Bro Burton Barnett, 32°
3218 Harmony Drive
Bakersfield, California 93306

Bro Burton Barnett, 32°, Valley of Bakersfield, California, is having a very special year. 2003 marks the golden anniversary of his marriage to his beloved wife, Nancy (three children, six grandchildren), 60 years in DeMolay, and a half-century each in Freemasonry, the Shrine, and the Scottish Rite—a total of 210 years
of Masonic involvement!

He writes: “My interest in all the above activities began when two friends who were DeMolays invited me to join their Chapter. If I didn’t like it, they said they would personally refund the dues money. Those few dollars bought me the best experiences of my teen years and provided the first rung on the ladder of my lifelong Masonic activity. With the guidance of Chapter Dad K. O. Knudsen, I became a Master Councilor and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II, serving again in the Korean War, during which I became a Mason in Lodge No. 32 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“My respect for K. O. only increased upon the completion of my active duty when he invited me to petition the Scottish Rite. Dad Knudsen then asked me to join him in becoming a Shriner. I was just 25 and thought I should wait a few years, but K. O. insisted, and we became Nobles together. He said, ‘We need young men to carry on the good work of Freemasonry.’ I have never regretted that decision.

“Wherever I lived and whatever I did, I kept my Masonic ties strong and active whether it was as a reporter on the ‘crime beat’ in Las Vegas, a member of the Kern County Fire Department headquartered in Bakersfield, California, or as Deputy Coroner in the County Sheriff’s Department. Also, I was glad to participate, with my Masonic lapel pins proudly displayed, as a First Reader of Second Church of Christ, Scientist, in Bakersfield and as Vice President of the Bakersfield Jaycees.

“To every Brother who has made my life so rich in Masonic experience and accomplishment, thanks for the memories!”