January 2000

Active Members Of The Supreme Council, S.J., U.S.A. | A Summer For A Lifetime | Fiftieth Anniversary In Taipei | Orient Of Kansas Tornado Relief | Deputy Kerr Receives Panama Canal Commission's Highest Award

Seated front row (l. to r.) are Ill. Bros. 1. David Kruger, Virginia 2. Thomas C. Raum, Jr., Kansas 3. Ronald A. Seale, Louisiana 4. Gr. Cmdr. C. Fred Kleinknecht 5. Earl K. Dille, Missouri 6. H. Wallace Reid, South Carolina 7. Sam E. Hilburn, Texas.	In the third row are (l. to r.) Ill. Bros. 18. Dwane F. Treat, Arkansas 19. Karl F. Reed II, Alabama 20. Harry S. Barrows, Iowa 21. Robert F. Hannon, Arizona 22. William R. Miller, Washington 23. John E. Moyers, Kentucky 24. C. B. Hall, West Virginia.
In the second row (l. to r.) are Ill. Bros. 8. Jack E. Nixson, Wyoming 9. Bernard E. Rothman, Maryland 10. Daniel F. Levenduski, Minnesota 11. Warren D. Lichty, Nebraska 12. H. Douglas Lemons, California 13. Curtis N. Lancaster, Utah 14. Paul T. Million, Jr., Oklahoma 15. Jack D. Rehberg, Montana 16. Marvin K. Bailin, South Dakota 17. A. James Wriston, Jr., Hawaii.	In the fourth row are (l. to r.) Ill. Bros. 25. Robert L. Goldsmith, Florida 26. Julian W. Fagan, Mississippi 27. William M. Hutcheson, Georgia 28. John H. Ramlo, North Dakota 29. Joseph O. Martin, Jr., Tennessee 30. Dwight A. Hamilton, Colorado 31. Charles S. Iversen, District of Columbia 32. Mitchell R. Miller, Alaska 33. William B. Brunk, North Carolina.

On October 31, 1999, Ill. William G. Sizemore, 33°, G.C., Grand Executive Director (center), had the pleasure of visiting Ill. George I. Purdy, 33°, at his bedside in Kamakura, Japan. Ill. Purdy is shown presenting Ill. Sizemore with a copy of his biography, A Summer for a Lifetime. Also pictured (l. to r.) are: Dr. Allen LeRoy Robinson, 33°, Secretary, Tokyo Masonic Center; Admiral Sizemore's wife, Hellen; and Ill. Purdy's wife, Midori.

Many know Ill. George I. Purdy, 33°, as "Mr. Navy" because he founded the Navy League in Japan. But his fascinating biography, titled A Summer for a Lifetime, covers so much more. From his years at Annapolis, to his command of a warship in WWII, to his biggest challenge after the war when he was hired by the occupation government of Douglas MacArthur to get Japan's metal industry back on its feet, Ill. Purdy's fascinating life is narrated in an easy-to-read style and with an uplifting optimism. The book, as told to Thomas Caldwell, is published by Lost Coast Press ($24.95, casebound, 6" x 9", 200 pages; ISBN 1–882897–45–5) and handled by book distributors Baker & Taylor, Ingram, Mother Pickle, and Partners. Orders can be made from the following websites: http://www.cypresshouse.com/catalog/catalog.shtml (under the biographies section) and www.barnesandnoble.com.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is donated to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., for the benefit of the Childhood Language Disorders Program.

The 46th Annual Communication and the 50th anniversary of the M.W. Grand Lodge of China culminated on October 23, 1999, with impressive ceremonies in the grand ballroom of the spectacular Grand Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan. On this historic occasion, M.W. and Ill. Tommy F. H. Weng, 33°, Grand Master, Grand Lodge of China, and Deputy of the Supreme Council, 33°, for the Orient of Taiwan, presided. Immediately prior to the installation of Ill. Weng's successor as Grand Master, the mayor of Taipei, Dr. Ma Yin-Jiou, addressed the assembly with very complimentary remarks about Freemasonry. The succeeding Grand Master, Bro. Goshen Tsao, 32°, K.C.C.H., then hosted a banquet in the hotel for several hundred attendees. A large contingent of foreign Masonic dignitaries, Brethren, and friends of Brother Weng from the United States and the Far East were present to witness the events and participate in honors to the Grand Lodge of China. Included were many Grand Masters (see following list) as well as other distinguished Masonic leaders from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Representing Sov. Gr. Cmdr. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, Rear Admiral William G. Sizemore, USN (Ret), 33°, G.C., on behalf of the Grand Commander and Supreme Council, conveyed congratulations and appreciation to Bro. Weng and the assembled Brethren (pictured above right).

Attending Most Worshipful Grand Masters were: Franklin J. Dermonteverde, Philippines, and his delegation of eight members including M.W. Rosendo Herrera, P.G.M. (also Sov. Gr. Cmdr. of the Supreme Council, Republic of the Philippines) and Pablo Ko, Jr., P.G.M.; Kent R. Gould, Colorado; Fredric R. Collins, Japan, and his delegation of five members, including Chester L. Ditto, P.G.M.; Randy T. S. Chang, Hawaii; David K. H. Lai, R.W. District Grand Master, District Grand Lodge of the Middle East (Scottish Constitution) and his delegation of 40 members. Past Most Worshipful Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of China attending were: Dawson Kwauk, Dale O. Holmgren, Raymond M. Chang, Austin H. Teng, and Jumbo C. P. Yu.

Ill. Thomas C. Raum, Jr., 33°, S.G.I.G. in Kansas, wishes to thank all the Brethren who sent in contributions through the Supreme Council for tornado relief to the Orient of Kansas. Funds in the total amount of $15,148.50 were received and distributed as follows.

Ill. Thomas C. Raum, Jr., 33°, S.G.I.G. in Kansas, presents a check for $5,000 from the Kansas Scottish Rite Foundation to Dallas Rabe, Commander of the Wichita Salvation Army. Ill. Raum is President of the Foundation and was pleased to distribute more than $15,000 in contributions made through the Supreme Council to victims of the recent tornadoes in Kansas.

A gift to the Salvation Army of $5,000 provided shelter and clothing to victims in the Haysville and Wichita area. Also, a gift of $5,000 to the Kansas Food Bank Warehouse allowed food to be distributed to tornado victims.

Finally, the balance of $5,148.50 was donated to the Haysville Masonic Lodge to assist in rebuilding. The Lodge was totally destroyed. Over $25,000 of the loss was not covered by insurance. The gift will help with the uninsured portion and is deeply appreciated. Kansas Freemasons are proud to be part of an organization that cares.

On October 1, 1999, Ill. Arthur J. Kerr, 33°, Deputy of the Supreme Council, Scottish Rite Bodies, Orient of the Panama Canal, was presented a Honorary Public Service Award Certificate and Gold Medallion from the Panama Canal Commission. The ceremony was held in the Rotunda of the Panama Canal Administration Building, Balboa Heights, Republic of Panama, and the award was conferred by the Honorable Alberto Aleman Zubieta, Administrator of the Panama Canal Commission (left in photo). The Official Commendation is given for exemplifying the highest ideals and standards of public service as a career. Clearly, Illustrious Kerr's reputation for ability, fairness, and devoted service to his assigned tasks extends far beyond Freemasonry and throughout the Republic of Panama.