James A. Marples, 32°

(All photos are courtesy of the Chrysler Historical Collection)

In America today, the automobile has become virtually indispensable to our standard of living. It is a virtual "magic carpet" made of steel and glass, getting us back and forth to our work and play, enabling us to do our chores, and allowing us to vacation with greater ease, comfort, and speed. The modern automobile is a far cry from the horse and buggy or a covered wagon going across the prairie a century ago.

Although there have been many pioneers in the automobile industry, Brother Walter Percy Chrysler, 32° (photo right), stands alone in his ability, ingenuity, and diversity. Bro. Chrysler was born in 1875 in Wamego, Kansas, but he and his family moved to Ellis, Kansas, where young Walter was educated in the public schools and grew to manhood. He was a mechanic with various railroads at the time he received the Scottish Rite Degrees in 1900 in Salina, Kansas. Brother Chrysler, like myself, also held membership in Isis Shrine Temple of Salina. Ten years later, he joined the American Locomotive Company. By 1912, he was employed at Buick Motor Company, and within four years this hard-working man was its president. Brother Chrysler was largely instrumental in seeing the Buick Motor Company become part of the General Motors Corporation.

Active and energetic, he assisted with the reorganization of the Willys-Overland Company and the Maxwell Motor Company. In 1925, Chrysler Corporation was organized with Bro. Walter as president. In 1928, Chrysler Corporation acquired Dodge Brothers, a name famous then and now in automobile manufacturing. This acquisition gave the young corporation a greater foothold in an expanding personal vehicle market.

In many ways, Bro. Chrysler was more creative and flexible than his more rigid competitor (and Masonic Brother) Henry Ford, 33°. Ill. Ford was often hesitant regarding change while Brother Chrysler adapted to change with eagerness. This, plus his willingness to accommodate the customer, while simultaneously making improvements in quality, led to better products and spawned further inventions and innovations, a tradition which persists to this day not only in the Chrysler Corporation but in other companies, too.

Therefore, all Americans today, regardless of what vehicle they drive, can be thankful to Brother Walter Percy Chrysler, 32°. His actions were geared more to customer satisfaction, an idea considered lofty at the time, but now an attitude taken for granted as the norm by today’s selective consumer.

When I was growing up, there was no more choosy or selective a consumer than my dad, John William Marples, 32°. Prior to his career in aircraft manufacturing, he had initiated and operated a gasoline service station/repair garage. He knew Fords, Chryslers, and nearly every other automotive product of the time. He had owned a large Cadillac and one of the smallest Fiat cars ever made. He owned an Austin, a Hudson, several Willys cars, and a "Henry J." But he made his preferences clear: a Studebaker truck and a Chrysler car.

My dad owned several Chryslers, Plymouths, and Dodges in his life. I remember his firm hand on the steering wheel of his 1963 Chrysler New Yorker station wagon. That particular model had a push-button-operated automatic transmission. There was no gearshift stick or lever, just buttons on the dash for all the gears and an arm that kept the car safely in "Park." That car was a pleasure to drive, and it was dependable.

Nor was it an isolated example. I remember my dad’s brother (by blood and by Masonry), Charles P. Marples, 32°. He also kept a firm hand on the steering wheel of his 1966 Chrysler New Yorker (see the illustration at beginning of article) as we drove over a suspension bridge on a very windy day in the state of Washington. That day I was especially thankful for both my uncle’s firm hand and his dependable Chrysler New Yorker.

In addition to following in my dad’s and my uncle’s footsteps in Masonry, I also followed in their tire tracks. Like them, I own a Chrysler, a 1981 New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition. I regularly drove dad, now deceased, to Masonic Lodge and Shrine meetings, to the bank, grocery store, and practically everywhere else we needed to go.

I still have that Chrysler. It has covered a lot of miles, and I have changed its tires, brakes, water pump, belts, hoses, filters, and oil many times. Yet that car is still dependable and a pleasure to drive.

It reminds me of the thousands of dependable Masons, like my dad and uncle, who drove and still drive Chryslers. Most of all, it reminds me of the dependable Mason who founded the Chrysler Corporation, Bro. Walter P. Chrysler, 32°. His legacy is continued by the company he started and by the other companies that strive for Chrysler quality and dependability. So, the next time you turn the key of your dependable car, truck or van, you might say to yourself: "Thanks, Brother Walter!"