A Publication of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction

National Heritage Museum Opens New Exhibit

Museum staff positions the Yellowstone coach for exhibit.

“The Western Pursuit of the American Dream,” based on the outstanding collections of Kenneth W. Rendell, opened this summer at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. The exhibition at the Scottish Rite museum tells a story of the nation’s expansion and the many and varied characters who pushed the frontier westward.

Rendell’s collection features a first edition copy of the History of the Expedition of Lewis and Clark, letters and diaries of the pioneers, and personal accounts of trappers and traders.

On display are gold gathered by forty-niners, a gun owned by Sitting Bull, a Sioux dance rattle, and sculptures by Frederic Remington.

Greeting the visitor is the showpiece of the presentation. The largest object in the collection is a nine-passenger open coach, once used to transport tourists through Yellowstone National Park.

In conjunction with the start of the exhibit were a series of lectures on related topics, including the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and the Homestead Act.

The exhibit opened on July 17 and will continue its run through April 24, 2005.

Learning Center Accreditation

The 32° Masonic Learning Centers for Children, Inc., passed a major milestone this spring as it received IMSLEC accreditation for its training program. IMSLEC, which stands for International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council, was formed to measure certain criteria for instructional programs dealing with various learning disabilities.

The Northern Jurisdiction currently operates 46 centers to help children overcome the effects of dyslexia.

In May the IMSLEC board of directors voted for full accreditation, citing that there are no areas of non-compliance and the “program exceeds all acceptable levels of quality assurance, education level, and data recording.”

The program is due to be re-evaluated in three years and every five years after that.

Subscriptions to The Northern Light

The Northern Light is published in February, May, August, and November and is mailed to all Scottish Rite members in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. For all others the subscription rate is $10 per year ($20 outside U.S. domestic mail limits). Checks should be made payable to The Northern Light, and mailed to PO Box 519, Lexington, MA 02420-0519.