Masonic Tribune
A quarterly News and Information Publication of:
Grand Lodge OF WASHINGTON
FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS
Musical Selections
See Grand Master’s Article
& Music Embellishes Masonic Experience
VOLUME XCIV No.3 - Spring 2014 ISSUE
Editorial Note:
Grand Master’s Message .......................... 3
Deputy Grand Master & By-laws ............... 4 ith this issue we are in the far turn in the Grand Lodge
WYear, and with it the next-to-last in our publication sched-
Senior Grand Warden & Public Schools .... 5 ule for the Masonic Year.
Junior Grand Warden & LR Planning ........ 6 As I have traveled to District Meetings and other functions I
have encouraged the submission of articles from Lodges and
Grand Secretary & Insurance .................... 7 Districts. We are beginning to see submissions trickle in but
would like to see more. A LOT more.
Grand Lecturer & GL of Alaska ................ 8 This is a collaborative effort between the committee members
In this Issue
and the Brethren of the Jurisdiction. The Tribune is only as
Grand Chaplain ......................................... 9 good as you help us make it. We encourage you to use this
publication as one means for telling your story, and the PR
Time Capsule & Music Embellishes .......... 10 Committee is working on other tools for your use.
A Presentation ........................................... 11 Please note the deadlines below, and that we request sub-
missions come to the committee by the first of the month. Our
District Nos. 2 & 3 Reports ....................... 12 deadline is the tenth of the month. Make your submissions
to VWB Steve Pennington at [email protected], AND
VWB Jim Kendall at [email protected].
District Nos. 5, 9 & 13 Reports .................. 13
Our production schedule is fairly tight, so please do your best-
District No. 20 & 22 Report ........................ 14 to meet our published deadlines. Spring Issue - February 10,
and the Summer Issue - May 10. Late submissions will not be
District No. 24 Report ................................ 15 accepted due to the production schedule.
District Nos. 26 & 30 Reports .................... 16 Fraternally,
Committee Reports ..................................... 17 VWB Jim Kendall, Chairman
Public Relations Committee
Junior Grand Warden Candidates ............. 18
Junior Grand Warden Candidates ............. 19
Masonic Outreach Services....................... 20
Charitable Programs.................................. 21
Masonic Travel Report............................... 22
Public Relations & Youth Committee ........ 23
Directory Services ..................................... 24
The Masonic Tribune is an official publication of Grand Lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington.
Public Relations Committee:
VWB Jim Kendall, Chairman
For convenience in the navigation please read-me first: VWB Steven L. Pennington VWB Duane “Dutch” Meier
WB Christopher E. Huntley Bro Roger B. Nelson Jr.
This PDF is an interactive document. There are several links in the
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messaging or to a designated URL in a website. Please try to move
over your pointing device cursor to a name, e-mail address or link to This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or in
part without the permission of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
see if they are active links. Enjoy! Please don’t hesitate to send us Masons of Washington.
your feedback to let us know your thoughts about your experience
with the document. Thank you. Liability: While every care is taken in the preparation of this publica-
tion, neither the publisher nor the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted
Masons of Washington can be held responsible for the accuracy of the
G. Santy Lascano information herein, or any consequence arising from it.
Visual Communications + Graphics
Publication Layout Designer Article submission deadlines:
Summer Issue .............................................................................May 10
Fall Issue .......................................................................... September 10
Winter Issue....................................................................... December 10
Spring Issue..........................................................................February 10
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 3
State of the Fraternity
n thinking about what to talk about for my mes- work well enough, and that will be my cross to
Isage this month, I decided to use some external bear. But we are working the problems, and
inspiration, and talk about what has been happen- hope to have solutions in hand shortly, and will
ing in our fraternity in the past half year. As I said keep you appraised as the situation progress-
when I was installed as Grand Master, this is a es.
team effort, and we will succeed or fail as a team,
not as individuals. Let me tell you some about Finally, the Youth committee has scheduled an
where we have succeeded, and some about Invitational Golf Tournament to assist in fund-
where we have failed over the last of 2013. ing our Masonic Youth activities. As Youth
has been our charitable activity for the last two
In Mid-January, an ad-hoc committee I have been years, and after deciding to make the Schol-
Grand MASTER
working with, composed of WB Zane McCune arship Endowment fund this year’s charity, I
and WB Adam Creighton have finished a proj- was concerned about leaving these organiza-
MOST WORSHIPFUL Brother
Bruce E. Vesper music to accompany their ceremonies. This has significant amount of my own money to these
ect that I have long sought, namely a music CD
tions significantly less able to function that in
for the Lodges of this Jurisdiction to have some
previous years. To this end, I have donated a
been on the books for several years, but cost and
organizations, and asked the Youth Committee
composition have intruded to the point that it had
to put together a fund raising activity that will
to be significantly scaled back. But the efforts of
continue year after year, so that the Youth will
these two Brethren have allowed us to put togeth-
have the necessary funding to continue. I urge
er a good effort, and for just $10, your Lodge can
have a music CD that will allow any Brother to
youth by participating in this activity, either as
play appropriate music for all occasions, including
a part of a team playing in the tournament, as
national anthems, funeral dirges, and just some each of you and your Lodges to help support
a sponsor, or by making a contribution to our
meditative music for those interludes when the youth. As you can well imagine, these will be
Deacons are collecting the passwords or the Mar- the Masons and their families of tomorrow, and
shal is escorting the Chaplain to the altar. These I dare say, they will remember the support they
can be purchased from any of the Elected GL Of- got (or didn’t) when it comes time to join the
ficers, when you see one of us, as well as from fraternity in the future.
the GL Office, by contacting the staff. I hope this
fills a void that I have seen in so many Lodges. There are a number of additional items that
However, let me also say that I still prefer having are successes or failures that I will be talking
a real Musician over the CD, but sometimes, you about when I address the Brethren at the An-
just have to do what you can. nual Communication that is coming up in June
in Wenatchee, but these are some items that I
As many have learned to their frustration, the think needed to be discussed at this time, so
makeover of the GL website has not gone as well, that all know what has (and hasn’t) happened.
as quickly, or as smoothly as we had hoped. The
need was obvious to those who regularly view Fraternally Submitted,
other websites, so that we could do sales of ma-
terials and such from our website, as well as be-
ing able to deal with new programming standards MWB Bruce E. Vesper
and needs that had made our previous site rather Grand Master
obsolete. After a long effort to screen and contact
a firm that could do what we needed, worked very
hard by the Technology committee, the company
that we chose turned out to be not what we had
been lead to believe, and they have not been at
all responsive to the fixes we need to make things
work properly. VWB Ray Zimmerman has worked
very long and hard to fix most of the worst prob-
lems, but we have finally decided to switch to a
different company and hope to fix these problems
in the near future. As Grand Master, I have to 3
shoulder the blame, as we didn’t do our home-
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 4
What a question, “Where are you?” By-Laws Committee
gain, I want to thank the Brother’s for giving our By-Laws Committee has been busy as
Ame the opportunity (excuse) to travel all over Ymany of you know. We have finally recom-
this Grand Jurisdiction. Vickie is a born tourist mended the approval of the By-Laws of the last
and we take great delight in visiting the Lodges, Lodge to complete the conversion to the revised
meeting the Brethren and their ladies. Never Form 28. It has been a long road. The members
wanting to be late and as the fellowship before of the Committee VWB Charles Davis and VWB
DEPUTY Grand MASTER
a meeting is always as good as the fellowship Alden Sarmiento have been very diligent in per-
after, we typically are very (very) early to arrive. forming their duties. To give you a sense of what
We are often early enough to visit a local restau- we have done this year, so far we have received
rant or coffee shop and meet the locals. and recommended approval of 100 sets of By-
Sam Roberts you know where the Masonic Lodge is?”, and plete their review within two days. If that were
Laws. They are sent to the members by e-mail
Imagine our disappointment when we ask, “Do
and over 95% of the time these Brothers, com-
the answer is, “No.” No one in the shop knows
not enough, 75% of the time, we have needed to
where, and some do know even who or what Ma-
contact the Lodge to have items corrected. In to-
sons are. I might understand if we were in some
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
tal, we have reviewed over 200 sets of By-Laws.
desolate, unmapped, forsaken local place where
the nearest civilization was light years away, but
that isn’t the case. This has happened to us in
has been completed, the new form 28 and form
Seattle neighborhoods and in communities small Now that the conversion to the updated Form
28A will be available soon. These forms sepa-
enough that everyone knows everyone else and rate the Lodge’s Standing Resolutions and listing
on one occasion, the building was practically of conditional bequests, gifts, etc. into separate
across the street. We’re not talking about her- documents. The Lodges do not need to perform
mits and the anti-social, but about business own- the ministerial task of splitting the current Form
ers, regular citizens and shoppers. Do we dare 28. Our Grand Master will be issuing an edict/
ask ourselves why the people around us don’t direction to the Grand Secretary to perform that
know that we exist? task for you. If you have not received it yet, you
On the other hand, when we are in the vicinity will in the near future.
of Lodges that are in the community with bikes
and scholarships, concerts, habitat, park clean- Most of the problems we identified were the
up, mall patrol, Masonic youth programs and etc, result of failing to follow the instructions for the
there are few that don’t know who the Masons form 28. One of the reasons we identified was
are and what they do for the community. Age having the instructions at the end of the form, so
is no barrier to helping at a food bank. Lodge they may have been missed. The new forms 28
Officers and Members alike can join in an after and 28A will have the instructions on the front of
school reading program or civic project. Lodge the form. If a Lodge is considering a change to
rooms are not so sacrosanct that they could not their By-Laws, we encourage you to contact any
be used for a community meeting or gathering member of the Committee to assist you in the
place for the dependents of our deployed mili- process.
tary. We have Lodges band together for soup
kitchens, standing beside city officials and emer- I would be remiss if I did not express my sin-
gency services personnel giving their time, their cere gratitude to Maryann Matthews. She tracks
Lodge building, their dollars and their hearts for the By-Laws as they are received by the Grand
their neighbors. You bet the people know who Lodge Office, forwards them to me and tracks
the Masons are and what they are doing. Are when the Committee recommends approval and
they doing anything you and your Lodge can’t when the Grand Master approves them.
do? Are they doing something your Lodge should The Committee appreciates
be doing? Get up, get out, get busy. Wear your the opportunity to serve Ma-
Lodge and Masonic apparel with pride. Put that sonry and our Most Worshipful
Masonic license plate on your car and have your Grand Lodge.
answer ready to, “Are you a Mason, and what do
Masons do?” That thoroughly and well thought Chris Coffman
out answer can lead to some interesting month- Chairman
ly reports by the Lodge, when responding to -
Number of Degrees this month?
Fraternally,
RWB Sam Roberts
Deputy Grand Master 4
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 5
“FreeMasonry Business” Public Schools
Outreach Committee
rethren, how many men can say that they
Bwork for an incorporated business in the rethren of this Grand Jurisdiction, we are
State of Washington that has 14,000 members Bgetting ready to sort through the many
that work in 182 different locations around this qualified applications for the scholarships to be
state. A business that has assets in the 100’s awarded this coming Spring. We applaud the
of millions of dollars and contributes tens of Brethren for the many hours of hard work that
goes into selecting the students who are apply-
thousands to charity; who’s workers contribute
Donald G. Munks have health insurance. We ask you to make sure that you follow the
ing for the student academic, Vocational or Ma-
generously to a multitude of causes benefitting
sonic Family Scholarships.
those that do not have the necessary funds or
SENIOR Grand WARDEN
How many of us Masons think and/or know that
Scholarship Calendar and adhere to the time
lines, as requested. The committee will be meet-
we are in the “business” of FreeMasonry. Our
ing in Ellensburg on March 29, 2014 to select
fathers, Grandfathers, and other relatives did
the recipients of the awards. Remember that we
know that and worked very hard to build what
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
will be awarding the following scholarships:
we have today, both physically and figuratively.
They wanted to create a fraternity whose prin-
ciples and standards would fulfill their wants
2 Sr. Boys
and desires to be better men, husbands, fa- Academic awards 2000 ea.
$ 4000 Total
thers, and community pillars. They raised the 2 Sr. Girls 2000 ea.
funds amongst themselves to organize, buy the $ 4000 Total
property, and build our Lodges. They initiated 1 Jr. Boy 1000 ea.
Brothers, worked to create harmony and enthu- $ 1000 Total
siasm, and built a strong fraternity. They knew 1 Jr. Girl 1000 ea.
the value of making good men better, teaching $ 1000 Total
and learning tradition and esoteric work.
What have we done? How have we bettered Masonic Family 1000 ea.
3 Scholarships
the standard left by our forefathers? How have $ 3000 Total
we “changed” to better FreeMasonry as they
did? Are we living up to the standards that those There will be one Scholarship to each youth
before us strived to make happen? In short, are organization. DeMolay, Rainbow, and Job’s
we as proud and as satisfied as our forefathers Daughters.
by what we are accomplishing!
In a large way we have forgotten that we are Vocational
a philanthropic, multi-million dollar business. 1 Scholarship 1000
We are not our ancestors and cannot continue
on their laurels. We must “ CHANGE “ our at- Grand Total $14000
titudes. We cannot lose our identity but must And, don’t forget the Teacher of the Year who is
progress in the 21st century. We are losing at awarded a $350 stipend.
an alarming rate, but must not lose hope as
we are seeing “ CHANGE “ occur, albeit at a The Grand Master and the entire Grand Lodge
slow pace Jurisdiction wide, but never the less, team place high emphasis on children and the
“ CHANGE “ is happening. We must continue to Public Schools. These young people are the
“Build the Bridges” with our next generations, next leaders of our community, state and na-
our families, and our communities. tion. They are the future of FreeMasonry and
I’m proud to be a member of this great Juris- there is no better time to make a positive, last-
diction and see the effort going into making ing impression on them than now, when they
changes that will grow our fraternity and make are young.
it a more prosperous “FreeMasonry Business”!
Fraternally,
Till next time, WB John Mathers, Chairman
Public School Outreach Committee
RWB Donald G. Munks
Senior Grand Warden
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Masonic Tribune
Masonic Tribune
Volume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 6
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
“Just Little Ol’ Me…an underdog” Long Range Planning Committee
am swept up in the euphoria that is my home y article in the Winter 2014 issue of the
I town football team winning Super Bowl XLVIII. I MMason Tribune asked where we are from
am unabashed in my fandom for a team loaded and where we are going. The article went on to
with players that by every definition of the term
can be classified as “underdogs.” One must discuss the evolution of our new Long Range
have to work really hard to not be enamored Plan. In this article I will give you an update on
with a quarterback that does not meet the height our progress, a peek at what is to come this
“requirement” who spends his Tuesdays at Chil- Spring and in the year to come.
dren’s Hospital; to not be inspired by a fullback
who can only feel the roar of the crowd; to not On January 23, 2014 the draft Long Range
root for a late round draft choice who would be Plan (LRP) was reviewed by the Grand Lodge
named game MVP. Elected Officers and approved. The LRP as ap-
JUNIOR Grand WARDEN
Notwithstanding that the Seattle Seahawks have proved has several steps that will be accom-
plished to put the entire plan into operation.
Jim V. Mendoza derdog? It is my belief that we love the underdog the steps that we take will be familiar and some
been my favorite professional football team
Some steps will be huge and some steps will
since their inception, why do we root for the un-
be small. As with every new program, some of
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
because we can all connect to a time in our lives
will be new and innovative. There will be some
when we ourselves were considered just that.
steps that will require change from the way we
For many of us, we may not have been the most
have worked in the past.
popular or may have only expected to succeed
at a marginal level. We can also all connect to
The LRP will be carried forth into committees in
a time in our lives when we delivered the unex-
pected and were reminded that anything is pos-
with the Membership Development Commit-
sible. One cannot nor should not count anyone
tee on their LRP and will be working next with
out because our own lives should remind us that the next year. We have already begun working
sheer determination, will, and persistence – or Leadership Training and Masonic Research
shall I say perseverance – can get the win over and Education Committees. Eventually each of
even the most celebrated and talented of foes. the committees will have a LRP that will chart
As one whose athletic days are but a memory, their course for the years to come. The Goal is
to better enable the committees to become a
my present love for sports lies in the life lessons
that can be learned. Chief among those lessons resource for the Lodges. If a Lodge has a need
is the power of perseverance. To paraphrase to solve a problem the committee can be con-
President Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing can take tacted for assistance in the finding the neces-
the place of perseverance. Talent will not; noth- sary resources to assist Lodge in finding the
ing is more common than unsuccessful men solution.
with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius
is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world The LRP will be reviewed on a twice yearly
is full of educated failures. Perseverance and basis by the Long Range Planning Committee
determination alone are omnipotent.” Masoni- and the Grand Lodge Elected Officers to de-
cally we are taught that time, patience, and per- termine if course corrections are necessary in
severance accomplish all things; that there is no order to maintain focus and direction. The LRP
higher destiny without self-perseverance. is designed to be implemented in the next two
Consider the underdogs in your Lodge that have to three years and, with the updating process
persevered, and as such have made your Ma- discussed should serve the Grand Lodge many
sonic experience better because of their efforts. years to come.
I think of the Brother who lost almost all of his If you have any questions or comments please
hearing due to a brain tumor, yet learned the
entire ritual so that he could enjoy the beauty feel free to contact the Long Range Planning
of our Craft. I look with awe at the Brother who Committee or one of your Elected Grand Lodge
spent most of his childhood in a Shriner’s Hos- Officers.
pital, and now serves his Lodge as on officer.
Hopefully, a certain Grand Lodge officer with a
speech impediment has been an inspiration to Submitted by:
the Craft. WB A. Gary O’Leary, Chairman
I root for and applaud the underdog who is will- Long Range Planning Committee
ing to persevere, because they will be champi-
ons. [email protected]
GO HAWKS!
Fraternally,
RWB Jim V. Mendoza 6
Junior Grand Warden
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r ibune
Volume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 7
. Owen
RIGHT WORSHIPFUL Brother
Grand SECRETARY
David P
Why the Lodge/Temple Board Audit???????
his year the Grand Lodge has required, as part misappropriation, embezzlement and malfea-
Tof the Annual Report of the Lodge, to submit sances. The “Lodge Audit Program” is on the
a copy of their last year’s (2012) audit. There has Grand Lodge website (under Member Center
been a trend that shows this is not being performed, then Publications). There is no reason that the
and if it is, to a less than acceptable standard. In standards for conducting this audit should be
the past several years at least three cases prove ignored. In the Washington Masonic Code Sec.
this to be true, with at least two more pending. In 14.14 B.L. and the Temple Board By-Laws it is
one case more than $280,000.00 has been em- very explicit that an audit is conducted of both
bezzled by the Lodge Secretary/Treasurer. In an- entities and the results are recorded in the min-
other case money was transferred from the Lodge utes of the Lodge.
to another Corporation without the approval of the Why has Grand Lodge requested copies of the
Lodge. In still another case over $800,000.00 was Lodge Audit? For two important reasons: First
transferred by a Temple Board Secretary without to see if it is being done, and second, to ensure
approval. In all cases had the Lodge or Temple Lodges are using a reasonable standard to per-
Board performed an audit this possibly would have form to perform the audit?
been prevented.
Brothers we have an obligation and specifically a Fraternally,
duty to perform the necessary controls to prevent
RWB David P. Owen 7
Grand Secretary
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 8
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 Annual Communications in Anchorage
he Grand Master MWB Bruce E. Vesper, Deputy Grand
Grand Lecturer’s Message TMaster RW Sam Roberts, and many Masons from the
Jurisdiction of Washington attended the Grand Communica-
THE QUESTION: tion of the MWB Grand Lodge of Alaska in early February.
IS HE DULY AND TRULY PREPARED? This annual event holds particular appeal for many Wash-
ington Masons.
n the beginning, the potential candidate asked the The Grand Lodge of Alaska was
Irecommendation of a friend to become a Mason and formed February 6, 1981. Prior
at this time the vetting process should have begun. to that date Alaska was part of
He may have been asked about his knowledge of the the Grand Lodge of Washington.
craft with questions and concerns being answered. On June 12,1901 White Pass
His belief in a Supreme Being and a subtle conver- Lodge No. 113 was chartered by
sation on any criminal history would have been dis- the Grand Lodge of Washington
cussed. During this conversation you hope to learn becoming the first of many Alas-
more about the individual, what he may bring to the ka Lodges to hold Washington
craft and if indeed he was first prepared to be made Lodge numbers. This Lodge is
a Mason in his heart You, being his first contact, may currently White Pass Lodge No.
provide him with brochures pertaining to the fraterni- 1 in the Grand Lodge of Alaska.
ty, discuss the costs involved, time requirements and
his commitment to the proficiency in the degrees. If MWB Bruce Vesper and RWB
you have found him to be “Duly and Truly prepared” Sam Roberts are shown with the
you possibly provided him with a petition and ex- outgoing Alaska Grand Master
planation of the procedures. After the petition being MWB James R. Herrington in
read in Lodge, the Investigation Committee would front of the Banner of the Grand
be charged to examine the petitioner thoroughly and Lodge of Alaska prior to the In-
report back to the Lodge as to their determination stallation of the newly elected
whether the Petitioner is Duly and Truly Prepared Grand Master MWB David
for advancement. The Lodge shall be the sole judge Worel.
of the proficiency of the candidate in the preceding At the Fellowship dinner MWB
degree and that he is Duly and Truly Prepared. As Bruce Vesper is shown with his
Worshipful Master, you will appoint your officers for wife Janice, RWB Sam Roberts,
their respective Places in the Lodge with confidence Deputy Grand Master, and his
that they are Duly and Truly Prepared. Likewise with the wife Vickie and MWB David Worel, the
Investigation Committee, the Worshipful Master should be new Grand Master of Alaska, with his
confident that those Brothers appointed are Duly and Truly wife Kathy.
Prepared. As Master Masons, we will make the same deci-
sions when we elect our Lodge Officers asking ourselves, It should also be noted that RW John
are they indeed Duly and Truly Prepared? Bishop, a Past Master of Des Moines
245 is now the Junior Grand Warden in
From the beginning, each Lodge must provide instruction Alaska
and education on each and every step of the journey, to There is a continuing relationship be-
insure that your members are Duly and Truly Prepared. tween the Washington Masonic Library and Museum and
This should be mandatory and not an option for the survival the Alaska Masonic Library and Museum designed to pre-
of your Lodge and our Craft. The Northeast Corner is the serve all aspects of the joint Masonic History. To that end
perfect place to start Duly and Truly Preparing the stones. the Washington Masonic L&M web page has “The Alaska
Quality not quantity! Years” under Research links: (http://www.waMasonicgllm.
org/the-alaska-years.html) which contains pointers to joint
Thank you to each of the Senior Wardens, members of history and a link to the Alaska Sub-site of the Washington
Lodges and District Deputies for their involvement and sup- Photo Archive. Photos from this Grand communications are
port of the Senior Warden Competition. I would like to con- located there; of particular note are the photos of the Ladies
gratulate each of the District Winners and wish all the best Dog Sled rides an event which holds no counterpart in the
of luck in the Regional Competitions. This is one step in Washington Annual Communications ladies events (Photo
assisting you to become Duly and Truly Prepared for your Archive Link: http://MWBglofwa.phanfare.com/alaska.)
journey to the East.
It was a pleasure to attend the Alaska Grand Communica-
Fraternally, tions this year and partake of fellowship with so many grate
Alaskan Masons. The next Alaska Communications will be
held February 4-6 2015 in Fairbanks, Alaska.
VWB Warren R. Schoeben
Grand Lecturer Story & Photos by:
WB Todd Johnstone, Chairman
Washington Library and Museum Committee
8
Our Masonic understanding of John the Baptist is that he
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Masonic Tribune embodied many of the Masonic Virtues, especially charity.
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 9
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 He preached that if a man had two coats, he should give
one to a man who had none. Also that if a man had food, he
should give some to he who had none.
No less a Masonic Scholar than Carl H Claudy addressed
“In the Spirit” the question of the Saints John and their ties to Masonry. He
“In your capacity as Grand Chaplain, I’d like to invite you to states in Short Talk Bulletin (STB) of December of 1933 that:
speak at the meeting of the Vancouver Valley, Scottish Rite. “St John the Baptist was a stern and just man; intolerant of
The meeting will be in a table Lodge format (loosely), and will sham, of pretense, of weakness; a man of strength and fire,
be open to all. It will kick off about 7:30 PM.” uncompromising with evil or expediency, and yet withal cou-
rageous, humble sincere, magnanimous.”
“The topic we would like to ask you to speak on is FreeMa-
sonry and the Holy Saints. John. Who were they? What are He further wrote: “Of Saint John the Evangelist, the disciple
their stories? What is their significance to FreeMasonry?” whom Jesus loved . . . is recognized the world over as the
apostle of love and light, the bringer of comfort to the grief
“Hey, I can do this!” I said to myself. “How hard can it be? I ridden, of courage to the weak, of help to the helpless, of
have my bible. No problem!” strength to the falling.” John, with his Brother James, was
one of the first of the disciples selected by Jesus, and is the
And so began my journey to learn about the Holy Saints only one to live to a peaceful old age, all the others having
John. As it turns out there is a good deal of information on the been martyred throughout the world.
subject. Pulling it together has been a treat and a challenge.
Joseph Fort Newton wrote “there is no historical evidence
Starting with the Saints John, we find several sources, in- that either of the two Saints of the church were ever mem-
cluding of course the Bible. We find that Saint John the Bap- bers of the Craft but they were adopted as its patron Saints,
tist and Jesus were related. Their mothers were cousins. The after the manner of former times, and they have remained so
Bible tells us that: in Christian lands.
Luke 30-45 “39 Now Mary arose in those days and went Before the formation of the Grand Lodge of England, many
into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and en- Lodges were considered “St Johns Lodges” and the mem-
tered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And ber masons were considered “St John Masons”. Even after
it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the formation, many unaffiliated Lodges remained St John
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with Lodges. The designation of Lodges as being of St John goes
the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and back to the earliest records found. All of them were specifi-
said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the cally Lodges of John the Baptist. The earliest authentic men-
fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that tion of John the Evangelist appears in the minutes of a Lodge
the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, in Edinburgh in 1599. Earlier relatives of our Craft were made
as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, mention such as “the Fraternity of Saint John” in Cologne in
the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who 1430.
believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which
were told her from the Lord.” Despite all that and more, Claudy concludes that “no sat-
isfactory explanation has yet been advanced to explain why
John the Baptist is now generally believed to have been a operative masons adopted the two Christian saints. Regard-
member of the Essenes, a small group of Jewish ascetics. It less, no other two great teachers, wise men, or saints could
is this sect that is believed to have been responsible for the have been found who better shadow forth from their lives and
hiding away of the “Dead Sea Scrolls” that have brought so works the doctrine and teachings of FreeMasonry.”
much light to that time. They lived a very simple and austere
life. The above barely touches the subject. There is much more
The Essenes emerged out of disgust with the Pharisees to be learned, and it is of direct bearing on our craft. I invite
you on the journey to learn more about our patron Saints.
and Sadducees. This sect believed the others had corrupted The above information has been garnered from a variety of
the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and sources. To learn more of the Essenes, visit the Jewish vir-
lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws tual library at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/His-
and a commitment to celibacy. tory/sadducees_pharisees_essenes.html
The Essenes are particularly interesting to scholars be- Other sources include the above referenced STB, Coils
cause they are believed to be an offshoot of the group that Masonic Encyclopedia, and A Bridge to Light.
lived in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. In 1947, a Bedouin
shepherd stumbled into a cave containing various ancient
artifacts and jars containing manuscripts describing the be-
liefs of the sect and events of the time.
The most important documents, often only parchment frag- Fraternally,
ments that had to be meticulously restored, were the earli-
est known copies of the Old Testament. The similarity of the VWB Jim Kendall
substance of the material found in the scrolls to that in the Grand Chaplain
modern scriptures has confirmed the authenticity of the Bible
used today. 9
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Masonic T r ibune
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 10
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
Tacoma Dome Time Capsule Opened
he Grand Master MWB Bruce Vesper, members of the
TGrand Lodge Team, and Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strick-
land were all present for the opening of the Tacoma Dome
time capsule buried 30 years ago. The Capsule was depos- Music Embellishes
ited in its place October 2, 1982 in a ceremony presided
over by MWB George Brodewick. A new time capsule will the Masonic Experience
be placed behind the cornerstone containing, among other hink about your favorite movie of all time – the action,
items, the pin and coin of our current Grand Master. It will be Tdrama, and suspense – the tender moment or the final
interesting to see how much, or how little things change over scene. Now try to imagine it without any music playing in the
the next 30 years. background at all. Nothing but silence as the hero of your
movie crosses the finish line, snatches victory from the jaws
of defeat, or saves the world from certain destruction. It’s not
the same, is it? Why is this? Because good music naturally
compliments the environment it’s being played in. Like well-
done ritual, it stirs an emotion inside of us and is meant to
evoke a feeling. The result? Music embellishes the Masonic
experience, enlightens the mind and speaks to the heart.
Music, therefore, is a natural part of FreeMasonry; odes
have been written and operas have been scored in tribute of
the Craft. Music fits with FreeMasonry like a hand to a glove
and FreeMasonry is meant to be experienced with music. If
you’ve sat in Lodge or have been part of a degree team that
includes a musician, you know first-hand the wonderful dif-
ference the whole experience is.
In truth, one does not need to be a professional musician to
be a Lodge musician. I would encourage all Lodges to ask
your new and current members if they are musical or played
Contents of the Tacoma Dome Cornerstone laid 1982 By music in their past. I can attest from personal experience,
MWB George Brodewick: Lodge is a great place to play for those that “played a little
piano” as a hobby but didn’t end up being a professional.
• A photo of the Tacoma City Council and another of the Musicians love to play and a few nights a month at Lodge is
Pierce County Council. a great way to let your inner-musician shine.
• A list of the dignitaries at the stone-laying ceremony. However, many Lodges in our Jurisdiction simply do not
• A photo of Sheldon Cook. Pierce County auditor and a have a musician. Knowing this, and in response to many
blue Lodges asking what could be done, Past Grand Master,
Mason. MWB Michael Sanders established a Special Committee on
• A statement of 1981 tax assessments. Music Education to create a CD for Lodges that desire to
• The Pierce County charter. bring back this missing element. The final product was not
simply a collection of songs, but literally a virtual Lodge mu-
• A history of the Tacoma Rotary Club No. 8 sician. Think of it as adding a musical soundtrack for your
• A Kiwanis 1981-82 directory. Lodge.
• The roster of Washington Masonic Lodges and a direc- Performed and produced by experienced Lodge musicians
tory of officers. who know and understand what type of music is needed and
• A Masonic 50-year pin. how long it should be played for given the situation, the CD
follows the sequence of the opening and closing of Lodge
• A silver Masonic medallion from the Bicentennial. and includes music for everything from a circumambulation
• A Masonic widow’s pin. and degree work to patriotic moments and memorial servic-
es.
• An independent Order of Odd Fellows’ ceremonial chain
of office. A proficient Lodge musician knows when to start playing and
can generally finish a song on the final step of an officer mov-
• A copy of the Masonic Tribune announcing the Tacoma ing on the floor. But what’s the Lodge musician to do when
Dome cornerstone ceremony. the Marshal arrives with the flag in the east before the Star
Spangled Banner is over? Finish the song of course! We all
want to hear the ending of the song, not simply rush through
Story & Photos by:
WB Todd Johnstone, Chairman 10
Washington Library and Museum Committee (article continued on Page 11)
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 1
(article continued from Page 10) Music Embellishes ...
the opening of a meeting. Music is about creating an experi-
ence.
WB Adam Creighton and WB Zane McCune, who have both
served as Grand Musicians, collaborated on this effort and
understood that each Lodge room has variations in size and
cadence which would make it slightly unique. To address this
in a recorded format, many ways to adjust the length of each
track are incorporated into this CD. These include repeated
endings which can be played out for larger rooms or cut after You never know what surprises a day will bring or an oppor-
the first ending for smaller rooms. Some tracks incorporate tunity to be amazed when performing a request asked within
obvious cues that they are about it end while others make for the Fraternity.
easy fading out as a candidate moves from station to station We visited Bro Gibbs
during a conferral. Finally, the length of each track is listed in a Memory Care unit
and a suggestion of when each track should be used is also along with his wife and
provided. The purpose of all of this is to help the Lodge pro- family. Bro Gibbs is 95
vide a polished result using a recorded format. with dementia. His fam-
If you have a CD player in your Lodge, any member can work ily visits him every Sun-
with this CD. Like any Masonic tool, day at 3pm so we ar-
some time spent with this CD will help ranged to schedule our
develop a degree of proficiency and visit accordingly. When
the final result will seem like a musician we arrived our Bro was
is playing live in your temple. If your sitting at a table in his
Lodge has been without a musician for wheel chair sleeping. He
some time, this is a great way to fill that woke after some minor encouraging from his caregiver. She
missing element and embellish your asked if he recognized us as Masons since we were wearing
Masonic experience. our Aprons but alas he didn’t. We continued with the presen-
The CD will be available at your up- tation as planned and as time went by Bro Alfred did become
coming district meeting and can also clearer on why we were there. At one point the caregiver
be ordered through the Grand Lodge. asked if he remembered being a Mason
Fraternally, He responded with and I quote “Masons don’t talk about
those things”. Not shocking since he was OLD SCHOOL
WB Zane McCune Masonry but it was a definitive moment as he became more
[email protected] aware of his time in Masonry. What a GREAT moment!
Bro Alfred’s wife had a copy of his current dues card. That re-
A Presentation vealed the second special moment. Bro Alfred Gibb’s mem-
ber number is #60 in Aztlan Lodge in Prescott, Arizona. Az-
January 19, 2014 tlan’s Lodge number in the Grand Lodge of Arizona is No.1.
Are you kidding me? We were here to present a 55 year pin
oday was a wonderful day on two fronts. The Seahawks to a Brother from the No. 1 Lodge in Arizona. How cool is
Tearned a place in this year’s Super Bowl and we as Ma- that? By the time we left he was visible more in the moment
sons performed a duty asked of us by the Grand Lodge of and recalling his time in Masonry.
Arizona. If you ever get the opportunity to be a part of what is
going to be described next please do yourself a favor, partici- As a final comment. Make a difference in a Brother’s life if
pate. Brothers Chris Pedersen, Steve Pennington and Bob only for a moment in time. He remembered something im-
Nygren joined me in this wonderful duty. portant in his life. Something he spent over 55 years being
a member. The family was very grateful we took the time to
The Grand Lodge of Arizona make this presentation. I do believe we were the ones who
contacted the Grand Lodge of benefited from the experience.
Washington to make a presen-
tation to a member of their Ju- My thanks to Brothers Bob, Steve and Chris for accompany-
risdiction living here in Wash- ing me in this duty. You Brothers are the best.
ington. We were contacted to
call Bro Alfred Gibbs who lives My most Fraternal thanks,
in Edmonds. He had joined the
Fraternity just shy of 56 years VWB John Henry Williams
ago. Now for the really cool part. Worshipful Master 11
Genesis Lodge, No.305
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olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 12
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 Masonic Tribune Article
istrict 3 has five Lodges, three in Mason County, one in
District No. 2 News DKitsap County and one in Pierce County.
Making Good Men Better through Education The reoccurring theme that I am seeing in District #3 and
his has been another very active year for the Brethren hearing from the surrounding districts is that most of the
Tof District 2. All of our Education, Training and Masonic Lodges in the districts are having issues with bringing in new
Fellowship programs have been in full swing and we enjoy Brothers and financial issues.
a strong cross district visitation program. We most recently
completed our Spring Deacon & Stewards Training where There is a lack of member participation and they are strug-
we had over half of our newly installed Deacons and Stew- gling financially. The Lodges that are struggling do not have
ards receive hands on training for degree work. It was a lively a very large population base to draw from, for bringing in new
atmosphere and everyone got a chance to walk through their members. The age of some of our Brothers, are for health
part in a safe and supportive environment. While our Spring reasons keeping them from coming to Lodge, and therefore
training is restricted to Master Masons and our newly in- we are losing the knowledge of some of these Brothers, that
stalled officers, back in November, we held our Fall Deacon have been members for twenty five or more years.
& Stewards Training where we cover the basics of the open-
ing and closing floor work for all Masons who are considering
or have been asked to step into the line. We always have a Financially the cost of doing business keeps going up and
great time exposing upcoming Senior Deacons to the next some of the Lodges have not done a very good job in keep-
step in the line, and potential new Junior Deacons to the so- ing up with the growing cost of running a Lodge. I know from
lemnity of the commitment. We refreshed and revised much personal experience that most Lodges have now had to pass
of the content for our annual District Warden’s retreat which on the Grand Lodge Fee’s to the Brothers of the Lodge in
was very well attended. Our current WMs are directly ben- the form of an assessment. The Lodges have also had to
efiting from the tools and fellowship they enjoyed that week- increase the membership fees for joining a Lodge. This is
end and they know they have the support of the entire district a two-fold street. That could possibly stop a new member
for all of their programs. This last year we also established from coming in just due to cost, but it does help the Lodge
a District Funeral team which has trained several Lodges financially. There are some Lodges that do very well with
to have their own teams and stepped in to directly support their fund raisers and others, do not do very well, and those
when necessary. Finally almost all of our Lodges maintain are the Lodges that are struggling financially.
their own robust individual Masonic Education programs for
the individual members of their Lodges and enjoy many fel- Two of the five Lodges in the district are doing very well and
lowship activities such as Table Lodges, annual picnics, and
community events. one is on the come back from almost being non-existent, due
to strong leadership, and doing away with the attitude that
Lastly, I’d like to report that our District 2 ED Team is as this is the way that we have always done it in the past, so
strong as ever. Our District ED Team is a unique group in this is how it is going to be done now in accordance with the
this Jurisdiction with the specific task of assisting the current WMC, and the Standard Work.
deputy in providing the district with the best leadership and
support possible. The Team was established by VWB Norm
Watts during his term as Deputy of District #32 in 1996. The Respectfully Submitted:
primary members of the group are composed mostly of the
Past Deputies of our District and a representative from each
Lodge. The group’s involvement in every district function and VWB Brian Bigelow
event is beyond. I would like to note that 10 of my predeces- District Deputy of the Grand Master
sors are active in some education and support capacity for District No.3
our district and three more are readily available for council.
The point here Brethren is that the men of our district are en-
gaged and passionate about leadership and they don’t stop
when their term is over. They are always looking for ways
to grow the Lodges and improve Masonry as a whole. This Publication printing notes:
is an amazing example for us all to draw upon and I know
it has made a big difference for my Masonic career to have
had such an experienced and competent To print this publication you have to have a printer that al-
group of Brethren that anyone can always lows edge-to-edge printing. Although the printer manufactur-
turn to for help and guidance supporting er states that printing is edge-to-edge sometimes the edge
our district. I’d like to take this opportunity of the document is cropped to avoid ink overflow that might
to publicly thank them for their inspiration damage the printing quality.
and support during my term and I look for- This document is provided with ample margin to avoid run-
ward to continuing their example. ning the print all the way to the edge. The front and back cov-
ers are the only pages that bleed to the edge. The bled edges
are intended for professional press purposes only.
VWB Richard F. Beers II
District Deputy of the Grand Master The Editor
District No.2
12
Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on District No. 9 News
Masonic T r ibune
Masonic Tribune
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 13
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 s I approach the end of my second year as a Deputy of
Athe Grand Master I reflect on the many things that have
taken place in District No. 9. The seven Lodges that comprise
this District, which covers Skagit and Island Counties, have had
District No. 5 News some good times as well as bad. Fortunately even the bad usu-
ally turn good in the end.
Queen Anne’s Master Masons Fireside Chats Our District Meeting, which was the first under the current sin-
gle District format, was exceptional. Attendance by the Lodges
here does a Lodge go to continue the Masonic Edu- was the best in years and the fraternalism and fellowship was
Wcation of its Master Masons? Queen Anne Lodge No. phenomenal. It was the result of all the Lodges doing their part.
242 in Seattle asked this question and developed a unique Good things happen when everyone works as a team. I can’t
strategy to address this issue. With a consistent influx of tell you how proud I was of the members of the Lodges in our
new, young members for several years now, the Lodge has District. The many good comments I received do not belong
greatly enjoyed the growth of youth and new energy into their just to me but to all the Members.
membership. However, as they continued to raise new Mas-
ter Masons, the percentage of inexperienced Master Masons The membership in the various Lodges is beginning to revive
was becoming the majority in the Lodge. They had carefully with an influx of petitioners and therefore an increase of work
structured their emphasis to span from successful member- in all Degrees. Lodges are receiving petitions at every Stated
ship growth efforts to mentoring men through the degrees. Meeting. The hope now is that each Lodge will be able to retain
Alas, they had overlooked the role of continuing education these new members. This will be the bigger job for if the new
in their ranks to quench their new Master Masons’ thirst for Masons we bring in are unable to find that which they seek we
knowledge. will lose them. I am confident that the Lodges in this District will
be able to work together and help each other and that they will
Upon a gathering of the principal officers to discuss how to involve these new members in finding the solutions to reten-
handle this perplexing issue, they realized the need to create tion.
a program for the continuing education of all Master Masons,
with emphasis on the most inexperienced ones. As a result, Finally I wish to thank MWB Dean Heineman for my first year ap-
they formulated and piloted an educational process last pointment. I learned a lot during that year since it was dropped
June, dubbing it the Master Masons-only Discussion Night. on me at Grand Lodge with the election of RWB Don Munks,
Although only three Master Masons attended the pilot, it was who had been our first year Deputy. Also a huge thank you
determined to have value and was continued. to MWB Bruce Vesper for having the confi-
These stimulating discussions are held in their lounge, which dence in me to reappoint me as his Deputy
is surrounded by brick and mahogany walls, and leather in District No. 9. I will truly miss the whole
books and furniture – an environment that tends to foster experience which was so full of fun and fel-
and support esoteric and thoughtful conversation. The for- lowship. I will not, however, miss writing re-
mat designates a moderator in a fireside chat format. The ports and articles for the Masonic Tribune.
topic is his choice and he is the subject matter expert, lead- Well, maybe that wasn’t so bad either.
ing approximately 30 minutes of dialogue. It then becomes In fraternal fellowship,
an open conversation for all present to contribute to the dis-
cussion, seeking further light. VWB Paul F. Steinsiek
These chats have proven to be very rewarding and educa- District Deputy of the Grand Master
tional and have included such subjects as Pillars in Free- District No.9
Masonry by WB David Flood, the Formation of the Grand District No. 20 News
Lodge in 1717 by VWB Ian Hyde, and even a discussion District No. 13 News
led by our Grand Master, MWB Bruce Vesper, on Historical
Misconceptions Toward Masonry. Attendance has continued n October, several of our Masonic youth and some community
to grow, with a high of 30 Master Masons from five Lodges Igroups in Maple Valley faced the loss of a major fundraiser—
in one evening. Haunted Forest of Maple Valley. This had traditionally been a
Their objective is to continue these fireside chats every month huge source of support for these groups, but with the loss of the
to provide exposure to ideas and knowledge of FreeMason- show’s director, it seemed inevitable that these groups would
ry. This allows Master Masons to continue their study and have to struggle to find something to make up this financial loss.
conversation with their Brothers. It is Queen Anne Lodge’s Then, the Brethren of Diamond Lodge No. 83 stepped up, and
hope that a well-enriched body of Master Masons will make together with the Brethren of Thornton F. McElroy No. 302,
the Lodge stronger as a whole. Additionally, the new Master saved the day by providing the much needed Masonic sup-
Masons are better able to mentor, inspire, and assist their port for these groups. Despite the late start into the planning
younger Masonic Brothers in their journey. process, the show came off without too many hitches, and the
Retention of new Master Masons is now stable as they have Job’s Daughters, Rainbow for Girls and DeMolay, along with the
– in addition to the monthly stated meeting – an educational Boy Scouts and Police Explorers were able to reap the benefits
opportunity to stimulate and develop, a meeting they truly of a successful fundraiser! A huge shout-
look forward to attending. The Master Ma- out to Sean Cebulla, the newly installed Jr.
son-only Discussion Nights are generally Warden at Diamond Lodge for all his efforts
conducted on the third Thursday of each as the show director and coordinating this
month at 6:30 PM, so join Queen Anne at venture.
their Lodge for a friendly and enlightening The Haunted Forest of Maple Valley is held
fireside chat! annually in October at the Royal Arch Park
in Maple Valley. For more information visit
VWB Thomas G. Eastman Sr. http://hauntedforestofmaplevalley.com
District Deputy of the Grand Master VWB Jerry Buchner
District No. 5 District Deputy of the Grand Master
13 District No. 9
• Last year, at the Annual District No. 22 Educational Sem-
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Masonic Tribune
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 2013, I introduced to the Brethren the following goals for
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 14
our District:
• To have all the Lodges formulate a 3 to 5 year Long
District No. 20 News Range Plan. Where do you want to see your Lodge in
3 to 5 years? What goals would you like your Lodge to
achieve?
inter got here with a roar and all seven Lodges in District • To make sure all the Lodges in District No. 22 have filed
W20 have their officers installed. I was able to help install the necessary IRS Form 990, and a copy sent to the
officers at three Lodges, plus my home Lodge in Naches. Grand Lodge.
My District has been real busy with degrees and petitions • To send a team representing District No. 22 to the Se-
this winter. Twelve to be exact and we have conferred all nior Warden’s Competition next year.
of these. Goldendale has informed me that they have read
four new petitions. Ellensburg has four MM degrees coming • To form a Past Masters Lodge and Lodge Officers As-
up in the Spring and no doubt we will be busy soon. All the sociation in District No. 22.
Lodges are getting ready for the bikes for books programs • To have a Masonic Child Identification Program (CHIP)
in the schools in their cities. Also the at the Okanogan County Fair this September.
junior achievement program in Yakima
is getting underway and the committee • Of the 5 goals presented almost a year ago, 3 of them
should have begun getting back the ap- have been completed, or are in the process of being
plications as this is published. WB Ken completed. They are as follows:
Larson from Cle Elum St. Thomas Lodge
was presented his proficiency in Lodge • Of the 4 Lodges in this District, 1 Lodge has already
management at their last stated meeting. adopted a Long Range Plan, and another Lodge is close
Pretty much it from District 20. to having their Long Range Plan adopted. The other re-
maining Lodges are still in the formulation phase.
VWB Bill Remington • Last year, all the Lodges in the District filed the nec-
District Deputy of the Grand Master essary IRS Form 990, and copies were sent to Grand
District No.20 Lodge. At each of my upcoming Official Visits this Spring,
I hope to see the same result.
• On Saturday, February 8th, at Okanogan Lodge No.
District No. 22 News 169, District No. 22 will have its first Annual Senior War-
den Competition! So far, we will have 8-9 Sitting Masters,
Upcoming Events and Goals of District No. 22 Past Masters, and Past Deputies of the Grand Master to
act as Judges and help this Competition run smoothly. 3
Senior Wardens, and 1 Junior Warden will compete in
or Brethren not familiar with District No. 22, it consists of this Competition. The preparation for this Competition
Fthe following Lodges: Okanogan Lodge No. 169, Okano- has led to monthly/bimonthly Floor Work/Ritual Prac-
gan, Aurora Lodge No. 201, Oroville, Palestine Lodge No. 214, tices, held at the centrally located Okanogan Lodge of
Omak, and Methow Valley Lodge No. 240, Twisp. This Dis- this District. A number of Brethren have expressed an
trict is located east of the Northern Cascade Mountains of the interest in keeping these Floor Work/Ritual Practices go-
State, comprised of the Methow and Okanogan Valleys. ing, well after the Competition! The winner of this District
Upcoming Events of District No. 22: Competition will go on to compete in the Regional Com-
• On Saturday, February 8th, at 6:30 p.m., Okanogan Lodge petition held in March, consisting of Districts 21, 22, and
29.
No. 169 will host the first District No. 22 Senior Warden
Competition. Dinner will be at Okanogan Lodge before- • The idea to form a Past Masters Lodge and Lodge Of-
hand, at 5:30 p.m. ficers Association is getting out in this District. It is my
• On Saturday, February 22nd, at 6:00 p.m., Okanogan hope that we will get a Lodge Officers Association firmed
up this Spring...
Lodge No. 169 will have its Annual Sweetheart’s Dinner.
A prime-rib roast dinner will be served to the Masons and It is also my hope that my successor, will continue to have
their Ladies. as a goal, to have a Masonic Child Identification Program
• Tentatively planned for the month of March, the Region 1 (CHIP) at the Okanogan County Fair this Fall.
Senior Warden Competition, consisting of Districts No. 21,
22, and 29, will take place at Okanogan Lodge... Therefore, I commend the Brethren of
District No. 22, for ‘stepping up’ to the
• On Saturday, March 29th, at 11:00 a.m., Aurora Lodge No. challenges, in order to complete most
201 in Oroville, will host the District No. 22 District Meet- of these goals. It is my hope that all the
ing. Following the meeting, the Grand Lodge Team will Lodges adopt Long Range Plans, that
perform the Reconstitution Ceremony for Aurora Lodge our District No. 22 Senior Warden Com-
No. 201. Aurora Lodge is celebrating 100 Years of Free- petition will become an annual event, and
Masonry this year! that we get a Past Masters Lodge/Lodge
• Tentatively planned for April, Aurora Lodge will have their Officers Association established!
Annual Seafood Dinner/Past Masters Night.
• Also tentatively planned for Saturday, April 19th, Methow VWB Rudy N. Schade
District Deputy of the Grand Master
Valley Lodge No. 240 will have their Annual Friendship District No. 22
Dinner/Past Masters Night. 14
provided the photos that
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune accompany this article.)
Masonic Tribune
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 15
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
The third member of the
group, Very Worship-
ful Brother Jack McCaw,
District No. 24 News Waitsburg #16, served in
the U.S. Navy for two
Washington Masons participate in Honor Flight program years, entering in 1945 as
a 17-year-old fireman first
during tour in Washington, D.C. class in the engine room of
a medium landing ship.
everal southeastern Washington Masons recently had the
Sopportunity to participate in a special program that rec- “Oh, they treated royally,”
ognizes the contributions of America’s veterans with a trip to McCaw said of the pro-
Washington, D.C. gram organizers. “It start-
ed in Spokane with the re-
The “Honor Flight” program, which strives to honor veterans ception that we got when VWB Jack McCaw, Waitsburg Lodge, No.16, pauses
of every era, gives special attention to veterans from “our we boarded. There were at a monument in Washington, D.C. during his Honor
Flight tour.
greatest generation” those who served in World War II. hundreds of people there
to send us off and when we came back we got a Grand re-
In the most recent flight, three Brothers from Walla Walla and ception complete with a band playing all the military service
Waitsburg were part of a group of 86 veterans flown out of branch songs. We were met by wives, mothers, and other
Spokane direct on a Wednesday to Dulles International Air- family and friends. That outfit sure did it up in tremendous
port and back that Friday aboard a specially-chartered Boe- fashion!
ing-737 aircraft.
“It was really neat to share
Worshipful and Illustrious Bro. Sam Schneidmiller, 93, Blue this experience with my
Mountain #13, Walla Walla, served in the Army Air Corps and Brothers from the Lodge
later in the fledgling U.S. Air Force as an aircraft mechanic in Walla Walla. Every-
working on B-29 bombers. He shared several observations place we went, we had a
about the trip to D.C. police escort. The people
from Honor Flight took us
“I think the most memorable part of the trip for me was our to all the memorials but
visit to Arlington National Cemetery. I had never seen it before the highlight for me was
and the dignity and reverence of the place was very moving to our visit to the Tomb of
me,” Schneidmiller said. “We also got toured around to sev- the Unknowns at Arling-
eral other monuments around the city.” ton. It’s awe inspiring to
watch those soldiers from
He noted that there are no federal or state taxpayer dollars the Old Guard. Talk about
involved in the Honor Flight program. “It’s all done with do- perfection? Their preci-
nations from private individuals and other benefactors to the sion and dignity were just
program. The people who run this program really treated us unreal.”
wonderfully from start to finish, including our stay at the Hilton
in D.C.” VWB McCaw noted that
this tour group was the
Bro. Ken Nicoles, 90, a long-time sojourner with Blue Moun- last to get to visit all the
The Brethren participating in the Honor Flight tour vis-
tain #13, whose home Lodge is in Oklahoma, was also a sites on the tour for a while ited the Vietnam Memorial on the Mall in Washington,
member of both the Army Air Corps and later in the U.S. Air because right after their D.C.
Force. He served as a radar navigator aboard B-29s, with as- group’s visit, the govern-
signments including duty on the southern Pacific island of Tin- ment shutdowns closed
ian. Nicoles later became an air traffic controller and served most sites for weeks.
in that role during the Berlin Airlift. “We landed a lot of aircraft
back then, to be sure!” He retired from the Air Force as a Se- To learn more about the
nior Master Sgt. in 1968. Honor Flight program and
what it does for veter-
“I just couldn’t believe how ans, visit their web site at:
fast the whole thing went! http://www.honorflight.org/
They had us busy from the
time it all began to the time
we got back. Our tour sched- This plaque at the Freedom Wall in Washington,
ule began right away when D.C., describes the “Price of Freedom” in human
lives during World War Two.
we got into D.C. and we were
even honored at a banquet Photos courtesy of Bro. Ken Nicoles
held for us. That was just the
first day. We spent the next
day at several memorials
and monuments. What they
did for us was so special and
everything was all designed
to honor veterans. I took so
many pictures that I’ll be able VWB Duane “Dutch” Meier
to remember the trip forever.” VWB Jack McCaw, Waitsburg Lodge, No.16, District Deputy of the Grand Master
(Author’s note: Bro. Nicoles pauses at a monument in Washington, D.C. dur- District No.24 15
ing his Honor Flight tour.
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune
Masonic Tribune
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 16
District No. 26 News District No. 30 News
District No.26 Report Our Masonic Lamp bright or dim?
alden Lodge, No. 188 in District 26 has in it’s member- reeMasonry is not about Most Worshipfuls, it’s not about
Mship, a group of the Brothers that are members of a Civil FRight Worshipfuls, it’s not about Very Worshipfuls and it’s
War reenactment team. not about Worshipfuls, FreeMasonry is about the Lodge –
the Lodge centered in the life of the community.
During the war there was a Northern Prisioner that had taken Ideally, today, Masonry should be recognized as a serious
his first two degrees and then enlisted in the U.S. Army. Dur- men’s organization, dedicated to personal growth and com-
ing the war he was captured and imprisoned. The officers munity involvement.
of the prison camp were Masons and heard of this prison-
er. One evening the Confederate Officers came to the bar- As a freemason I have come to realize that our Masonic
road of life is best traveled when its light is shared with the
racks hoodwinked the yankee prisoner and brought him to whole community. But, my Brothers, the light that many of
Lodge to confer the Master’s Degree. After the degree, he our Lodges cast into their communities is very dim at best.
was escorted to a safe area and released.
There are those who state that we are out of step and have
There are many such stories of Masonry crossing enemy no value in todays society, and many have predicted a slow
lines to prove the universality of Masonry. In November of death for our fraternity.
2013, Malden Lodge reenacted this and Is this a problem for Grand Lodge to solve – or is it the re-
surprised one of their members of the re- sponsibility of all masons? It would be a shame to see the
enactment team with a third degree in full Brotherhood of FreeMasonry fade away from society, be-
uniform. A great time was had by all. cause we have a time tested message that is not only rel-
evant for us, but just as positive for the greater community.
VWB William Musgrove Individually, we may feel that we can’t do big things in small
Lodges – in small communities, but big things have been ac-
District Deputy of the Grand Master complished in small Lodges, in small communities, by free-
District No.26 masons who lit their lamps where they were.
What we’re about is important, what we have to share is im-
portant. Our example is important. My Brethren let us light
our lamp in the public square and advertise our wares.
Code Commission Most of the Lodges in my district, district #30, have meaning-
ful community programs “such as bikes for books,” “shoes
he Code Commission is charged with keeping the Mason- for schools,” junior achievement and other scholarship pro-
Tic Code of Washington current and up-to-date. We review grams, musical recitals, food drives, hospital assistance and
all information received from the brethren about the various even stuffed animals for kindergardeners. But in spite of all
sections of the W.M.C. and recommend such changes as this, we virtually remain unnoticed in the public eye.
may be necessary, correct misspelled words, correct punc-
tuation as needed. Brethren, as Lodges, it’s imperative that we light our lamps
From the Close of Grand Lodge in June until December 1st and hold them high so as to be plainly visible within our com-
of each year we receive the various resolutions to amend munities.
the W.M.C. We communicate with the authors to achieve the FreeMasonry sustains its viability as a fraternal organization
proper format for the Resolutions Booklet published in April. through its values both in the Lodge and throughout our ev-
We also receive the various Recommendations from the ery day lives.
Grand Master and help with seeing that they are in proper
format. Brethren, our communities need us and we need our com-
Following the close of the Annual Communication we coordi- munities – it’s imperative that we light our lamps and hold
them high, for us, for our communities and for Masonry.
nate with the Grand Lodge office to publish the replacement
pages of the W.M.C. to reflect those resolutions approved by As we enter the new year with new goals
the delegate body. and ambitions, these words by our de-
For the Masonic year 2013-2014 we have received several ceased Brother winston churchill are as
resolutions and recommendations that the Commission is appropriate today as when written. “the
now reviewing for correctness and placement in the Resolu- era of procrastination, of half-measures,
tion Booklet. We will meet in the near future with the Jurispru- of soothing and baffling expedients, of de-
dence Committee for finalization of the Resolutions Booklet. lays, is coming to a close. In its place we
We review all Decisions and Rulings of the Grand Master, are entering a period of consequences.”
the Jurisprudence Committee and the Grievances and Ap-
peals Committee for the inclusion in the Rulings and Deci- For the good of Masonry
sions CD available from the Grand Lodge office.
VWB Jerry Gendreau
James R. Smyth, Chairman District Deputy of the Grand Master
Code Commission District No. 30 16
Grand Lodge of Washington
Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on Masonic Assistance
Masonic Tribune
r
Masonic T
ibune
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 17
What does your hospital visitor do?
olunteers are at their stations every day in the V.A. Hos-
Committee Reports Vpitals or State Veterans Homes. They represent the Ma-
sonic concern for our veterans.
Technology Committee
They are the Liaison between you (the Lodge) and your hos-
s the Grand Master mentioned, we hired another com-
Apany to fix our issue with logging onto the website. The pitalized Brother. They keep the Brother and his Lodge in
company is owned by a Brother and at the time of this writing, touch with each other.
I’m waiting to hear back if he was successful in determining
the problem and ideas on how to fix it. There is a reason the Wherever possible, they organize the assistance of local Ma-
Technology Committee did not touch the subject of creating sons to serve the patients as volunteer visitors.
a new website for 3 years, even though we had web devel-
opers on the committee; these tend to be “no win” projects. YOUR Masonic Service Association Volunteer is your rep-
With a background in construction project management, I resentative, your public relations officer in the great labor of
was added to the committee to manage the website develop- love carried on by volunteer agencies in Veterans Hospitals
ment. Just as in construction, I depend on experts in their and in State Veterans Homes nationwide.
fields to accomplish the work assigned them. The company
we hired was creative and very supportive. However, with
their state-of-the-art equipment, they couldn’t reproduce the How is the program funded?
problems that conflicting elements of the website created for
some of us. Little did I know that I would have to become an The Hospital Visitation Program is carried on entirely by vol-
“advanced user” very quickly to support this development. untary contributions. Contributions are received from Grand
Lodges throughout the United States who vote special funds
I make no apologies for the company we hired or the website or assessments, and many individuals make contributions
we created. The website accomplishes most of the goals directly to the Masonic Service Association of North Ameri-
we defined in the contract. It is inviting to guests (especially can, and other organizations, notably the Supreme Councils
prospective members), it provides timely information and is of the Scottish Rite, Northern and Southern Jurisdictions,
logically laid out. It has features and capabilities that were have been generous and faithful supporters of this great la-
not available in the old website. More importantly, it now pro-
vides a platform for adding more and better content. Our bor of love.
Members Only area already affords the level of security that
allows our Brothers to securely communicate their contact in- The Masonic Service Association’s Hospital Visitation Pro-
formation and to blog questions and answers on critical (and gram has contributed millions of dollars over the years to
sometimes sensitive) issues before the fraternity. We are help aid and assist these brave men and women who are
currently planning the creation of “how-to” videos covering all spending lonely days, weeks and months in the V.A. Facili-
aspects of the Masonic experience. Our goal is that if you ties.
can imagine it, we can provide it.
Almost all of the 51 Grand Lodges in the United States to-
Under the “About Us” pulldown is a list of the individuals and gether with Puerto Rico and the American Canadian Grand
committees that are responsible for the content of each page.
We were tasked to create the website but it is the responsibil- Lodge in Germany contribute to this National Masonic Char-
ity of these Brothers to provide the content. So if you have ity. We hope we will soon be able to say that we have 100
ideas on what you want added to the website, contact the per cent participation from all of the Grand Lodges who ben-
Brothers listed on that page. efit and receive help from the Hospital Visitation program.
Our committee is also tasked with providing audio and vi- There are 172 veterans Hospitals and many State Veterans
sual support to the Grand Lodge. This becomes most vis- Homes and Extended Care Facilities across this country. At
ible during the Annual Communication. This is also an area present we have Masonic volunteers in 159 of the V.A. Hos-
where, when we make a mistake, everyone sees it. In years pitals and over 40 State Veterans Homes and Military Hos-
past, we have had to borrow equipment from other Brothers pitals.
and rent equipment from the venues. Anyone with an A/V
background will tell you that is a formula for disasters; and
we’ve had our share. This year we’re focusing on obtain- For further information on how you can participate in this
ing professional-quality equipment and the people to run it. worthy program in the greater Spokane area CONTACT:
We’re working on our wish list and working with the Grand
Secretary to determine a financial plan to purchase from the VWB Jerry Gendreau
list over the next few years. 509-276-213
[email protected]
Finally, I would like to welcome Chantal Stevens to the Grand
Lodge office. She has already proven very capable in main-
taining and revising the website and she is a pleasure to work
with. She is your primary contact for website ideas and is-
sues although I will continue to assist with getting Brothers
logged onto the website.
VWB Ray Zimmerman, Chairman
Technology Committee
17
Grand Lodge of Washington Junior Grand Warden Candidate
Gr
and Lodg
on
ashingt
e of W
Masonic Tribune VWB James H. Kendall
ibune
r
Masonic T
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 18
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
uestion: “Most Lodges are experiencing a decline in at-
Qtendance and membership. In your opinion, what do to-
Junior Grand Warden Candidate day’s’ Masons expect from their Lodges?”
VWB Charles R. Davis “FreeMasonry’S greatest problems are lack of interest in its
teachings and attendance at communications. Many plans
have been devised by Masonic leaders to stimulate interest
ost Lodges are experiencing a decline in attendance and and increase attendance, but few such efforts are more than
Mmembership. In your opinion, what do today’s Masons temporarily effective.”
expect from their Lodges?
“The initial appeal of the Ancient Craft is as strong to-day as
Today’s Masons are looking for many different things in their it has ever been. FreeMasonry attracts as good men now as
Lodges. When they first enter the Lodge for their EA degree, in the past. But in the absence of a concerted effort to teach
many of them have already read about Masonry, the history, quickly what in a more leisurely age could be spread over
philosophy and, to a certain extent, the ritual. As a matter many years, the Institution often fails to hold the interest of
of fact, they could have read the ritual on the internet or in the new Brother against the many attractions of modern life.”
books before they decided to join their Lodge.
The above was written by MWB Howard R. Cruse, PGM, in
The first thing that they are looking for is good ritual. They the forward to Carl Claudy’s Vol. 1 of “Introduction to Free-
expect that all the Brothers taking part in their degrees will Masonry”. It was written in August of 1931 and is as true to-
know their parts and be able not only to recite them, but to day as when it was first penned.
put meaning and feeling into their recitation. They expect the
same from the officers in opening and closing Lodge. The question (rhetorical) has been asked if we really joined
the Fraternity to attend a meeting once or twice a month, lis-
New Masons expect that when they go to a Lodge meeting ten to boring reports of finances and committees, eat a cold
the Lodge will do more that open, read the bills and commu- meal, then do it again in two weeks or a month? (Yes, I exag-
nications and close. They expect that we will fulfill the prom- gerate.) Fair question and the obvious answer is a resound-
ise that we made that “Masonry is a system of morality, veiled ing “no!”
in allegory and illustrated by symbols” and that we came here
“to learn to subdue our passions and improve ourselves in In my discussions with “old” and “new” Masons over the years,
Masonry.” In other words, they expect education on Masonic and when reading petitions for degrees (as Lodge Secretary)
history, philosophy and symbolism. They expect that the over the course of seven years, one or two themes are almost
Lodge will have programs; both on Masonic subjects and on universal when a reason to join the fraternity is expressed.
non-Masonic subjects. Some would enjoy being asked to
present programs to the Lodge on Masonic subjects. First is the desire to associate with good men, and thereby
expressly stated or implied, to experience personal growth
Grand Lodge has a very good start to this education with morally and intellectually. Stated in many different ways, the
the New Candidate Education program. Each new Mason desire to “improve myself in Masonry” is nearly universal. It is
should be encouraged to complete the program; by doing so my belief that when we fail to provide the answer to that goal
they learn more in a few days then many Masons know after as fully as we should, to that extent we experience the loss
years as a Mason. of interest we see.
New Masons also expect that they will be part of the Lodge; Are we mentoring and coaching as we should? Are we keep-
that they will be welcomed, made to feel that they are an ing our members interested and involved? Are we using all
important part of the Lodge and they want to get to know the the tools available to us? Are we “walking the walk” as one of
other members, their families, what they do for a living, etc. our Past Grand Masters admonished us to do? Do we look
They want to make friends, help their Lodge grow and be ac- out for, and keep tabs on, our elderly Brothers, our sick Broth-
tive in the community and contribute to society. They do not ers, our widows, and their families? Do we celebrate and ac-
want to be left sitting alone on the side lines and never asked knowledge our Brother’s accomplishments, big and small?
to take part in the meetings. Do we visibly practice the domestic and public virtues?
Young men today also want to spend quality time with their The second theme is closely tied with and perhaps insepa-
family. If they are married they want to involve their wives rable from the first. Many members state that an admired
in the lady’s organizations, the Order of Eastern Star, Ama- acquaintance, close friend, or family
ranth, etc. If they have children they member was a Mason and “they want-
want them to join the youth groups. ed some of that” too. They are seek-
They want to spend time in Masonry, ing something they have not found
but also to be able to involve their fami- elsewhere. In today’s world, more than
lies so that they can also learn about ever, we provide a refuge from the
Masonry and what it has to offer to the mundane and uncaring world, extend-
world. ing the hand of Brotherly love and af-
fection, and in the doing of it, share the
In short, new Masons want to learn common bond of our obligations to one
Masonic history and philosophy, be another.
an active part of the Lodge and get to
know their Brethren. Respectfully submitted:
VWB James H. Kendall 18
Charles R. Davis
Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on Junior Grand Warden Candidate
Masonic Tribune
Masonic Tribune
Volume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 19
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 VWB Warren R. Schoeben
ost Lodges are experiencing a decline in attendance and
Junior Grand Warden Candidate Mmembership. In my opinion, what do today’s Masons expect
from their Lodges?
VWB Charles Tupper
I believe, today’s Masons expectations are equivalent to our
ost Lodges are experiencing a decline in attendance and Past Brothers, which began with just a spark of interest in Ma-
Mmembership. In your opinion, what do today’s’ Masons sonry. Brethren through the years have petitioned our Fraternity
expect from their Lodges for membership for several reasons: they had a relative or friend
On this subject I prefer not to rely on my own opinion. It is who was a Mason, they wanted to become a better man, wanted
better to have something solid which has been gained by fellowship of those who share the same high standards, moral-
finding out the answers to this question from these very men. ity and ethics or they had a desire to be involved in community
Interestingly enough, I just went through a structured experi- projects. They would also like to know why and how Masonry
ence that explored this subject in some detail. Young and became the largest and oldest fraternity in the world, and ulti-
Old in age and Young and Old in Lodge years were asked mately become a part of it.
what they wanted and expected from their Lodge and from
their Brothers. The wants and needs were explored with the Prior to petitioning the Lodge for membership, many of the
promise of real change in the Lodge. Because the subject Brothers researched the Craft through various web sites or lit-
was presented in this way I believe that real wants and needs erature. They met with a member that explained the nature of
were brought to the table and real answers were found to our Craft and talked about the commitment of the candidate’s
provide a healthy future for the Lodge. My further information involvement, his requirements and the importance of his Lodge
comes from young Masons from all over the Jurisdiction with attendance. The Lodge also made a commitment to provide this
Brothers with whom I have explored this question. future Brother with instruction and education, preparing him as a
The findings were that today’s Masons want a Quality Expe- future Master Mason. Once a man has made the commitment,
rience. This includes all facets of what we, as Masons and we as the Lodge need to ignite that spark into a flame to keep
as Lodges can and should be doing. The consensus was his interest.
for the Lodge to Practice Excellent Ritual Work, to provide a
Meaningful Masonic Education, Real Social Intercourse with As an Entered Apprentice, a Fellowcraft or new Master Mason,
other Masons And Their Families, Outside Fun Activities, and most have traveled and visited other Lodges. During these visita-
Hands On Community Involvement. These men are willing tions, he may have observed the Ritual and Floor Work accom-
to pay for this and are not looking for a faster, cheaper, or plished with accuracy, the conducting of Lodge business, well
easier way of getting or doing anything. They are all willing
and eager to be put to work and to study in order to get what prepared and completed promptly. This Brother may also have
they came for. seen presentations and programs on Masonic history and edu-
However, when these men come to Lodge and they don’t cation or topics of interest. Prior to the meeting there may have
been a dinner and following the meeting, a repast with an abun-
get the things they came to get they walk away - and what’s
worse, they tell their friends not to bother with the Fraternity dance of camaraderie. He might then ask himself, “Why can’t
because of this. Unfortunately, for the most part this assess- my Lodge be like this?” This is one of the reasons visitation is so
ment of the total experience they have received in the Lodge important, it stimulates ideas and action. We need more than just
is all to real. business as usual. Quite often the Brethren, unless asked, will
These men tell me that the education required to satisfy them not share their concerns, ideas or desires. The success or failure
must be able to be imparted in reasonable short, interesting, of the Lodge is entirely up to each of us, it is Your Lodge. It is im-
topics delivered at each and every Stated Communication. perative that each Lodge provide its’ membership with what they
About twenty minutes each meeting is sufficient. A subject most desire, in order to sustain their involvement. Maintaining
may require several meetings to complete and require sev- its’ membership should be the top priority of the Lodge and its
eral members doing the talks. None of the presented ma- leaders. The Worshipful Master must take into consideration the
terial should be read and all should include personal expe- programs and activities that will be of interest to his members.
rience. Each segment should include time for discussion. Whether it be increased community involvement, educational
They should also be on subjects sure to interest the Mason programs on the history, ritual and floor work, the laws of the
enough to study them on his own in order to gain a fuller craft or more family involvement. We need to be attuned to our
understanding. Lodge members interests. We were first prepared to be made a
The consensus believes that the Lodge Mason in our heart. We must insure the
Officer Corps must Practice Their Rit- flame stays lit. As leaders in our Lodges,
ual Parts until they become absolutely each of us must give our members a rea-
proficient in the work. The ritual will son to continue forward with our legacy,
then become more real to the listening
membership and the meaning of it be not to lose them because we had little to
of more help in daily living. offer them for their time. Through our Fel-
They also would like to get to know the lowship, Brotherly love, education and
communication we will hopefully fulfill
other members of the Lodge in order to our Brothers expectations.
become a real part of it. This requires
each member to let the Lodge know
who he is, who the members of his im-
mediate family are, what he does or did Fraternally,
VWB Warren R. Schoeben
VWB Charles Tupper 19
Provide an Inheritance for Children or grandchildren
Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Masonic T r ibune Many seniors have worked hard their whole lives to accumu-
Masonic Tribune
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 20
V
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 late cash savings, investments and a fully owned personal
residence. It does not sit well with these people to have to put
out money at the end of their lives for such things as health
care, long term care or maintenance. They prefer to have
their children have the money. Many aging seniors will actu-
(Part I of II) ally forego medical care or long term care or maintenance on
their property to leave more money to their children.
lder Americans control
Oa large amount of the Next month your Masonic Outreach Services will bring you
more information about transferring assets for tax planning or
wealth in this country to qualify for government programs as
and have a contin- well as estate planning and other end-
ued interest in of-life issues. If you or someone you
protecting that
wealth from loss. know could use the services provided
Older Americans by Masonic Outreach, please contact us
also want to stretch at 206-878-8434/1-800-820-4630 Ext
their assets out as long as possible 101 or [email protected].
in order to avoid running out of money
well before they die. Mary Craves-Hollands
As Americans age many look for ways to preserve, main- Program Director
tain or transfer their assets. Whether the assets are many or
few, there are steps that can be taken to further secure and utreach Services can help open doors for those who are
maintain a distinct lifestyle. First let’s look at the reasons for Ogrowing older, are alone, or find themselves in circumstances
preserving assets. which could be improved if they had help from within their own
Provide Assets and Income for a Surviving Spouse communities.
Though tragic, when a spouse of a couple dies, income is Visit our website for articles of interest. More information are avail-
usually reduced through loss of Social Security income or able just by following the link below:
reduction of retirement pension. This can be especially hard http://Masonicoutreachservices.org/articles.html
for the surviving spouse having to learn to live on less and
prepare for following years.
Protect Assets and Income from Deterioration or Loss of Junior Grand Warden Candidate Forum
Property
Unexpected property loss may result in a drain on available aylight Lodge No. 232 cordially invites all interest-
cash assets. You might have damage to a vehicle or even Ded Brethren to attend our Junior Grand Warden Candi-
to the home. Lack of regular maintenance or damage may date Forum on Saturday, April 19th 2014 at the Green Lake
result in expensive repairs. There are estate preservation Masonic Hall (307 NE Maple Leaf Place, Seattle, WA). The
strategies which strive to recognize these losses and to pro- event will start at 1:30 PM, following Daylights 10:00 AM stat-
vide potential solution to avoid these losses with adequate ed meeting and lunch.
insurance coverage. In additional, help may be sought
through grants, tax credits, and other programs that provide As Worshipful Master Sam Ali explained, “We are hosting
maintenance or savings on utility bills. this forum because we realize that year after year we elect a
Maintain Assets to Pay for Medical Care and End-Of-Life Junior Grand Warden in many cases without knowing much
Paying for Medicare supplement policies, medical co-pays about them. The statement of intent is much more like a re-
sume than a platform, and we feel that voting for such an im-
and the cost of prescription drugs not covered by insurance
can reduce available assets. Costs associated with dying portant position should be done on an informed basis, rather
can drain the estate. Strategies are designed to identify than in the dark, providing the light by which we may do our
these costs and to deal with them while assets are still in work.”
place to provide protection. It will be a moderated forum with each candidate given the
Maintain Assets to Pay for Long Term Care opportunity to talk about their plans for Grand Lodge and
The need for long term care often occurs at the end of life. address specific questions submitted ahead of time by the
Unfortunately, this is the time when assets are already being Brethren of our Jurisdiction. The forum will begin with each
stretched thin. The cost of home care or assisted living or candidate having three minutes to answer the same ques-
nursing home care can be very expensive. Assets that have tion, “What changes would you like to make in Grand Lodge?”
taken a lifetime to accumulate can be wiped out in a matter This will be followed by a series of questions the candidates
of months. Strategies are designed to take advantage of will answer in a round robin type manner.
government programs to cut down on the burn rate of assets
when the need for care occurs. The event should last about 90 minutes. After the forum, at-
Compensate Children or grandchildren for their sacrifice tendees will have a chance to meet the candidates over light
refreshments.
It is very common for children or grandchildren to put their
own lives on hold and to sacrifice their time and their income Submit your questions for the forum to worshipfulmaster@
to care for loved ones in their final years of life. It is only daylightmasons.org and [email protected].
fitting that any assets remaining should go towards helping The questions will not be published prior to the event.
family members get back on their feet after the sacrifice of The forum will be video recorded, transcribed, made avail-
months or years providing care. able online, and to anyone who desires a copy.
20
by a meeting with the three of us and the Principal, to see if
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune this would work. Please keep in mind that Mark P. Waterman
Masonic Tribune
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 is not by any means a wealthy Lodge. In fact, it has (as many
V
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 21
other Lodges have done) rented out what used to be its din-
ing room and kitchen. And while it does have some money
in the bank it must be judicious in its expenditures. Over the
Kindle Tablet for School Children Program course of our discussions it was clear that if this was going
to be a success, while the Lodge might fund it, there would
am a Masonic transplant to the Seattle area – and be a negative impact on some of the other activities
I that is Washington, I came from Palestine Lodge if we did not ask the Brethren for some type of
214 in Omak, Washington (I was actually made contribution to offset the costs.
a Mason in Montana quite a while ago, but that
is a different story). On one of my first trips The meeting with Principal went very well.
over to the Island of Vashon to visit Mark P. Again she was very enthusiastic about
Waterman Lodge #177, I road with a Past the possibility of our Lodge giving out
District Deputy, and I asked about whether Kindles. The teachers believed that the
Mark P. Waterman had a Bikes for Books best target population would be 4th- 6th
program (one of my great experiences was graders. The School already had some
being present at the assemblies in Omak, Kindle Fires which it used in reading
when Palestine gave out its bikes). His re- labs, with teachers who knew how to use
sponse was something to the effect that, it them. Moreover the school’s reading pro-
had had the program, but it had run its course. gram already had a system to track reading
The school was not very enthusiastic about the by the students, which could be adapted to
program, and really, it was not always terribly con- award the Kindles. However, in the course of the
venient to ride on Vashon. However, the Lodge was ac- discussion, it became clear that the students who
tive in other ways in the community. might most benefit from the program were those in the
summer reading program. No question about it, we were now
As things are wont to occur, I joined the Lodge, and was soon looking at 8 Kindle Fires – at a cost of about $1200, depend-
elected Master of Mark P. Waterman. However, it was only ing on shipping and handling. I told the Principal I would call
at the end of my first term as Master that the idea occurred her after we met and let her know the will of the Lodge.
to me that we could do something potentially helpful to the
schools on the Island – rather that giving out bikes, we could In anticipation of the upcoming Lodge meeting where I hoped
give out Kindles. I would love to say that this was solely my that the additional expenditures would be approved, I asked
original idea, but it isn’t. It actually came, in part from watch- our Secretary to send out an email, detailing the meeting with
ing my 10 year old daughter playing with my spouse’s Kindle, the Principal, the advantages of a Kindle Fire (the school
and seeing how much she enjoyed it (even reading books on used them and could help students use them), the willing-
it). As well, I happened to be surfing on the Montana Grand ness of the school to have us at the presentations (great
Lodge website, when I saw a reference to a “Kindles for Kids” publicity), the need for 8 Kindles rather than 6, and of course
program. Although there was little more than a reference, it the increased cost. At the same time, I asked the Brethren
did appear that Montana was offering the Kindles as an alter- to contribute $50, which, based on our email list would off-
native to bicycles in its “bikes for books” program. set the cost of the Kindles to the Lodge and leave a little bit
for additional shipping and handling costs (keep in mind that
After that it was a question of whether we could do it. Before Mark P. Waterman only has a few more than 30 members
I approached the Lodge, I contacted a few of the members total – some of whom are not on the email list).
to try to take a “barometer reading” of the Lodge – Masons
are some of the best people I know, but change is still hard At the meeting following, I was extremely pleased that the
sometimes. The replies I got ran the gamut from moderate Lodge committed to purchase the 8 Kindles for the school,
interest to enthusiasm. Much would depend on the cost. with the expectation that the Brethren would offset this ex-
penditure. Moreover there were several of the Brothers who
As anyone shopping for one will tell you, Kindles run from had money in-hand to contribute that evening.
about $70 to about $300. With what information I had, I ap-
proached Lodge and asked for authority to proceed, with a Of course, we have not yet given any of the Kindles away –
commitment from the Lodge of between $400 to $500 (as- that will come probably late this March or early April. Howev-
suming the least expensive Kindle, and giving out two each er, I am confident that this is a program which will strengthen
quarter for the 3 quarters of the school year). the ties of our Lodge to the Vashon-Burton communities and
give Mark P. Waterman Lodge more visibility.
Of course “the best laid plans of mice and men …” as a cer-
tain Scottish Mason would say. When I called the Principal, As a side note, several of the Brethren have asked that we
she was enthusiastic, and noted that the schools used Kin- contact Grand Lodge to see whether it would assist us in the
dles in some of their reading labs – she would get back to me purchase of the Kindles, as it does with bikes. I trust that this
about what kind they were. And when she did she told me communication will be forwarded to the proper committee for
that they were about twice the price of those I had hoped to consideration of this request.
purchase. At the same time she made a push for their sum-
mer reading program also – so rather than 6 Kindles they WB Tom Christie
hoped for 8. Past Master
I set up a meeting with our Treasurer and Secretary, followed Mark P. Waterman Lodge No. 177 21
Lodge of Arizona Master Mason Charge was exemplified by
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune visiting Masons from that Grand Lodge. A Filipino version of
Masonic Tribune
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 the Master Mason charge was also exemplified by one of
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 22
the Past Masters of Silvergate - Three Star Lodge No. 296
to the newly raised Master Mason.
A very inspiring event My purpose for being in attendance in the meeting was that
Report for one of my Masonic travels I was invited by M.G.M to do a special Masonic Education
for the event. I made a presentation about the “Anderson’s
he M.G.M. “Manlalakbay na Gurong Mason” (Traveling Constitution 1723 – Ancient Charges of a Freemason.” The
TMaster Masons) recently held their biannual gathering presentation was very well received and laudable com-
at Silvergate - Three Star Lodge No. 296, F&AM of Cali- ments were made about the subject content of the presen-
fornia last March 7, 8 and 9, 2014. The M.G.M enthusiasts tation. After the presentation, as per M.G.M. request, the
are Filipino Freemasons that come from different areas of attendees gathered in a circle around the Lodge room, on
Grand Lodge of California and neighboring Masonic Juris- the level and I delivered the Closing Charge as recited in
dictions such as Las Vegas, Arizona, Oregon, Washington the Lodge closing in Grand Lodge of Washington. That cer-
and other Jurisdictions. They rally together by invitation of emony officially ended the Masonic Lodge activity and the
a host Lodge and perform the Master Mason Degree on a dinner was served downstairs at the Dining Hall. After din-
candidate during the 3-day event. The event is consisting of ner, the award ceremonies and presentations were made
several activities such as sports and fellowship and thereafter everybody shared an evening of dancing and
gatherings, which includes families and friends
of the attendees and lastly the Degree Confer-
ral.
The group, M.G.M., is not an organization, nor
does it have an organizational structure or duly
organized meetings. The event is successfully
arranged and coordinated by a few volunteers
to pursue future events. All possible attendees
are notified of the time and location of future
events for them to register and confirm their at-
tendance with the host Lodge. The funds for entertainment. It was a very stimulating experience.
all expenditures are managed and accounted for by the host
Lodge. Proceeds are donated to the charity of choice as The morning after was the farewell breakfast/brunch for all
chosen by the host Lodge. The key success of the event lies the participants and visitors. Healthy discussions about the
in just plain communications, dedication of the enthusiasts very successful event were shared during the meal. What
and support in promoting a better exposure of the Filipino was a very interesting fact here was how the event became
Masonic presence globally. so successfully attended without it having a structured
membership organization to support it. This is the essence
The most current M.G.M. gathering was held in San Diego, of FreeMasonry very well consumed in a much harmonious
California and was attended by some 350 Masons from 62 manner. The benign influence of the craft is very apparent
Lodges coming from Grand Lodge of California and other and was displayed in a way so peculiar to this Fraternity.
Masonic Jurisdictions. The event started with a Meet-And-
Greet dinner at the host Lodge dining hall. After the din- It was indeed a great pleasure to have been given the
ner the Masons attended the stated meeting of Silvergate chance to attend the event, even more so to make a presen-
- Three Star Lodge No. 296 that happens to be the official tation to such absorbed audi-
visit of the District Grand Lodge Inspector. The meeting was ence. The amount of joy that
conducted in full harmony and decorum and the visitors have filled the air is amazing; ev-
experienced a very pleasant Lodge communication. The In- erybody displayed content-
spector in his remarks expressed that he was very pleased ment to the success of the
with the ritualistic work displayed by the Lodge. He also wel- event. I was very impressed.
comed the visitors coming from various Districts and other I hope that the M.G.M. leg-
Jurisdictions. acy will live on and that oth-
The highlight of the event was the Master Mason Degree ers may learn to imitate the
conferral performed to the utmost standards of Grand Lodge model and enjoy the suc-
of California. At 1:00 PM of Saturday, March 9, 2014, the cess and unity it brings to the
officers of Silvergate - Three Star Lodge No. 296, opened members of this our beloved
the Lodge on the Third Degree of Masonry. Every seat in fraternity.
the Lodge room was occupied including the additional chairs With proper dispensation or
brought in to accommodate the rather large volume of the permission from the Grand
M.G.M. enthusiasts. The degree conferral was a courtesy Master, Grand Lodge of
work requested by Black Mountain Lodge No.845 for their Washington we hope to be
candidate. The participants of the Degree work were Filipino able to bring them into our
Freemasons coming from Lodges all over the Grand Lodge Jurisdiction in the future.
of California. These are Masons who are volunteers from
the M.G.M. supporters and are a collection of very dedicated MWB G. Santy Lascano
and well-trained ritualists. The degree work went exception- Past Grand Master - 2010-2011
ally well. After the Lodge was closed in due form, the Grand Grand Lodge of Washington 22
no home, no possessions and whose only hope for a decent
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r ibune future is completing high school and moving on. The Backpack
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 23
V
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3 Brigade supplies some of the basic needs of these students,
and pays enormous dividends.
In this issue we find a well thought out article on the part that
music plays in our fraternity and resources available to the
Lodges. “Music Embellishes the Masonic Experience” by Bro
Zane McCune is worth a read and points to a new resource for
Lodges.
There is also included a brief note about “Project Bright Smile”
which is a support program for Veterans in the home at Retsil.
This project, conceived and executed by VWB Tom Dangelo is
an example of the outreach we perform every day.
Youth Group Committee There are ample examples of worthwhile information in these
Youth are our Future publications and if you have something to offer about the work
or every DeMolay, Rainbow Girl, or Job’s Daughter that of the fraternity, we would be delighted to hear of it.
Fare active in their organization is a person learning life “Public Relations” is not simply a committee of the Grand
skills, speaking, organization, having fun. DeMolay’s are Lodge, nor of the Lodge. It encompasses anything that brings
future Masons, Rainbow Girls, and Job’s Daughters, future the Fraternity to the attention of the community around us. In the
Amaranth Honored Ladies, or Eastern Star Sisters. winter issue, VWB Steve Pennington wrote about an incident
Please visit a youth group in your area in the near future. that reflected poorly on the individual, and by extension, on the
Fraternity. If you proudly display that Square and Compasses
Ask the DeMolay to do the Ceremony of Light; The Rainbow emblem, your every action will be seen in part as reflecting on
Girl’s the Rose Talk, Job’s Daughter the Robe Talk. There all of us. It should be a reminder to us of how we are admon-
several Ceremonies they can do for you. ished to conduct ourselves, as “just and upright masons” in all
The Grand Masters Golf Invitation Sunday May 18, 2014. our actions.
8:00AM Shotgun Start. 4 Man Scramble (Best Ball). Nile
Shrine Golf Club. 6601 244th Street SW. MountLake Terrace Fraternally,
WA. 98043. Entry Fee $85.00 per player. All Lodges have VWB Jim Kendall, Chairman
been sent the Application Forms. VWB Steve Pennington
For more information call or Email WB Fred Docker, at 253- VWB Duane “Dutch” Meier
332-5341, [email protected]. WB Tom Crawford at, 206- WB Chris Huntley
805-9876 [email protected] WB Terry Grove at WB Roger Nelson
425-610-4561,[email protected] can also check Bro. Michael A. Sawyer
the Grand Lodge Website at www.freemasons.org. MWB G. Santy Lascano
WB Fred Docker, Chairman
Grand Lodge Youth Committee. Guidelines for Submission of Articles
The Washington Masonic Tribune
Public Relations Committee
1. Articles can be submitted in MS Word format or email body text.
Please do not do too much special formatting writing your arti-
“Promoting the Fraternity” cle because your layout will be subject to change depending on
which page your article will be placed in the publication itself.
hree down and one to go! This issue is the third of four prior 2. Please always do a thorough spell check of your document espe-
Tto the Annual Communication in June. We hope and believe cially names that are not common in the built in spell checker of
that each was an improvement on the previous issue, and that software applications.
you will find timely and worthwhile information within. 3. Please make sure you only use Arial in all your fonts in the docu-
ment, as the publication body text will all be produced in Arial type
The PR Committee is but one tool of many that are available font only. If you use another font, some special characters might
to promote your Lodge and the Fraternity. Or perhaps it would be not translate properly when converted to Arial. Arial is pretty much
better to say that the PR Committee is putting together a basic Universal.
tool kit, while there are many more available to the Lodge, Dis- 4. Include the pictures you want used in your article in the Word
trict, and the Fraternity. document layout, but also please attach the original digital photo
file as a separate file in the e-mail.
The Masonic Tribune is just one such tool, but an important 5. Make sure the name and author of the article is reflected on the
one. It is an excellent vehicle to share information and ideas bottom of the article content.
about Lodge activities undertaken internally and externally, that 6. Video clips are acceptable. Please send me a separate e-mail so
is, within the fraternity and in the public arena. we can arrange for the transmission of your video media footage
([email protected])
Bikes for Books is an ongoing community program, but the Fall 7. When sending your article to the Public Relations Committee,
2013 issue is the first time I heard about the idea of including your e-mail subject field should say “Masonic Tribune Summer
Homeschool students in the program. In retrospect it strikes me 2014 – Your Name or Committee Name or your GL Title.”
as both a brilliant idea and an obvious one. 8. Your article is important to us. Please help us protect its accuracy
In the Summer issue we had an article about supporting alter- according to your intended subject.
native school students who are literally living on the edge, with 23
Gr and Lodg e of W ashingt on
Grand Lodge of Washington
Masonic T r ibune Ashlar Realty
Masonic Tribune
olume XCIV No.3 - Spring Issue - Page 24
V Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
A full service real estate company
1805 Hewitt Ave. Everett, WA 98201
Broker: Boe Lindgren
Tel. 206-391-6224
Directory Listing of Services E-mail: [email protected]
The listing below is a Directory Service to provide the
Brethren with listings of Masons practitioners and ser- 1805 Limousine
vice providers for different line of work and disciplines. Affordable limousine service for friends
This is in keeping with the Masonic tradition of promot- 1805 Hewitt Ave. Everett, WA 98201
ing each others welfare and together be able to rejoice Tel. 206-391-6224
in each other’s prosperity. This publication will continue Facebook: 1805 LIMO
to build-up this listing until we can establish a better E-mail: [email protected]
and well organized format to advertise the ad place-
ments. For now the following directory is arranged by www.BoeDeal.com
order that the placements have been received. Find savings on cell phones (& service)
Directory Listing - December 2013 Television, ADT, Gas, & Electric.
1805 Hewitt Ave, Everett, WA 98201
M & M ENGRAVERS Tel. 206-391-6224
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Estate Planning and Charitable Giving www.GentryCustomRemodel.com
Frank Selden Law, PS
Bellevue, WA * 425.990.1021 Hardwood flooring installation and refinishing
Lane Hardwood Floors / Showroom
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206-622-9669
Visual Communication & Graphics Design Email: [email protected]
G. Santy Lascano Graphics, LLC Website: www.lanehardwoodfloors.com
123 Alder Street, Everett WA 98303
Tel. 425.259.8065 or 425.350.5371
Email - [email protected]
Internet Access, Domain Hosting, Website hosting
Telebyte NW Internet Services
PO Box 3162, Silverdale WA 98383
Tel. 360-613-5220
Email - [email protected]
Adamson and Associates Everett Masonic Center
Planning and Management Solutions Space for Rent for Business Office
Local Government management studies 120 People capacity Party Room w/ Kitchen
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Phone 253-848-0977
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