The Sideliner. Under the Master s Hat

Transcription

1 The Sideliner Master R. Victor Stewart Secretary Timothy M. Martin Wadsworth Lodge No. 417, F. & A.M. INSTITUTED Corning Place, Albany, NY Stated Communications 2 nd & 4 th Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Editor Paul F. Bailey Publisher James Fuller Under the Master s Hat Worshipful Master Greetings Brother Those two words can lift the spirit on any day, any place or any time. Those two words mean so much to so many. No matter where you travel in the United States or in the world, the greeting remains the same and we are obligated to respond in a similar. For at least four centuries, that greeting has been exchanged. The address is an honorable one because it represents a sign of friendship, brotherly love and a commitment to a set of ideals handed to each of us during the course of becoming a Master Mason. All of us, at one time or another have recognized the obligation of a brother s greeting. Many of us have probably initiated that greeting recognizing a brother from another lodge or state and maybe even another country. We do this because it is a Masonic obligation to continue the friendship and brotherly love. However, there remains another part of that unwritten obligation of a Freemason. The part of the obligation we almost never talk about is the duty to make sure Freemasonry lives on beyond that which we can directly control. In short, All of us must make sure Wadsworth Lodge remains alive long after we have been called to Eternal Lodge above. It has been said that the organization that fails to recruit and activate new members will die within the time of a single generation. As Freemasons we have to cope with certain limitations. Table of Contents Page 1 Under the Master s Hat Page 2 Trestle Board for Communications Page 3 Sickness and Distress & Glad Tidings Page 4 District News Page 5 Cornerstone Report Page 6 Productive Summer Page 7&8 Awards Night Page 9 Two Grand Lodges Page 10 Poets Corner Page 11 Tale of the Ring & Parting Shots PAGE 1

2 UNDER THE MASTER S HAT (CONT D) We really can t put up a billboard, advertise on television or hand out fliers on the street corner. We have to do it by more subtle means. Probably the best way is by example. Our deeds speak way louder than any words that might be spoken or written. The second less subtle is by letting people know you are a Mason and you feel really good about what you are and what you do. When you wear the symbols of Freemasonry in public, the ring, a necklace, cufflinks, a belt buckle or even a baseball cap, a conversation may ensue. A good comeback is a question for that inquiry is to ask if the questioner knows any Masons or (better yet) find out if the person has Masonic relatives. Another good way to start the discussion is to ask the person what he knows about Masons. The rest of the conversation (or recruitment) is easily followed and no two incidents will ever be the same. These conversations may not result in a petition or ignition. However, if we do not actively seek new Masons, we will never get them. We all know the answer to the next question. September 10, 2014 September 24, 2014* October 8, 2014 * October 22, 2014 * November 12, 2014* November 26, 2014 December 10, 2014 December 24, 2014 January 17, 2015 * January 28, 2015 February 11, 2015 February 25, 2015 March 11, 2015 * March 25, 2015* April 22, 2015* May 13, 2015 May 16, 2015* May 27, 2015 * Trestle Board for Communications Wadsworth Lodge F&AM No. 417 Scheduled Meeting - Welcome Back Brothers & Brother Bring a Friend Night Qs&As from 3 rd Degree, Read Petitions for Initiation &Advancement Years of Service Awards Night Open to Family & Friends 1 st Degree Past Masters in charge 2 nd Degree Lodge Dark for Holiday Observance Holiday Gathering Toys for Children Dinner Lodge Dark for Holiday Observance Saturday, Special Communication for Third Degree Brother Bring A Friend Night & Brother Bring A Brother; Pool Tournament to Benefit Brotherhood Fund - $5 to Brotherhood Fund & $5 for Collation Education Night - History of Freemasonry in the Capital District Ladies Night & Masonic Talent Show 1 st Degree Night Tiled DDGM Visit 2 nd Degree Practice for the 3 rd Degree & Reports Night - Master, Treas, Sec y Trustees, & Safe Deposit Box Audit Saturday, Special Communication for Third Degree Annual Communication: Elections, Appointments & Installation of Officers TBA June 10, 2015 (Practice Nights on Wednesdays before Degree at 7:00p.m. * Tuxedos for these events all others Business Attire. PAGE 2

3 Sickness and Distress: R W William E. Ogren s cancer has spread to his lung and tumors have reappeared in his bladder a continuous battle. He had a PET scan on October 17th to see if there are other tumors, that have so far gone undetected. V W Brother James J. Van dewal s daughter is not well. Jennifer, his eldest daughter has been diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma tumor (brain tumor). The surgery in July went as well as it could have, but they never are able to get the entire tumor. She began radiation and chemotherapy on August 19. Jim and family members covet all your prayers.. Jen posted this to her Facebook page: Radiation is done So thankful for modern medicine, safe travels, prayer warriors, Tom, family and friends. Now a month to recuperate before 6 months chemo. Bro. Doug Kantrowitz s sister and aunt passed away recently. Bro. Bill Carlucci s 97 year old mother had oral & neck surgery. W Leo Synakowski's mother passed away after surgery on October 13. Please keep him and Judde in your thoughts and prayers. IN MEMORIAM Bro. Burr V. Deitz, Jr Became a Mason October 26, 1960 Passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft on November 9, 1960 Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on November 23, 1960 Raised to the Supreme Lodge on High July 5, 2014 Glad Tidings: IN MEMORIAM Bro. William E. Languish Became a Mason November 13, 1956 Passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft on February 26, 1957 Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on March 12, 1957 Raised to the Supreme Lodge on High October 5, 2014 R W Brother James L. Fuller had quadruple bypass surgery in August and is mending very nicely. He made an appearance at Awards Night and is looking great. R W William E. Ogren and Carol are celebrating today Bro. Ogren s 76 th B-Day and 26 Years as a cancer survivor. Bro. Paul Baum a visiting Brother from Pennsylvania has finally received the necessary paperwork to allow him to be affiliated with dual membership in Wadsworth Lodge. This vote was taken on September 24th, a great birthday present. Welcome Paul Please communicate sickness and distress and/or glad tidings. Brothers, we will never have knowledge to give support to our Brothers, their Widows or Orphans unless we communicate. Harmony is the support of all institutions, especially this of Our Great Masonic Lodge, Wadsworth #417. PAGE 3

4 Around the District: Noah 09/23/14 Berne 10/16/14 Bethlehem 11/18/14 Van Rensselaer 01/08/15 Mt. Vernon 02/02/15 Van Rensselaer 09/17/14 Mount Vernon 10/15/14 Noah 11/19/14 Wadsworth 01/21/15 District Deputy Grand Master Visits Masters and Wardens Schedule Ancient Temple 02/17/15 Wadsworth 03/25/15 Guttenberg 04/16/15 Masters 05/11/15 Masters 02/18/15 Ancient Temple 03/18/15 Guttenberg 04/15/15 Bethlehem 06/17/15 DD Visits R W Eric Benson is going retro. He has taken his protocols for his visits from back in the day when Peter Kermani was District Deputy. This means that there will be delegations presented at each visit, the Senior Warden coming to the East and the Grand Recessional. He is also encouraging attendance by the new brothers with the hope of them seeing from the delegations the depth of Masonry in the District. Masonic Safety Program The program is under a new chairman this year. He is Bro. Keith Becker. They have done several programs this summer including helping out with one in Amsterdam. Bell Ringing Our new chairman Bro. Steve Wells, from Van Rensselaer, he has put together the places and times needed. The announcement has gone out and will no doubt be finalized at the Masters & Wardens meeting. Upcoming events Monday October 27 will be R W Eric Benson s Apron Presentation at Masters Lodge. Cocktails will begin at 6 PM there is no dinner and no charge. Grand Master, M W William Thomas and other Grand Line members will be with us. It would be great to see a large showing from the Albany District. Saturday November 2nd is Masonic VA day at Stratton Hospital. Tuesday November 11th - The Grand Lecturer s Convention will be held, School of Instruction at 7:30 PM - Grand Lecturer R W Richard J. Kessler, Topic has not been decided. PAGE 4

5 ALBANY, NY Cornerstone Report: The Masonic Hall Association engaged the painting services of contractor, Bro. Keith Becker and associates. They painted the Ten Eyck and Weaver Rooms - cleaned the inside Thank you, thank you, and thank you. surface of the beautiful stain glass windows; Your Cornerstone Funds have been at work cleaned, sanded and applied polyurethane to the during the summer months of We have wood.work. What a difference it has made completed the installation of the new Smith Boiler Respectfully submitted, The stairway halls, first (See photo). The expense of $100,000 was floor lobby,ground floor foyer and dining hall have well worth the effort; greater heating efficiency for all been painted. So beautiful less cost, and asbestos free. R W Brother Ronald H. Noll Report on Masonic Hall Building Improvements to Date stairway halls, first floor lobby,ground floor foyer PAGE 5

6 Productive Summer 2014 Activities Bro. Semowich was honored to be coordained on September 12 to the Order of Universal Interfaith. This took place at the Garrison Institute. On August 8, Worshipful Brother Charles Semowich played the carillon at Middlebury College, VT Riverside Church, NY City, NY On August 10,Worshipful Brother Charles Semowich played the carillon at Riverside Church. This is the largest carillon in the world. PAGE 6

7 Awards Night: Homespun Harmony a barbershop quartet. They regaled us with song and story. Their harmony resulted in the famous fifth man and sounded superb in the Ten Eyck room. 5 years Doug Kantrowitz, others who were absent:jerome Trembley, Paul Pfeiffer, Robert Weeger, Donald G. Nagel, Jr. and Joseph K. Laux 10 Years William Carlucci, Bruce J. Susser others who were absent: Cullen Kasunic and Daniel N. Chedid. 25 Years Rev. Dr. Charles Semowich, others who were absent: Jean Karm, Brian K. Whitaker, Leroy P. Stevens and Roger A. Murphy PAGE 7

8 Awards Night Cont d: 35 Years James M. Fuller and another absent Brother 40 Years Willard D. Thomas 45 Years Roger Edgell others who were absent: Kurt J. Rosenfeldt and Robert Leitch, Jr. R W Eric Benson addressing the audience. The Brothers who were to receive plagues from Grand Lodge were: 50 Years John D. Denuccie, Jr., 55 Years Constantin D. Yavis, 60 Years Culver F. Hayes, Jr. and Luther H. Dyer, Jr. PAGE 8

9 Two Grand Lodges: Full and Mutual Recognition Between Two Grand Lodges Letter from Paul Rosen, Grand Secretary Grand Lodge of New York - Dated September 22, We as Brother Freemasons have entered a new era containing significant opportunities to embark upon a path that leads our beloved Fraternity ever closer to a purer harmony and toward a more perfect union with our fellow brothers. Within this Grand Jurisdiction of the State of New York, Freemasonry achieved a long awaited and long overdue historic milestone, when in the year 2001 mutual recognition and affinity came to fruition between the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York and the Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of the State of New York. Today the Office of the Grand Secretary received a letter dated September 16, 2014 from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania according full and mutual recognition between our two Grand Lodges. As such, we add the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to our list of ten previously recognized Prince Hall Grand Lodges effective September 22, (Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia.) Historical Perspective Reprinted from Wikipedia for younger brothers who may not be familiar with Prince Hall and Prince Hall Lodge. Prince Hall ( ) was an African American noted as a tireless abolitionist, for his leadership in the free black community in Boston, and as the founder of Prince Hall Masonry. Hall tried to gain New England s enslaved and free blacks a place in Freemasonry, education and the military, which were some of the most crucial spheres of society in his time. Hall is considered the founder of Black Freemasonry in the United States, known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry. Hall formed the African Grand Lodge of North America. Prince Hall was unanimously elected its Grand Master and served until his death in He lobbied for education rights for black children and was active in the back-to-africa movement. Many historians regard Prince Hall as one of the prominent African-Americans during the early years of the United States. Poet s Corner: In light of the above article on Prince Hall lodge it seemed appropriate to include the poem Brotherhood. The poem was presented at the Capital City Lodge #87. On November 13, 2009 when some 20 Brothers from Wadsworth joined the Brothers at Capital City to hear R W William Ogren deliver his gift to our Prince Hall Brothers. The evening started with a dinner at the V&R Ristorante. Where the Brothers enjoyed a fine meal and fellowship. It was an interesting meeting, the Master was not there so the Junior Warden Bro. Gayle was in the East. It apparently was his first time and needed the book for guidance. However, it was remarkable how minor the differences are between the two rituals, despite evolving separately over many years. We were also surprise when one of the Brothers asked to buy a petition. After the delegation was introduced we had the main event where Brother Bill read the poem. Bill has always been an advocate of communication between the two lodges since many of the members at Capital City were coworkers of his at Tobin Packing. PAGE 9

10 Poet s Corner Cont d Brotherhood Wadsworth #417 to Capital City #78 Capital City's lodge room sits beside a busy street, A temple in the city where the Prince Hall Masons meet. Wadsworth Lodge's Masons meet a few short blocks away, Yet it took an awesome span of time to lead us to today. We often meet as brothers with a friendship you can feel. These are times for celebration of a brotherhood that's real. We share the hand of fellowship, as Masons we are one. It's a joyous time for everyone to see what we have done. Many years have come and gone, departed, slipped away. The craft we love is growing. It's reborn and not passé. We have built upon traditions of our brothers gone before. Now we move into the future and whatever lies in store. Wadsworth Lodge is honored to have played an active part. Capital City brethren have been with us from the start. We can learn much from each other as we go along our way. For we have a strong fraternal bond that's growing every day You serve the whole community and work for those in need. You're a source of true Masonic light, a special place indeed We are proud to call you brothers and to have you by our side Let us strive to work together with a never ending pride. Fellowship that now we share will grow with every day. We've been fortunate to see it start and help it on its way. We share each other's lodge rooms with friendship in the air. As we meet upon the level and we part upon the square. R W William E. Ogren Wadsworth #417 Presented November 13, 2009 PAGE 10

11 Tale of the Ring While looking for the poem for this edition I came across this tale and it seemed worth repeating. We are still looking for tales if you have an interesting interface with a brother please share it with us. Car Trouble From Bro. Latson Andrews, October, 2009 One good thing about computer, their handwriting is better than mine. It was about 57 years ago that my father-in-law raised me at Wadsworth 417. A day I will never forget and the certificate on the wall of my den will attest to that. I was born in Newburgh on July 1, Enough about me. About 8 years ago we were driving from Connecticut to Illinois. A few miles west of Charlston, West Virginia I hit a tire carcass in the road. Our car Parting Shots: Birthdays of Brothers from June to October died on the spot. A member of the Courtesy Patrol stopped to help me. This is a patrol designed to help people like us out of trouble. The man's name was Gary Holbert. He remarked that he liked the ring that I was wearing. He never mentioned it again. Gary arranged for our car to be brought to a garage for repair- broken fuel pump. The garage owner - Hubie Hatfield - had his wife arrange a motel for us and brought us to the motel. Next morning she picked us up about 8:00 and returned us to the garage. We were on our way shortly. I can't prove it, but the way we were treated must have meant that both men were very familiar with my ring. Another example of kindness and brotherhood extended to a stranger. That is what it is all about. Kenneth H. Ahsmuhs 7/17/23 Charles W. Haner 8/13/36 Joe P. Pozefsky 6/24/43 Shawn Christopher Allen 9/22/90 Richard Dale Harvey 9/18/57 John G. Rhodes 8/21/80 Paul Frederick Bailey 9/28/46 Bruce N. Hazard 6/3/49 Paul Rosenblatt Sr. 8/25/46 Wilfred Baumann 6/7/29 Pieter Roelof Hiemstra 10/9/53 Scott Allen Sawyer 8/30/76 Kenneth T. Brown 8/19/69 Geoffrey T. Hoderath 8/2/57 John W. Scott 7/16/55 Victor Keith Caldwell 8/22/55 Denis M. Jones 9/5/46 Matthew Williams Scott 8/13/87 Steven Martin Conant 6/24/58 Curtis James Kammerer 6/23/80 Charles John Semowich 10/10/49 Michael Stephen Drooker 7/20/42 Douglas S. Kantrowitz 9/7/71 Leroy Paul Stevens 8/18/50 Robert E. Emory 8/22/84 Jean R. Karm 6/10/58 R. Victor Stewart 8/20/41 James L. Fuller 6/21/31 Cullen Kasunic 10/6/80 James Wilson Susser 9/17/84 Alan C. Garrison 8/14/54 Stephen S. King 8/30/50 Jerome R. Trembley 9/20/83 Stephen J. Garry 8/23/62 Gary A. Loeb 6/25/54 Peter L. Van Kempen 9/2/44 Raymond H. Gaul 8/1/49 Timothy M. Martin 7/2/47 Robert A. Weegar 6/3/80 Frederick Gillespie 7/10/28 Kymir Pearson 10/30/91 Norman E. Whitaker 6/14/41 Aaron W. Gladd 6/22/86 Brian Keith Whitaker 6/14/61 If your birthday does not appear in the list we apologize, but it is because we do not have the information in our records. Please contact Tim with your birthdate. PAGE 11

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