The Masters Word. Volume 86 Issue 4. April 2011

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1 Volume 86 Issue 4 April 2011 SCHEDULE Monday April 4, 7:00 PM Regular Communication Wednesday April 6, 7:00 PM Temple Board Meeting Saturday April 9, 10:00 AM Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup Monday April 11, 7:00 PM Entered Apprentice Degree Monday April 18, 7:00 PM Fellowcraft Degree April Poker at Big Beaver Tavern Monday April 25, 7:00 PM Fellowship Monday May 2, 7:00 PM Regular Communication Please note that these events can and do change. For the most up to date calendar, please check our website at: Brethren, The Masters Word The Lodge is booming with life this year. The month of March has been very busy with degree work and the DeMolay installation. We have two new candidates for the Entered Apprentice degree for March and one so far for April. This should keep us busy with degree work till the summer. Lets get out and support these candidates and show them the friendship and brotherly love we have at Berkley Lodge. We are also planning a summer picnic and some joint events with our newest lodge in the building, Perfection Mosaic. We also have our second poker fundraiser for the year coming up April 21 thru 24. The last poker fundraiser was such a great success we are hoping for a repeat. What we need is your support to accomplish this. Please volunteer your time to make this the best one yet. I would like to commend Brothers Ken LaBenne and Bob Roland for putting these events together and devoting so much of their time and energy to making these events such a great success. S&F Jason Halbert, WM Page 1

2 Brothers, Letters From the West Things are starting to get interesting around here. We just initiated 2 new brothers and have at least 3 others being prepared for future dates. We have had 2 schools of instruction and a couple of officer practices thrown in for good measure. We should have a lot of degree work for the next several months heading into Summer. That s a good thing! We are alive and growing and we are introducing new men into the Masonic Fraternity. We are getting ready for Grand Lodge and the ascension of RWB Fred Kaiser to the office of Grand Master! Our Masonic family and good friends from Ferndale and Perfection Mosaic Lodge as well as the OES, DeMolay and Rainbow Girls are all busy ramping up for the spring/summer with functions, fundraisers and fellowship. Come on out and be a part of this exciting time for Berkley Lodge. Jeff Watts Senior Warden The steps taken by the candidate -- initiation, passing and raising -- are, of course, important to the candidate, but of the elements of the degree, the explanatory lecture, is where we who are in charge of making Masons let the candidate down. The lecture is the educational part of the degree. We give it to the candidate immediately following a very emotionally draining experience when a good nap is uppermost in his mind. (This after loading him up with a Salisbury steak dinner). Shouldn't this educational process be developed into a different delivery system? Brethren -- there is confusion in the temple. We oppose the One day class as a matter of principal. We worry about solicitation. We worry about dues. We worry, worry, worry! Why don't we worry about educating Masons in a meaningful way!" Norman Leeper, Editor The Southern California Reserch Lodge F&AM Fraternal Review, May 2005 Page 2

3 Sick and Distressed Please keep these members of our Masonic Family in your thoughts and prayers this month: Brother Dave Rosenthal is continuing his recovery from a broken hip and is looking forward to attending lodge again soon. To report a brother or family member who is ill or needs our support, Please contact WB Larry Kay at bluescouple@wowway.com Fred Kaiser Installation Brothers, as you are likely aware, our own Brother Fred Kaiser will become Grand Master of Masons in Michigan on May 25, Brother Fred will be the fourth member of our Lodge to attain the rank of Grand Master, having been proceeded by MW Bros. Ron Schwartz, 1977, Tom Cross, 1989, and Paul Cross, In addition, WB Bob Hart served the Grand Lodge for many years as Grand Tiler, and was the first Grand Officer from Berkley #636. All Brethren who are able are encouraged to attend Grand Lodge at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, or just come up for the day, to see Brother Fred Installed. We anticipate that the Installation will begin around mid-day, but do not have a firm time yet. In addition, Berkley Lodge will host a formal Reception in his honor on July 16, 2011, at the Moslem Shrine Center at Mt. Vernon and Southfield. Further information regarding this function will be forthcoming in a future Trestleboard. I personally believe we were put here to build and not to destroy. Brother Red Skelton Page 3

4 Phoenix DeMolay The Phoenix Chapter of the DeMolay hosted their installation on the 18 th of March Their event brought in a packed house for Joshua Blackburn s rise to Master Councilor of Phoenix Chapter. It was great to see the lodge room completely full. Berkley #536 was very well represented. We also had the support of OES, our Rainbow Girls, Jobs Daughters, several other DeMolay Chapters and many local and state representatives from all of our Masonic groups. Joey Golec passed the reins to Joshua Blackburn and acted as Marshal for the ceremony. They both put on a very impressive ceremony with the support of their entire chapter. Berkley Lodge and the Berkley Temple Board were both honored with a Hats Off Awards for supporting the Phoenix Chapter. Worshipful Master Jason Halbert accepted the award on behalf of Berkley Lodge. PM Paul Swayze, president of the Temple Board, accepted the Award on behalf of the Berkley Temple Board. Phoenix Chapter of the DeMolay s first installation at the Berkley Lodge 2011 Dues Brothers, If you have not yet paid your dues for 2011, please pay them now. The amount including per-capita to the Grand Lodge is $75. If you believe you do not owe dues, or If you are experiencing financial hardship, please contact the Secretary as soon as possible You may remit your dues to the following address: Berkley Masonic Lodge c/o Paul Swayze 2290 Eleven Mile Rd. Berkley, Michigan Thank you. Mark Day Junior Warden Berkley 536 Study men, not historians. Harry S. Truman, PGM Page 4

5 Masonic Spotlight The spotlight this month falls on one of Berkley #536 s brightest lights. Junior Deacon Brian Mingus has been a mainstay of the lodge. He leads our acclaimed Community Service committee and is an invaluable member of Berkley #536. Here is Brian s story in his own words! Brian lived his first few years of life in the Jackson, MI area, until the death of his father after which time he moved to Adrian, MI where he remained until after High School graduation. In High School, Brian was a pretty decent student and was active in Music, Drama and Sports; lettering in Swimming, Track, and Co-Captaining the Soccer team. After High School began the "Odyssey" of his College education starting at Kalamazoo College as a Music Major and Ending 11 years later with a degree in teleproduction from Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts and a then Bachelors Degree in Economics from Wayne State University. His mother would tell you he attended every school in the state, which Brian would reply to saying, "Naah, only seven...i take my education seriously." Also during this time Brian met the giver of the law, his wife Stacy, and began working in Lansing in politics/public policy. Brian held various positions, functioning as campaign manager, fundraiser, Chief of Staff, and Legislative Aide working most prominently under his boss, the Chair of the House Committee on Education. After his time in the Legislature, Brian began a short, and unsuccessful stint as a Proprietary Trader (which is a fancy way of saying day-trader) for a Securities firm in Miami. Brian now employs himself as a real estate investor (watch out Donald Trump) and entrepreneur and enjoys his life immensely. Some of this stuff might sound impressive, but rest assured Brian still cried like a baby when he married Stacy overlooking a lake and random pontoon boaters before a packed crowd of onlookers in August of With three children, the "Mingi" are a busy family but Brian still finds time to tend his Organic Garden, slowly chip away at his ever-growing "honey-do" list and try to stay in ok shape. Let s Keep in Touch! If you change your home mailing address, or your address, let us know. Just drop a to trestleboard@berkley536.org and we will update your records. Page 5

6 Adopt-A-Highway In Masonry, the South has the mystical meaning representing Beauty. It is therefore very appropriate that as the Junior Warden I call on the Lodge to assist in our very noble and worthy task of helping to beautify our little corner of Michigan. On Saturday, April 9, 2011 we will conduct a trash pickup along I-696 in Farmington Hills as part of the Michigan Adopt-A-Highway program. This laudable activity is open to all, Masons and non- Masons alike. We will meet at the Berkley Temple, 11 Mile Road, Berkley, MI between 10 and 10:30am for a safety briefing and issue of reflective vests and equipment. It is advisable to bring a hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun block and wear appropriate clothes. I am appealing for a large turnout to support this program, which we have participated in for over twenty years. Mark Day Junior Warden Berkley 536 Poker Fundraiser Owing to the great success of our last fundraiser at Big Beaver Tavern, we are doing it again! April 21-24, Berkley #536 will be hosting Texas Holdem at the Big Beaver Tavern in Troy. We are looking for volunteers to hand out chips and collect money during the event. Husband and wife teams are encouraged and all who have volunteered in previous events have had a wonderful time. If your interested in volunteering your time, please contact Bob Rowland or Paul Swayze for more details. 645 E. Big Beaver in Troy Please remember that all funds collected go to the Builders Club to support RWB Fred Kaisers Grand East journey. Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. Brother John Wayne Page 6

7 Rainbow Girls Fundraiser ALL YOU CAN EAT Berkley Masonic Temple 2390 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Berkley $6.00 PER PERSON (Ages 5-12: $3.00; Under 5 Free) TUESDAY MAY 10, :30 PM TO 7:00 PM Sponsored by Berkley Assembly #46, Rainbow for Girls A service organization for girls ages For further information: Call Sally Brock, Mother Advisor (deputysal@hotmail.com) Page 7

8 EOS and Baseball! Detroit Tigers Baseball Game Join the Order of the Eastern Star as we go to the BALL GAME! WHEN: Sunday May 15th, Game time 1:05 COST: $24.00 per ticket WHY: It s an Oakland County Association OES Fund Raiser WHO CAN COME: Anyone who loves Baseball! That Sunday is also Kids Day at Comerica Park. Kids get to run the bases, and other fun family activities (see Tiger WEB Site at For those who wish to car pool, we will meet at Berkley Temple and depart promptly at 11:00 AM Deadline for tickets is April 9 Remit $24.00 per ticket by check made payable to OCA-OES and Mail to: Lisa Bowen Vice President 102 Sheffield Drive Troy, MI For more information and for any questions, please call: Page 8

9 Supreme Court Freemasons From it s beginning in 1789 through Elena Kagan s confirmation in 2010, there has been a total of 112 Justices of the United States Supreme Court. Depending on which source is consulted, 34, 36, 38, or 40 of them were at one time Freemasons. This means about one-third of the Supreme Court Justices were Masons, a far larger proportion than in the general population. This might be just an interesting statistic, if they were Masons in name only, and some probably were. However, it appears that several were Masters of their Lodges, and some were Grand Masters of their Grand Lodges. Undoubtedly, then, the philosophy and spirit of Freemasonry had some effect on them, as well as the other Masons on the Supreme Court. This, in turn, may mean that to some extent the decisions of the Supreme Court, which have had so much of an impact on the lives of all Americans, reflect some of the teachings of Freemasonry. Two Supreme Court Justices were Grand Masters of Virginia. John Blair, Jr., was a Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1789 to Previously he was Grand Master of Virginia from 1778 to John Marshall, the greatest Chief Justice of the United States, was in that position from 1801 to He was also Grand Master of Virginia, from (However, there is evidence that John Marshall was not proud or enthusiastic about being a Freemason later in life.) Another Chief Justice who had a great impact on our country, Earl Warren, served from 1953 to He was Grand Master of California 1935 to He was also Potentate of Aahmes Shrine, and a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason and an officer in two of the Scottish Rite bodies, in Oakland, California. William H. Taft became a Mason "at sight" in 1909, while he was President of the United States and before he became Chief Justice. Although he did not become a Mason in the traditional way, it is reported that he made many visits to Lodge meetings, participated in Masonic ceremonies, and attended meetings of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. Robert Trimble, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1826 to 1828, was Master of his lodge, Union #16 in Paris, Kentucky. Henry Baldwin, Associate Justice from 1830 to 1844, was Master of Lodge #45 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Joseph R. Lamar, Associate Justice from 1910 to 1916, was Senior Warden of Webb Lodge #166 in Augusta, Georgia, in 1885, but apparently did not become Master of the Lodge. Many of the Supreme Court Justices who were Freemasons also were members of their local Royal Arch Chapters, Cryptic or Royal and Select Master Councils, Knight Templar Commanderies, Scottish Rite bodies, Shrines, and Grottoes. Stanley Matthews, Associate Justice from , became a Mason in 1847, but demitted in 1856, long before he served on the Supreme Court. Since Thurgood Marshall s retirement in 1991, there have been no Masons on the Supreme Court. Page 9

10 Rumblings, Grumblings & Groans Rumblings, Grumblings & Groans is an opinion piece. Specifically, since I am writing this, it will be my opinion. I hope some of the things that I write about will cause you to pause and think. Perhaps they can be a springboard to productive discussion and discourse. -Jeff Watts- Brethren, please be clothed and in order. The Michigan Grand Lodge Bluebook of Masonic Law states in 4.8.1: The proper clothing of a Mason while in attendance at a lodge meeting in any degree shall be civilian dress appropriate to the dignity of the occasion; except that when military regulations require the wearing of a uniform, such uniforms will be considered proper dress. From where I m sitting, that leaves a brother plenty of room for interpretation when it comes to appropriate to the dignity of the occasion. I for one believe that in any tiled meeting of the lodge, my personal dignity requires me to dress in shirt and tie. The dignity of our degree work requires me to dress in Tuxedo or in a dark suit if I happen to forget my tux at the cleaners or get so darn fat I can t wear it anymore. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania just relaxed it s dress code to Business Casual from a previously mandated suit and tie. The Ohio Grand Lodge states that members will dress according to personal taste. Prince Hall Masonry in Michigan insists on a strict dress code: dark suits, black socks, dark shoes, white shirts and dark ties. In England, Masonry has a similar dress code for its meetings that do not require formal dress: white shirt, black suit and tie. American Traditional Observance lodges strictly require formal dress at all functions. Prior to the Second World War many American Lodges had the custom of wearing evening dress at all meetings. The advent of clothing coupons and rationing made the continuing of this custom difficult and, eventually, impossible. In the years since, many Lodges have returned to the old usage and there is something to be said for it as a mark of respect to the Craft. Your manner of dress reflects the respect that you have for the dignity of Masonry, its work, it s goals, and its members. Although as Masons, we regard no man for his worldly wealth, human society everywhere considers a man s outward appearance to reflect his inner self and attitudes. There is a philosophy in dress, as in so many other things, and the dress proper to Masonic meetings is no exception. Its principle is good taste, its practice should be to wear such dress as shows respect to the Brotherhood and expresses the dignity of the Craft. That s what I think anyway, what do YOU think? Page 10

11 Thanks to our Sponsors! Do you have news you d like to see in the Trestleboard? Please send your submission to: trestleboard@berkley536.org, and we will see about getting you published! Need a ride to Lodge? Contact any officer! Page 11

12 Berkley Masonic Lodge Officers Worshipful Master Jason Halbert (Sharon) Senior Warden Jeff Watts (Renee ) jeff_watts@yahoo.com Junior Warden Mark Day (Kathleen) mday1961@gmail.com Treasurer Kenneth LaBenne, PM (Connie) kencon2@att.net Secretary Paul Swayze, PM (Marsha) pswayze1@comcast.net Chaplain Robert Rowland, PM (Cossette) bobcoe7@yahoo.com Senior Deacon John Stevens (Liz) jalden123@aol.com Junior Deacon Brian Mingus (Stacy) mingus.brian@gmail.com Steward Richard Baer (Darlene) baers2@comcast.net Steward Michael Crum (Amanda) mcrum@berkleymich.net Steward Marvin Jones rydenchevys@yahoo.com Steward Kristopher Schlutow (Erin) kschlutow@gmail.com Marshal Robert Damery, PM (Francis) Tyler Darrell Ruttan, PM (Maripat) dmruttan@att.net Musician Bruce Briggs Committees Trestleboard Editor Jeff Watts (Renee ) jeff_watts@yahoo.com Community Service Brian Mingus (Stacy) mingus.brian@gmail.com Sick & Distressed Larry Kay (Marcia) bluescouple@wowway.com Dues & Retention Paul Swayze, PM (Marsha) pswayze1@comcast.net Youth Sports Phil Pettelle (Maria) msparty1@wowway.com Share the Secret Berkley Masonic Temple, 2290 Eleven Mile Rd. Berkley, Michigan Page 12