Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences Shape The Future

John W. Boettjer, 33°, G.C.
1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20009–3103

This year's Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences provided an agenda for our Order's success in the new century.

Photo: Ill. H. Douglas Lemons, 33°, Past Lieutenant Grand Commander and host S.G.I.G. for the Scottish Rite Leadership Conference held in San Diego, California, and Grand Commander Kleinknecht pause beside the conference banner.
Continuing the success of the first Scottish Rite Leadership Conference held in Williamsburg, Virginia, on March 3–4, 2000, (see the article "Millennium Masons" in the May 2000 Scottish Rite Journal). the three remaining year 2000 Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences were held in Omaha, Nebraska, March 17–18; Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 31–April 1; and San Diego, California, April 14–15. Each followed the model of the Williamsburg conference in that the afternoon of the day before the general session, Valley Secretaries participated in a seminar on how to improve Valley operations and communication. These meetings were led by Ill. William G. Sizemore, 33°, G.C., Grand Executive Director, and Ms. Martha Bell, Office Manager, Grand Executive Director's Office. That same afternoon previous to each conference, Grand Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, met with all Active Members, Deputies, and other high-ranking Supreme Council or Valley Officers to discuss issues of current interest.

The following morning, the Brethren assembled in general session to hear a number of relevant presentations, and in the afternoon, the group divided into two tiers. In Tier One, Conference Fellows, other Brethren attending, and Valley Secretaries participated in three focus group discussions of 45 minutes each. In Tier Two, Active Members, Deputies, and Personal Representatives met to discuss, with Grand Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, and other conference presenters, five key areas: investment of Valley/Foundation funds, Orient financial management, IRS reports, Americanism/Education programs, and membership challenges. Among the presenters in Tier Two were Mr. Robert S. Thomas, Director, Client Service, Asset Management Group, SEI Investments; Ill. H. Douglas Lemons, 33°, Past Lieutenant Grand Commander, S.G.I.G. in California, Member, Finance Committee, Supreme Council; and Ill. H. Wallace Reid, 33°, Grand Minister of State, S.G.I.G. in South Carolina.

The general session's morning presenters, following greetings by the Grand Commander and an overview of the conference by Ill. Sizemore, were the same for each sectional conference, with alternate presenters on occasion due to a particular speaker's not being available because of schedule conflicts. Presenters and subjects were:

Ill. Forrest D. Haggard, 33°, G.C., President of the Scottish Rite Research Society, on the relevance of the Society to Freemasonry today (click here to view his comments);
Ill. Paul T. Million, Jr., 33°, Grand Chamberlain, S.G.I.G. in Oklahoma and Chairman of the Ritual Committee, was represented by Ill. Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C., who gave the report on the Revised Standard Pike Ritual (see article in the May 2000 Scottish Rite Journal);
Ill. Arturo deHoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, on the Supreme Council Archives and Library (see the upcoming August 2000 Journal);
Ill. William G. Sizemore, 33°, G.C., Grand Executive Director, on the special events and souvenirs planned for the 2001 Biennial Session, the Bicentennial of the Supreme Council;
Bro. James C. McGee, 32°, K.C.C.H., Grand Master, International Supreme Council Order of DeMolay, on new DeMolay programs (click here to view his comments);
Ill. T. Michael Fegan, 33°, Chairman, Masonic Renewal Committee of North America (see the upcoming August 2000 Journal) in Tulsa and San Diego; Brother Stuart M. Cowan, 32°, K.C.C.H., P.G.M., Grand Lodge of Hawaii, in Omaha, on ways the Masonic Renewal Committee's products can benefit local Lodges and Valleys;
Ill. Thomas M. Boles, 33°, G.C., Director of Development, Supreme Council, on new Supreme Council programs of financial benefit to individual members of the Scottish Rite;
Ill. H. Wallace Reid, 33°, Grand Minister of State, S.G.I.G. in South Carolina, on fresh initiatives in Education and Americanism Programs;
Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33°, Lieutenant Grand Commander, S.G.I.G. in Louisiana, on turning challenges into opportunities (click here to view his comments) at the Omaha and Tulsa conferences; and Ill. Lawrence D. Inglis, 33°, Grand Lieutenant Commander, Active Member (Illinois) N.M.J., on membership enhancement (see page 11).

At the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Scottish Rite Leadership Conference, Ill. C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, met with members of Oklahoma's Indian Masonic Degree Team. Ill. Kleinknecht holds a souvenir of the conference given to him by the Brethren of Oklahoma. It is a beautiful sandstone statue, carved by William Haney, of an Indian woman.

After a pause for lunch, those attending Tier 1 sessions broke up into three groups, led by the following distinguished Brothers, on three important topics:

Ill. Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C., noted Masonic author and lecturer, on "What Is the Scottish Rite and What Can It Do for Me?";
Bro. Paul M. Bessel, 32°, Librarian, George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association, on "Wiring the Scottish Rite to Electronic Masonry"; and
Ill. Robert G. Davis, 33°, Secretary, Guthrie, Oklahoma Scottish Rite Valley, on "Becoming a Leader in the Scottish Rite."

Following both Tier 1 and Tier 2 sessions, all participants gathered in general session for a brief wrap-up of the day's activities. Each Tier 1 presenter summarized the results of his discussion section. Ill. Tresner, for instance, commented that he found "plenty of healthy rebels," each eager to bring his personal abilities to the service of the Rite. Ill. Davis noted he showed these "rebels" practical ways to become the effective leaders the Rite needs. Bro. Bessel concluded that the digital era will shape tomorrow's Freemasonry. The question is, "Do we wish to be part of that future?" If so, we must learn how to use electronic Freemasonry to the benefit of the Craft and Rite.

Finally, each host S.G.I.G. and Grand Master of the state in which the Leadership conference took place (or his representative) shared his thoughts on the importance of the event and what it meant to him. In San Diego, for example, Ill. Lemons said the year 2000 Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences "have lighted the way and lightened the load" by showing how each Brother attending can return to his Valley and become a spark of fraternal innovation and improvement. In a nutshell, he concluded, "Let's go home and start sparking!" Similarly, M.W. G. Keith Odendahl, 32°, K.C.C.H., Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Utah, spoke for M.W. Alvin J. Weis, 32°, K.C.C.H., Grand Master, Grand Lodge of California, who could not attend the conference, and responded for all Grand Masters attending the event. Ill. Odendahl said, "The conference has given us all a number of new and useful tools. Now the challenge is to work with them in every area of Freemasonry. Working together, the sky's the limit!"

Presenting the Colors at the start of the Scottish Rite Leadership Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma

S.G.I.G.s and Deputies, alphabetical by name of Orient, attending the Conferences were: in Omaha: Ill. Bros. Harry S. Barrows, S.G.I.G. in Iowa; Daniel F. Levenduski, S.G.I.G. in Minnesota; Earl K. Dille, S.G.I.G. in Missouri; Warren D. Lichty, S.G. I.G. in Nebraska; John H. Ramlo, S.G.I.G. in North Dakota; Arthur J. Kerr, Deputy in Panama Canal; Marvin K. Bailin, S.G.I.G. in South Dakota; and Jack E. Nixson, S.G. I.G. in Wyoming.

In Tulsa: Ill. Bros. Dwane F. Treat, S.G.I.G. in Arkansas; Thomas C. Raum, Jr., S.G.I.G. in Kansas; Ronald A. Seale, S.G.I.G. in Louisiana; Paul T. Million, Jr., S.G. I.G. in Oklahoma; and Don L. Helberg, Deputy in New Mexico.

In San Diego: Ill. Bros. Mitchell R. Miller, S.G.I.G. in Alaska; Gary W. West, Deputy in Idaho; Jack D. Rehberg, S.G.I.G. in Montana; James J. Taylor, Deputy in Oregon; William R. Miller, S.G.I.G. in Washington; H. Douglas Lemons, S.G.I.G. in California; Dwight A. Hamilton, S.G.I.G. in Colorado; Dennis E. Provencher, Deputy in Okinawa and Guam; A. James Wriston, Jr., S.G. I.G. in Hawaii; David J. Morgan, Deputy in Nevada; Don L. Helberg, Deputy in New Mexico; and Curtis N. Lancaster, S.G.I.G. in Utah.

Grand Masters attending the Leadership Conferences, alphabetical by name of state, were as follows. In Omaha: Bro. Lester C. Fleming, 32°, K.C.C.H., Iowa; Bro. James F. Brown, Jr., 32°, K.C.C.H., Nebraska; Bro. Delbert E. Ripley, 32°, K.C.C.H., South Dakota; and Ill. Donald C. Gose, 33°, Wyoming. In Tulsa: Ill. Charles H. Penn III, 33°, Louisiana; and Bro. Lanny R. Sander, 32°, K.C.C.H., Oklahoma. In San Diego: Don G. Chaffin II, 32°, K.C. C.H., Alaska; Bro. Donald W. Monson, 32°, K.C.C.H., Arizona; Bro. Mark V. Vander Vere, 32°, New Mexico; Bro. G. Keith Odendahl, 32°, K.C.C.H., Utah. Also attending was Bro. John D. Livie, 32°, Deputy Grand Master, Oregon.

Host S.G.I.G.s of the Leadership Conferences were: Ill. Warren D. "Duke" Lichty, 33°, Grand Standard Bearer, S.G.I.G. in Nebraska, in Omaha; Ill. Paul T. Million, Jr., 33°, Grand Chamberlain, S.G.I.G. in Oklahoma, in Tulsa; and Ill. H. Douglas Lemons, 33°, Past Lieutenant Grand Commander, S.G.I.G. in California, in San Diego.

A large number of Scottish Rite Fellows, Brethren selected by their Valleys as the leaders of tomorrow's Rite, attended each Leadership Conference. There were 87 in Williamsburg; 52 in Omaha; 55 in Tulsa; and 108 in San Diego. Total numbers of Brethren attending each conference were 467 in Williamsburg; 227 in Omaha; 202 in Tulsa; and 383 in San Diego.

Pictured with the new Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) traveling exhibit, which was set up at each year 2000 Leadership Conference, are (l. to r.) Bro. Todd E. Carton, 32°, Chief Financial Officer of the Supreme Council and Treasurer of the SRRS, and Ill. Arturo deHoyos, 33°, Grand Archivist and Grand Historian of the Supreme Council, 33°.

The new Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) traveling display made its premier appearance at the 2000 Leadership Conferences. Combined with Ill. Haggard's excellent presentation at the conference (see p. 30), the display attracted a total of 158 new members to the Society (137 annual and 21 life members). Bro. Todd E. Carton, 32°, Chief Financial Officer of the Supreme Council and Treasurer of the SRRS, did a great job of manning the display and introducing Brethren to the Society at each conference (photo above).

The closing activity of each Leadership Conference, which also provided a fine day program for all ladies, was an evening reception, each with a number of serving stations offering delicious finger foods.

Grand Commander Kleinknecht thanks everyone who worked so hard to make each year 2000 Scottish Rite Leadership Conference a success; "As our conference motto states, you are all Millennium Masons Shaping the Future. Thank you for your wonderful support in making our Order The Relevant Rite of the new century!"

John W. Boettjer
is a former professor of The George Washington University, Virginia Military Institute, and Michigan State University. A member of Cypress Lodge No. 295, Naples, Florida; the S.R. Bodies of Alexandria, Virginia; Kena Shrine Temple, Fairfax, Virginia; Adoniram–Zabud Council No. 2, Washington, D.C.; the Royal Order of Scotland, and National Sojourners, Inc., Illustrious Boettjer is a 1993 recipient of "The Distinguished Service Award" from The Philalethes Society, and has been Managing Editor of the Scottish Rite Journal since 1989.