaces for open dialogue about everything from academia to
religious discourse, removed from the restrictive eye of the
church and state. As Schatman writes:
These societies were the incubators of democracy, modern
science, and ecumenical religion. They elected their own leaders
and drew up constitutions to govern their operations. It wasn’t
an accident that Voltaire, George Washington, and Ben Franklin
were all active members. And just like today’s networked radicals,
much of their power was wrapped up in their ability to stay
anonymous and keep their communications secret.
The emphasis on secret was what inspired so much distrust
in the exclusive clubs. No less than the New York Times weighed
in on secret societies in 1880, not wholly dismissing the theory
that “Freemasonry brought about the civil war and acquitted
President Johnson and… has committed or concealed crimes
without number.” The Times comments, “This able theory of
Freemasonry is not so readily believed as the theory that the
European secret societies are the ruling power in Europe, but
there are still many people as yet outside the lunatic asylum
who firmly believe it.”
Many religious leaders felt at the very least conflicted about
secret orders. In 1887, Reverend T. De Witt Talmage wrote his
sermon on “the moral effect of Free Masonry, Odd Fellowship,
Knights of Labor, Greek Alphabet and other Societies.” The
reverend, who said he had “hundreds of personal friends who
belonged to orders” used Proverbs 25: 9 —”discover not a secret
to another” —to ask his audience to question whether or not
being a member of a secret society would be a positive or negative
decision for them. Meanwhile, that same week, Roman Catholic
14 / June 2016
Cardinal James Gibbons took a more definitive stand on secret
orders, saying that they had “no excuse for existence.”
In the United States in the late-19th century, there was
enough of a national uproar against secret societies that one
concerned group created an annual “Anti-Secret Society
Convention.” In 1869, at the national convention in Chicago, the
attendees went after the “secular press.” The organization’s
secretary said that the press “either approved or ignored secret
societies” while “few religious papers have spunk enough to
come out for Christ in opposition to Masonry.” But by 1892, the
group, which deemed the societies an “evil to society and a
menace to our civil institutions,” had failed to “secure them
anything but strong denunciation,” as the Pittsburgh Dispatch
commented.
While The Da Vinci Code novelist Dan Brown and his
contemporaries have shined a light upon some of the bigger
secret fraternal organizations like the Order of Skull and Bones,
Freemasons, Rosicrucians and the Illuminati, there are still other,
lesser-known groups that have compelling stories of their own.
Here are just a few:
The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
of the World
In 1907, the Seattle Republican reported on the Order of
Elks, writing that “it is claimed by members and officers that it
is one of the most thriving secret societies among Afro-Americans
of this city.” According to the non-profit African American Registry,
the fraternal order was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1899
after two black men were denied admission to the Benelovent
and Protective Order of Elks of the World, which is still popular
today and, despite questions raised on discriminative practices,
now allows any American citizen, 21 years or older, who believes
in God to be invited to join its ranks.
The two men decided to take the order’s name and make
their own club around it. Formally called the Improved
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, the order
was once considered to be at the center of the black community.
During the era of segregation, the lodge was one of the few places
where black men and women could socialize, the Pittsburgh PostGazette wrote. In recent years, however, the Post-Gazette
commented that the secret organization has struggled to retain
its relevance. Still, the secret society continues to sponsor
educational scholarship programs, youth summer computer
literacy camps, parades as well as community service activities
throughout the world.
The Grand Orange Lodge
The Grand Orange Lodge, known more commonly as the
“Orange Order” got its name from Prince William III, the Prince
of Orange, and was founded after the Battle of the
Diamond outside a small village in modern-day Northern Ireland
called Loughgall. Its purpose was to ”protect Protestants”
and that’s why, in 1849, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, George
William Frederick Villiers, captured the ire of Dublin’s Waterford
News for supporting the society. The paper wrote, “Lord Clarendon
has been holding communication with an illegal society in Dublin
for upwards of ten days. The Grand Orange Lodge, with its secret
signs and pass-words, has been plotting with his Excellency during
the whole of that period. This may seem strange, but it is a
fact…”
At the time, secret societies were banned from Ireland as
they were said to have acted in “antagonism to the “Land League,”
an Irish political organization, according to Ireland’s official
records on statistics of eviction and crime.
The Grand Orange Lodge is still around today with clubs in
Ireland, as well as others around the world. Prospective members
of the Protestant fraternity don’t take a pledge, they just have to
affirm their acceptance of the Principles of Reformation, as well
as loyalty to their country. As to the question of whether they are
“anti-Roman Catholic”, the official website states, “Orangeism
is a positive rather than a Pythagorean ideal of friendship. All
of its founding members worked for the government in some
capacity, and it was the first fraternal order to be chartered by
an act of Congress, the order’s official website writes. The
Knights of Pythias’ colors are blue, yellow and red. Blue signifies
friendship, yellow charity and red benevolence, the North
Carolina Evening Chronicle wrote in a special edition celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the club in 1914.
The Knights of Pythias is still active and is a partner of the
Boy Scouts of America, the second organization to receive its
charter from the United States Congress.
The Ancient Order of the Foresters
Known today as “Foresters Friendly Society,” the Ancient
Order of the Foresters was initially established in 1834,
according to the society’s website, albeit under a slightly
different name. The Ancient Order was created before state health
insurance began in England, so the club offered sick benefits to
its working class members.
In 1874, the American and Canadian branches left the
Ancient Order and set up the Independent Order of the Foresters.
Candidates looking to be admitted to the club had to “pass an
examination by a competent physician, who is himself bound
by his connection with the order,” the Boston Weekly Globe wrote
in 1879. The society still provides insurance policies today for
its members, who also engage in a variety of community service
activities.
The Ancient Order of United Workmen
John Jordan Upchurch and 13 others in Meadville,
Pennsylvania, founded the Ancient Order of United Workmen in
1868 with the goal of bettering conditions for the working class.
Like the Foresters, it set up protections for its members. Initially,
should a member die, all brothers of the order contributed a
dollar to a member’s family. That number would eventually be
capped at $2,000.
The Ancient Order of United Workmen is no longer around,
but its legacy continues, as the order unintentionally created
a new kind of insurance that would influence other fraternal
groups to add an insurance provision in their constitutions.
The Patriotic Order Sons of America
The Patriotic Order Sons of America dates back to the early
days of the American Republic, according to its official website.
Following in the footsteps of The Sons of Liberty, the Order of
United Americans and Guards of Liberty, the Patriotic Sons of
America, which later added the word “Order” to its name, became
one of the “most progressive, most popular, most influential as
well as strongest patriotic organizations” in the United States in
the early 20th century, the Allentown Leader wrote in 1911.
How progressive the order actually was is up to
interpretation. In 1891, the Sons of America refused to delete
the word “white” in its constitution, defeating a proposition that
would allow black men to apply. Today, the order opens its
membership up to “all native-born or naturalized American male
citizens, 16 years and older, who believe in their country and its
institutions, who desire to perpetuate free government, and who
wish to encourage a brotherly feeling among Americans, to the
end that we may exalt our country, to join with us in our work of
fellowship and love.”
The Molly Maguires
In the 1870s, 24 foremen and supervisors in the coal mines
of Pennsylvania were assassinated. The suspected culprit?
Members of the secret society, the Molly Maguires, an
organization with Irish origins brought to the United States by
Irish immigrants. The Maguires likely got its name because
members used women’s clothing as a disguise while allegedly
carrying out its illegal acts, which also included arson and
death threats. The group was finally undone by a mole planted
by the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency, which was hired by the
mining companies to investigate the group. In a series of criminal
trials, 20 Maguires were sentenced to death by hanging. The
Order of the Sons of St. George, another secret organization,
which was founded in 1871 to oppose the Maguires also appears
to have vanished.
Illustration depicting a Molly Maguire firing a pistol. Woodcut,
1877. (Corbis)
June 2016 / 15
The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
Ill. Leonard E. Buffington, SGIG, Orient of Georgia
Web Site:
GaScottishRite.org
The Valley of Atlanta’s Calendar is filling quickly with
many events.
For those of you who enjoy a good Cigar and the
Fellowship of a Brother, please contact the Valley office.
A group has formed.
We are looking for Brothers who wish to participate
in the Dramatization of the Scottish Rite degrees and the
cast of the Traitor. Non-Speaking and Speaking parts
July 7th … Stated Meeting … A real Red, White and
Blue celebration of Independence with a Program that
will educate our Children and Grandchildren; Stir the
hearts with songs that Celebrate our Independence in a
Sing-a- Long fashion and hear dramatic readings. Dinner
(Hot Dogs; Hamburgers) is free but reservations will not
be accepted after noon, Tuesday, July 5th.
July 13th … 9am – 3pm. Acting Classes for all Master
Masons regardless of Valley or State. A valid dues card
will be required. There is no cost for the class. Lunch will
be $10. Call the Valley of Atlanta office to make
reservations, 404-873- 3659.
Aug 4th … Stated Meeting … Scholarship
Presentations
Aug 17th … Acting Classes for those unable to attend
the July 13 th event.
Sept 1st … Stated Meeting … Honoring First
Responders with the Arthur Kaplan
Sept 30th - Oct 1st … 235th Reunion and Class honoring
Ill. W. Larry Hicks, 33° who served as Director of Work for
30 Years.
Oct 1st … The Orient of Georgia will honor the years
of Service of Ill Leonard E. Buffington, SGIG Orient of
Georgia with a Banquet. Sovereign Grand Commander
Ronald A. Seale and Lieutenant Grand Commander, James
D. Cole will be in attendance. More information will be
available soon.
Nov 3rd … Stated Meeting … Honoring our Veterans
Dec 1st … Stated Meeting … Association Night.
Dec 3rd … CHOA Parade … Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta has invited us to participate again this year in the
parade up Peachtree St. Once again we are asking all to
get on board and support this event with your donation
of $100. Ourgoal is 100 donations of $100 each for RiteCare
which assists children with Speech, Hearing and other
Language disorders. Let’s flood Peachtree Street with
Brothers in Scottish Rite Caps again this year. The Scottish
Rite Hospital is there because our predecessors had the
passion and desire to help children.
16 / June 2016
Greetings from the Valley of Columbus. Scottish Rite
Freemasonry is alive and well in the River City. On Friday
May 20th and Saturday, 21st, 2016 the Columbus Valley
held a joint Spring Class Reunion with the Shrine Temple
and Ft. Benning Shrine Club, in Memory of Ill. Bro. and
Noble Charles Wilson 33°. We congratulate and welcome:
Brothers James A. Powell Jr. and Ron P. Provencher as
our new Masters of the Royal Secret.
Ill. Bro. Paul E. Wells, 33°, gave the highlights and
expressed his appreciation for how hard the Cast and
Crew practiced and executed each of the degrees. Bro.
Clyde Hill was our Point of Contact and Team Captain for
the Shrine team. In attendance to assist from the Al Sihah
Shrine Temple was James C. Roberson, POTENTATE 2016.
We invite our Blue Lodge brethren to visit us on any
3rd Friday at 6:30pm and enjoy a fine dinner before our
monthly meetings. Please visit our web site at
scottishritecolsga.com for more information.
The Valley of Savannah is active with VMAP and reaping great results. We gained thirty one new members from
our Spring Reunion and our membership chairman has
promised the same number or more for our Fall Reunion.
During the Summer we will hold our Ring Ceremony
on July 5 and Family Night on August 2. We will also
present scholarship checks to nine deserving students at
our July meeting. For a full list of activities visit our
website at www.savannahscottishrite.com.
GRAND
CHAPTER
William F. Shepard
M. E. G. H. P.
GRAND
COMMANDERY
Doyle R. Hatfield
R. E. G. C.
GRAND
COUNCIL
Benjamin W. Polston II
M. I. G. M.
THE YORK RITE IN GEORGIA
Editor: Michael H. Sampsell Email: mike@thesampsells.com
http://www.yorkrite of ga.org
William F. Shepard
M.E.G.H.0
Doyle R. Hatfield
R.E.G. C.
Ben Polston
M.I.G.M.
The Grand York Rite Session was held during the first week of May and a new slate of officers was elected.
William F. “Bill” Shepard was elected Most Excellent Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Georgia, Benjamin W.
“Ben” Polston, Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of Georgia and Doyle R. Hatfield, Right Eminent
Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Georgia. John H. Johnson was elected as Excellent Grand Master of
2nd Veil, Grand Chapter of Georgia. C. Hendry Howard was elected as Excellent Grand Master of 1st Veil, Grand
Chapter of Georgia. Robert “Rusty” Cordle was elected as Illustrious Grand Steward of the Grand Council of Georgia.
Robert L. “Sonny” Head was elected as Eminent Grand Sword Bearer of the Grand Commandery of Georgia. Tommy T.
Marshall was elected as Eminent Grand Warder of the Grand Commandery of Georgia.
Congratulations to all and we hope for another fantastic year in York Rite Masonry.
2016 Greater Atlanta York Rite Festival
WHEN:
WHERE:
COST:
August 13th and 20th, 2016 Registration @ 8:00am, degrees begin @ 9:00am
Atlanta Masonic Center, 1690 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
The cost for each day is $15.00 for meal and refreshments. Pay that day.
The Chapter and Council Degrees will be conferred on Saturday, August 13, 2016. The Orders of the
Commandery will be conferred on Saturday, August 20, 2016. Come early each Saturday for coffee
and refreshments.
Run all petitions/candidate fees through your local York Rite body prior to the Festival.
NO VOTING WILL BE ALLOWED AT THE FESTIVAL
CONTACT: Dana Schwarz, Pres., email: dschwarz@gascottishrite.org Phone: 678-644-5685
PETITION FOR YORK RITE BODIES
FIND YOUR CLOSEST YORK RITE
GEORGIA YORK RITE WEBSITE
http://www.yorkriteofga.org/
bpfiles/combpet.pdf
http://www.yorkriteofga.org/yorkrite-by- city.html
www.yorkriteofga.org
June 2016 / 17
Jimmy Lee
Rochelle No. 190
Jerry Smith, Eugene Smith No. 279
(Lodge named after his father)
Everett L. Harvell
Woodbine No. 326
18 / June 2016
Kenneth Banks
Franklin No. 11
Jerry Lee Fowler
Clinton No. 54
Bobby Dean Segers
Pickens Star No. 220
Charles Shurling
Tennille No 256
John R. Martin
Waycross No. 305
Jerry F. Streat
Waycross No. 305
William Walls
Woodbine No. 326
John William Alford
Davidson No. 334
Troy Vernon Autry
Plainville No. 364
Daniel Hill Gray
Plainville No. 364
Jimmy Milton Parker
Alexander No. 385
Lawrence Valentino
Moultrie No. 381
Charles Shafer
Sweetwater No. 421
Clair Robert “Bob” Genung, RT Shafer No. 350,
Gainesville, FL. Presented by Dan Dancus, DGM &
Joe Brown, WM at Sweetwater No. 421
Stephen Nelson
Sincerity No. 430
Henry Lamar Hardin
Ducktown No. 572
65 Years
Charles Edward Cooper
Mountain Park No. 729
Carl Wheeler
Sincerity No. 430
June 2016 / 19
60 Years
55 Years
Frank Barron
Emerson No. 738
James Benson Saylors
Nancy Hart No. 690
60 Years
Charles Lee Harper & Mary Bessie
Franklin No. 11
Edmund Charles Inman
Waycross No. 305
20 / June 2016
Howard Locklear
Buchanan No. 78
Edgar Leon O’Neal
Yonah No. 382
James Thomas Williams
Mt. Vernon No. 22
William Estus Thomas
Cairo No. 299
Randolf G. Caldwell
Stockbridge No. 691
Was George Washington A Knights Templar?
Sir Knight Mark A. Tabbert
Boston Commandery No. 2, Boston, MA
Director of Collections - George Washington Masonic Memorial
Was George Washington a Masonic Knights Templar?
Occasionally a young visitor to the George Washington
Masonic Memorial will pose this question. Simply and
literally, the answer is “no,” but it can become complicated
by Royal Arch history and Washington’s early military
career. It is a fact that the first recorded evidence of a
Royal Arch degree conferral occurred in Fredericksburg
Lodge, Virginia in 1753, only a few months after young
Washington was raised to the third degree. It is therefore
possible that Washington might have received those
degrees later in his life. And if the Royal Arch, why could
he not have received the Order of the Temple? The first
Knights Templar commandery in Pennsylvania was
organized during Washington’s presidency in
Philadelphia. So the story could go.
Outside the Lodge, young Washington’s greatest
aspiration was a king’s commission in the English army.
Had the young Washington distinguished himself during
his six years of active military service he might have been
knighted in “The Most Honourable Military Order of the
Bath,” not the Masonic Order of the Temple!
Such conjecture about Sir George Washington
disappears when he joins the Rebellion in 1775.
Independence from Great Britain in 1783 brought an end
to American aristocracy and the U.S. Constitution
established a democratic republic with no monarchy. With
such egalitarian aspirations it becomes highly unlikely
that Washington would be a Royal Arch Mason. How could
he explain belonging to a chapter presided over by a High
Priest, King and Scribe? Furthermore, how could
Washington accept Knights Templar’s spurs, if he had
already refused a crown?
That Washington would not be king in the 1780s begs
the question how could any American presume to be a
knight—let alone a member of an order based on the
medieval order of Catholic monks? Yet there existed
commanderies during Washington’s life. Within three
years of Washington’s death, Knights Templar
commanderies at Providence, Rhode Island, Boston and
Newburyport, Massachusetts formed the first Grand
Encampment in 1802.
From these local beginnings and despite the antiMasonic period and the Civil War, the Knights Templar
was the most successful Masonic organization in the 19 th
century. Rising from an estimated 100 knights in 1808,
there were nearly 200,000 knights in over 1,200 local
commanderies in 1908.
Such success was largely because America in the 19th
century lived an age of adventures and crusades. From
Stephen Decatur on the Barbary Coast to Theodore
Roosevelt on San Juan Hill, America was “manifest
destiny,” abolition, temperance, “rags to riches,” muscular
Christianity, and the Wild West. The Knights Templar
served two primary needs in those times. First, Knights
Templar parades were demonstrative of the Christian
piety that marked the Victorian Age. Second, Knights
Templar, like many other paramilitary fraternal orders,
provided security in an age of labor strikes and riots, social
upheaval and economic misfortunes.
What then separates us in 2008 from the Templars of
1808 or 1908? Simply, it is the machine slaughter of World
War I, the brutality of the Great Depression, and the
scientific mass murder of World War II. It is the difference
between a cavalry charge and a laser-guided missile, a
melodramatic General MacArthur and a logistical General
Eisenhower. It is the difference between 1870s “Onward,
Christian Soldiers” and 1970s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?”
Now that we are in the Digital Age, Victorian piety is
gone, but also gone is life-time employment with one
corporation. In this age of instant information and
communication, social mobility and job jumping, is there
still hope for the Poor Knights, the virtuous Washington
or even the Widow’s Son?
Take a good look through the Internet, the popular
video games, the hit movies and the best selling books
and you will see a younger generation obsessed with Star
Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and National Treasure
movies. You will see a popular culture focused on
adventure and honor.
Low and behold! The grandsons of 1950s engineers
and the sons of 1970s cynics dream of becoming Jedi,
Knights of Gondor, members of the Order of the Phoenix
and seekers of the lost Templar treasure. These are the
generations who are leading and fighting the war on terror.
These younger men are romantics. Unlike past generations
they are not motivated by piety or conformity, but by discipline
directed toward honor and sacrifice. They were raised with
instant gratification, but desire stability. They want the
morality of Freemasonry, the chivalry of the Knights Templar
and the virtues of Washington. But they do not want to simply
maintain the status quo or play as historic re-enactors. They
are eager to rejuvenate old traditions while building
something uniquely their own.
Across the country this younger generation is
beginning to join Freemasonry in numbers not seen in 40
years. Inspired, in part, by Washington’s membership,
these young Freemasons are now asking if Washington
was also a Knight Templar. Our answer should not simply
be “no.”
How we greet these knight aspirants will determine
the future of the Order. Are we as Sir Knights living
testaments of our obligations? Are we leading a life
dedicated to God and chivalry? Are we properly trained
to reverently confer the Orders? Are we initiating young
Freemasons with the finest regalia and polished silver?
And are we bestowing on these young knights a
sharpened sword or the same old dusty rules and
regulations?
Are we indeed building an Order ready for a young
George Washington to join?
June 2016 / 21
The Greatest Generation
Wor. Bro. Harry Davis, Camera Designer, World War II Combat Photographer on Saipan
Harry H. Davis was born in Akron, New York, 96 years
ago. He received a degree in photography technology at
Rochester Institute of Technology and later joined the U.S.
Army where he served for 2 1/2 years. He got his first camera at age 14.
Corporal Davis was sent to Saipan where fierce fighting
was still raging. In the end, almost the entire garrison of
Japanese troops on the island — at least 30,000 — died.
For the Americans, the victory was the most costly to date
in the Pacific War. 2,949 Americans were killed and 10,464
wounded, out of 71,000 who landed. Future Hollywood
actor Lee Marvin was among the many Americans wounded.
Saipan was a strategic island because it was only 1,500
miles from the Japanese Islands and within range of the new
Boeing B-29 Superfortress long-range bombers. Corp. Davis
surveyed land for a runway so Navy SeaBees could construct a 10,000-foot runway for the B-29s. He also flew on
raids to Japan to take photos, as well as on recon missions
to take photos of prisoner-of-war camps.
Some of the bomber crews were assigned as arial photographers; photos they shot were hot items which could
be traded for items they wanted, for some, alcohol which
the Navy seemed to have . Always looking for more ways to
serve their fellow man, they also received money for photos which they donated to various stateside charities and
contributed several hundred dollars for the rebuilding of
the Masonic Lodge on Guam which had been burned by
the Japanese.
Photography was a new science, especially in war, so
Bro. Davis was assigned to write photography manuals for
the Army and Navy and develop arial and radar cameras for
bombers. A later assignment for Corp. Davis was to photograph the entire shoreline of the Japanese Islands in preparation for the planned invasion, which, fortunately, was
not necessary.
Christians and Jews worshipped in a large tent which
was inadequate so Bro. Davis and others asked the
SeaBees to clear an area and build a chapel. Empty artillery
shells
were used as
bells to call
Brothers to
worship at the
chapel. The
Chaplain was
also a Mason.
By letting
others know he
was a Freemason, Corp. Davis eventually found 30-40 Masons on Saipan and they started meeting every two weeks
as a Club; Navy SeaBees provided T-bone steaks for meals.
Many of the Soldiers and Marines buried in the large mili22 / June 2016
tary cemetery
were Freemasons. The group
decided to place
a Square and
Compasses on
the crosses of
the Freemasons
they could
identify.
An Admiral on the island was a
Freemason
and Corp.
Davis secured
permission to
take photographs, although with
restrictions after taking a “Masonic-type” obligation.
He was discharged from the Army after Japan surrendered. After his military career, he returned to work at
Graflex, Inc. He retired in 1983.
He and his wife also traveled on cruises, to Europe,
Japan and to other interesting places.
Bro. Davis was Worshipful Master of the Lodge in
Fairport, New York before he moved to Georgia in 1988.
He said he always joins a lodge close to where he lives.
He first joined Hampton Lodge No. 70 as that was the closest lodge to his home. In 1990, he moved to the Christian
City Retirement Center in Union City and joined Union
City Lodge No. 600. He was elected secretary of the Union
City lodge and served as secretary fourteen years. He
doesn’t drive a car anymore so cannot attend lodge.
He was raised a Master Mason on December 8, 1943.
Corp. and Bro. Davis (1945)
Wor. Bro. Davis (2016)
Harris County Masonic Scholarship Association (HCMSA) hosts Scholarship Dinner
Every May the Harris County Masonic Scholarship
Association (HCMSA) hosts a scholarship dinner where the
recipients are recognized for their achievements in school.
Since 2001 the HCMSA has given over 60 scholarships which
totals over $30,000. This year’s dinner was held at Hamilton
Lodge and our guest speaker this year was Wor. Bro. Jan
Giddens, Junior Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of
Georgia.
The HCMSA was started in 2001 by the four lodges of
Harris Co. for the purpose of recognizing the seniors at
Harris Co. High School with an academic scholarship
towards college. The HCMSA was formed by Hamilton Lodge
No. 16, Chipley Lodge No. 40, Gordon Lodge No. 108, and
Kinbrough Lodge No. 118. Due to unforeseen circumstances
the HCMSA is down to only two lodges participating. As a
teacher/coach at Harris County High School, a Mason and
Chairmen of the HCMSA, I am proud of this tradition that
we started and that we continue to be able recognize and
honor our young people.
Here are some comments from Harris County High
School about the scholarships we give . — Coach Grant, P.M.
Dear Mr. Grant and members of the Hamilton Lodge
and Chipley Lodges,
Thank you so much for the wonderful dinner last night.
It was “my kind of food” and it was delicious. I am so
appreciative to you all for providing this scholarship to our
deserving students. I know it is not easy trying to raise funds,
but we are so grateful for your efforts. I could tell from last
night, you guys have a great organization with hard-working
members. My students and I were all very impressed.
I look forward to working with you again in the future.
If there is ever anything I can help you with, let me know.
Sincerely,
Tammy T. Bailey M.Ed.
Senior Counselor
Harris County High School
Wor. Bro. P. J. Morgan, Worshipful Master of Chipley
No. 40, Wor. Bro. Coach Rob Grant, Chairmen HCMSA, Aaron
Burgess, Alivia Davidson, Wor. Bro. Jan Giddens, Junior
Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, Katelyn Flynn,
Wesley Braddy, and Wor. Bro. Gary Dawson Worshipful
Master of Hamilton No. 16.
Blue Mountain Lodge Donates to Dahlonega
Women’s Club
Blue Mountain Lodge No. 38 F. & A. M. donated $200
dollars to the Dahlonega Woman’s Club. This donation was
given to support their BBQ dinner Friday, June 3rd, 4:307:00, at the Community House.
Blue Mountain Lodge assists many local organizations
which benefit the community.
The Dahlonega Woman's Club was established in 1912
and is dedicated to community improvement and supports
over a dozen local projects. This is their website for more
information http://www.dahlonegawomansclub.org/.
Grand Master F. Andrew Lane, Jr. makes an
Official Visitation at Lafayette Lodge No. 44
Most Worshipful
Bro. F. Andrew Lane
Jr. recently made an
official visitation at
Lafayette Lodge No.
44 in Cumming and
is shown with the
Wor. Master, Wor.
Bro. Danny Bowman.
Pictured are Susie Barefoot, Dahlonega Woman's Club
Chairperson, and Craig McCamish Blue Mountain Lodge
Worshipful Master.
June 2016 / 23
Did You Know?
Scholarship Presented by Hamilton Lodge
“If only one pure sweet girl be saved from
degradation,
If only one boy be rescued from a life of crime,
If only one soul be saved for Humanity and God,
If but one tear dried, one sorrow comforted,
Will not even this be sufficient to reward us all for all
our toils and struggles.”
Grand Master Max Meyerhardt said these words as
the cornerstone to the Masonic Home was laid on October
27, 1903. Along with other individuals, MWB Meyerhardt
played an important role in the Masonic Home of Georgia
becoming a reality. Senator Augustus O. Bacon donated
100 acres for the Home’s location on the east side of the
Ocmulgee River in Macon. The site included a beautiful
knoll, which enabled the future building to have a
panoramic view of the property as well as the river.
On June 14, 1905, Superintendent A. S. Harris and the
staff welcomed the first 14 guests to the Heart of Georgia
Masonry.
Initially the Home provided care for the elderly as
well as children. However, Grand Lodge made the decision
in 1912 to admit thereafter only children. The elderly
already at the Home continued to live there until the last
adult, “Aunt Molly” Day, passed away in 1945.
Masonic Home acquired a camp located in Shellmans
Bluff from Union Paper in 1938. The camp is used by the
children every summer.
A tornado hit the Home in 1955, but no staff or children
were injured.
Miss Laura Pullen from Brentwood School in
Sandersville was presented a $500 college scholarship by
Hamilton Lodge No. 58 by Worshipful Master Edward
Bridges.
Leonard Oswald Houston Receives 75-year Award
Bro. Leonard Oswald Houston received his 75-year award
at Magnolia Lodge No. 86 in Blakely on June 20. Pictured is
Duane Earl Noah, Worshipful Master; Bro. Houston; and
MWB F. Andrew Lane, Grand Master.
Snellville Lodge No. 99 Hosts Grand Master for his Official Visitation
24 / June 2016
Knights of Solomon Motorcyclists Present Check for $2,000 for Masonic Home of Georgia
Beginning at their club house, the Knights of Solomon
held its second annual dice run with numerous stops that
included Hunters Pub.
Brothers and Knights Dave Chappelle (L) and James
Estes (R) deliver a check to WM Bill Edgeworth(C) of Midland No. 144 for over $2,000 dollars which will be donated
to the Masonic Home of Georgia.
Midland No. 144 Hosts Hot Dog and C hip Sale
for Local Women’s Shelter
Midland No. 144 hosted a hot dog and chip sale for local women’s shelter- Damascus Way -as local
vendors fill the lodge room for its annual Truck Sale (photo by Wor. Master Edgeworth).
Cornerstone Ceremony: Saturday, July 9, 2016 in
Ludowici. The Grand Lodge officers will lay the cornerstone for the re-dedication of Altamaha Lodge No. 227.
The ceremony will be held at 2:00 p.m. at 589 South
Macon Street, Ludowici. A reception will follow. If you
have never seen a cornerstone dedication, we invite
you to attend this open ceremony.
Do something that matters to the Craft.
June 2016 / 25
Hidden Treasures of Freemasonry
Brothers,
As I travel around the State of Georgia, I hear about
and see first hand that attendance at many of our fraternal
meetings is dropping and that some bodies are having difficult times filling stations and frankly, just paying the bills.
Brothers, we took an obligation at the Holy Altar to support our lodges with our attendance. But, how do you keep
the enthusiasm you felt after the first, second or third degree. What is the next step? We know there are greater
things for each of us in the Craft; things greater than anything we have experienced. But if we don’t find what we
are looking for, we will soon loose the excitment of being
a Freemason. We speak of Freemasonry as a never-ending journey, but if we do not continue on that journey, we
will lose the fire and excitment we once felt.
I realize dues and others expenses to operate a lodge
have gone up, but so has the price of clothes, gasoline, electricity, groceries that we have to pay to operate our homes.
If we don’t buy clothes from time to time, our clothes
wear out; if we don’t buy gasoline, our cars won’t run, if
we don’t pay for the electricity we use, Georgia Power
will disconnect us; if we don’t buy groceries, we will go
hungry. That’s a fact of life, Brothers. If we dwell on money
matters, as important as they are, we will lose sight of
important goals.
Operating our lodges should be just as important as
operating our homes.
Everyone of us who have been in the Craft for more
than a few years are concerned that our numbers are declining. Most lodges are raising fewer Master Masons than
we did ten or more years ago so lodges strugge with fewer
members; some lodges merge with other lodges; some
lodges close.
Blue lodges are not the only fraternal bodies struggling; every Masonic body is struggling: from DeMolays
to Rainbows, to the Eastern Star and theAmaranth, to the
Scottish Rite, York Rite and the Shrine. I am especially
concerned about DeMolays and Rainbows. They are so
dependent on us for support, but are receiving very little
support.
I received an email from a new Scottish Rite Association in Valdosta. The Three Rivers Association is designed
to accomodate Scottish Rite Masons in the Valdosta area
and to assist the Valley ofAlbany with communications,
activities, get more Scottish Rite Masons active and hopefully trim travel time to meetings. Through the Valley of
Albany, the Three Rivers Association is actively supporting More Than Words, a Rite Care Center located at 1701
North Patterson in Valdosta, under the direction of Mrs.
Jan Roland
The Association meetings are being held at Moody
Lodge No. 719 on the first Monday of the month at 6:30
26 / June 2016
p.m. All Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite Masons are invited
to attend the meetings. For more information, please contact John Moncrief, Secretary at 229-412-0683 or Dale
Turner, President at 229-560-0642.
I know we sometimes burn out or lose the fire in the
belly, or simply go to sleep. How do we reawaken and
reingage in the work of our lodges?
Remember, you have a role to play in your lodges?
Not just words that you memorize, but action. You cannot
be half in. Being luke warm is as bad as being cold.
Life can be tough; it usually is.
But remember, too. There are treasures to discover.
I stayed with my Great Aunt when I went to Junior
College. She lived in the house where her father lived.
Aunt Bessie always told me that she thought her father hide money somewhere in the house as he was concerned the banks would go broke during the Great Depression and he would lost all his money. She asked me
to search her house with my medal detector, but I never
did.
When Aunt Bessie died, we sold the house. The new
owners decided to remodel the house. Guess what they
found when they knocked down a wall? The money that
Aunt Bessie’s father had hidden. I don’t know how much
money was found, but they kept it all.
If we as Freemasons don’t search for the hidden treasures in the fraternity, we will never know what we are
missing. — GL
“Always dream and shoot higher than you can reach.
Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries
and predecessors; try to be better than yourself.”
— Anonymous
Davitte Lodge Holds 25th Annual Children’s Day
The officers of Davitte Lodge No. 513 and friends prepare for their 25th annual Children's Day in Aragon. The
Lodge includes for the kids, a fishing rodeo, drawing for
several different prizes, a greasy pole climb, hot dogs,
cotton candy, and much more. HATS OFF FOR THE WORK
THEY ENJOY DOING FOR THE KIDS!!
Veterans Corner
by Rick Conn. Ga State Co-ordinator MSA VAMC Hospital Visitation Program
Brothers, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved its version of the FY 2017 Defense Authorization Bill
(S2943). It is considerably different from the one approved
by House Lawmakers on a range of issues.
On Non Healthcare issues, the Bill would provide the
following:
1] Approve force levels recommended in the Presidents
budget rather than increases like the House Bill recommended.
2] Make the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance permanent at the $310 monthly rate.
3] Provide a 1.6 percent Military Pay raise vs the 2.1
percent the House approved.
4] Enable the family to either move early or remain at
the current Duty station for up to six months while their
servicemember begins a new assignment to increase stability with restrictions.
5] Require a test of privatizing Military Commissaries at
five locations.
6] Impose a 25 percent cut in 4-Star Billets and another
25 percent cut in other Flag Officers Billets.
6] Require women to register for the Draft.
For TRICARE, the Bill makes no changes to TRICARE For
Life, but it would adopt most of the DOD proposed Fee Increases for other beneficiaries, including :
1] Requiring a new annual enrollment fee for TRICARE
Standard that would start at $150/$300 (Single/Family) as
of 01 Jan 2018 and raise to $450/$900 over the next five
years.
2] Raising the TRICARE Prime annual enrollment fee
24 percent to $350/$700 (single/family)
3] Raising the annual cap on out of pocket expenses to
$1,500 for currently serving families and $4,000 for retired
families vs the current $1,000/$3,000.
4] Giving the DOD discretion to implement a pilot program authorizing Guard and Reserve members to elect
coverage under the auspices of the Fed Employees Health
Insurance Program.
5] Eliminating TRICARE standard deductibles for care
from DOD network providers, but doubling the deductible
of $300/$600 (single/family) for out of network care.
6] Changing TRICARE standard co-pays for various provider visits flat fee instead a percentage of TRICARE
approved charges.
7] Adjusting the Annual Enrollment Fees by the same
percentage as the retired pay cola.
8] Adjusting co-pays and other fees by the consumer
price index for Health care services established by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
9] Roughly doubling Pharmacy co-pays over a nine year
period, including raising the mail order co-pays for generic
drugs from the current zero to $11 effective in 2020.
10] Authorizing DOD to collect a No Show fee for
missed appointment by patients at Military facilities.
Like the House passed Bill, the Senate Bill would move
most responsibilities for military health care programs from
the Army, Navy and Air Force to the Defense Health Agency.
This would place Military Health facilities, healthcare delivery, and personnel and budget responsibilities directly under DOD for unified planning and execution. The Bill also
include a wide range of provisions aimed at improving access and quality of care that would include:
1] Eliminating referral requirement under TRICARE
Prime for urgent and speciality care.
2] Requiring a single appointment system for all Military Medical facilities.
3] Expanding Tele-Health capabilities.
4] Requiring a DOD plan to improve pediatric care.
5] Allowing Military beneficiaries to enroll in Civilian
Dental/Vision plans
6] Require new accountability standards for military
healthcare leaders at all levels.
MOAA appreciates and supports the Senate Armed Services Committee’s efforts to directly address the well documented access, quality and efficiency problems of the military health system. But they believe the proposed beneficiary increased fees are too high and fail to adequately consider the very high non cash premiums career
servicemembers and families are required to pay up front
through decades of service and sacrifice. Senate leaders
plans were to bring the Defense Bill up for full Senate consideration by mid June 2016. MOAA has been working with
several Senators to sponsor important amendments to protect commissaries, help disabled retirees, and increase the
military pay raise.
When our lawmakers left for Memorial Day recess on
the 26th of May, the fiscal 2017 NDAA process slowed in
both Chambers. As of the 28th of May, more than 250
amendments had piled up to be debated by the time they
got back in session on the 6th of June.
Compatriots all, contact your legislators and let them
know your feelings on this Bill and others. Veterans are losing their benefits promised to them upon enlistment left
and right. Stand up and let them know that the Veteran
population does not approve of it. For those online you can
go
to
the
following
website:
http://votesmart.org/public-statement/1085219/2017ndaa-update#.V11btfkrLct
Type in your Congressman or Senators name and see
what they are doing. Then call them with your concerns or
email them.
Till next issue, may God Bless each one of your and may
God Bless America.
June 2016 / 27
Georgia DeMolay Squires
Brother Remington Bridgeman, State Chaplain for the Associated DeMolay Chapters of Georgia.
He is the Editor for Georgia DeMolay's State Newsletter, "The Representative"
Now officially recognized by DeMolay International, the
Order of Squires continues to expand in
Georgia. The program was created for young men ages 911 who desire to be a part of our organization, but aren’t
quite old enough. It allows them to engage in the learning
and service opportunities we offer. It also prepares them
for the time they will become DeMolay and the transition
from Squire to DeMolay is almost seamless.
The Committee responsible for bringing Squires to
Georgia were Dad Hugh
D’Anna, Dad JJ Harmon,
Mom Tara Zeigler, Mom
Brandi Westbrooks and
Mom Abigail Bridgeman.
The first Manor in
Georgia was instituted
at Samuel S. Lawrence with
five young men led by Mom
Tara Zeigler. She was excited
about the Squire Program
because her son Jacob was
eager to be a part of DeMolay. It seemed like a great way
to include the younger brothers. They meet the same day
as the chapter and attend the same events whenever
possible.
What makes this so successful is how they are included in
the workings of the chapter. SSL Squires are taking their cues
from their DeMolay brothers and have established a reputation
for excellence in ritual. Jacob Zeigler competed at Old South,
and took first place in both Obligation and Chaplain Prayers
and recently at TOC Matthew McCord was the Squire Rookie
of the Year. Five of their active members competed in Squire
Obligation, Chaplain Prayers and Three Virtues.
The next Manor on board was Peachtree City (PTC)
which is led by Mom Jean Sullivan. Mom Sullivan first heard
of the Squire Program from her son, Hunter Sullivan, PSMC.
At that time, Chase Sullivan was constantly begging to go
to DeMolay events with his older brother. Squires weren’t
available at that time, but you can see how much it has
been needed. PTC Squires meet once a month and enjoy
dinner with their brothers and a fun activity after. They have
established a “Big Brother” program where a DeMolay
partners up with a Squire. The Squires look up to the
DeMolays and it gives the older boys an opportunity to
mentor and encourage the younger guys. The Squires
recently went with the Chapter on their trip to the Georgia
Aquarium. They had an absolute blast. PTC also initiated a
new member at the Grand Master’s Class.
Also at the Grand Master’s Class, Columbus welcomed
two new Squires. They have been welcomed at PTC until
28 / June 2016
their own Manor is established.
Each Manor has its own Squire Mentor. This is an active
DeMolay who is officially installed and assists the Manor
with its duties and responsibilities. They also act as a bridge
between the Manor and the Chapter and bring greetings
or provide updates to and from their Squires. Chase Sullivan
holds this office for PTC, and Remington Bridgeman is the
Squire Mentor from SSL.
The Squire program is a direct link for young men to
become DeMolay. This was proven recently when Jacob
Zeigler and Matthew McCord took their obligations to
become active DeMolays and now hold offices in their
Chapter. Both are outstanding ritualists and both have
already served as Master Squires. They are eager and ready
to assume responsibility at the chapter level and Georgia
DeMolay can expect great things from them.
The Squire Program may have taken time to establish
itself with DeMolay International, but Georgia can already
see the benefits it offers to our Chapters. We are able to
open our doors to a wider age group and the Squires come
prepared and ready for DeMolay.
For more information about starting a Squire Manor at
your Chapter, please contact Dad D’Anna
at hdanna@gademolay.org .
Eagle Scout Recognized at Nelms Lodge
On May 28th, Nelms Lodge No. 323, Smyrna, Georgia,
hosted an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Addison McClellan
of Boy Scout Troop 11 in Smyrna, Georgia. Addison was presented with the Grand Lodge of Georgia Eagle Scout Award.
Pictured here (from left to right) is Worshipful Master and
Troop 11 Scoutmaster, Jim Cook, Eagle Scout Addison
McClellan, and District Deputy to the Grand Master, David
R. Kilgore.
Instructions for Notifying Masonic Organizations of My Death
TO MY SURVIVORS: Upon my death, please notify my Masonic Lodge and the following Masonic organizations. (My
Lodge can be contacted by calling the Grand Secretary’s office at the Grand Lodge of Georgia, F. & A. M., (478) 742-1475.
That office will provide you with the name and telephone number of the current Lodge Secretary. The Grand Secretary
can also provide a copy of my Masonic record indicating my eligibility.)
 Lodge Name: No: ______________________________________________________________________________
 Lodge City: Lodge State: ________________________________________________________________________
Other Masonic organizations to which I may belong:
 Scottish Rite – Valley of _________________________________________________________________________
 York Rite _____________________________________________________________________________________
 Shrine – Temple _______________________________________________________________________________
 Order of Eastern Star ___________________________________________________________________________
 Amaranth ____________________________________________________________________________________
 Red Cross of Constantine ________________________________________________________________________
 Other _______________________________________________________________________________________
 Other _______________________________________________________________________________________
 Other _______________________________________________________________________________________
 Other _______________________________________________________________________________________
I request the following:
 Yes, I want Masonic Services or
 No, I do not want Masonic Services
My Masonic apron may be found at _______________________________________________________________
(Note: My apron should accompany my body to cremation or burial.)
My Name _______________________________________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________________________________________
City State Zip ____________________________________________________________________________________
(Signed) _______________________________________________ Date _________________________
(Note: This form must be signed and dated. Give a copy of this page to your Lodge Secretary. Use the back of this
page to write your family any personal and specific directions that you might have such as the disposal of your
Masonic paraphernalia.)
Created by the Georgia Fifth Masonic District Convention and approved by the Educational and Historical
Commission, May 2016.
June 2016 / 29
In Memorium
Name
Lodge No.
BERRY, RICHARD LEE
1SOL
HOSKINS, OWEN LEE
1SOL
ELLYSON, LEONARD GAIL
1SOC
JACKSON, JIMMY LEE
002
PENNINGTON, GEORGE CLINE JR
003
BAILEY, JACK EDWARD
004
GODSEY, A C
008
HAMILTON, CURTIS LEON
008
KING, WILLIAM EDWARD
008
JOHNS, WILLARD CALHOUN
009
DANIEL, HUBERT DAVIS
010
DANIEL, ROBERT MARSHALL
010
HARPER, CHARLES LEE
011
CLELAND, WILLIAM HENRY JR
012
JOHNSON, ROBERT EDWARD
012
SANDERS, MARVIN EDWARD
012
SPRATLIN, HARRY LEE
012
ONDRIEZEK, OSCAR CLARENCE JR 015
WORTH, LOWELL DARNELL
020
THOMAS, GERALD MONROE
022
HARRISON, SEIGEL RICHARD
026
LYNCH, LAWRENCE LEVANN JR
027
MULLINAX, TIMOTHY KENNETH
030
BAGWELL, HUBERT FREDERICK
033
MOWREY, FRED MARSHELL
033
BRACKETT, DONNIE WAYNE
035
HOLDEN, JEFFERSON DALE
035
THOMPSON, RUSSELL HOWARD
035
BRIGGS, LAWRENCE MONROE
036
DILL, DONNIE LEWIS
037
KIBLINGER, DONALD EDWARD
037
THOMPSON, JAMES STEVEN
037
PALMER, VERNON CECIL
038
SWEAT, ROBERT EUGENE
038
CRONBAUGH, MARVIN LEE
040
DENT, JAMES LOVICK
040
WILLIAMSON, DANIEL ALLEN
043
STONECIPHER, JOSEPH OSCAR
045
CHANEY, ARCHIE CALVIN
046
LAMAR, CLARENCE BAIZE JR
048
SMITH, JAMES CHARLES
048
SLOCUMB, JERRY WAYNE
050
STEVENS, JERRY DOUGLAS
051
JACKSON, WILLIAM BROCK
053
LEVY, HENRY [NMN]
054
WILSON, GEORGE CLAYTON
055
CLARK, JERRY LAMAR
057
FINGARSON, HARLEY LLOYD
059
FLOWERS, HARRY NIX
059
GASTON, WILLIAM JOSEPH JR
059
HARDWICK, GARLAND ROBERT
059
HICKS, WILLIAM LARRY
059
JONES, JOHN STEWART
059
NUNN, MARION TIMOTHY
059
THOMPSON, TERRELL GROVER
063
30 / June 2016
Members Reported Deceased
from March 5 2016
to June 20, 2016
Name
Lodge No.
GRACE, WALTER MALCOLM
065
JONES, BOBBY DALE
066
MCCLAIN, MICHAEL CLAY
066
PIERCE, MARSHALL EUGENE
066
FARMER, JAMES THEODORE
070
DUNCAN, SAMUEL BURNICE
076
ANDERSON, WENDALL THOMAS JR 077
CUNARD, JAMES DAVID
087
FARROW, CLOUD VERNON III
088
TAYLOR, JEFFERY JASON
088
NOLES, BOMAR DANIEL SR
091
CARROLL, JAY EULAS
097
CARTER, OLLIE WINFORD
098
KILGORE, BILLY LAJOY
100
HOOKS, TOMMY
104
CAYLOR, EDGAR CECIL
105
CHADWICK, RONALD HOLLY
105
DEEN, ROBERT HENRY
109
BOSWELL, JAMES LINWOOD JR
111
JACKSON, JOHN RAYMON
111
MAXFIELD, DONALD ALVIN
111
MONTGOMERY, ALTON VANDEE JR. 111
BROWN, OLGA REDDING JR
112
HARVEY, CHRIS ALBERT
113
STAHL, DALE EDWARD
113
BYARS, STEPHEN DALE
120
MIDDLETON, JAMES LAXTON
121
ONEAL, LUTHER CARLTON JR
121
WINN, DAN PEACE
121
MORTON, MARVIN (NMN) JR
131
WEESE, CALVIN WESLEY
131
HORAN, GEORGE BASS
144
JONES, FERRIL HOMER
144
PATE, JUNIOR RAY
144
HORNE, GEORGE DONALD
151
ABERNATHY, LEWIS OERTEL
153
WILKES, DAVID BAUM JR
166
ADAIR, HAROLD ELLIS
171
LEWIS, OLIVER JACKSON
176
TURNER, GUY JUNIOR
176
BURNHAM, LLOYD ROY
178
DICKERSON, EWELL MONTGOMERY 179
MCFARLAND, HAROLD KENNETH
182
WATTS, JAMES DURRELL
182
GRAHAM, BRUCE FRANKLYN
185
MCKINNEY, HERBERT CARTER
186
DAVIS, PHILLIP LEE
194
HALL, ERVIN EUGENE SR
194
HARALSON, STEPHEN THOMAS
194
AMMONS, ERVIN THOMAS
198
DANIELS, ASA CHARLES
198
LANGSTON, DAVID EDMOND
198
MCINVALE, JOE BILLY
198
EGISTER, JULIUS EDGAR
198
LANKFORD, CHARLES CLIFTON
200
Name
Lodge No.
LEWIS, WILLIAM HUGH
200
REECE, VERNON JACK
205
WRIGHT, EARL GENE
205
BLAIR, JAMES EUGENE
209
PARKS, HUGH LEE
212
CAPE, FRANCIS BENJAMIN
219
WEBB, JAMES EDWARD
219
DORSEY, ROBERT JAMES
220
CARTER, WALTER LEE JR
227
THEUS, CHARLES REYNOLDS
227
ALSTON, CHARLIE WILL
229
BLACKMON, WALTER NEWTON
234
GUEST, JOEL SCOTT
234
HANCOCK, ROBERT FRITZ
234
RAY, HENRY FURMAN
234
RAY, HOWARD ELLIS
234
VAUGHN, ROBERT JUNE
234
BROOKINS, WILLIE LEE JR
240
TROUP, EARL CALLOWAY
243
DAVIS, TOMMY WAYNE SR
244
ENTREKIN, JOSEPH RAY
251
FREEMAN, ANTHONY JOSEPH
255
SAWLEY, ERNEST MILTON
255
WILLIAMS, JESSE MELVIN
255
SHURLING, ROBERT EDSEL
256
HEDDEN, EDWARD (NMN) JR
259
SEALE, HOWARD (NMN)
259
ATKINS, WASHINGTON EUGENE
260
PRITCHETT, HOMER LEE
260
LINDWALL, RICHARD LEVERN
262
JOHNSON, CHARLES EDWARD JR
274
SELLERS, JESSIE THOMAS
283
ADAMS, KENNETH LYNWOOD
288
BELMAN, JAMES DAVID
288
CUTLER, THORNTON WARREN
288
KANES, PETE THOMAS
288
MCMAHAN, JULIAN JOHNNY LEE
289
DEFOOR, ALBERT EDWARD
291
BUSBEE, CLEMENT JAMES
298
PACE, EARL PALMER
298
GRACE, PIERCE ARNOLD
302
SONGER, REUBEN FREDERICK
304
WEATHERS, ROBERT LEWIS
304
HASTINGS, HAROLD THOMAS
305
INMAN, WILLIAM HENRY JR
305
CAUSBY, FAIRELL C. [NMN] JR
306
JONES, JAMES ELWOOD
307
HOWARD, ROY EDWARD
309
ARNOLD, EARL GRADY
314
WALL, JOHN CHARLES
314
RUTLEDGE, ERNEST KENNETH
316
RAPPE, EMMET LEO
321
GILSTRAP, WALTER EUGENE
323
WHISENANT, JOHN CLARENCE
323
HANNAFORD, GEORGE LEONARD 326
Name
Lodge No.
ROCKETT, CHARLES WRIGHT JR
SHARPE, LITTLETON (NMN)
GILSTRAP, BILLY [NMN]
HUNTER, LEONARD NATHEN
BURGESS, PAUL PERRY
BRICKLE, JESSE HAROLD
STEED, CHARLES EARL
THEUS, CLARENCE BENTLEY
JOHNSON, JAMES NEWELL
CONE, KING SOLOMON
HILL, JIMMY LUTHER
TOMLINSON, RUSSELL WINDELL
HOLLIDAY, TERRY GENE
BENSON, HOWARD THADDEUS
BUSH, CARL JACKSON
GARNER, CHARLIE DOUGLAS JR
HEWATT, WILLIAM JIMMY
LEE, HERMAN OSCAR
LEE, JAMES ALFRED
NASH, HUBERT THOMAS
READ, MICHAEL BROOKS
WALKER, LARRY GENE
COLE, CHARLES CLINTON
COLE, CLAUDE BILLY
SMITH, ROGER ALLEN
TOMLINSON, RUSSELL WINDELL
RICE, ROBERT EUGENE
SMITH, JAMES CLIFFORD JR
OGLESBY, WILSON ALLEN
STALEY, THOMAS HENRY
NEWSOME, PAUL EUGENE
BRANTON, JAMES KENNETH
WINGO, W. C.
CORLEY, JAMES MARLON
INFINGER, TONY DELANE
MCKINNEY, HERBERT CARTER
TURNER, JERRY DAVIS
CANTRELL, JAMES NEWMAN
DOVE, DONALD EDWARD
HAMILTON, ALLEN JACKSON
HUNDT, FRANK JOHN
KIRKPATRICK, JOSEPH IRA
RHYMES, JAMES HAYWOOD SR
WILLIAMS, MARVIN EUGENE
WILLIAMS, RONALD MURL
DANIEL, THOMAS EDWARD
JOHN, FRANKLYN HAROLD
ELDER, JAMES BRYANT
TAYLOR, JERRY HOUSTON
STONECIPHER, JOSEPH OSCAR
CARLAN, DONALD JERRY
RIDINGS, CLAUDE KENT
RUSS, JASPER QUINCEY JR
ELLIS, DENNIS CHRISTOPHER
SAWYER, JIMMY MYRON
LUMSDEN, JAMES EDWARD
MARCUM, DARRELL WILLARD
VARDAMAN, JOHN IRA III
EACHUS, CLIFFORD ELLIS
MOSS, DAVID ROBERT
330
330
333
337
349
353
353
359
367
369
382
390
399
421
421
421
421
421
421
421
421
421
423
423
424
430
434
440
443
447
452
455
466
480
480
480
480
484
484
484
484
484
484
484
484
486
486
492
513
523
534
534
536
537
542
543
543
543
579
579
Name
Lodge No.
POWELL, WILLIS LAVERNE
579
COGGIN, FRANK EDWARD
590
JONES, WEEMS DONALD
590
BROOKS, RICHARD LEONARD
591
BULLOCK, EARL EMERSON
591
WHATLEY, MARVIN WALTER
591
SNOW, JOHN WILLIAM SR.
597
MCALPIN, ALONZO JOHNNIE
604
MCDONALD, JOHN WILLIS
604
EDWARDS, JOHN MAXWELL
622
MCLAUGHLIN, WILLIAM JAMES
639
HARPER, PHILIP WYATT
640
LIDDELL, MOSES FRANK
640
FARR, ROBERT THOMAS
644
MCFADDEN, RICHARD BENJAMIN 663
PARSON, HUSTON DUNCAN
664
PEEPLES, SAMUEL HARLAN
664
WALDEN, RAYMOND EDSEL
691
HERNDON, RICHARD EARL
693
WILLIAMS, BOBBY EUGENE
699
MEEKS, ROBERT CORNELIUS
703
MERCIER, RALPH (NMN)
703
DAVIS, PHILLIP LEE
708
BAKER, CHARLES ANDREW
709
BUSBY, HARRY EDWARD
709
MEREDITH, BENJAMIN THOMAS
709
KARAMICHAEL, CHRIS COSTA
710
NIVER, ALDON REX
710
Name
Lodge No.
MUNDT, SIDNEY HERMAN
711
SABODA, RICHARD (NMN)
711
CUNNINGHAM, WILLIE EARL
716
TAYLOR, CLIFTON WOODROW
716
GAHAN, DUDLEY CLAIBOURNE
717
BUGG, RONNIE ALLEN
718
OWENS, FRANKLIN DELANO
718
SIDENER, CHARLES FRANKLIN
718
LANGMEAD, ROBERT FRANCIS
719
GREENE, JOHNNIE CLYDE
721
HAWKINS, HERMAN RANDOLPH
721
HUGHES, ROBERT JUNIOR
728
FAVOR, SAM W. [I.O.] III
729
PRATT, CLARENCE [NMN]
729
HAINES, CHARLES LEWIS
734
HERRIN, THOMAS JOEL
740
WILKES, DAVID BAUM JR.
749
EDWARDS, JOHN MAXWELL
751
LISTER, ALVIN HUDSON
753
DUNCAN, SAMUEL BURNICE
755
WALRAVEN, THOMAS WILLIAM
755
GROOMS, CLYDE EDWARD
757
LEAR, DONALD NEAL
758
CANTRELL, JAMES NEWMAN
760
HAMILTON, ALLEN JACKSON
760
WILSON, CHARLES KENNETH
760
STRICKLAND, OWEN CLINTON
762
WEBB, JAMES EDWARD
763
ENDOWMENT FUND CONTRIBUTIONS
April 5, 2016 to June 20, 2016
$500 OR MORE
Mt. Airy Lodge No. 141
Masters Lodge No. 295
Statham Lodge No. 634
Emerson Lodge No. 738
Tiftarea Lodge No. 745
Sixth District Convention
Twelfth District Convention
$1000 OR MORE
Robert Baxter Estate
Weston L. Lipscomb Trust
Joshua O. Morris
George D. Scruggs Estate
William J. Woods Estate
June 2016 / 31
The Grand Lodge of Georgia, Free and Accepted Masons
Masonic Messenger
811 Mulberry Street
Macon, Georgia 31201-6779
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
MACON, GA
PERMIT NO. 477
FORM FOR CHANGING ADDRESS FOR MESSENGER
Name in full _________________________________________ Lodge Name and Number ___________________
If you have moved, PLEASE RETURN YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ABOVE TO THE GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA
along with your new address.
New Address:___________________________________________ _________________________ ___________
(Street or P. O. Box)
(City)
(Zip Code)
Masonic Car Tag Program
During a recent meeting of the DDGM’s RWB Joe
Watson, Grand Secretary, discussed the status of the Masonic Car Tag Program. If the Grand Lodge Office does not
received enough applications by September 15, to proceed
with this project, the Grand Lodge Office will have to cancel
the program with the State and return all monies received
todate. We will lose this opportunity forever.
We have good information that another Masonic body,
Prince Hall Masons, are waiting in line to establish a State
Masonic Tag program, and should we fail, they will move
forward.
This means that a Masonic tag will be seen on the streets
and highways of Georgia, and we will not have the opportunity to own one. Their proposed tag has a likeness of
Prince Hall, the founder of the organization, on the tag.
Contact your DDGM for a Request Form or go to the
Grand Lodge web page. (www.glofga.org)
Our Design:
NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT!
32 / June 2016