Current Interest

Current Interest
~ May-June 2006~

Supreme Council Announces Member Services Department

SGC Ronald A. Seale, 33°, has appointed Ill. Dean R. Alban, 33°, (photo right) as Director of Member Services, succeeding Ill. S. Brent Morris, 33°, G.C., who is now Managing Editor of the Scottish Rite Journal. Ill. Alban has taken on the task of looking for innovative ways for the Supreme Council to work with Grand Lodges for the betterment of Masonry in general the Scottish Rite in particular. Stronger Grand Lodges and better educated Master Masons can only benefit the Scottish Rite!

The innovative practice of inserting Grand Lodge newsletters into the Scottish Rite Journal, first tried with the Grand Lodge of Maryland, has been well received. Many Grand Lodges are exploring the opportunity to use this new and effective tool. Among them are New Mexico, Louisiana, Kentucky, Florida, and South Carolina.

The Department is developing a tool that will allow Grand Lodges to accept address changes and e-mail addresses over the internet based upon the technology already in use by the Supreme Council for the past two years. Grand Lodges can use this update software to maintain a current mailing list as a stand-alone application or in conjunction with the newsletter insert service.

Ill. Thomas Velvin, 33°, IT Consultant for the Grand Lodge of Maryland, has worked closely with Membership Services and with Tammy Fannin and the staff of the Supreme Council Computer Services Department as the membership update system is launched. Bro. Velvin hopes to receive address changes, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of at least 25% of the Masons in Maryland in support of inserting their newsletter in the Scottish Rite Journal.

Membership Services is exploring other ways to assist our members. For example, many Scottish Rite Masons have requested the ability to receive educational lectures and audio broadcasts over the Internet. Equally important are web sites with up-to-date content, interactive forums, surveys, and questionnaires. These services will be important as the public’s interest increases with movies and books sensationalizing the facts and fictions of Freemasonry. For more information on these exciting projects, you can contact Ill. Alban at dalban@srmason-sj.org.

For more news and information about these services, please visit http://www.srmason-sj.org/web/members.htm.

TSRHC in Dallas Will Host 2006 RiteCare Conference

Speech-language pathologists, dyslexia specialists and clinic leaders will have the opportunity to soar at the 2006 RiteCare Conference. They will collaborate on strategies that could help improve children’s communication and encourage them to reach for the sky despite barriers and challenges they may face.

The 2006 RiteCare is scheduled for Sept. 29-30 in Dallas. This year’s theme is “Take Flight: The Sky Is The Limit!” Hosted by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), the RiteCare Conference will focus on research-based interventions and current clinical issues that will prepare educators and clinicians for the improved treatment of children with speech, language and learning disorders. Participants will also enjoy learning opportunities geared to clinic efficiency and fundraising.

The conference will be held at The Westin City Center Dallas and is open to clinicians, speech-language pathologists, reading and learning specialists, clinic directors and Scottish Rite Masons. Conference registration and hotel reservations are requested by Aug. 31. Hotel accommodations may be made by calling (866) 837-4246. For more information about the conference, call TSRHC at (214) 559-7816 or visit the events calendar on the hospital’s web site at www.tsrhc.org.

Joseph E. Alexander, 33°, Appointed Deputy in Idaho

SGC Ronald A. Seale appointed Joseph E. Alexander, 33°, as Deputy in Idaho succeeding Gary W. West, 33°, SGIG. Ill. Alexander was born October 11, 1953, into a Masonic family. His father was a 50-year member and several times Past Master of his lodge and a 33° Inspector General Honorary. His brother has received the 33rd Degree and is a two-time Past Master of Eagle Rock Lodge No. 19. His two sisters and mother are members of Henrietta Chapter No. 21, Order of the Eastern Star. He has several Uncles on his mother’s side active in Idaho lodges. Masonry in Deputy Alexander’s family is truly a way of life.

He is a 1987 graduate of Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, with an Associate of Applied Sciences degree and has received a Certificate of Completion from Idaho State University, Vocational Technical School, Pocatello, Idaho, in Electronics Technology and Laser Technology. For the past 28 years Ill. Alexander has been employed at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Laboratory in Idaho working for several prime contractors who have held the operations contract. At present he is an engineer with Battelle Energy Alliance responsible for advising DOE-Headquarters in Washington, D.C., and other DOE Operation Offices regarding physical security system issues and for performing physical security surveys at many DOE/Contractor sites.

Deputy Alexander’s first introduction into the Masonic family was his initiation into Charles F. Kirchner DeMolay Chapter in Pocatello, Idaho, where he held several appointive offices. He was initiated an Entered Apprentice Mason on December 18, 1974, at age 18 in American Falls Lodge No. 58 in American Falls, Idaho. He later demitted and affiliated with Eagle Rock Lodge No. 19, serving as Worshipful Master in 1988. He was District Deputy Grand Master of the Second Masonic District in 1989 and 1990 and was installed as Grand Master of Idaho in 2002.

He holds membership in the Scottish Rite Bodies in the Valley of Pocatello and is the director of the 18th and 32nd Degrees and a cast member of the 15th, 21st, and 32nd Degrees. He has served the Pocatello Valley as presiding officer of all four bodies, was invested with the KCCH in 1985, and was coroneted a 33° in 1995.

Deputy Alexander is also a member of Henrietta Chapter No. 21, Order of the Eastern Star and has served as Worthy Patron three times. For many years he has been Director of Finance for Job’s Daughters Bethel No. 47 and is presently the Assistant Executive Officer in Region III for Idaho DeMolay. The Order of DeMolay honored him with their Legion of Honor and elected him an honorary member of the International Supreme Council.

Joe married Leslie Clark in Idaho Falls on September 12, 1981. She is Past Honored Queen and Bethel Guardian of Bethel No. 22, Idaho Falls, presently serving as Guardian Treasurer of Bethel 47, and is a member of Henrietta Chapter No. 21, Order of the Eastern Star. They have three daughters: Rachel; Heidi; and Amanda, all three of whom have served as Honored Queen of Bethel No. 47.

Hugh W. Gill III, 33°, Appointed Deputy in Kansas

Ill. Hugh W. Gill III, 33°, was appointed Deputy in Kansas by SGC Ronald A. Seale to succeed Thomas J. Raum, Jr., 33°, SGIG. Deputy Gill attended Wichita State University, where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, and received a BA in accounting in 1967. He then entered service in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1972, serving in Viet Nam from 1969 to 1970, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, and retiring with the rank of Captain. He returned to Wichita State University and received an MBA in Finance in 1985. He has worked as an accountant and in insurance sales; from 1979 to 2005 he was a financial analyst for the Boeing Co. and since then a financial analyst for Spirit Aerosystems, the successor to Boeing.

His son, Hugh W. IV, is a lawyer; his daughter, Taylor, has a Ph.D. in pharmacology and is head of the cardiac care department of St. Francis Hospital in Wichita; and his son, Tanner, is a student. Ill. Gill is a member of the College Hill United Methodist Church, a Little League baseball coach, a United States Gymnastics Federation certified coach, and is active in country western and west coast swing dancing.

Ill. Gill became a Master Mason in 1968 in Albert Pike Lodge No. 303, the largest lodge in the world, was installed Worshipful Master in 1979, the first legacy Master in the lodge, and served as Treasurer from 1986 to 1995. He became a 32° Master of the Royal Secret in 1968, is active in over a dozen degrees, received the rank and decoration of KCCH in 1975, and was coroneted a 33° in 1987. He has served as presiding officer of three of the Scottish Rite bodies in Wichita.

Five generations of his family have been active in the Wichita Scottish Rite: great-grandfather, I.W. Gill, 33°, past Potentate of Midian Shrine; grandfather, Hugh W. Sr., 33°, past Master of Albert Pike Lodge No. 303; father, Hugh W. Jr., KCCH; himself, now Deputy for Kansas; and son, Hugh W. IV, KCCH and Jr. Deacon of Albert Pike Lodge No. 303. He was District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Kansas in 1983, Area Deputy Grand Master in 1984 and 1985, and Grand Tiler in 1988.

His membership in other Masonic bodies includes the Knight Templars and Midian Shrine, where he serves on the Ceremonial Divan Degree Team. He was Chapter Advisor to Bester G. Brown Chapter of DeMolay and has received the DeMolay Honorary Legion of Honor.

William F. Stovall, 33°, Appointed Deputy in California

Following the retirement of H. Douglas Lemons, 33°, SGIG in California, SGC Ronald A. Seale appointed William F. Stovall, 33°, as Deputy in California. Ill. Stovall was born December 26, 1932, and raised in Long Beach, California. He attended Long Beach City College, served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict, and completed his AA degree in business after returning there from the Air Force. He continued his education with a bachelors degree in finance from California State University, Long Beach, and a masters degree in public administration from the University of Southern California (USC). He is a graduate of the Delinquency Control Institute, USC, and the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, and taught in the History and Government Department at Long Beach City College for nine years.

Deputy Stovall served thirty years with the Long Beach Police Department, retiring in 1987 as Deputy Chief of Police. During those years he also served as Long Beach Assistant Fire Chief and Long Beach City Personnel Services officer. In 1990 he was honored as “Chief of Police of the Year” by the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO. Among his many civic activities he was President of the Long Beach Optimist Club, President of the Community Rehabilitation Industries, member of the Board of Governors of the Long Beach YMCA, Vice President of the Retired Police and Fire Association of America, and a life member of American Legion Post No. 496.

Ill. Stovall was raised a Master Mason on September 16, 1967, in Queen Beach Lodge No. 540, Long Beach, served as Worshipful Master in 1972 and 1976, and is now a member of Long Beach Lodge No. 327. In 1994 he was elected and installed as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California. While in that office he introduced the Masonic Model Student Assistance Training Program. He was awarded the medallion of Mason of the Year by the Grand Lodge of the State of Washington in 2002.

He became a 32° Master of the Royal Secret in 1973 and served the Valley of Long Beach as Venerable Master in 1981. He received the KCCH in 1979 and was coroneted a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1983. He has been the SGIG’s Personal Representative, Vice President and Advisor to the Long Beach Childhood Language Disorders Center, and a Director of the California Scottish Rite Foundation.

His other Masonic memberships include the York Rite, El Bekal Shriners, Red Cross of Constantine, Allied Masonic Degrees, Southern California Research Lodge, Long Beach Masonic Club, Royal Order of Scotland, Masonic Rosicrucians, National Sojourners, Heroes of ’76, Southern California Past Masters Association, and the Hi-Twelve Club. He is a recipient of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

Bill and Beverly, his wife of 53 years, make their home in Crestline, California, in the San Bernardino Mountains. They are the parents of two sons, two daughters, eleven grandchildren, and eleven great-grand children.

International Conference on the History of Freemasonry: May 25–27, 2007

Edinburgh, Scotland, will host the International Conference on the History of Freemasonry May 25–27, 2007, at Freemasons’ Hall, George Street, Edinburgh. The conference looks promising as it will be held under the Patronage of Sir Archibald D. Orr Ewing, Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason, The Grand Lodge of Scotland, the Marquess of Northampton, Most Worshipful Pro Grand Master, The United Grand Lodge of England, and Eric N. Waller, Most Worshipful Grand Master, The Grand Lodge of Ireland, and with the support of The Centre for Research into Freemasonry, University of Sheffield, Centre interdisciplinaire bordelais d’étude des lumières, Université de Bordeaux III, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris IV, Sorbonne, and Interdisciplinary Research Group Freemasonry, Free University of Brussels. With backing like that, how can it fail? This sounds like the perfect opportunity to visit Scotland, visit the Grand Lodge, and experience a gathering of Masonic world class Masonic historians. Make your reservations now!

We will bring you more details of this exciting conference, but there are a few points you should know now. If you want to present a paper, send a proposal by email to ICHFpapers@glasconf.demon.co.uk before May 20, 2006. Late proposals will not be accepted. All proposals will be subject to anonymous peer review, and the outcome of the review of all the proposals will be announced by July 31, 2006. For general inquiries about the International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, email ICHF@glasconf.demon.co.uk. The conference organizer is Northern Networking Events, 1 Tennant Ave, College Milton South, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Scotland G74 5NA, www.northernnetworking.co.uk/events.asp, Tel + 44 (0) 1355 244966, Fax + 44 (0) 1355 249959.

1926 Sciots Photograph Found

We received a response to John Karnes’ article, “Sciots: Boosting One Another for 101 Years,” in the March-April 2006 Scottish Rite Journal. Dr. Gary G. Parks, 32°, Supreme Scribe of the Ancient Egyptian Order of Sciots sent in a photograph of a unique Sciots meeting. Bro. Parks said, “This is Long Beach Pyramid No. 43 visiting the USS New Mexico while it was in Long Beach harbor in 1926. This photo was found last year with much damage, and through the efforts of Chuck Bruggeman, P.P. and Scribe of LB No. 43 he was able to save it.”

Ill. Ned Elvin Wick, 33°, Grand Cross, 1928–2005

Illustrious Ned Elvin Wick, 33°, Grand Cross, passed away on September 19, 2005, at his home in Rapid City, South Dakota. He was born in Middletown, Ohio, on March 20, 1928, and spent most of his life in the San Francisco Bay area and in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Bro. Wick was married to Lola Wisley of San Anselmo, California, on March 27, 1954, until her death in 2002. He married Helen Walsh on October 8, 2003.

He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, worked on the Manhattan project, and saw combat in the Korean Conflict. He received a B.S. degree from Miami University of Ohio and had a Masters of Education. Ill. Wick’s professional career was very diverse. He was a teacher, a high school principal, a golf professional, a golf resort developer, and a hotel manager. He was the coordinator of the Travel Industries Management programs and the Author in Residence at Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota. He was a TV host, a Christian counselor, and Chaplain at the VA Black Hills Health Care System in Ft. Meade, S.D.

Ill. Wick was very active in the Masonic Fraternity. He was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in Mt. Rushmore Lodge No. 220, Rapid City, S.D., and joined Black Hills Consistory, Deadwood, S.D., in 1956. He received the rank and decoration of a Knight Commander of the Court of Honour in 1967, was coroneted a 33° Inspector General Honorary in 1975, and received the Grand Cross in 1999. He received the Legion of Honor from DeMolay and was a Past Master Councilor. He was Associate Guardian of Bethel No. 4, Job’s Daughters, Past Associate Grand Patron of South Dakota, and Past Potentate of Naja Shriners.

Freemasonry Q & A
When did the square and compasses with the letter G
become the emblem of Freemasonry?

To start off, it’s not the emblem of Freemasonry. The square and compasses are now nearly universal, but the letter G is mostly used in the U.S. Lots of early examples of the square, compasses, and G exist, some illustrated in the catalogs of the NMJ’s National Heritage Museum. In 1796 G.M. Paul Revere presented the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts a gilded brass square, compasses, G, and cabletow (photo right) for use on the altar bible. It was probably cast in his brass foundry. Item 10, Masonic Symbols in American Decorative Arts (Lexington, Mass.: Museum of Our National Heritage, 1976). The museum has an English creamware plate from 1820–30, with a square, compasses, and G around the border. Item 106, Masonic Symbols. The square and compasses were widely used together during the 1700s and 1800s as a design motif, and it was towards the latter century that the G was regularly added, usually by American artists.