 March
2001 |
 The Orient of Missouri,
Valley of Joplin, recently held a reception to honor their Grand
Cross recipients. It was interesting to discover that all three
Missouri recipients of the Grand Cross of Honour live in Branson,
Missouri. Pictured right (l. to r.) are Illustrious Brothers
Melvin G. Hall, 33°, G.C.; Dr. M. Graham Clark, 33°,
G.C.; Earl K. Dille, S.G.I.G. in Missouri; and L. Mel Tillis,
33°, G.C.. A program of recognition, with many interesting
comments by the Brethren, was presided over by Ill. Dille in
the auditorium of the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine of Springfield, Missouri.
Over 200 invited guests attended the event. |
During the summer of 1992, then
Associate Dean Leszek Leszczynski of the Faculty of Law at Marie
Curie Sklodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland, visited
the United States to learn about the American legal system and
its law schools. One of his stops was in Dallas at the Southern
Methodist University where one of the professors arranged for
him to visit Judge John McClellan Marshall, 32°, K.C.C.H.,
at the 14th District court. The Judge showed him around the court
facilities and explained how the system operated and then, informally,
offered to come teach American law in Poland. About three months
later, a fax from Lublin arrived at SMU inviting the Judge to
come and present a full course for credit at the University.
At approximately 16-month intervals each year, except 1995, Judge Marshall has traveled to Poland to present a four-week-long course in American History and Constitutional Law. The American jury system is of particular interest to students and lawyers in Poland, and, as a result, in 1996, Bro. Marshall invited a group of attorneys from Dallas to accompany him for the final week of the course during which they presented a demonstration of an American jury trial. The result has been an increased awareness of the American Judicial process in this key part of Eastern Europe.
As another way to enhance contact between the Polish and American legal communities, Judge Marshall asked the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity to allow him to help Polish law students set up a chapter at UMCS in 2000. When asked to select a name for the chapter, the students voted to name it after Judge Marshall, a great honor because these chapters are not normally named for living persons. The charter has granted and will be presented at ceremonies in October in conjunction with the beginning of the academic year in Poland.
The true message of the success of this program is yet to be seen, but with an alumni body already in excess of 200 throughout Poland, some of whom are judges and some of whom are studying to become law professors, there can be little doubt that there will be a positive effect for both Poland and the United States. As the judge is fond of saying, "There is more than one way to 'preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution,' and the more that we know about each other, the safer the world is for all of us."
| On December 14, 2000, M.W. Louis A. King, 32°, member of the Valley of Tampa and Grand Master of Masons of Florida (r. above), laid the cornerstone for the new City Hall in Cape Coral, Florida, now a city of over 100,000. The ceremony was hosted by Bro. Paul Franciosa (l.), Worshipful Master of Cape Coral Lodge No. 367. |  |
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Recently, Bro. Jim Rodgers Armitage, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Tampa, Florida, noted the poor condition (photo left, before) of the memorial stone for Bro. John P. Duval in the Old City Cemetery of Tallahassee, Florida. Bro. Duval was the first Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Florida. Bro. Armitage contacted Bro. Jody Meguiar, a Senior DeMolay, who spoke to his DeMolay Advisor, Dad Ed Walker, Chairman of the Florida DeMolay Board of Administration, about the gravesite's condition. In turn, Bro. Walker worked with his son, Jay Karl Walker, also a Senior DeMolay (photo of father and son, right), who operates a business of pressure washing, to clean the monument. The result of these Brethren working together is, as pictured right, a restored monument which is a credit to the Fraternity. |
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In the August 2000 Scottish Rite Journal, Grand Commander Kleinknecht announced the formation of a Russian Masonic Center Restoration Fund. He noted the dire need for funds by the Grand Lodge of Russia and the Supreme Council of Russia and suggested that interested Supreme Councils and the Brethren in general contribute to this laudable undertaking. He concluded noting that all contributors will be identified in future issues of the Journal, and a list of six Supreme Councils and 12 individual Brethren was published in the December 2000 issue.
As of January 25, 2001, we are pleased to add the names of the following contributors to this list: Brother Clark A. Barrett, 32°, and Brother Thomas H. Hillery, 32°, N.M.J.
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| Richard Dixon (left in photo), Associate Grand Guardian for the year 2000 of the Grand Guardian Council of California, International Order of Job's Daughters, presented a check for $15,680 to Ill. Bro. Gary A. Kaplan, 33° (center in photo), Executive Director of the Childhood Language and Learning Disorders Clinics and Centers for the Orient of California at the Grand Guardian Council Annual Banquet in Ontario, California. Looking on is Anne Yaeger, Grand Guardian for the year 2000. This check and the $10,560 in materials donated to the 13 Clinics and Centers are the result of a year-long effort by the California Job's Daughters which featured the Scottish Rite Language Disorders Clinics and Centers as their philanthropic project for 2000. Job's Daughters throughout California visited their local Scottish Rite facilities and saw for themselves how we are helping children to overcome their language and learning problems. |  |
General Herman Nickerson, Jr.,
a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and former Commanding
General, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, died
on December 27, 2000, in his Belfast, Maine, home. Born on July
30, 1913, in Boston, Massachusetts, General Nickerson was a member
of Barstow, California, Lodge No. 682 and the Scottish Rite Bodies
of New Bern, North Carolina. In recognition of his many services
to Freemasonry and America, he was elected an Inspector General
Honorary, 33°, in 1965 and recognized with the Scottish Rite's
highest honor, the Grand Cross, in 1991. After graduating from
Boston University, where he was a member of the ROTC unit for
four years, General Nickerson began his distinguished military
career as a Marine Second Lieutenant and achieved the rank of
Lieutenant General before retiring from the Marine Corps in 1970.
Among his many decorations are the Army Distinguished Service
Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion
of Merit with Combat "V" (two awards), the Bronze Star,
the Air Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service
Medal, and two Korean Presidential Unit Citations. In Vietnam,
he earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his role as Commander
General of the 1st Marine Division and a second Legion of Merit
for service as Deputy Commander of the III Marine Amphibious Force.
After retirement from the military, he served the Federal Government
for four years as Administrator of the prestigious National Credit
Union Administration charged with overseeing more than 11,000
credit unions coast to coast.
An ardent advocate of the Supreme Council's Americanism and Education Program, General Nickerson often spoke to Freemasons and to the general public on the subjects of patriotism, family, and character. He was also a frequent contributor of articles to the Scottish Rite Journal (then The New Age Magazine), and the publication carried many "Current Interest" news stories about activities which brought him several civilian honors, including the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge Award.
Ill. Herman Nickerson, 33°, G.C., will be long remembered as one of America's most outstanding military leaders and Freemasons.
The Scottish Rite Research Society
bonus book for 2000, Vested in Glory, The Regalia of the Scottish
Rite by Ill. Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C., has proved so popular
that its softcover version has been sold out. The book is, however,
now being reprinted and will soon be available for purchase ($12.50,
S/H included). The hardbound version, with color dust jacket,
is still available ($25.00). Both books may be ordered now by
sending a check (domestic only) payable to the Scottish Rite
Research Society to: