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Scottish Rite Freemasonry - Welcome to the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA
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 Back to March-April 2007 Issue
In Memoriam: 1913-2006, Gerald R. Ford, 33°, Grand Cross, the 38th President of the United States
written by Heather K. Calloway, Director of Special Programs
 Photo: First official portrait of President Gerald R. Ford, August 27, 1974. (David Hume Kennerly. Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library)
Ill. Gerald R. Ford, 33°, Grand Cross, the thirty-eighth President of the United States of America, laid down his working tools at age 93 on December 26, 2006. He will be missed by his friends, family, brethren, and nation.
Bro. Ford graduated from the University of Michigan and the Yale Law School. He served in the Navy during WWII and retired with the rank of Lt. Commander. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1949 and served until 1973 when he was then appointed Vice-President after Spiro Agnew resigned, the first such appointment under the Twenty-fifth Amendment. Bro. Ford became the thirty-eighth President of the United States in 1974 following the resignation of Richard Nixon and served until 1977. In the address after his inauguration he said, “I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.”
Bro. Ford was initiated into Masonry on September 30, 1949, in Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan, along with his brothers Thomas, Richard, and James. The Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degrees were conferred on Gerald by Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, D.C., on April 20 and May 18, 1951, as a courtesy to Malta Lodge. Ill. Ford was coroneted a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, and Honorary Member of the Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J., on September 26, 1962, and was awarded the Grand Cross by the Southern Jurisdiction in 1975. He also was elected an Active Member of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay and its Honorary Grand Master in 1975; he held this post until January 1977.
President Ford said of Masonry,
When I took my obligation as a Master Mason—incidentally, with my three younger brothers—I recalled the value my own father attached to that order. But I had no idea that I would ever be added to the company of the Father of our Country and twelve other members of the order who also served as Presidents of the United States.
Masonic principles—internal, not external—and our order’s vision of duty to country and acceptance of God as a Supreme Being and guiding light have sustained me during my years of Government service. Today especially, the guidelines by which I strive to become an upright man in Masonry give me great personal strength.
Masonic precepts can help America retain our inspiring aspirations while adapting to a new age. It is apparent to me that the Supreme Architect has set out the duties each of us has to perform, and I have trusted in His will with the knowledge that my trust is well-founded….
Honoring a Brother
Photo: Brethren from the Washington, D.C., metro area gathered at Naval Lodge No. 4, Washington, D.C., on Sunday December 31, 2006, to honor Bro. Ford, and the Brethren processed to the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
Over 80 Masons from the Washington, D.C., area gathered at Naval Lodge No. 4, Washington, D.C., on Sunday December 31, 2006, to honor Bro. Ford. The Brethren processed to the U.S. Capitol rotunda, stopping briefly in front of the Capitol at the statue of former President and Bro. James A. Garfield. Bro. Alan Patterson, Senior Warden of Naval Lodge gave a speech and Bro. Robert W. New, Chaplain, Acacia Lodge No. 16, Clifton, Virginia, a prayer. The Brethren waited their turn in the Capitol to show their respect and honor to their fallen Brother.
Reporter Laura Marquez of ABC’s Good Morning America interviewed the Brethren, including Ill. Jules Tepper, PGM D.C., who described Bro. Ford saying, “He built character. He built integrity. He built honesty.” View the video at http://srmason-sj.org/video/g_ford/ABC_Interview_Edited.html. More photos of the Masonic ceremonies can be found at the Acacia Lodge No. 16 website at: http://www.acacia16.org/.
The Scottish Rite Journal (ISSN 1076-8572) is published bimonthly by the Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction, United States of America, 1733 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103. |
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