Valley Of The Craftsmen Wins Prestigious Award

On April 18, 2002, The Friends of the Livingston Masonic Library announced the winner of their 2001 William W. Reese II Memorial Book Award. The winner was Valley of the Craftsmen, edited by Ill. William L. Fox, 33°, and published by the Supreme Council 33°, S.J. The award was established by a bequest from the estate of R.W. Bro. William W. Reese and recognizes the best Masonic book published during the year. A panel of distinguished Masonic scholars reviews the books. For the 2001 award the judges were Ill. Thomas W. Jackson, 33°, Book Review Editor for the Northern Light; Ill. S. Brent Morris, 33°, G.C., former Book Review Editor for the Scottish Rite Journal and editor of Heredom, the transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society; and Prof. William Moore, former Director of the Livingston Masonic Library. (Ill. Bro. Morris did not participate in the deliberations about Valley of the Craftsmen.)

The evening began with R.W. Bro. John Mauk Hilliard, 32°, Master of Ceremonies, welcoming the guests to the reading room of the Livingston Library and giving a brief biography of Bro. Reese. Bro. Hilliard explained how the award was the brainchild of Prof. William Moore when he was Director of the Livingston Masonic Library. The award came into existence through the tragic death of Bro. Reese and the generosity of his estate.

On April 18, 2002, in an award ceremony at the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library and Museum, Grand Lodge of New York, Sov.Gr.Cmdr. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, received, on behalf of the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., the 2001 William W. Reese II Memorial Book Award. The honor recognizes the Supreme Council's bicentennial publication, Valley of the Craftsmen: A Pictorial History of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001. Presenting the award are (above left) M.W. Gary A. Henningsen, P.G.M., and Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of New York, 33°, Active Member, Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J., and (right) Bro. Tom Savini, Director of the Grand Lodge of New York's Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library and Museum. Photo: © R.W. Melvin Eckhaus, D.D.G.M., Manhattan, N.Y.

After this background information and welcome, Bro. Hilliard moved on to the main event of the evening: the announcement of the 2001 Reese Award, Valley of the Craftsmen, A Pictorial History, Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America's Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001. The book was the result of a collaboration between Ill. William L. Fox, 33°, Editor; Frank Glickman and Matthew Monk, Art Direction, Design, and Project Management; Henry Scammell, Writing; Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, Consulting Historian; and Mark Fastoso, Archival Research.

Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, Grand Commander, accepted the award on behalf of this team of scholars and of the Mother Supreme Council. The Grand Commander explained how the book was commissioned as part of the celebration of the 2001 Bicentennial Biennial Session of the Mother Supreme Council in Charleston, S.C., and of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America. He told how images were gathered from the Supreme Council's archives and assembled with just enough text to tell the story in a riveting manner. After sharing a few anecdotes about the October 2001 bicentennial celebration in Charleston, Sovereign Grand Commander Kleinknecht received a handsomely framed certificate from R.W. Bro. Jacob E. "Jack" Beardsley, President of the Friends, and Ms. Susan Aberth, Secretary. Accompanying the certificate was a check for $1,500 that will be contributed to the Friends of the Library, a donor group supporting the Library of the Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction.

There to congratulate the Grand Commander and the Southern Jurisdiction were M.W. Gary A. Henningsen, P.G.M. and Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge of New York, 33°, Active Member, Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J., and Bro. Tom Savini, Director, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library and Museum. A reception followed during which Sovereign Grand Commander Kleinknecht mingled with the guests and answered questions.

Editor's Note: To order a copy of Valley of the Craftsmen (10"x12", 269 pages, 123 halftone, 252 color plates, cloth hardbound) send a check (domestic only) payable to The Supreme Council or VISA/MasterCard information to: The Supreme Council, 1733 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103 or visit the online store.

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On March 11, 2002, Brethren of the Huntington, West Virginia, Scottish Rite Bodies presented a check for $30,000 to the Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center in Huntington. Dan Angel, President of Marshall University, accepted the check from several Scottish Rite Brethren during a ceremony attended by five Center clinicians in the University's John Deaver Drinko Library. Appropriate remarks were made by Kathryn Chezik, Chair of Marshall's Communication Disorders Department; Judge Daniel P. O'Hanlon, 32°, K.C.C.H.; and Ill. H. Patrick Oshel, 33°, Personal Representative in Huntington and President of the Huntington, West Virginia, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Foundation, Inc.

The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center was established in the 1940s to provide services for patients of all ages with communication disorders. A cooperative program between the Center and the Scottish Rite will build on this foundation. Ms. Chezik, quoted in The Parthenon, the student newspaper of Marshall University, said: "By joining with the Scottish Rite, we can increase direct services to the community, reinforce student supervision, and develop more programs to expand the foundation of our Center." Disadvantaged children, for instance, will be benefited at no cost to their family. This is the first RiteCare Program in West Virginia to operate in conjunction with a university speech and hearing center or academic program. Congratulations to all involved!

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The Supreme Council has developed a great starter "Scottish Rite Library" of 14 key books, offered at 30% off the already low purchase price of the individual books. If bought separately, the collection would cost $349.50. With the 30% discount, the price is only $244.65 + shipping. (The standard Scottish Rite Research Society member discount of 10% does not apply to this offer.) All books are hardback except for Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry? and Masonic Philanthropies, which are softback. Also, copies of Pike's Morals and Dogma are used. This special offer "Scottish Rite Library" consists of the following books:

NOTE: cost of shipping must be added to the $244.65. Domestic shipping is $10.24 Media Rate. Please contact us for First Class, special, or international shipping charges. At this time, international shipping charges for the “Scottish Rite Library” range from $50.00 to $113.00, depending on country of destination.

To order the "Scottish Rite Library," please send a check (domestic only) payable to The Supreme Council or VISA/MasterCard information with signature and expiration date to: The Supreme Council, 1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009-3103. Tel. 202-232-3579; Fax 202-387-1843; or visit the online store.

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Photo: Ill. McDonald L. "Don" Burbidge, 33°

Ill. Bros. Richard A. Wooden, 33° (left above), Secretary of the Scottish Rite Center in Charleston, S.C., and Herbert S. Goldberg, 33° (right), Chairman, Founders Gravemarkers Committee, Valley of Charleston, recently posed with the Valley's newly installed display of memorabilia from the 2001 Bicentennial Biennial Session. The display includes the Scottish Rite caps of Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander, and Ill. H. Wallace Reid, 33°, S.G.I.G. of South Carolina and host of the Bicentennial Biennial Session. Other items of special interest are a gavel made from wood from Shepheard's Tavern where America's first Supreme Council, 33°, was opened on May 31, 1801, and a Bicentennial Plate picturing all 17 Sovereign Grand Commanders from Ill. John Mitchell in 1801 to Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht today. (See back cover of this issue.) Special thanks to Ill. McDonald L. "Don" Burbidge, 33°, for his assistance in assembling these historic artifacts.

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Scottish Rite Masons in the Orient of Florida recently adopted the slogan "Scottish Rite, A Family Affair." Members of the Valley of Pensacola have jumped on the bandwagon by inviting spouses, children, and other family members as active participants, except at Stated Meetings, in the activities of the Pensacola Scottish Rite Masonic Center.

Pensacola's Scottish Rite Woman's Association, for instance, is very active in fund-raising activities, decorating the Center for special events, and providing refreshments during National Flag Day observances, the annual Family Values Week ceremonies, and various other public events. Attendance at Stated Meetings has improved since the Valley began serving an evening meal. Girls from the Valley-sponsored West Florida Assembly No. 91, International Order of Rainbow for Girls, assist in serving the meal. After supper, the men retire to the main Lodge Room while the ladies hold their business meeting in the dining room. Discussions are underway to provide childcare during Stated Meetings and other events so that younger members and their wives can participate fully.

Another family affair activity popular with the Pensacola membership is the annual "Ring and Patent" ceremony for new Brothers. The rings and patents are presented at a festive evening affair, which includes a good dinner. The Master of Kadosh makes the presentation, and then the recipient and his wife have photos taken as they step through a large ring. Pictured above are Bro. Frederick E. Seger, 32°, and his wife, Rita. At this particular ceremony, rings and patents were presented to 34 new Brethren from the Fall 2002 Reunion Class, and each of their ladies received a cut flower.

Submitted by Brother Arthur W. Barfield, 32°, K.C.C.H.
General Secretary, Valley of Pensacola, Florida

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The Supreme Council's JROTC Education and Americanism Award (medal, ribbon, and certificate) continues to be very popular. On March 23, 2002, for instance, Lt. Col. Simmons presented an Air Force JROTC award to Cadet/MSgt Charles Prescott (right in photo) during a ceremony at Burke County High School, Waynesboro, Georgia. Cadet Prescott, who is in the top 25% of his second-year ROTC class, was recognized for his strong leadership skills in and out of the classroom, his community service, and his receipt of the Tuskegee Airman Award, Service (3). For information on how your Valley can utilize the Southern Jurisdiction's JROTC Education and Americanism Award to enhance local awareness of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry as a patriotic and civic group, please contact the Grand Executive Director's Office at: tel. 202-232-3579; fax 202-387-1843; online at grandexec@srmason-sj.org; or write Supreme Council, 1733 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009-3103.

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Winter Park Lodge No. 239, Winter Park, Florida, has started a new environmental project in south Seminole County. Like the Brethren of many Lodges and Scottish Rite Bodies throughout the Southern Jurisdiction who man Adopt-a-Road cleanup efforts in their communities, the members of Winter Park Lodge, led by their W.M. Warren T. Gillis, 32°, (photo left), get out their canoes and boats to clean up local lakes and waterways. Usually, the cleanup parties are conducted at the first light of day when wind chop is low and visibility into the water and along the shore is best. These excursions are often after heavy-use weekends when litter and debris are most likely. This ongoing project combines with the efforts of other groups to keep the environment clean and beautiful. Congratulations, Brothers, on showing how Masonry can play an innovative and dynamic part in every local community.

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Photo: Communicator, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center (Winter 2002)

On December 15, 2001, more than 300 staff, faculty, friends, and supporters turned out in Nashville, Tennessee, for a gala groundbreaking ceremony at the Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences. Children who have received services at the Center got their own turn at the shovels. With sand from the event still clinging to the official shovels, attention is already turning to the progress on the new building (drawing below). Built over the hospital's present parking garage, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center will occupy the top five floors of the building's nine stories. The Division of Speech-Language Pathology and the Scottish Rite Masons Research Institute for Communication Disorders will occupy one floor.

Drawing: Communicator, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center (Winter 2002)

Services will include separate areas for different age groups as well as areas devoted to treatment for autism, stuttering, oral motor problems, and occupational therapy. This floor will also have indoor and outdoor play areas, diagnostic rooms, a language lab and library, an augmentative communication computer lab, and the new Center for Childhood Deafness and Family Commu-nication. Offices, observation rooms, waiting areas, and kitchens complete the floor plan. The building is slated to be completed during late summer 2003.

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Ill. Allen E. Hardy, 33°, Bro. Clayton L. Wright, 32°, and Bro. C. Hand Cooper, 32°, representing the Membership Committee for the Carolina Consistory, assisted by Bros. Oscar Bass Jr., 32°, K.C.C.H., and Stephen K. Harris, Sr., 32°, put their heads together and came up with an idea. They agreed to invite Brethren from around North Carolina to visit the Charlotte Temple for a day of fellowship and fun. The drawing card was a visit by the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team, April 12-13, 2002.

Practically upon arrival, the Indian Degree Team hit the road to visit the Shrine Orthopedic Hospital in Greenville, S.C., where they performed Native American dances and music for the children and staff. Fully recovered from a mild case of "van lag" by 10:00 am Saturday morning, April 13, they opened the day with a program for family and friends at the Charlotte Scottish Rite Temple. Everyone had plenty of opportunity for questions and snapshots.

After lunch, a Master Mason's Lodge was opened, and the Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team proceeded to confer, with more than 500 Brethren from North and South Carolina in attendance, the Sublime Degree upon Bro. Robert W. Johnson of Will Rogers No. 53, Claremore, Oklahoma,. The Team changed into Native American dress for the Second Section, and their portrayal, complemented by Indian chant and prayer, was inspiring and memorable.

Concluding the day's events, the Team presented Bros. Hardy, Wright, and Cooper team neckerchiefs with silver prayer bird clasps. Ill. Charles M. Ingram, 33°, P.G.M., also attending, was honored with the presentation of a commemorative bolo tie from the Team. Ill. Bros. Hardy and Ingram also were presented, respectively, beaded white eagle feathers, emblematic of farsightedness and knowledge, on behalf of the Carolina Consistory and the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. In addition, Bro. Terry E. Adams, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Tulsa, presented, on behalf of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, a 50-Year Service Award to Bro. Aaron K. Jackson, 32°, of Burlington, N.C.

The Masonic Indian Degree Team is composed of Brethren from around Oklahoma and includes members from the Apache, Cherokee, Choctaw, Muskogee Creek, and Osage tribes. The beautiful work they perform is authorized with dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma. For scheduling information, contact Bro. Terry Adams, Director, Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team, online at NDNMASON@ aol.com, or mail to 6548 E. 25th Place, Tulsa, OK 74129; phone (918) 836-1523; fax (918) 836-2183.

Submitted by Bro. Bobby L. "Les" Owens, 32°
Charlotte, North Carolina, Scottish Rite Bodies

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On February 21, 2002, at the Stated Meeting of the Fort Worth, Texas, Scottish Rite Bodies, Ms. Aly Allen- Engstrom, the Community Relations Coordinator for the Wal-Mart Super Center in Burlson, Texas, presented two checks in support of Scottish Rite philanthropies. Ill. James D. Ward, 33° (left), Personal Representative in Fort Worth and Chairman of the Fort Worth Scottish Rite Foundation, accepted a check for $3,300 on behalf of the Foundation. Ill. Glynn S. Gregory, 33° (right), Development Officer for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, accepted a check for $3,200 on behalf of the Hospital. The Wal-Mart store in Burlson has been a long-time supporter of the Scottish Rite. Ill. Ward urged the Brethren to stop by the store and say "Thanks!" As our Scottish Rite philanthropies continue to grow (we now have 161 RiteCare Clinics, Centers, or Programs across the Southern Jurisdiction), it becomes increasingly important to reach outside our own Fraternity for assistance in serving America's children. Congratulations, Fort Worth Brethren, in taking this important next step for our Order's flagship philanthropy!