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Reunion Marks Centennial in Joplin, Missouri

The 243rd Reunion of the Valley of Joplin was held March 19-20, 2004. It marked the beginning of a year-long celebration of the centennial of Joplin Consistory No. 3, which Body was officially chartered on May 4, 1904. In the beginning, the Scottish Rite Bodies of Joplin met in the Old Cathedral, site of the former Stevens Hotel, located on Main Street between 8th and 9th Streets. In common with the practice of most Masonic Bodies at that time, the petitioners for the charter of Joplin Consistory would necessarily have included members who were already Masters of the Royal Secret. The records of the St. Louis Scottish Rite Bodies indicate that on May 21, 1904, 26 demits were issued, and on June 16, 1904, an additional nine demits were issued to residents of Southwest Missouri who had received all or part of their Degrees preparatory to establishing the Scottish Rite in Joplin. Whether or not any petitioners had received Degrees in Kansas City is not known. It should be noted that on May 20, 1903, the 15° was presented in St. Louis by members of the Joplin Bodies.

Aside from marking the Consistory’s Centennial, the fall 2004 Reunion in Joplin, Missouri, was notable for having many fathers whose sons were Candidates. Among these were the Brethren pictured above with Inspector Earl K. Dille, 33°, SGIG in Missouri (far left) and Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, 33° (far right). They are (l. to r.): Bros. Tommy D. Black, 32°, David W. Black, 32°, Troy D. Black, 32°, Coty A. Bryant, 32°, Raymond E. Bryant, 32°, John L. Rust, 32°, and Norman E. Rust, 32°.
Photo: William “Buck” Fisher, KCCH, Valley of Wichita, Kans.

The first full Reunion of the four Joplin Bodies, designated Reunion No. 01, was held May 3-6, 1904. The Reunion concept was not new to Joplin as on May 27-28, 1903, Degrees were presented through the 18°, and on December 7-10 of that same year Degrees through the 30° were presented. The very first record of a Reunion format indicates it was held on April 9, 1902, when Degrees through the 14° were presented at one session. In the very early days of the Valley of Joplin, the Degrees were conferred and presented a few at a time until the number of workers was large enough for a comprehensive program.

The Valley of Joplin held its fall 2004 Reunion on October 22-23 and was honored with the visit of Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33°. Commander Seale was the Guest of Honor at a reception on Friday evening the 22nd. Also attending was Inspector Earl K. Dille, 33°, SGIG in Missouri and Grand Prior of the Supreme Council. Both Ill. Brothers Seale and Dille spoke at the banquet Saturday, October 23, honoring the 84 new Candidates. Also those attending were pleased to receive remarks from MW Elmer E. Revelle, 32°, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri.

Many Scottish Rite, Masonic, and Government dignitaries attended the two-day Reunion which included proclamations and the presentation of 50-year certificates and lapel pins to several members of the Valley of Joplin. Also, Grand Commander Seale presented special Centennial Medallions to the new members joining in this centennial year of 2004. In the 2004 Centennial Year, the Valley of Joplin held four Reunions resulting in 176 new Scottish Rite Masons!

Submitted by Terry L. Claar, 33°
Executive Secretary Scottish Rite Cathedral, Joplin, Mo.

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News from the House of the Temple

Joan K. Sansbury, Librarian/Curator of the Supreme Council, 33°, welcomes visitors to the new Gift Center, located just off the Atrium of the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. Photo: Elizabeth A. Williams, The Scottish Rite Journal

The staff at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., is, per the general direction of Sovereign Grand Commander Seale, striving to make visits to our jurisdictional headquarters even more enjoyable and convenient.

Starting Saturday, November 6, 2004, the building opened to visitors for tours and to scholars for study in the Supreme Council Library. The normal daily tour hours of the House of the Temple (1733 16th Street, NW, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm weekdays) have been expanded to the first Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.

Also, the Supreme Council has opened a new Gift Center. Carried to completion by Joan K. Sansbury, Librarian/Curator of the Supreme Council, the new area, located just off the Atrium of the Temple, offers an appealing display of many Masonic and Scottish Rite books, souvenirs, jewelry, apparel, and other items. A complete listing of all articles available from the Supreme Council may be obtained from our online store.

Finally, the staff of Brethren who act as tour guides has been complemented by the addition of several interns, local college students who also greet visitors and conduct tours of the House of the Temple. They are available whenever the Temple is open, including the new first-Saturday-of-the-month hours. Fall 2004 interns include Katie Barrios, George Washington University (GWU) Business major from Louisiana; Steve Boms, American University (AU) International Relations major from New York; Julie Brennan, GWU graduate student in History from California; Maria Kalinina, GWU Business Administration major from Maryland; Kristin Loke, GWU American Studies major from Pennsylvania; Toni McCourt, GWU graduate student in Museum Studies from West Virginia; Graeme Rudd, GWU History major from Connecticut; Stephanie Ramsay, AU International Studies major from Alabama; and Ali Rizwan, GWU Business Administration major from Maryland.

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Ill. James L. Johnston Appointed Deputy
Orient of Japan and Korea

Effective November 1, 2004, Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, 33°, appointed James Lynn Johnston, 33°, as Deputy of the Supreme Council in the Orient of Japan and Korea, succeeding Ill. Joe A. Diele, Grand Cross, who retired as Deputy in Japan and Korea effective November 1, 2004.

Deputy Johnston was born on February 16, 1929, in Los Angeles, California. He received a BA in Government-Politics and Sociology from the University of Maryland (Asian Division) in 1962, MA in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University in 1979, and Ph.D. from Pacific Western University in 1990. After retiring in 1980 from a career in the U.S. Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant, Ill. Johnston was a faculty member (1980-2003) at three colleges or universities in Japan, including the Tokyo Kasei College and University, and from 1983 to the present, he has been a Life Insurance Advisor for United Services and Midland National Life Insurance Com-panies in Tokyo.

Starting his extensive Masonic career as a Master Councilor, Whittier, California, Chapter, Order of DeMolay, in 1948, Deputy Johnston has held memberships in DeMolay, the Blue Lodge, Grand Lodge of Japan, Scottish Rite, and other Masonic Bodies, including the Red Cross of Constantine, York Rite, Royal Order of Scotland, National Sojourners, Inc., and High Twelve.

Ill. Johnston’s DeMolay offices and honors include Assistant DeMolay Executive Officer in Japan, Active Legion of Honor, Life Member, DeMolay Intern-ational Alumni Association.
A Master Mason since 1961 in Square and Compass Lodge #3, Tachikawa, Japan, Brother Johnston has served as Master, Teikoku Lodge #19, Okinawa, Japan (1973), as well as Master, Square and Compass Lodge #3, Kunitachi (1991). He also is the Founding Master of DeMolay-Land Lodge #22 and the Research Lodge of Japan.

Grand Lodge of Japan offices from 1978-present include several appointive and elective offices (1978-82), Grand Master (1983), Senior Grand Lecturer (1984-85), Grand Historian (1986-89), Grand Treasurer (1990-01), and Grand Historian, 2002-present.

A member of the Tokyo Scottish Rite since 1962, Ill. Johnston has served in many capacities, including head of each of the four Bodies. He received the KCCH in 1983 and 33° in 1987, has served as Orient Personal Representative since 1991, and is a Charter Member of the Scottish Rite Research Society.

Ill. Johnston and his wife, Toshiko, have two adult children, June and George, who live in Santa Monica, California.

The Scottish Rite is fortunate to have so experienced, capable, and dedicated a Brother as Ill. Johnston to succeed Ill. Diele, GC, as Deputy in the Orient of Japan and Korea.

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Catalog of the Library of the Supreme Council, 33°, Now Online

The catalog of the Library of the Supreme Council, 33°, is now online and accessible throughout the world.

The catalog is provided by Sirsi, a leader in library technology. Sirsi serves more than 10,000 individual libraries of all types and sizes around the world—academic, consortia, corporate, government, public, school, and special libraries. These include everything from large urban public libraries and world-renowned research libraries with hundreds of thousands or even millions of users to small city, college, government, and corporate libraries serving many users.

The new online catalog provides our Library with a fast, efficient way to manage holdings and serve both walk-in and remote users. Through the iLink Electronic Library, patrons have fast, continuous access to resources, plus everything available electronically. Fully integrated software suites enable library staff to manage resources more efficiently, and the catalog provides users with easy access to the wealth of information available electronically. Using a single interface, users worldwide can search the Supreme Council holdings, view enriched content linked directly to bibliographic records, connect to other libraries, conduct Z39.50 broadcast searches, view library-caliber Web sites and bestseller lists, and set up a personal account to be notified when the Supreme Council’s Library acquires materials of interest to them.

While the catalog serves our patrons, it also provides the Library personnel with a useful staff interface and a single graphical client that spans all areas of library operations. Icons guide users step by step through each task, and “wizards,” which are digital prompts, eliminate unnecessary steps and provide convenient access to related tasks. Help messages also guide the user and provide access to related tasks. Individual librarians can reengineer to their personal tastes how they operate this new user/ workflow-driven system.

Searching the catalog provides users two easy options. The opening page has a simple search, where users look up records by searching fields including keywords, author, title, subject, series, or periodical title. An advanced search feature called “power search” can be accessed, where the user can enter further details which will narrow the search and provide more specific results. This new capability for the Supreme Council’s Library is part of the ongoing program to enhance every aspect of the Library and extend its services to readers everywhere, especially those who cannot visit personally the Library in the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.

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SGC Walter E. Webber, 33°, Hosts SRRS Board of Directors

On Saturday evening, October 9, 2004, Ill. Walter E. Webber, Sovereign Grand Commander, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, U.S.A., and his charming wife, Leslie, hosted the members of the Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) Board of Directors in their home on the campus of the NMJ’s Lexington, Massachusetts, headquarters. The Board members were in Lexington at the invitation of SGC Webber to hold their 2004 Annual Meeting. Cooking and serving the delicious dinner themselves, the Webbers were the most gracious of hosts, and Ill. William B. Brunk, SRRS President, expressed the deepest appreciation of all the Board Members both that evening and in a personal letter of thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Webber. As a token of his regard and that of the Research Society, Ill. Brunk sent a complete 10-volume set of Heredom to SGC Webber, a Life Member of the Society, for his home library.

Pictured below at a fellowship hour following the dinner are (l. to r., seated, front row): Ill. Bros. Walter E. Webber, SGC, NMJ; William B. Brunk, SRRS President; Robert G. Davis, GC (l. to r., standing, back row) Ill. Bros. Richard H. Curtis, Editor, The Northern Light, the official publication of the NMJ; John W. Boettjer, GC, Managing Editor, The Scottish Rite Journal; Mark A. Tabbert, 32°, Curator of Masonic and Fraternal Collections, NMJ’s National Heritage Museum in Lexington; Martin P. Starr, SRRS Secretary; Sean D. Graystone, GC; and Pierre G. “Pete” Normand, Jr.

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Nelson Donation Benefits Charitable Endeavors
of the Valley of Minneapolis and the Southern Jurisdiction

On October 21, 2004, Ill. Carl F. Nelson, Valley of Minneapolis, and his wife, Leslie, presented a donation to Ill. Jerry B. Oliver, SGIG in Minnesota, in support of the charitable endeavors of the Scottish Rite, Valley of Minneapolis, and to Ill. Earl E. Ihle, Jr., the Supreme Council’s Director of Development, for the charitable endeavors of the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. Pictured right with Mrs. Nelson, who is an Eastern Star member in the Lake Harriet Chapter #202 of Minneapolis, are (l. to r.) Ill. Brothers Ihle, Nelson, and Oliver.

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2005 Research Society Bonus and Membership Information

Photo: Elizabeth A. Williams, The Scottish Rite Journal

In addition to Albert Pike’s The Symbolism of the Blue Lodge Degrees of Freemasonry, the 2005 bonus for all new, dues-current, and Life Members of the Scottish Rite Research Society, 2005 SRRS members will receive Heredom, vol. 13, the annual transactions of the Society, and the Plumbline, the Society’s quarterly newsletter. Also, there are special incentives to join the Society or sponsor new members in 2005: (1) NEW ANNUAL MEMBERS ($30) will receive, free of charge, a back volume of Heredom, our selection (2) NEW LIFE MEMBERS ($500, paid in full) will receive a set of faux-diamond cuff links with the SRRS logo (3) SPONSORS of TWO ANNUAL MEMBERS ($30 each) will receive a SRRS office set consisting of a ballpoint pen and a contemporary-style letter opener with the SRRS logo (4) SPONSORS OF ONE LIFE MEMBER will receive a SRRS office set. For information on the Life Membership Installment Plan, please call 202-777-3110. Note: SRRS office sets and SRRS faux-diamond cuff-link sets are available separately, as long as supplies last, at $19.95 for the office set and $24.95 for the faux-diamond cufflinks. VISA and MasterCard accepted. A more detailed description of the 2005 bonus book appears in the Winter 2004-05 Plumbline, the Research Society’s quarterly newsletter. Contacts: Research Society, 1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103; tel. 202-777-3110 or 1-800-776-2766; fax 202-464-0487; and srrs@srmason-sj.org.

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Special 14° Ring Ceremony in Billings, Montana

Photo: Glenn A. Hacker, 33°, Secretary, Valley of Western Montana

During the Third Annual Statewide Scottish Rite Reunion held in the Valley of Billings, Montana, October 1-2, 2004, Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, 33°, had the pleasure of participating in an impromptu ceremony to present the 14° ring to Bro. Billy Angel, the Exemplar of the Degree and one of the Candidates at the Reunion from the Valley of Western Montana. Pictured (l. to r.) at the ceremony are: Bro. Robert B. Benson, 32°, Worshipful Master of Kalispell Lodge #42, Kalispell, Montana, where Bro. Angel resides; Jack D. Rehberg, 33°, SGIG in Montana and Grand Almoner of the Supreme Council; Grand Commander Seale; Bro. Angel with his wife, Lacie; and Bro. Philip W. Blaisdell, KCCH, a member of the Valley of Western Montana. Bro. Angel and his wife, as well as all present for the ring presentation, will long remember the touching moment and Grand Commander Seale’s personal, inspirational words during the ceremony.

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George Washington Masonic National Memorial Receives Important Acquisition

Photos: Bro. Arthur W. Pierson, 32°, Pierson Photography, Falls Church, Va.

The George Washington Museum, entirely renovated last year thanks to the generous contributions of the Supreme Councils of the Southern and Northern Masonic Jurisdictions of the Scottish Rite, has drawn many favorable reviews and new donations. Recently, for instance, the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (GWMNM), which houses the Washington Museum, acquired the gold pocket watch used to time the pulse of President and Brother George Washington just before he died at Mount Vernon. The watch belonged to Dr. Elisha Cullen Dick, one of the three physicians attending Washington at his deathbed in Mount Vernon.

The donor, Robert Lyne, is a descendent of John D. Vowell, who read medicine with Dr. Dick and to whom the doctor gave his watch later in life. The watch has been handed down in the family until now. When Lyne visited the Memorial several years ago, he felt it was the appropriate location for Dr. Dick’s watch. The watch has both historical interest and aesthetic value. It rests (photo above) in a sterling silver case and opens to reveal fine filigree and jeweled works (photo below left). It is the most significant museum piece acquired by the GWMNM since its acquisition of the Washington Family Bible.

The George Washington Museum is located on the fourth floor of the Memorial at 101 Calahan Drive, Alexandria, Virginia. It is open to the public free of charge from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For additional information, please call 703-683-2007.

(The above article is by Bro. Dustin B. Smith, Librarian, George Washington Masonic National Memorial, member of the Lodge of the Nine Muses #1776, Washington, D.C., and is excerpted with permission from his essay “The George Washington Museum: Its Innovative New Design and Important New Acquisition” as published in Fall 2004 issue of The Virginia Masonic Herald.)

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