Des
Moines Scottish Rite Masonic Center Celebrates 75 Years
The
Des Moines Scottish Rite Masonic Center is 75 years old this
year. The building was dedicated December 2, 1927. Then Grand
Commander, Ill. John H. Cowles 33°, participated in the
dedication ceremony. Before coming to Des Moines, he wrote:
"It is my pleasure to preside and not my pleasure to make
a speech." He was true to his word.
During the planning stages, the building committee made a trip
to St. Louis to view the Temple that had just been completed
there. Some of the features, such as the bronze front doors
of the St. Louis Temple, were incorporated in the Des Moines
Temple.
The tall column theme on the front of the Des Moines building
is continued in the main auditorium that also has a circular
row of columns done in a process described as scagliola-now
almost a lost art. Scagliola results in the appearance of solid
marble, but it is not. The columns on the front of the building
are of Indiana Bedford Limestone, and the pieces of stone are
set on top of each other with such precision that they look
like one large piece of stone. The Des Moines Temple was valued
at more than $700,000 at the time of construction. Despite the
intervening "Great Depression," the loan for construction
was paid off in 1942. At the Center's dedication, Grand Commander
Cowles described the building as one of the finest Masonic buildings
in the country. The Des Moines Bodies are planning to hold a
special banquet celebration at their Fall Reunion to honor the
75-year anniversary.
Brother
Elliott B. Samuels, 32°, K.C.C.H., Installed As National
President, National Sojourners, Inc.
Bro.
Elliott B. Samuels, 32°, K.C. C.H., was installed in appropriate
ceremonies as the National President of National Sojourners,
Inc., on Friday, June 7, 2002, during the 82nd Annual Convention
held in Mobile, Alabama.
Brother Samuels served in the United States Army in the Corps
of Engineers (1944-1970). His assignments included combat, construction,
mapping, and intelligence units. He was awarded the Legion of
Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation
Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal with Palm.
Raised in Dallas Lodge No. 760, Dallas, Texas, on December
30, 1955, he received his 32° in the Orient of Canal Zone
in 1964 and was invested with rank and decoration of Knight
Commander Court of Honour in 1997. He served as Venerable Master,
Lodge of Perfection in 2000.
In the York Rite, he is a member of Army Chapter No. 393, the
Army Council No. 411, and the Allied Masonic Degree, Army No.
313, of San Antonio, Texas.
Brother Samuels was initiated into National Sojourners, Inc.,
in Panama Chapter No. 35, Canal Zone, in 1963 and a Hero of
'76 in George Goethals Camp in 1964. He served as Secretary
of Panama Chapter for two years and as President of Fort Riley
Chapter No. 321 in 1966. He also served as President of Inchon
Chapter No. 351 in 1968 and as Commander of Wilmi Do Camp, Heroes
of '76 in 1968. He next served as President of Polaris Chapter
No. 369 in 1975 and is now a member of Fort Sam Houston Chapter
No. 17.
Prior to serving in the national line, he served on the National
Membership Committee, the Committee of 33, and as the Convention
Manager for the 1999 Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Bro. Samuels and his wife Elizabeth live in San Antonio, Texas.
They have two sons, Mark, a Master Sergeant, U. S. Marine Corps,
and Keith, a Captain in the U. S. Army Reserves.
Brother
Roy E. Harper, 32°, Wins Life Membership
In The Scottish Rite
Bro.
Roy Emmit Harper, 32°, a member of Beckley No. 95, Beckley,
West Virginia, and the Raleigh- Fayette Scottish Rite Club,
is pictured above being presented with an Endowed Life Membership,
Valley of Charleston, West Virginia, by Ill. Jim J. Crawford,
Sr., 33°, Personal Representative in Charleston.
Brother Roy started working on this program as soon as it was
announced in April 2002 by Ill. Crawford. The program is as
follows. Any Scottish Rite member in good standing, who is top-line
signer on 12 Scottish Rite petitions in a 12-month period or
25 Scottish Rite petitions in a lifetime, will be presented
with an Endowed Life Membership in the Scottish Rite. This Life
Membership has a $500 value and pays the member's dues for the
rest of his life. After his passing, this money continues to
benefit the Scottish Rite as if he were alive and paying dues.
The money is invested in an endowment fund with a guaranteed
and insured interest rate. The principal in the account can
never be touched, but the interest can be used to fund Scottish
Rite activities.
If you plan on paying 10 more years dues or if you would like
to help the Scottish Rite even after your passing, this is a
wonderful way to do so. Also, presenting a Life Membership is
a wonderful way for a Brother, spouse, relative, or friend to
honor a Brother. For information on how your Valley can establish
similar special Life Membership programs, contact Ill. S. Brent
Morris, 33°, G.C., Director of Membership Development, 1733
16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009-3103, 202- 232-3579, bmorris@srmason-sj.org.
Submitted by Ill. Gary J. Frame, 33°,
Secretary, Valley of Charleston, West Virginia
Memorial
Monument To Ill. Audie L. Murphy, 33°
Tragically,
on May 28, 1971, Ill. Audie Leon Murphy, 33°, World War
II hero, movie star, and member of the Valley of Long Beach,
California, died in an airplane crash in the mountains of southwest
Virginia. A memorial monument (photo left) is near the crash
site. The following text is deeply inscribed on the monument's
slanting surface: "Audie Leon Murphy, June 20, 1924, May
28, 1971. Born in Kingston, Texas, died near this site in an
airplane crash. America's most decorated veteran of World War
II, he served in the European Theatre- 15th Infantry Regiment-3rd
Infantry Division, and earned 24 decorations, including the
Medal of Honor, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Cross,
and three Purple Hearts. He was survived by his wife, Pamela,
and two sons, Terry Michael and James Shannon. Erected 1974
by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 5311, Christiansburg,
Virginia."
Submitted by Bro. George E. Dewese, 32°,
K.C.C.H.
Roanoke, Virginia, Scottish Rite Bodies
Virginia
Retirement Village Honors Its Masonic Club
In honor of their members of the Masonic Square Club, Greenspring
Village, a retirement community in Springfield, Virginia, recently
donated $500 to the Dedicatory Tree Program at the George Washington
Masonic National Memorial (GWMNM) in Alexandria, Virginia. The
money will be used as part of a program to replace damaged trees
and to beautify landscaping on the historically significant
grounds surrounding the Memorial.
| Ill. Robert L. Augustad,
33°, President of the Masonic Square Club of Greenspring
Village, a retirement community in Spring-field, Virginia,
holds a plaque presented to Greenspring Village by Bro.
George D. Seghers, 32°, Executive Secretary- Treasurer,
George Washington Masonic National Memorial, in recognition
of the community's support of the Memorial. |
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"The Masons at Greenspring Village are a symbolic group,"
according to club president Ill. Robert L. Augustad, 33°,
Valley of Alexandria. "What we hold in common is our trust
in the Supreme Being, but we are not a religious group."
Each month about 20 Masons who reside in Greenspring Village
gather for a meeting. Although the men may be members of various
Lodges and belong to different Masonic Rites or Orders, they
have two things in common: their sense of Masonic fraternity
and their membership in the Greenspring Village community.
Modern Freemasons also hold in common a commitment to doing
good works. Ill. Augustad cites many links through the various
Lodges and other Masonic groups represented at Greenspring Village.
They are involved with projects such as coordinating ID programs
where children are fingerprinted and DNA hair samples are filed
for preventative safety concerns; scholarships; local transportation
programs to take children to free Shriners Hospitals; and working
with area colleges in providing speech therapy for children
through the Scottish Rite's RiteCare Childhood Language Program.
Freemasons completed the familiar 333-foot GWMNM tower, which
sits one mile from the Potomac River in Alexandria, in 1932.
The structure expresses "faith in the principles of civil
and religious liberty and stable and orderly government which
were so well portrayed in the character and life of George Washington."
Reprinted with permission from Retirement
News, Springfield Village (July 2002)
Scottish
Knight Masons Boost The Rite In Fort Scott, Kansas
The
Scottish Knights of Saint Andrew, Fort Scott Chapter, presented
awards to the Knights Minor League Baseball team on Saturday,
August 3, 2002, during the Scottish Knights Family Picnic, held
at Gunn Park, in Fort Scott, Kansas.
Bro. Charles M. Parker, 32°, the Venerable Master of the
Scottish Knights, and Bro. Keith A. Jeffers, 32°, Executive
Secretary for the Scottish Rite Masons of the Valley of Fort
Scott, made the presentations and awarded certificates to the
winners. Representative awards were Golden Glove for outstanding
players, Team Heart for the boy most fun to be with, Most Valuable
Player, Most Improved Player, and Bat Boy/Girl awards.
The family picnic is a first for the Scottish Knights of Saint
Andrew, Fort Scott Chapter. It was attended by several Scottish
Knights families and the families of the Little League baseball
team that the Knights sponsor. Also in attendance were members
and Advisors from the Rising Sun DeMolay Chapter, the Masonic
youth group that is sponsored by Rising Sun Masonic Lodge and
the Scottish Knights, including Bro. Harry W. "Buck"
Fisher, 32°, who is also an Advisor for Bestor G. Brown
DeMolay Chapter in Wichita, Kansas.
Despite the extreme heat of the day, the families enjoyed barbecue,
hotdogs, salads, and desserts. Bro. Parker, who is a professional
clown known as "Buckee," with his wife Linda, whose
clown name is "Lucky," performed several clown skits
with the guests getting involved as well. Games with water balloons
were very much enjoyed by the children present.
Chartered in Fort Scott on February 6, 1999, the Scottish Knights
of Saint Andrew is a new organization of 32° Masons dedicated
to helping widows and orphans and to assisting the Order wherever
or however needed. All Scottish Knight activities are open to
the wives and families of the members, and as Knights the group
is permitted to march in parades, do public works, and to be
visible representatives of the Scottish Rite in the community.
Upon invitation, Knights are ready to participate in parades
or area events and to provide an honor guard for the American
flag. They provide an interesting sight as several of the members
wear Scottish kilts, in the Black Watch Tartan and the Campbell
Sir Walter Scott or Black Watch Ancient Tartan. Congratulations,
Knights, on making the Scottish Rite visible in the community
and increasing public awareness of our Order.
Richmond,
Virginia, Yard Sale Benefits RiteCare Center
The
Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center at Richmond, Inc., held
a yard sale July 4, 2002, to raise funds for the speech and
hearing program. Volunteers and bargain-seekers alike flocked
to the Scottish Rite Temple during the early morning hours in
search of new treasures.
Throughout the year, donations were collected
for the sale and stored until the week before the event. Sale
merchandise included appliances, holiday items, furniture, jewelry,
children's toys, exercise equipment, bicycles, and much more.
Proceeds totaled $3,000, and many happy customers left content
with their new purchases. Feeding the masses, Bro. Charles A.
Longest, 32°, and Bro. F. Briggs Elliott, 32°, K.C.C.H.,
prepared a delicious eat-in or take-out barbecue meal.
The success of any event is due to the time and
talents of your work force. A special note of thanks is given
to Mrs. Barbara Wilkinson, wife of Judge James B. Wilkinson,
33°, G.C., Orient Personal Representative, who worked tirelessly
day and night to get the job done. She and members of her committee
helped move items from storage, organize the displays, and price
the merchandise. Thank you all for a job well done!
California
Valleys Add Savings Bond To JROTC Award
The
Supreme Council's JROTC Education and Americanism Award continues
to be very popular across the Southern Jurisdiction. In addition
to the medal, ribbon, and certificate supplied by the Supreme
Council, some Valleys are including a $50 or $100 U.S. Savings
Bond as part of the award. For instance, Commander, SC, USN
(Ret) Louis E. Vann, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Ventura, California,
presented a U.S. Savings Bond, as part of the award, to Cadet/Lt.
Matthew Thompson, a member of the Hueneme Hugh School Navy JROTC,
Oxnard, California. Similarly, the Valley of Bakersfield, California,
presented sets of medals, ribbons, and certificates along with
U.S. Savings Bonds to each of five local JROTC Cadets. Awards
were also given to the Air Force JROTC at Oxnard High School,
Oxnard, California.
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 your local Valley Secretary.
Ill.
Jay L. McMaster, 33°, Receives College Degree At Age 82
On
May 11, 2002, Ill. Jay L. McMaster, 33°, climbed the steps
to the stage at Concordia University's gymnasium to collect
his college diploma. It's been a long time coming. Ill. McMaster,
a Lincoln, Nebraska, businessman, is 82. He is a valued member
of the Valley of Lincoln and still active in Degree work as
well as a Board Member of the Lincoln Scottish Rite Preservation
Foundation. "The degree is kind of an ego trip," he
says, "I wanted to get it done."
A longtime veteran of the local realty market, Ill. McMaster
got his start in business while still a high-school student
when he bought a house at an auction for about $1,000. After
sprucing it up, he rented it out for $25 a month. Today, he
heads McMaster Co. Real Estate and is landlord to 356 tenants
in the Lincoln area.
Ill. McMaster spent several years at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln before departing to the Aleutian Islands in 1942. He
returned to Lincoln after a three-year stint in the Air Force,
but he didn't return to the classroom. Instead, he picked up
where he left off, buying homes, fixing them up, and renting
or selling them.
But he never got his college degree, until now.
For 18 months, McMaster spent his Thursday evenings in a Lincoln
classroom with about five other students in order to get his
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management. His homework
required between 10 and 12 hours a week, and he became "quite
an inspiration to a lot of people and a joy to his teachers,"
according to Nancy Elwell, Director of the Concordia University
Department of Lifelong Learning.
Ill. McMaster heard about the program, a 46-credit-hour regimen
known as the Degree Completion Program, through a local radio
advertisement and decided to give it a shot. Meanwhile, the
Internet also has boosted the program beyond Nebraska and even
the borders of the United States. A majority of the program's
classes are now available online. "It's really starting
to spread and has opened up a whole new world to a lot of people,"
Elwell says, "in part because the program gives students
credit not just for prior college classes but also for lifetime
experience." For instance, Ill. McMaster received credit
for his military service and his teaching of real estate classes
in the area. According to Ill. Bro. McMaster, "It's been
well worth it." Certainly, his experience proves that it
is never too late to learn or to achieve your dreams.
Reprinted with permission, edited for this
publication, from an article by Lisa Bennett in the Lincoln,
Nebraska, Journal Star (04-28-02)
House
Of The Temple Hosts Community Garden
Washington, D.C., has a long tradition of community gardens
dating back to World War II when Congress voted to have Victory
Gardens on the Mall as part of the war effort. The Temple Garden
began in 1990 when the Supreme Council partitioned a large section
of its property as a community garden. Since then, the Council
has worked with its neighbors to give urban gardeners an opportunity
to use their skills. Hundreds of area residents, whose gardening
efforts had been confined to planting tomatoes in pots on their
balconies, have enjoyed "farming" individual plots.
The garden has been such a success and has had such an overwhelmingly
positive response from area residents that this year its size
was doubled. Sixty-five local residents now belong to the Temple
Garden Club.
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Temple gardeners
enjoy a summer picnic.
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Maggie Meitzler, longtime gardener and president of the Temple
Garden Club, recently said, "Area residents are aware of
the Scottish Rite's charitable mission, and the gardeners know
firsthand of the Council's generosity. Everyone in the neighborhood
eventually stops by the garden and is amazed that such a place
exists within 10 blocks of the White House."
The garden hosted by the Supreme Council is the type of community
outreach every local Scottish Rite Valley should consider. Such
efforts can bring a high, positive profile to our Order in your
community.
