Special Scottish Rite Journal Issue Coming In October! The next Scottish Rite Journal, October 2001, will be a special issue titled “Welcome to the Scottish Rite!” It will consist of upbeat articles about what distinguishes the Scottish Rite and makes it a special and important step on the Masonic journey of every Blue Lodge Mason. Extra copies will be printed and distributed free of charge to Scottish Rite Valleys and any interested party. All members are urged to request complimentary copies from their Valley Secretaries and to use them to interest Master Masons and good men generally in Masonry and the Scottish Rite. The issue will use color throughout and feature many of our most notable leaders and writers. Look for it, read it, and use it to build a stronger Fraternity for a better world!

Learning Disabilities Workshop In Birmingham, Alabama
On April 27, 2001, a workshop on reading disabilities was held at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Generally, one form of dyslexia is the childhood language disorder addressed in the Orient of Alabama, but recently educators in the state decided to use the term learning disabilities. This allows them to include a number of related childhood learning and language disorders. Although it was late in the school year and this is the first workshop presented by the Birmingham Scottish Rite, 46 teachers attended. Ill. Horrall B. West, 33°, General Secretary, Valley of Birmingham, introduced Ill. Karl F. Reed II, S.G.I.G. in Alabama; Ill. Robert H. Starr, 33°, Personal Representative, Valley of Birmingham; Bro. Paul W. Vaughn, 32°, Program Coordinator for St. Clair County; Ill. John B. Williamson, 33°, Program Coordinator for Calhoun County; and Bro. Kenneth R. Tatum, Sr., 32°, Program Coordinator for Shelby and Jefferson Counties. The participants then viewed a demonstration tape on the dyslexia training program developed by Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) in Dallas.
Dr. Denise Gibbs, Clinical Director for the Speech and Hearing Clinic at the University of Montevallo and the Director of the Scottish Rite Learning Center at the University, then defined dyslexia more closely and related her personal experiences in recognition of the disability in elementary school children. Using computer-based PowerPoint projection, she gave workshop participants the tools to begin helping these children, and she often referred to how the TSRHC tapes can be used in the classroom setting. Dr. Gibbs also distributed handouts, which covered most of what she had discussed, and a list of items she suggested each school could purchase for testing children.
Dr. Gibbs then introduced Ms. Tammy Glover, staff person at the University of Montevallo, who works with the children using the TSRHC videotapes. She shared progress reports on several of the children under her care. Many had shown from two to three grade-level improvements in the 10-week concentrated classes using the TSRHC videotapes.
Ill. Jerome Richardson, 33°, Valley of Dothan, gave an overview of the results of the TSRHC videotape program in Houston County. As a supervisor retired from the Dale County Public School System, he gave the attending teachers an insight from someone who has had long experience in the system.
The meeting ended at noon, but many stayed additional time asking questions and reviewing the workbooks that are used with the TSRHC videotape program. Several remarks by the teachers after the meeting were extremely positive and expressed gratitude for the Scottish Rite giving them insight into what can be done to help children affected by childhood language disorders, especially dyslexia.

“Wings On Words” Fiesta In Tucson Benefits Clinic Program On April 22, 2001, the Scottish Rite Child Language Center (CHLC) presented its second annual “Wings on Words” fund-raiser at the Pantano Wedding Park in Tucson, Arizona. The CHLC represents a fruitful community partnership between the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation, the University of Arizona’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, the City of Tucson, Pima County, and the generosity of individuals and organizations in Arizona. The success of this partnership is seen in the remarkable achievements of the children helped.

Ill. Robert F. Hannon, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Arizona, and his lady Marian, were among the approximately 400 Brethren and guests participating in the recent "winds on Words" fiesta and Scottish Rite Child Language Center fund-raiser in Tucson, Arizona. This year, the Tucson Scottish Rite invited the parents and children served by the Center to participate in the fiesta as guests. There were games, pony rides, hayrides, a jumping cage, face painting, slow pitching, and a special children’s menu of hamburgers or hot dogs will all the trimmings. This was not just a Scottish Rite affair. It involved the entire Masonic community. Blue Lodges were well represented, and the Sabbar Shrine of Tucson furnished Bar-B-Q ribs and chicken. The Scottish Rite cooks provided potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and dessert. About 400 people were served. Special thanks go to the Job’s Daughters, Rainbow Girls, and DeMolay Boys for their set-up assistance and their help with the children in the games and face painting. Entertainment was donated by Brother Ernie Menehune and the Hula Halau A Ualani’s Cowgirls and Cowboys Dancers. Special guest Lani Ahuna sang “Wind Beneath My Wings,” and J. R. Garner & the 3-Wheel Drive Country Band provided music during the dinner hour. In addition, there was a silent auction of items donated by various businesses, individuals, and the University of Arizona Athletic Department. Among the fiesta’s notable guests were Ill. Robert F. Hannon, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Arizona; M.W. Robert C. Conrad, 32°, Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Arizona; Bro. Gary A. Miller, 32°, Potentate of Sabbar Temple, Tucson; Hasan Hijisi, Congressman Jim Kolbe’s Aide for Education; and Ray Carroll, PIMA Country District 4 Supervisor, who has been very helpful in obtaining all the necessary licenses and permits for the new Tucson clinic (see p. 43), and Ms. Barbara Kiernan, Executive Director of the Child Language Center. The Center’s summer program has 73 children enrolled. Thanks to all the volunteers and their help, the 2001 fiesta raised approximately $18,000 to support the Scottish Rite Child Language Center. Submitted by Ill. John A. Moore, 33° Vice President, S.R. Child Language Center

Scottish Rite Degree Team Makes History In Texas

Centenarian Is Class Orator Of Charleston, W. Va., Reunion
As we celebrate 200 years of Scottish Rite Masonry, the Valley of Charleston, West Virginia, is celebrating another milestone. During planning for the June 16, 2001, Scottish Rite Reunion, Venerable Master and Membership Chairman Bro. Hayward W. Collins, Jr., 32°, K.C.C.H., announced that Ill. C. O. Smith, 33°, and Bro. Gus Addington, 32°, K.C.C.H., and the Brethren of the Raleigh/Fayette Scottish Rite Club, had notified him that they were bringing a 100-year-old Master Mason, Jerome Robert van Meter, to become a 32° Scottish Rite Mason. He had become a 50-year Master Mason in 1975.
Brother van Meter retired from teaching and coaching at Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia, after leading six state championship basketball teams and three state championship football teams. Though he is warmly remembered and highly regarded in coaching circles around the state, he is best known and loved in the Beckley area for his dedication and concern for the many students under his care. Having served in two world wars, he earned membership in the National Basketball Hall of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, and the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame.

Pictured (l. to r.) behind Bro. Jerome Robert van Meter, 32°, Class Orator, are Bro. Hayward W. Collins, Jr., 32°, K.C. C.H.; Ill. C.O. Smith, Jr., 33° Elect; and Ill. Jim J. Crawford, Sr., 33°, each a participant in the June 2001 Reunion Class, Valley of Charleston, West Virginia.

Our Oldest And Newest?
Our oldest and newest? That might even be true for the whole Southern Jurisdiction! His name is Illustrious Lawrence E. Jones, Jr., 98 years young, and newly coroneted a 33° Scottish Rite Mason on December 7, 2000. The ceremony was conducted at the Pensacola, Florida, Scottish Rite Masonic Center by Ill. Robert L. Goldsmith, 33°, S.G.I.G. in Florida. He was assisted by Ill. Julian W. Fagan, 33°, Past Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Mississippi.
Brother Jones began his Masonic career in Escambia Lodge No. 15, Pensacola, Florida, in 1955 and became the Worshipful Master in 1964. He is a Trustee and a Perpetual Member of the Lodge and also holds a Gold Card from the Grand Lodge of Florida.
He has been a Scottish Rite member since 1955 and has served as Chaplain longer than anyone can remember. Ill. Jones was born in Harris, Florida, on October 13, 1902. His birthplace is no longer a postal address, since today it is the location of Hurlburt AFB, Florida. After graduating from the eighth grade, he operated a mail boat from Pensacola to Navarre, Florida. He later became a part owner of the boat. After becoming a licensed engineer and working on tugboats, he became owner of City Fuel Oil Company. His career in operating commercial boats spanned over half a century.

Boston Tea Party In Hawaii
Brethren in colonial costume will participate in a Constitutional Observance Program in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 16, 2001.Every year during the month of September, the Freemasons of Hawaii provide a Constitutional Observance Program with events that support the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The purpose of these programs is to make citizens aware of their privilege to live in the United States and of the price our forefathers paid for our freedom. On September 16, 2001, at the Aloha Tower Market in Honolulu, Brethren will gather with members of the community and youth groups to present a historic reenactment of the Revolutionary War’s Boston Tea Party as well as many of the events that created our nation and its founding freedom documents.
Masons and others representing Sam Adams and John Hancock, along with many community members dressed as colonial patriots, will march down to the waterfront to the wharf where an old three-masted ship, the Falls of Clyde, is moored to the pier. They will board the ship with the battle cry, “No taxation without representation!” and then proceed to throw 13 prop boxes of tea into the harbor. Next, various Brethren representing Thomas Paine, Richard Henry Lee, John and Abigail Adams, General George Washington, and Joseph Warren will lead the assemblage through the revolution from Bunker Hill to Yorktown. Members of the Continental Army, complete with black powder rifles and cannon fire, will add appropriate background effects. Other reenactors will be Molly Pitcher manning her husband’s cannon, Betsy Ross displaying the nation’s new flag. Prince Hall and Crispus Attucks, along with several other African-American patriots, will join the pageantry along with the Marquis de Lafayette, Paul Revere, and John Paul Jones, with privateers. Last but not least, Benjamin Franklin will discuss the Constitution, and Patrick Henry will proclaim the importance of the Bill of Rights. All this will lead up to the grand finale of actress Cathy Foy singing “God Bless America” while the patients from the Shriner Hospital for Children release several hundred red, white, and blue pigeons into the air.
The Masons have also sponsored a statewide Constitutional essay contest. During the above events, Thomas Jefferson, portrayed by the School Superintendent, will present the awards to the winners of the Constitutional essay contest. Top award(s) will be a trip to Independence Hall at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, complete with a guided tour from Ben Franklin and/or Patrick Henry. Local media will be present at the September event, and local businesses and sponsors have donated refreshments. Many people of the community will dress up in the clothes of the era. Not only will this event perpetuate the memory of the men who, by their sacrifices during the Revolution achieved the independence of the American people, but it will also be a lot of fun for all. For more information, check http://www.mastermason.com/teaparty/

Last April, the very successful Supreme Council program to honor JROTC Cadets reached all the way to Tokyo, Japan. Acting on behalf of the Scottish Rite and National Sojourners, Inc., Ill. James L. Johnston, 33°, (above) Deputy’s Representative, Orient of Japan and Korea, presented Scottish Rite Americanism and Education Awards to several JROTC Cadets. The ceremony took place during the JROTC Panther Battalion “Pass in Review” ceremony held at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan. Each presentation consisted of a certificate with a ribbon and medal that can be worn on the Cadet’s uniform.

Postal Cachet Celebrates Bicentennial Biennial Session

Illustrious James G. “Jim” Dougherty, 33° Elect, Valley of Austin, Texas, is a dedicated philatelist and Scottish Rite Mason. He has developed a very attractive color postal cachet (pictured right at reduced size, actual size 6¾” x 3¾”) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Supreme Council, 33°. These cachets will be available for purchase ($5.00 each) at the Biennial Bicentennial Session (September 30-October 3), and at that time special cancellation, designed by Bro. Patrick C. Squires, 32°, K.C.C.H., Valley of Charleston, will be added to each cachet.
For Brethren who wish a cachet but cannot attend the Bicentennial Celebration, please send a check payable to The Supreme Council for $5.00 for each cachet. Include your return address. Mail to: The Supreme Council, 1733 16th St., NW, Washington, D.C., 2009-3103. Mark the envelope: ATTN: John W. Boettjer. After the Bicentennial Celebration, the cachets will be mailed in as timely a manner as possible.
 

Orient Of California Joins The Cyber World
The Scottish Rite Valleys in every Orient can derive great benefits by joining the information cyber world of the Internet. Masonry is truly alive and well on the Internet, and the Orient of California, for instance, has created a fine California Bicentennial Internet web site at: http://www.scottishritecalifornia.org. Take a look and learn about the Orient’s 18 Valleys with approximately 35,000 members.
This Internet initiative was backed 100 percent by Ill. H. Douglas Lemons, 33o, Past Lieutenant Grand Commander and S.G.I.G. in California, with the full support of every California Valley. It is an attractive and accurate representation of the Valleys and, in particular, the charitable work carried out by the “Golden State” Scottish Rite Brethren.
Special thanks for his help go to Ill. McDonald “Don” L. Burbidge, 33o, a member of the Valley of Charleston, South Carolina, who has a strong interest in local and Masonic history. He contributed the web site section titled “2001 Biennial.” It contains much historical information relevant to the upcoming Bicentennial Biennial Session of the Supreme Council in Charleston, September 30 through October 3. Charleston was, of course, the birthplace of Scottish Rite Freemasonry on May 31, 1801.
To view this web site truly gives one a feeling of great pride in our beloved Scottish Rite, and all the California Brethren hope members and guests will enjoy viewing it as much as the Scottish Rite Masons of California enjoyed creating it.
Submitted by Robert H. Powell, 32o, K.C.C.H. Elect, Webmaster, Scottish Rite, Orient of California, and Member of San Diego, California, Scottish Rite Bodies

Ill. David O. Johnson, 33°, 1918-2001
Sadly, Ill. David O. Johnson, 33°, Past S.G.I.G. in Oregon, passed away in Portland on July 3, 2001.  Born in Portland on July 16, 1918, Ill. Johnson attended the Universities of Oregon, Hawaii, and California where he studied for his profession, engineering, and the San Francisco and Los Angles Conservatories where he pursued his lifetime avocation, singing. During WWII, he served as a Master Sergeant, Army Corps of Engineers. A very successful business career as President of the Johnson Acoustical & Supply Company, Portland, led to top state and national offices in such professional associations as National Acoustical Contractors, Builders Exchange Cooperative, and Armstrong Cork Company Advisory Board. His leadership of many community organizations was also outstanding. Among these groups were the following: Rotary International (President and District Governor); Junior Achievement (Chairman, Bronze Leadership Award); Oregon Duck Club; Portland Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra Associations; Portland Youth Philharmonic; the West Coast, Los Angeles, and Seattle Opera Companies; Boy Scouts of America (Eagle Scout, President’s Council); the University of Oregon’s Graduate School of Business Management; Portland Rose Festival Association; First Christian Church of Portland; and, as guest soloist, Congregation Beth Israel, Portland.
A member of Waluga Lodge No. 181, Lake Oswego, Oregon, since 1958, Ill. Johnson’s lifelong dedication to Freemasonry included active service to the Shrine (Al Kader Temple, Portland Shrine Club, and Board of Governors, Shriners Hospitals, Portland Unit), DeMolay (Legion of Honor), York Rite (K.T.); Red Cross of Constantine (Ill. Grand Sovereign, 1989-90); and Royal Order of Scotland. His great service to our Order began with his 32° conferral in 1958, Valley of Portland, where he quickly became an expert ritualist and vocalist in several Degrees; Commander of Kadosh; Chairman, Executive Committee; and Chairman, S.G.I.G. Advisory Committee. In recognition of his many contributions to the Scottish Rite, he received the K.C.C.H. in 1965 and 33° in 1971, was appointed Deputy in Oregon in 1978, and elected an Active Member in 1980, serving until 1998.
Brethren in Oregon and across the Southern Jurisdiction mourn the passing of this outstanding Masonic leader and Scottish Rite Brother.