Masons I Have Known

State Representative Jerry L. Maygarden, 33°
Majority Leader, Florida House of Representatives
323 Capitol Office Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399–1300
jmaygarden@aol.com

Masons today have elected to live by the exact same virtuous values that characterized Masonic heroes from days gone by.

In December of 1996, the Valley of Pensacola celebrated 150 years of Masonic presence in the "City of Five Flags." A great week of celebration activities was enjoyed by all. Hometown favorite, Ill. Reubin Askew, 33°, former U. S. Trade Ambassador and former Governor of the Sunshine State, gave a wonderful speech that week, and the festivities concluded with a grand "Mason Day" parade on Saturday morning.

Early in the week, a reporter with the local newspaper called to ask, "Who inspired you to become a Mason?"

Before I could respond, the young lady said, "I've asked several of your fellow Masons a similar question, and they haven't given me much to write about."

"What did they say?"

"To the man, they claim to be Masons because of other men they have known. Each of them told me about a father, or grandfather, an uncle, a friend, or a fellow worker who inspired them to ask for something called a petition."

I had a sinking feeling that the news article about our celebration was in trouble.

"That's well and good," she said. "But, it doesn't make very good copy."

After a long pause, I told her that she wasn't going to like my answer any better: "I'm a Mason because of the men I've known."

I often think about the reporter's primary question from that interview nearly three years ago: "Who inspired you to become a Mason?"

Like Masons everywhere, I take considerable pride in knowing that great men from American history were Masons. I could have told her about General George Washington, that great revolutionary leader and first President of the United States. I could have told her about Ben Franklin, one of the primary architects of the "Declaration of Independence"; President Theodore Roosevelt, world leader and environmentalist; Charles Lindbergh, the Atlantic flight soloist; Francis Bellamy, author of the "Pledge of Allegiance"; Francis Scott Key, composer of our "National Anthem"; and, certainly not least, Ill. President Harry Truman, 33°. I could have told her about Brothers J.C. Penney, Frederick Maytag, Frank Hoover, Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler, all great business leaders in their day. I could have told her about the actor, John Wayne, and we could have marveled at the exploits of astronaut and space pioneer, "Buzz" Aldrin. I could have told her a lot about great Masonic men and our wonderful heritage, but I didn't!

I've read quite a bit about these great men, but I really didn't know Washington, Roosevelt or Francis Scott Key. I'm proud they were Masons. I'm proud of their contributions to the world in which we live. But, I didn't know them personally. I was inspired to ask for a petition by men that I've known—plain-spoken men from all walks of life—community leaders, common laborers, small businessmen, bankers, lawyers, family, and friends. None of my mentors will ever be written up in the World Book Encyclopedia, and their epitaphs will never be chiseled in marble. But, the Masons I've known elected to live by the exact same virtuous values that characterized Masonic heroes from days gone by.

The Masons I have known were on a quest for knowledge and enlightenment, and they were patriots, willing to give all for their country. Most of all, they were faithful family men with kind and generous hearts.

The Masons I have known faced interesting and difficult times. I was born in 1948, in the vanguard of what demographers call the "baby boom" generation. My immediate predecessors were born out of the Great Depression. They learned to get by when getting by wasn't easy, and they never allowed a national calamity to become an excuse for failure or poor performance. My Masonic forefathers studied hard and worked long hours in order to claim a better life for themselves and their families. In the final analysis, it was their generation that established the most productive economy in history, and in the process, they developed the finest education system in the world. Their quest for knowledge and the educational system they built spawned unimaginable technological advances in medicine, communication, transportation, and space exploration. We owe them a great deal!

The Masons I have known were prepared for the challenges and opportunities of their time. They also knew what it meant to sacrifice for their country. My immediate forefathers experienced two world wars, the Korean War, and Vietnam. The Masons I have known were patriots.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a patriot as: "One who loves his country and is loyal to it." Recently, I was asked to serve as guest speaker for the Scottish Rite's annual Flag Day celebration. I prepared my best patriotic speech and put on my best blue suit, best white shirt, and favorite red-and-blue-striped tie. I could have been a poster boy for the American Legion. The Rite's public relations chairman had done his job, but for some reason the newspaper didn't see fit to cover our patriotic celebration. On that hot summer day in June, I joined a sparse crowd of a few dozen local citizens to salute the American Flag. Despite the heat and poor community showing, a tiny band of patriotic Masons led the celebration. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, with backs straight and steely eyes fixed on Old Glory out of respect for our great nation. I regret that it's no longer fashionable to be a patriot or to get choked up when they play the "Star-Spangled Banner," but I'm proud that the Masons I have known were patriots—men who loved their country and were loyal to it!

The Masons I've known were family men, and they would do anything to nourish and protect their loved ones. Unfortunately, the American family is under siege at every turn. A casual check of the telephone log in my legislative office would reveal that more than 70% of constituent calls are desperate pleas for what might be called welfare-related help.

"Please help me get medical care for my child! Help me track down their deadbeat dad! Help me find food for my baby!"

We live in a society where one out of two marriages ends in divorce and one in three children is born into abject poverty.

Unfortunately, a third of all children born in the average American community will be born out of wedlock with little hope for a brighter today, let alone a brighter tomorrow.

People frequently ask, "Representative, what can I do to help?"

My answer is always the same: "Take care of your family! Never let them become a ward of the state, and—with whatever resources you have—help your neighbor! That brings me to the last Masonic virtue I want to mention—charity!

When we think of charity, we think of giving money to some noble cause, among them the Shrine Hospitals for Children and Shrine Burns Institutes, Masonic Homes for the Aged, or the Scottish Rite's Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs. These are extremely important works worthy of our financial support. But, charity is more than giving of our money. The Entered Apprentice Degree in the American Ritual states that "Charity extends beyond the grave through the boundless realms of eternity." And, the Fellowcraft Degree says that "Charity suffereth long, and is kind." Clearly there is a greater charity than that of the giving of money. It is the charity that comes from giving a gift that no one else can give, the giving of ourselves, the giving of our time and talents so that others might know kindness. Charity in its purest form is love of your fellowman. The Masons I have known were charitable men!

Why am I a Mason? Because of the men I have known. How did they inspire me to become a Mason? Because, they were prepared for the opportunities and challenges of the times in which they lived; because, they were patriots who loved their country and they were loyal to it; because, they loved and cherished their families above self; and because, they were willing to give, not only from their pocketbooks, but from their hearts as well. It is important for each of us to ask: "Who will be the next generation of Masons, and will they be inspired to become Masons because they knew us?"