May 2000

Open Letter Regarding Proposed Changes In Shrine Law To Remove Masonic Membership Prerequisites | Ill. James J. Taylor, 33° Appointed Deputy In Oregon | Third Annual Mel Tillis Concert | John J. Robinson Videotapes | Thanks For Disaster Relief | California Firefighters Receive Thermal-imaging Cameras | Scottish Rite Mason Keeps Florida Safe And Beautiful | Masonic Ring Recovered From Alaska Airlines Crash | Wenatchee, Washington, Masons Sponsor Baseball League | Masonic Graphics Available | Masonic Plaque Discovered | Masons Day 2000 In Kentucky | Northern California DeMolay Officers Meet Imperial Potentate | Two Hundred Years Of Masonry In California | Masons Featured In Catholic School Role Model Day

On March 24, 2000, Sovereign Grand Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, appointed Ill. James J. Taylor, 33°, as Deputy of the Supreme Council in the Orient of Oregon, effective April 1, 2000, succeeding Ill. Vern S. Wertz, 33°, Deputy in Oregon, who is resigning for health reasons.

Ill. Taylor was born on October 16, 1945, in North Bend, Oregon. After serving as a skilled technician in the U.S. Navy for eight years, he completed nearly 20 years as a Supervisor and Manager of several departments at the Oregon nuclear station of Portland General Electric. He is now the company's Training Supervisor for a coal-fired generating station.

Raised a Master Mason on June 21, 1984, in St. Helens Lodge No. 32, St. Helens, Oregon, he is a Life Member of his Mother Lodge (Master 1990) and of Burns Lodge No. 97, Burns, Oregon. Ill. Taylor was invested with the 32° on April 12, 1986, in the Scottish Rite Bodies of Portland and has served as an expert ritualist in the Valleys of Portland and Baker, Oregon, taking lead parts in several Degrees, particularly as Master in the 32°. A Past Venerable Master of Oregon Lodge of Perfection and Assistant Valley Chairman in Portland, Ill. Taylor was invested a K.C.C.H. in 1991 and coroneted a 33° I.G.H. in 1997. Other Masonic affiliations include: Life Member of Scott Chapter No. 110, Order of Eastern Star; Life Member of Angelus Court No. 17, Order of Amaranth; and recipient of the Grand Cross of Color of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls.

He has been married to Shirley (Past Rainbow State Mother Advisor) for 34 years, and they have two children, Steven and Suzanne, both serving in the military. Ill. James J. Taylor, 33°, comes highly recommended for his new post as Deputy, Orient of Oregon, and his past record predicts continued professional and Masonic success.

For the third time in as many years, Ill. Mel Tillis, 33°, G.C., will host a concert at the Mel Tillis Theater in Branson, Missouri, on October 16, 2000. Concert proceeds will be split 50/50 between the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc., and the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Program. Half of the concert's proceeds will provide funding for the maintenance of the Burl Ives Collection which is displayed in the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. The other half of the concert proceeds will go to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc., to be distributed, on a pro-rated basis, for the benefit of local Scottish Rite clinics, to Valleys who have sold concert tickets.

Tickets for the Mel Tillis performance are $30.00 each. To purchase tickets and sit with the Scottish Rite group, mention "the Supreme Council" when calling 1–417–335–6635 or writing to the Mel Tillis Theater, PO Box 1630, Branson, Missouri 65615–1630.

For hotel accommodations at special rates, please mention the "Burl Ives Benefit Concert at the Mel Tillis Theater" when calling the following hotels (use area code 417): The Barrington (334–8866) and Branson Towers (336–4500). The following hotels are presently closed, but will soon be taking reservations: Foxborough Inn (335–4369), Guest House (336–3132), or Tara Inn (334–8272). An amazing 62 other concerts and theatrical performances are scheduled in Branson nearly every weekend. Thus, attending the Third Annual Mel Tillis Benefit Concert can be combined with a wide variety of other entertainments.

For an up-to-date listing of the many entertainments and other activities available in Branson, Missouri, consult the Internet.

On November 29, 1992, John J. Robinson, modern Masonry's most famous defender, spoke at the Grand Lodge of Missouri as the guest of the Grand Lodge's Masonic Education Committee. His remarks were videotaped, and Capstone Productions, Inc., now has archival footage of this presentation available in a series of three VHS cassettes. Among various subjects covered are the events leading up to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) of 1993, modern anti-Masonry, the Leo Taxil fraud, the controversial nature of Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma, and the Knights Templar theory of the origin of Freemasonry.

Recorded during a live lecture, production values are minimal, and in tape three, questions from the audience are sometimes not audible. Yet both as a piece of significant Masonic history and as a program that captures the special personality and ability of Brother Robinson, these tapes are worthy additions to any personal or Masonic library. Each tape is preceded by an advisory to viewers indicating they contain "earthy" comments. This may be a first for a Masonic videotape. John Robinson spoke frankly, often with a salty story, joke, or turn of phrase. Thus, the tapes, each about 40 minutes long divided into two segments, are suitable for six Lodge programs but are not for general audiences nor public broadcast. After the 1993 SBC Convention, Robinson became a Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite, founded the Masonic Information Center, and was coroneted a 33° I.G.H. by both the Southern and Northern Masonic Jurisdictions shortly before his death.

The three VHS videotapes are available for a total cost of $65.00 (postage paid to U.S. and Canada). Make checks payable to: Capstone Productions, Inc., Box 221466, El Paso, Texas 79913. For more information, E-mail masonictv@compuserve.com or telephone 915–833–8700, Fax 915–584–6903.

Thanks to the generous response from Valleys and individual Brethren, plus the addition of $2,000 from the Scottish Rite Foundation, Grand Commander C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°, has forwarded donations totaling $15,675 to date for disaster relief in Venezuela. Months after this disaster struck, many thousands remain homeless because of the floods and resultant mudslides in the country.

Ill. H. Douglas Lemons, 33°, S.G.I.G. in California, speaks with Skip Beck, Fire Chief of Long Beach, California, accepting a $40,000 donation from the Scottish Rite Foundation of California to purchase two thermal-imagining cameras. The cameras use military technology of infrared photography to detect heat, and Long Beach firefighters will use the equipment for search and rescue. Photo: Wayne Chaney/ Long Beach Fire Dept. From The Press-Telegram, February 18, 2000

Brother David F. Harvey, 32°, Sheriff of Wakulla County, Florida, recently received the 1999 Keep Florida Beautiful Board of Director's Award for helping to reduce litter, promote recycling, and determine the sources of trash problems in Wakulla County. A 22-year member of the Valley of Tallahassee, Orient of Florida, Bro. Harvey has served as Sheriff of Wakulla County for 24 years and has donated office space to the Keep Wakulla County Beautiful (KWCB) office, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. He also put the "Keep Wakulla County Beautiful" name and logo on 26 of his Sheriff's cruisers.

Wakulla, Florida, County Sheriff, Bro. David F. Harvey, 32° (far right), received the 1999 Keep Florida Beautiful Board of Director's Award for helping reduce litter, promote recycling, and reduce crime by combating illegal dumping and neighborhood blight.

According to Brother Harvey, "a clean, taken-care of community is a safer community. Statistics are showing a correlation between clean neighborhoods and a lower crime rate." Because of this knowledge, Wakulla County neighborhood crime watch volunteers are now involved in clean-up activities.

The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office has two Litter Control Units, a joint effort between law enforcement and KWCB to remove litter from area roads. The Sheriff's Office is also partnering with the USDA National Forest Service to decommission and revegitate illegal roads within the National Forests. Sheriff Harvey is one of a growing number of law-enforcement officials working to reduce crime by combating illegal dumping and neighborhood blight. This year, clean up in targeted neighborhoods reduced crime in those areas by as much as 80 percent.

Keep Florida Beautiful honors Floridians who are taking greater responsibility for their community environments. They cited Sheriff Harvey's partnership with KWCB as a model for effectively reducing litter and illegal dumping through grassroots, community-based programs.

Bro. Bob Frank Williams, a Past Master of W. G. Harding Lodge No. 260 in Poulsbo, Washington, and his wife, Patty, were among the 80 persons who perished in the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the shore of Oxnard, California, on January 31, 2000. Bro. Robert E. Thorgrimsoson, also a member of W. G. Harding Lodge, also perished in the disaster. Shortly after the crash, Scott Jarvis, captain of a boat fishing for squid, helped scoop up debris from the ocean floor 700 feet below the crash site, gathering enough to cover the deck of his 32-foot boat. After turning the wreckage over to investigators, Jarvis discovered a Masonic ring couched in the notched handle of a deck hatch. Studded with three ruby-colored stones and with a large G in its center, the ring was clearly Masonic and was soon traced to Brother Williams, whose daughter, Tracy Knizek, was notified. She believes the ring is a sign. She and her father had made a pact several years ago that the one who died first would send a signal to the other that all is well in the next life. Tracy says; "It's like my father sent the ring from Heaven."

Several Brothers, including Jordan E. Detzer, 32°, Valley of San Diego;
John W. Kraft, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Seattle; and Morris C. Guss, 33°, Valley of Los Angeles, contributed details to this story.

The Scottish Rite Journal regularly receives requests for Masonic clipart in electronic format. Such materials can be used effectively in Lodge trestleboards, Temple bulletins, and other Masonic publications. The Supreme Council, 33°, receives no compensation from the following notice and cannot be responsible for the offered service or product. Note is made here as a service to interested Brethren.

Masonic clipart graphics on CD-ROM are available from the address at the end of this article. A previously offered package (Journal Jan. 1997, p. 41) of graphics supplied each graphic in a .tif and a .pcx format. The original package (now discontinued) was only offered on a 3 1/2 disk format. In the new CD-ROM version, each graphic (with the exception of the Scottish Rite color graphics) is supplied in .tif, .pcx, .bmp, .wpg, .jpg, and .mac formats—the six most commonly used formats. The 172 Scottish Rite color graphics are, however, supplied in .jpg format only. The latter are also available in a .bmp format on a separate disk for an additional charge.

There are a total of 844 B&W and 241 color graphics on the CD-ROM. Here are some totals: Allied Masonic Degrees (20 B&W, 1 color); Blue Lodge (481 graphics including about 25 Past Master emblems and 166 Square & Compasses in B&W, 34 color); Eastern Star (30 B&W, 6 color); York Rite (115 B&W, 4 color); Shrine (18 B&W, 7 color); Scottish Rite (121 B&W, 172 color); Masonic Youth organizations (33 B&W, 9 color); and miscellaneous other Masonic organizations (26 B&W, 2 color). A printout of each graphic is included. There is no installation needed; just retrieve the graphic you want directly from the CD-ROM and insert into your desktop publishing or word processing program.

Enclose a check for $80.00 ($75.00 + $5 shipping & handling) for each basic Masonic clipart package on CD-ROM. Enclose an additional $20.00 for each accompanying disk of Scottish Rite color graphics, available in .bmp form only. Make all checks payable to Reverdy L. Orrell, III, 145 Sanford Ave., Catonsville, MD 21228–5140. Tel. 410–788–6882, voice mailbox #3, e-mail: reb3@erols.com If you have an e-mail address, please advise.

Several years ago, an interesting Masonic discovery took place during a vacation trip to Antigua, West Indies. Wandering around Fort James, situated on the northern point guarding the entrance to St. Johns Harbor, we noticed a plaque in the corner of the surrounding wall. Carefully wiping it off, we found the above Masonic inscription from November 15, 1734. Coincidentally, it was November 15, 1991, exactly 257 years later! Bro. Richard C. Forbes, 32° San Bernardino, Calif. Scottish Rite Bodies

On February 1, 2000, the Farnham Dudgeon Civic Center Complex in Frankfort, Kentucky, was the site for the third "Masons Day" held in conjunction with the biennial session of the Kentucky General Assembly. Officials estimated the attendance at over 1,200 Masons and their families who had come from throughout Kentucky to participate in the event.

Past Grand Master, Robert W. Davenport, 32°, K.C.C.H., Chairman of the Grand Lodge Committee on Governmental Affairs, served as Master of Ceremonies. State Senator Albert L. Robinson, 32°, K.C.C.H., and State Representative Robert R. Damron made the arrangements this legislative session, as they have done in previous sessions, for the day's activities. Senator Robinson is Past Master of McKee and C. D. Ward Lodges, also Past District Grand Master of District 36. Representative Damron is Past Master of Lincoln Lodge.

Twelve Past Grand Masters, the top representatives of several Masonic Bodies, and over 1,200 Brethren with their wives and guests attended "Masons Day 2000" held at Kentucky's state capitol, Frankfort, Kentucky, on February 1, 2000.

Those in attendance heard greetings from Lieutenant Governor Stephen L. Henry, MD; Bro. Andrew "Skipper" Martin, 32°, Chief of Staff for Governor Patton; Ill. Louie B. Nunn, 33°, former Governor; Senate President David L. Williams; House Speaker Jody Richards; Senator Robinson and Representative Damron. Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Bro. Roger D. Barnett, 32°, presented a history of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, 200 years of Masonry in Kentucky; 1800–2000. Tribute was rendered to former Kentucky Governors, and a special welcome was given to several visitors from the Scottish Rite Valley of Knoxville, Tennessee.

In the afternoon, those present went to the State Capitol building for a picture on the steps with Governor Paul E. Patton. Many Masons visited with their Senators and Representatives, toured the Capitol, and ate lunch in the cafeteria. When the Senate convened, Masons packed the gallery for the special recognition delivered by Senator Robinson and other members of the Senate.

Members then moved to the gallery of the House of Representatives where Representative Damron introduced the Masonic Officers. Kentucky Masons can be proud of their Brethren and friends who serve in the Senate and House.

M.W. Grand Master, Kenneth W. Lawson, 32°, headed the delegation of Masons and their wives, and he addressed the group. Ill. John E. Moyers, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Kentucky and a Past Grand Master of Kentucky, extended greeting and best wishes on behalf of Scottish Rite Freemasonry. The York Rite was well represented by the Grand Chapter, Grand Council, and Grand Commandery Officers. The Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, the Amaranth and many other Masonic groups were also represented. All of the elected and many of the appointed Grand Lodge Officers were in attendance, along with 12 Past Grand Masters.

It was a great day for Kentucky Masonry and a wonderful way to add to the celebration of 200 years of Masonry in Kentucky, this being the bicentennial year of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Free & Accepted Masons. Appreciation is expressed to Senator Robinson and his Aide Brother Robert Schlenk, 32°, K.C.C.H., Representative Damron, the legislative staff members, and the Farnham Dudgeon Civic Center Complex staff members for the outstanding job each did in arranging this memorable day.

Every January, the Shrine hosts its East–West Shrine Football Classic to raise money for its Children's Hospitals. And every year, the Northern California DeMolay Association is proud to be a part of this exciting time. This year, the DeMolay Officers were honored to meet "Dad" Ralph W. Semb, 33° N.M.J., the Shrine's Imperial Potentate (photo below), before the start of the game was held at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto. DeMolays of Northern California were proud to have been a part of the 2000 East–West Shrine Football Classic and deeply appreciate all of the support the Shrine and Scottish Rite give all of the Masonic Youth organizations throughout the year.

On September 11, 1999, a large group of Brethren, relatives, and friends turned out at Amador Lodge No. 65, Jackson, California, to honor Bro. Bill Vasilovich upon his receiving his 50-Year Veterans Award Pin. His three brothers, all 50-year members of the Craft, were present to share in the congratulations. Pictured here (l. to r.) are: Danilo "Dan" P. Vasilovich, 32°, Selma Lodge No. 277 and Valley of Fresno, California; Bill Vasilovich, Amador Lodge No. 65; Stanley "Stan" P. Vasilovich, 32°, Alcatraz Lodge No. 244 and the Valley of Oakton, California; and Evo P. Vasilovich, Amador Lodge No. 65 and Valley of Stockton, California.

On February 3, 2000, Ms. Elizabeth Spell, representative for Ms. Ruth Susslin's 8th grade class at St. Cletus Catholic School in Gretna, Louisiana, welcomed several distinguished Masons to a special day at her school, Catholic Role Model Day. Her teacher, Ms. Susslin, initiated the idea for the day and invited the Honorable Judge Ross P. Ladart, 32°, Division "O", 24th Judicial District, who presented a program called "A Day In The Courtroom." Among other Catholic role model guests were Worshipful Master Steven V. "BB" Griffin, Sr., 32°, and Ms. Spell's father, Senior Warden Donald M. Spell, 32°. All three Brothers are members of Marrero Lodge No. 479, Marrero, Louisiana, and the Scottish Rite Bodies of New Orleans. Judge Ladart's presentation sparked many questions and comments from Elizabeth and her classmates.