On January 19, 2005, in the George Washington Memorial
Banquet Hall of the House of the Temple, SGC Ronald A. Seale,
33°, hosted a special luncheon to honor students attending
The George Washington University (GWU) as Scottish Rite Scholarship
recipients. Delicious food, from main course and salad to dessert,
was prepared and served by Fran Johnson, Executive Assistant
to the Sovereign Grand Commander. In welcoming the assembled
scholars, GWU representatives, House of the Temple staff involved
in our Order’s scholarship programs, and special guest
Ill. James D. Cole, PGM, SGIG in Virginia, Ill. Seale noted that
the purpose of the luncheon, now an annual event, was to “affirm
who you as Scottish Rite scholars are and what you are doing.”
Ill. William G. Sizemore, GC, Grand Executive
Director and Director of Education and Americanism for the Supreme
Council, also greeted
the students and noted that the Scottish Rite Scholarship Program
at GWU, open to any qualified student with a Scottish Rite family
background, is only one of many scholarship programs funded by
the Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., U.S.A., Inc., and by individual
Valleys or Orients across the Southern Jurisdiction.
Heather K. Calloway, Director of Internships,
then introduced four of the present staff of nine interns, many
of them GWU students,
who greet visitors and conduct tours of the House of the Temple.
Intern Marie Kalinina, a Scottish Rite Scholar at GWU, then spoke
of the benefits offered by the intern program, which was initiated
by Grand Commander Seale, and invited the students to consider
becoming House of the Temple interns.
Grand Commander Seale then introduced Ill. Stephen
Joel Trachtenberg, GC, President of GWU. President Trachtenberg,
whose portrait
is displayed in the Scottish Rite Hall of Honor, commented that
as soon as he was installed as head of GWU in 1988, he began
strengthening the bonds between GWU, Freemasonry, and the Scottish
Rite. “Each year since,” he noted, “the relationship
between Masonry and the University has grown more robust, the
number of Scottish Rite Scholarships has grown, and the benefit
of these awards has become incalculable and consequential to
many lives. I am delighted to be here to celebrate the bond between
George Washington University and the Scottish Rite, one of the
most selfless entities I have ever known. Made up of a group
of people bonded together with only one purpose, to do good,
Masonry is an organization whose members truly do the work their
lips proclaim.”
Back to top
Brethren Represent Freemasonry in Presidential
Inaugural Parade
Bros.
George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette were aboard The
Lincoln Highway Museum and Archives Float during
inaugural festivities on 20 January, 2005. Bro. Oliver O. Harris,
Alexandria- Washington Lodge #22, Alexandria, Virginia, in
period costume (left in photo at right) carried
one of two Bastille keys Lafayette brought to America. On February
21, 1825, Lafayette gave one key to Alexandria-Washington Lodge
#22 during the Lodge’s Washington Birthday celebration.
The other key, he presented directly to Bro. Washington, and
it is now on display in the Museum at Mount Vernon. Bro. Harris
was accompanied on the inaugural float by Ill. Robert G. Watkins,
33°, in period costume as George Washington (right). The
key to the Bastille symbolizes the close connection of Masonry
with the blessings of freedom that all Americans enjoy.
This float’s thematic representation of liberty was the
brainchild of Craig Harmon, Founder and Director of The Lincoln
National Highway Museum and Archives, Galion, Ohio, who integrated
this idea with the participation of about 50 firemen (photo below)
from states that the Lincoln Highway passes through. Harmon became
aware of the Bastille key and the Lodge’s ownership of
it from a Scottish Rite Journal article (Feb. 1998) written
by RW Frank R. Dunaway, KCCH, Valley of Alexandria, when he
was
Chairman of the Archives Committee, Alexandria-Washington Lodge
#22.
The Lincoln Highway, completed in 1917, was America’s first
transcontinental roadway. Constructed at a time when the automobile
was emerging as an important mode of transportation, it was the
fore-runner and model of the system of national highways which
later developed. This creative initiative provided the U.S. with
a model of transportation efficiency which gave economic and
personal freedoms to accompany the political and religious free-doms
represented by Lafayette, Washington, and Lincoln on the inaugural
float.
Back to top
House of the Temple Hosts the 2004 Prestonian
Lecture
On December 18, 2004, Prof.
Trevor A. Stewart gave the 2004 Prestonian Lecture in the
Temple Room of the
Scottish
Rite House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. Photo:
Heather K. Calloway, The Supreme Council, 33°
Saturday, December 18, 2004, saw an audience
of 100 interested in Freemasonry attend a presentation of the
2004 Prestonian Lecture in the Temple Room of the House of the
Temple in Washington, D.C.
The Prestonian Lecture is named after William
Preston, the noted English ritualist, who left a bequest in 1818
to fund “some
well-informed Free-mason to deliver annually a Lecture on the
First, Second, or Third Degree of the Order of Masonry.” Professor
Trevor A. Stewart, PM, 30°, was appointed by the Board of
General Purposes of the United Grand Lodge of England as the
2004 Prestonian Lecturer. His topic was “English Speculative
Freemasonry: Some Possible Origins, Themes and Developments.”
The House of the Temple opened at 9:00 am for
tours and research in the Library of the Supreme Council. At
noon there was a
luncheon in the George Washington Banquet Hall for Prof. Stewart
and those
of the attendees who had made reservations. Following lunch,
the crowd went up to the Temple Room to hear the lecture at
1:30 pm and to learn about Prof. Stewart’s research into
the origins of Freemasonry in England. Following questions
and answers,
all went to the Atrium for a reception and a signing of printed
copies of the lecture. In addition to the 100 friends of Freemasonry
at the lecture, over 50 neighbors and tourists stopped by the
House of the Temple for tours.
 |
| Pictured are guide John L. Crull,
Jr., 32°, KCCH,
Valley of Washington, D.C., and intern Maria Kalinina,
a Business
Administration major at The George Washington University,
Washington, D.C. Photo:
Heather K. Calloway, The Supreme Council, 33° |
The annual Prestonian Lecture is the only lecture
given with the authority of the United Grand Lodge of England,
and past
Lectures represent some of the most significant and enduring
research into Freemasonry. Prof. Stewart estimated that he
gave his lecture over 50 times in 2004 in Lodges throughout
the world.
The Supreme Council was indeed privileged to be able to host
this popular presentation.
Aside from being open for visits or tours Monday
through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm, the House of the Temple
is now open
on the first Saturday of each month (except when that day is
a Federal holiday) from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, and there will
be several similar presentations as the Preston Lecture on
some
of these Saturdays throughout upcoming years. This is part
of an ongoing program to make our magnificent building and
Freemasonry
more accessible to our members and to the public.
As part of this endeavor, a weather-proof sign
large enough to be read from the street (1733 Sixteenth Street,
NW) by passing
pedestrians or motorists is regularly placed at the top of
the
House of the Temple’s steps when the Temple is open. House
of the Temple guides or student interns are always available
to give tours, adjusted to the time availability of visitors,
during the above hours of operation.
Back to top
Civil War Flag Returns Home to Iowa
After 144 years, the Civil War battle flag of Company
B of the 28th Iowa Volunteers was finally returned to its home
in Iowa. Ill. Charles N. Kaufman, Deputy of the Supreme Council
in South Dakota and Past Grand Master of the “Mount Rushmore
State,” formally presented the flag to the Grand Lodge
of Iowa at its Annual Communication on September 17, 2004.
Made by the ladies of Marengo, Iowa, in 1861, the flag was
carried
into battle at Vicksburg, Atlanta, and eight other Civil War
engagements. The flag, tattered and torn by bullets and shells,
still carries the bloodstains of the flag bearer who was killed
at Vicksburg and fell on the flag.
The Yankton Valley of the Scottish Rite is proud
to have placed the flag in the Iowa Grand Lodge Museum and Library
where conservators
will display it in a climate-controlled environment. Assisting
Deputy Kaufman in the presentation was PGM Al T. Wahlert, 33°,
Senior Warden in the Yankton Lodge of Perfection, and MW William
A. Coffield, 33°, Grand Master of South Dakota.
Back to top
Wichita Brethren Team Up for the Children
Bro. Robert A. Brill,
KCCH, Wichita Scottish Rite Trustee (left), and Ill. Larry
L. Christie, Personal Representative,
Valley of Wichita, Kansas, present a $17,000 check, the proceeds
of a “Champagne and Chocolate Fantasy” benefit in
support of the Wichita State University Speech Clinic children’s
programs. Accepting the check are Jon M. Engelhardt, Dean of
the College of Education, Trisha L. Self, Clinic Director,
and Kenn Apel, Chairman-Professor of Communicative Disorders
at Wichita
State University.
Recently, members of the Wichita Scottish Rite
of Freemasonry presented a check for $17,000 to representatives
of the Wichita State University (WSU) Speech-Language-Hearing
Clinic. Proceeds from the annual Scottish Rite “Champagne
and Chocolate Fantasy” event benefit WSU’s Clinic
Program specifically targeted at children’s language
problems. RiteCare, the national Scottish Rite’s outreach
to America’s
children, funds childhood communicative disorder programs
in 169 clinics, centers, and program across the Southern Jurisdiction.
In Kansas, Scottish Rite support goes to three such clinics
located
at the Kansas University (KU) Medical Center-Kansas City, the
KU Schiefelbusch Clinic-Lawrence, and the WSU Clinic-Wichita.
Monies are raised through projects undertaken by the seven
statewide Scottish Rite Centers as well as by planned giving
programs and
additional funding from Scottish Rite Headquarters in Washington,
D.C. Similar RiteCare support for clinics from various other
projects continues throughout the year.
Back to top
Lodge Benefits Children and Masonry in Russian
Far East
Since its founding in 1999 with the authorization
of the Grand Lodge of Russia and assistance from the Grand Lodge
of Alaska, the Brethren of Vladivostok’s Pacific Rim Lodge
#12 have been active not only Masonically but publicly.
In 2003, for instance, they organized a philanthropic
foundation named Nezabudka, Forget Me Not, dedicated to helping
orphans
and homeless children, one of the most pressing social problems
in the Russian Far East. The Lodge has taken a leading role
in contacting various governmental and private organizations
(schools,
churches, charitable groups) in the region to coordinate efforts
toward alleviating this problem. Also, in 2005 the Lodge plans
to sponsor a regional conference to organize formally these
child welfare groups so that they can cooperate more effectively.
Russian
Far East cities with large populations present a unique opportunity
to establish our Fraternity in an area where Masonry is virtually
unknown.
In addition to their organizational efforts, Pacific
Rim Lodge Brethren take direct, personal action as Freemasons.
The photos
in this article show the Lodge’s Brethren distributing
New Year’s gifts to the children of a local orphanage.
During the same visit, the Lodge made a contribution, noted
in the local press, to the orphanage. This is only the latest
of
a number of times that Freemasonry, because of the Brethren
of Pacific Rim Lodge, has gained substantial newspaper coverage
and public visibility throughout the Russian Far East.
Fortunately, the Grand Lodge of Alaska has established
a Russian Relations Committee and chartered an Honorary Membership
Program
to support this and other work, such as developing new Lodges,
by these dedicated Brethren. For a membership fee of $200,
any Freemason can become an Honorary Life Member of Pacific
Rim Lodge
#12. A copy of a current dues card serves as a petition, and
Lifetime Members receive a colorful membership certificate.
For more details, contact MW John H. Grainger, 33°, Valley
of Juneau, at P.O. Box 5326, Ketchikan, AK 99901; Tel. 907-225-5557;
or jhg@kpunet.net.
Submitted by Ill. Robert
G. Watkins, Jr., 33°,
Washington, D.C., Scottish Rite Bodies
Official Liaison Representative to The Supreme
Council of Russia
Back to top
Impressive Black Cap Ceremony in Dallas
Twice a year, a large crowd assemblies at 2:00
pm in the Crystal Banquet Room of the Dallas, Texas, Scottish
Rite Cathedral to witness a beautiful and moving Black Cap
Ceremony. The most recent three-day Reunion Class, pictured below,
was
Sunday afternoon, November 14th, 2004, when 329 Brethren and
guests enjoyed a wonderful lunch, prepared by Basil Stergious,
the Cathedral’s chief chef, before moving to the Cathedral’s
auditorium for the ceremony. The program, with scenery and cast
members in full costume, started with a brief explanation of
the Degrees. This helps each Candidate’s family to understand
a part of the Reunion experience.
After this portion of the program is completed,
the Candidates are asked to leave the auditorium. Then, as his
name is called,
each new 32° Master of the Royal Secret walks down the auditorium’s
main aisle and kneels at a specially designed capping bench as
his black cap is placed on his head and his family members, if
they desire, take pictures of the presentation.
The Candidates of that year’s most recent Class are then
called forward to receive a 32¾ Breast Jewel and to assemble
for a group photograph. On November 14, 2004, 69 new Scottish
Rite Masons from the Fall Class were presented their new 32¾
caps and jewels. After the ceremony, everyone was invited to
tour the magnificent 100-year-old Scottish Rite Cathedral. The
most common remark from the ladies is, “I had no idea what
my husband was experiencing. Now I am really proud he is a Mason.”
The black caps are provided by the Dallas Cathedral’s KCCH
Association. This group of dedicated Brothers raises the money
for the caps and sponsors this event twice a year in the Valley
of Dallas. Finally, each Candidate is sent a CD of the day’s
activities as soon as it is available. In the future, they
will also be presented with a DVD of the activities. As a result
of
this ceremony, a larger percent of the Candidates than previously
have become involved in the Dallas Scottish Rite.
Submitted by Fred E. Allen 33¾, Dallas, Texas,
Scottish Rite Bodies
Back to top
Ill. Joseph D. Brackin, Grand Cross, 1929-2004
Ill. Joseph Daniel Brackin, GC, Valley of Dothan,
Alabama, passed away on November 27, 2004, at the age of 75.
Funeral services were held on November 30 at Lafayette Street
United Methodist Church, Dothan, with Masonic rites following
at the Dothan City Cemetery. Past Grand Masters and Brethren
from the Grand Lodge of Alabama were among the active and honorary
pallbearers. Ill. Brackin is survived by his wife, Shirley, of
49 years, three sons, and several grandchildren. In lieu of flowers,
memorials were made to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Valley of
Birmingham, Alabama, or the Lafayette Street United Methodist
Church, Dothan.
Ill. Brackin was born on August 19, 1929, in Ozark,
Alabama, graduated from Dothan High School, served in the U.S.
Navy for
four years, attended Troy State University, and began a 23-year
career as an Electrical Technician and Supervisor in the Electric
Department, City of Dothan, followed by a second career, 1977
to 1992, with the Alabama Reference Lab. He also served Lafayette
Street United Methodist Church in a variety of roles, including
trustee, chairman of the administrative board, lay delegate
to the annual conference, Sunday School teacher, and chancel
choir
member. In addition, he was a member of the Sons of the American
Revolution.
Ill. Brackin’s distinguished Masonic career
includes being a longtime member, Master, and Secretary of Pythagoras
Lodge
#659, Dothan. He served as Grand Master (1974) and Grand Secretary
(1992-94) of the Grand Lodge of Alabama. Ill. Brackin was also
a Past Presiding Officer in all the Bodies of the Dothan York
Rite, Past President and Secretary of the Order of the Priesthood,
Order of the Silver Trowel, and Knight Crusader of the Cross.
A member since 1964 of the Scottish Rite Bodies
of Dothan, he was honored for his outstanding service by the
KCCH in 1971,
33° in 1975, appointment as Orient of Alabama Personal
Representative in 1999, and the Grand Cross in 2003. He was
only the second
Alabama Scottish Rite Mason to receive this highest honor of
our Order.
Scottish Rite Brethren throughout the Southern
Jurisdiction mourn the passing of this dedicated, able, and distinguished
Brother.
Back to top
