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Supreme Council and the Grand Lodge of Maryland Enter Publishing Partnership
 The Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., and the Grand Lodge of Maryland, A.F.&A.M. have entered into a unique publishing partnership. Starting with the March-April 2006 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal, the Freestate Freemason will be bound inside the Journal as a special supplement for all members of the Grand Lodge of Maryland and all members of the Southern Jurisdiction living in Maryland. SGC Ronald A. Seale, 33°, said, “The Blue Lodge is the foundation of Freemasonry. Anything the Supreme Councils can do to work with Grand Lodges will benefit both organizations. If this experiment with Maryland is successful, we hope to add more partners to the advantage of all.”
The Grand Lodge of Maryland now will be able to print a four-color magazine and distribute it to their members plus Master Masons sojourning in Maryland for less than they are now printing. MW Ronald G. Bélanger, 33°, Grand Master of Maryland, is enthusiastic about the cooperation, “This partnership has the potential to enhance Maryland Freemasonry—Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite.”
The Supreme Council will send the Scottish Rite Journal to about 14,000 Maryland Master Masons not in the Scottish Rite and thereby introduce the Rite to them. Dr. Hans R. Wilhelmsen, 33°, SGIG in Maryland, is excited about the opportunities for all. “We are ready to answer questions about the Scottish Rite for any Maryland Master Mason. All they need to do is call 410-243-3200.”
Father and Son S. R. Masons Both Achieve
1,000 Carrier-Arrested Landings
On the day of their 1,000 carrier-arrested landing:
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Rear Adm. William G. Sizemore, 33°, G.C.,in 1969
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Captain Bill Sizemore, 33°,
in 2005
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Captain Bill Sizemore, 33°, US Navy, achieved his 1,000th carrier-arrested landing with his F14 Tom Cat fighter on the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf in December. His father, Rear Admiral William G. Sizemore, 33°, G.C., Grand Executive Director, US Navy retired, recorded his 1,000th carrier-arrested landing in a Skyhawk jet aircraft, in 1969, aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, in the Mediterranean Sea. It is very unusual, and perhaps a first, for both a father and son to have each recorded more than 1,000 carrier-arrested landings. Captain Sizemore is presently assigned as the Commander of Carrier Air Wing Eight on board the Teddy Roosevelt, in the Persian Gulf, where he leads his Air Wing in providing air support for United States and Allied Forces on the ground in Iraq. Captain Sizemore, then Lieutenant Commander, flew combat missions in the Middle East in 1991 during the Desert Storm war. He graduated from the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, in 1980, and received his gold wings as a naval aviator in 1982. He also received a Masters Degree in Foreign Relations from the National War College and a Masters of Business Administration from the College of William and Mary. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is named after the twenty-sixth President of the United States, a member of Mantinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, New York.
Martha Bell Retires After 26 Years at the House of the Temple
 Mrs. Martha Bell, Office Manager of the Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., retired after twenty-six years of outstanding service. She started work on the first business day of 1980 and stepped out of the office on the last business day of 2005. Mrs. Bell began her work career as a clerk typist with the Federal Power Agency. She next completed her BA in Education at George Washington University on a four-year full-tuition scholarship, and then taught high school English for four years. At this point her family took priority, and she undertook the vital task of raising her two children. During this time she volunteered extensively in church and community activities, especially the music ministry of her church. She started at the Supreme Council as a part-time employee and moved through various departments until she became the acknowledged expert on Supreme Council procedures. Martha has talked many new Valley Secretaries through their first, nervous days on the job. Her calm and patient approach was appreciated by all Valley staff that called for advice and guidance.
A farewell luncheon was held for Mrs. Bell on December 13 in the George Washington Memorial Banquet Room of the House of the Temple. Her co-workers and many friends joined together to wish her well in retirement. SGC Ronald A. Seale summed up the feelings of all there when he said, “The lights in the House of the Temple will shine a little dimmer with you gone. Your dedication is a model for everyone, and we wish you Godspeed in all you do.”
Job’s Daughters Help Valley of Anchorage with
Ceremony of Remembrance
Members of Bethel No 1, Anchorage, Alaska, join with
Anchorage Scottish Rite members at the altar.
The Valley of Anchorage, Alaska, has a wonderful tradition for their Ceremony of Remembrance and Renewal, which they hold annually on Maundy Thursday: Bethel No 1, Job’s Daughters, assists the Valley. During the ceremony, as each deceased Scottish Rite member’s name is read, members of the Bethel place a long-stemmed red rose on the altar beside the open Bible. It is a gesture that is moving to allin attendance.
Before the 2005 Ceremony of Remembrance and Renewal the Valley hosted the Jobies to a wonderful dinner of lamb and roast beef. For most of the girls, it was their first taste of lamb, and they found they liked it. After the ceremony, ice cream and cake were the order of the day.
At the 2005 ceremony, to help the girls better understand the ceremony their Associate Bethel Guardian gave each one a question about either Maundy Thursday or the Scottish Rite, and they had to get the answer from a Scottish Rite member. At their meeting each girl reported back with her answer, and they found out why only one Scottish Rite member had a blue hat. Bethel No. 1 looks forward to helping the Anchorage Valley again in 2006 and for many more years.
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Masonic Lecture at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
The Orient of Minnesota and the Valleys of Minneapolis and St. Paul held a unique public seminar, “Catch the Wave: Freemasonry,” on November 18, 2005, at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. The principal speaker was Radu Rasidescu, 32°, a college instructor. A display on Minnesota Masonic history that included Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite memorabilia was shown in the lobby of Willey Hall where the lecture was held. The seminar was advertised through the local newspaper, individual invitations, and over 25,000 emails. Support for the event was provided by Jerry Oliver, 33°, SGIG in Minnesota, Jack Morehouse, 33°, Minnesota Masonic Historical Society, and Todd Henderson, KCCH, Valley of St. Paul. Lectures of this sort should be of increasing interest to the public with the anticipated publication later this year of The Solomon Key, Dan Brown’s sequel to The Da Vinci Code, which will be released as a movie in May 2006.
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Freemasonry Q & A
What’s the normal way to wear aprons in the first three degrees?
There is no “normal” way to wear aprons; it varies from grand lodge to grand lodge and over time. (This variability is true of nearly all parts of Masonic ritual: words, signs, working tools, etc.) In most of Great Britain and Europe, Apprentices, Fellow Crafts, and Master Masons are distinguished by the decorations on their aprons (ribbon borders, rosettes, etc.). In most of the United States 1°, 2°, and 3° Masons all wear plain white aprons, but fold them differently to denote their degree. Usually Entered Apprentices wear their aprons with the flap or bib turned up. Fellow Crafts can wear their aprons with both the flap and corner up, with only the corner up, or with flap and corner turned down or “flowing free.” Master Masons are taught to wear their aprons flowing free if Fellow Crafts fold theirs, or folded if Fellow Crafts wear theirs unfolded. As a practical matter, Master Masons wear their aprons unfolded during lodge, regardless of how they may have been taught during the degree. In 1909 the Grand Lodge of North Carolina tried to change the manner of wearing aprons to unfolded for Master Masons and flap and corner up for Fellow Crafts. The resolution failed, but the change was eventually implemented when their current cipher ritual was adopted.
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