Bryan Speed, 33°
650 W. South Service Road, West Memphis, Arkansas 72301–2019

While compiling and writing a 90-year history of Crittenden Lodge No. 607, Earle, Arkansas, I studied the Lodge's minutes, letters of correspondence, and attendance records. One insertion of the minutes, dated June 10, 1920, stated that a Brother was instructed to enlarge and frame a photograph of Bro. J. C. Throgmorton, a Charter Member and the first Senior Warden of the Lodge. After several years of diligently searching for this photograph and inquiring among the older members as to its whereabouts, I began to believe the portrait was permanently lost. Six years later, however, I learned its fate by a strange set of events.

After several months of continuous leaks in the dining area of the Lodge during the winter of 1997, it became obvious we needed to put on a new roof and replace the ceiling of the dining area. In the process of tearing out the old ceiling, a framed photograph was discovered. Much to my surprise and joy, it was the long-lost portrait of Bro. Throgmorton!

Assuming the portrait was placed in the unfloored attic when the building was purchased and renovated in 1959, it had been there for 39 years and showed every evidence of such neglect. Due to the moisture, small pieces had flaked off the portrait, leaving white spots over much of the photo, but fortunately none on the face and hands of the Brother.

By careful and tedious efforts, the spots were covered and the entire picture restored. The frame, also in poor condition, was totally refinished and a new glass placed in the frame. It now hangs in our Lodge and I, for one, am most proud that Dr. Throgmorton's portrait adorns one corner of the Lodge which he loved and served so faithfully for many years.

From my research and study, I learned he was among the earliest settlers of this area and had helped clear the ground for the first home to be built. Here are his own words describing his medical practice: "Forty seven years on the upper deck of an Arkansas pony, armed with a pill bag, battling not only against disease, but buffalo gnats and mosquitoes, trudging through mud and slush both day and night, often plunging my horse through dense forest, swimming rivers and lakes to alleviate suffering humanity, had given me an advantage of observing many things that I couldn't have otherwise seen."

Prior to his arrival in Crittenden County, he had enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861, was later taken prisoner and, after escaping, had rejoined his command at Corinth, Mississippi. He was actively involved in such noted battles as those at Corinth, Jackson Lane, Meridian Station, Spring Hill, and Franklin.

His obituary notice stated: "Dr. Throgmorton was known far and wide for his unselfishness, for his devotion to his family, his loyalty to friends and love for his fellowman, his interest in humanity and the improvement of society. . . . In Freemasonry, the Doctor was a great and shining light. He had a sublime faith in the teachings of the fraternity and succeeded as few men do in living up to its high and noble tenets."

One hardly needs to say more about such a man and Mason as Dr. Throgmorton, but I hope these words and the recovered portrait will serve as a reminder of what others have done through their dedication to Freemasonry and unselfish service to society in general. May his example motivate us to do likewise.

Bryan Speed is a retired school administrator and teacher and is presently General Secretary of the Eastern Arkansas Scottish Rite Bodies. He is a Past Master of Crittenden Lodge No. 607, presently Secretary of the Lodge, a certified lecturer, and has served two terms as D.D.G.M. of the 17th Masonic District in Arkansas. He is also Director of the Scottish Rite Choir.