Michael A. Buchan, 32°
1288 Private Road 4032, Dime Box, Texas 77853-5088

Recently, Bro. Michael A. Buchan, 32° (in white apron), was a special guest at the Centenary Meeting of New Century Lodge No. 2860, held in Freemasons Hall in London, England.

The invitation to be a special guest at the Centenary Meeting of New Century Lodge No. 2860 in London was a pleasant surprise. The letter went on to say that a history of the Lodge was being written and that my previous visits to the Lodge-one in 1944, the other in 1994-were to be featured. The Centenary Meeting would be held in Freemasons Hall on October 1, 2001.

As a young Mason, then an American sailor in London during World War II, I had stumbled into that huge edifice. It was a wonderful fraternal visit. Even then, I envisioned someday returning to attend a meeting there. Fifty-seven years later, on October 1, 2001, the dream of an old Mason became reality!

The meeting was attended by 170 Brethren in a Lodge Room with four tiers of seats on either side. Highlights were the consecration of the Centenary Banner, recognition of special visitors, the rendition of a short history of the Lodge, and an oration by the Grand Chaplain. A banquet followed, held about a mile away in the elegant Stationers Hall that was built in 1673. The menu featured lobster bisque, rack of lamb, and braised leeks. Post horn trumpeters provided a traditional entertainment. Following the numerous toasts and responses, many of the Brethren lined up to shake my hand, some in addition giving me a warm hug, in a grand display of Masonic Brotherhood.

Now, tucked away in my collection of Masonic memories, there will always be the resounding six-part harmony of 170 voices singing the opening and closing hymns at Lodge being held in a magnificent Masonic setting-that and the total amazement of finding a photograph of an article I had written for the Scottish Rite Journal in 1992, complete with my World War II picture in Navy uniform, spread across the centerfold of a beautifully written, high-quality history celebrating the Lodge's centennial!