TEXAS ALLIED MASONIC DEGREES ASSOCIATION MINUTES ANNUAL MEETING OF JUNE 22, 2013 Texas Scottish Rite Foundation Waco, Texas There were 97 brothers from 23 AMD councils in attendance. Nine Muses No. 13 Col. William Barrett Travis No. 344 San Antonio No. 261 Army No. 373 Ebenezer Bacon Nichols No. 269 Waco No. 384 Robert Bruce Brannon No. 270 G. C. Sanders No. 402 Holy Stone No. 274 West Texas No. 438 Sam Houston No. 275 Grand Arcanum No 447 Tejas No. 282 Grand Bethlehemite No. 448 John E. Musick, No. 284 Anson Jones No. 462 Holy Grail No. 287 Charlie Goodnight No. 500 Star Chamber No. 298 Coastal Bend No. 509 Texas No. 335 Loyd L. Chance No. 522 Worth s Hiram Abif No. 342 OPENING: An AMD Council was opened in due form at 9:10 am by Robert Bruce Brannon Council No. 270. Since they were publicly posted on the TAMDA Web site, the reading of the minutes of the 2012 TAMDA annual meeting were approved as written without dissent. The meeting was then turned over to TAMDA President James Kirkpatrick. President Kirkpatrick called upon MV Reese Harrison to introduce MV Matthew D. 1
Dupee, Grand Sovereign Master of the Grand Council of Allied Masonic Degrees of the United States of America, who was accorded private grand honors. Other representatives of the Grand AMD Council in attendance were RV Lawrence E. Tucker, Grand Senior Deacon; RV Jerry Nelson Kirby, Superintendent for North Texas; RV John C. Elkinton, Superintendent for South Texas; and Past Superintendent, RV James Roy Elliott. Distinguished members from the various grand Masonic bodies were then recognized. COURTESY RECEPTION AND OBLIGATION OF CANDIDATES: President Kirkpatrick then obligated new candidates elected to the various AMD councils that were present. Jimmy M. Henley was the exemplar. It should be noted that R:. W:. Henley was a long time member of the Grand Lodge of Texas Committee on Work. The candidates obligated were: Mitch Thornton Greg Brooks, Grand Bethlehemite Council, No. 448 Miguel A. Garcia, Holy Stone Council, No. 274 Jimmy M. Henley, Worth's Hiram Abif Council, No. 342 Bruce W. Baker, Army Council, No. 373 Brian Parsons, Col. William Barrett Travis Council, No. 344 Gerhardt D. Kravitz, Col. William Barrett Travis Council, No. 344 President Kirkpatrick gave an excellent explanation of the Allied Masonic Degrees to the new brothers. GUEST SPEAKER: GSM Matthew Dupee spoke to the members present about the importance of fraternity in AMD. Councils need to be cohesive and collaborative and so need to be careful when choosing members. He also announced that the Grand Council now had jurisdiction in the USA over the Scarlet Cord degrees, including three degrees and a chair degree. Brother Harold Collum asked when the Scarlet Cord degrees would be available to the constituent councils. The GSM responded that as yet the degrees only included the verbal parts, but that the floor work, regalia, etc., were still to be added. When that was done, the degrees would be released to the councils. After the GSM s talk, MV Reese L. Harrison stood remarked that GSM Dupee is the Deputy Grand Master of the Convent General of KYCH and will be installed Grand Master at its next annual meeting. He also noted that the GSM is also the Grand JW of the Royal Order of Scotland and concluded: "Our SGM gets things done." It was also observed that RV Lawrence E. Tucker is Seneschal of Convent General of KYCH. Also introduced was Pre-Eminently Distinguished John A. Hughes, Deputy Grand Governor of Texas, York Rite Sovereign College of North America. SHORT BREAK 2
CONFERRAL OF DEGREES (Morning): 1. Holy Stone Council No. 274 was not able to confer the Secret Monitor Degree due to the presiding officer unable to attend the meeting, due to an emergency. 2. Robert Bruce Brannon Council No. 270 conferred the Architects Degree. Participants: James Kirkpatrick, Robert Cagley, Ken Cooley, Sam Allsbrooks, and Robert Kirk. Candidate: Joe Pool. Explanation by James Kirkpatrick SHORT BREAK 3. Those members who were not SMs or PSMs were asked to take a short break while Robert Bruce Brannon Council No. 270 conferred the Installed Sovereign Master degree on anyone present that was eligible but had not yet received the degree. Participants: James Kirkpatrick, Sam Allsbrooks, James Roy Elliott, Floyd Hall and Bob Collier. Explanation by James Kirkpatrick. After the break, the members returned back to the meeting. 4. Robert Bruce Brannon Council No. 270 conferred the Grand Architects Degree. Participants: James Kirkpatrick, David Houston, Michael Bishop, Sam Allsbrooks, Robert Kirk. Candidate: Gerhardt Kravitz. Explanation by James Kirkpatrick. LUNCH BREAK The meeting was adjourned at 11:59 am for lunch. The companions enjoyed an excellent BBQ meal. The meeting was reconvened at 1:00 pm. CONFERRAL OF DEGREES (Afternoon): 5. Anson Jones Council No. 462 conferred the Superintendent's degree. Participants: Nick Fehrenbach, Matt Cast, Joe Jones, Dixon Tomey, Larry Hopkins. Explanation by Nick Fehrenbach. 6. Grand Arcanum Council No. 447 conferred the Masters of Tyre degree. Participants: Kevin Main, Harold Collum, Lawrence Sweeney, Justin Bauer, Daniel Pearson, John Wilson, Brad Billings, Richard Johnson, Richard Schlaudroff, David Palmlund Explanation by David Raucher. 7. San Antonio Council No. 261, assisted by Texas Council No. 335, conferred the Knights of Constantinople degree. President Kirkpatrick thanked each one of the councils for putting on the degrees for the benefit of the brothers assembled. 3
BUSINESS MEETING: The business meeting opened at 2:47 pm. The Report of the Treasurer: Brother Claude Ervin stated that all bills to date have been paid. Payment needs to be made for today s annual meeting; i.e., use of the building, lunch, and coffee and donuts. The Treasurer then made a motion to spend $750 to cover these expenses. The motion being seconded, it was adopted by a show of hands. The Treasurer reported that TAMDA had a receipts for its 2013 annual meeting of $1,605.00 and that after payment of the meeting s expenses, TAMDA had a bank balance of $3,207.43. A motion was made and seconded to adopt the Treasurer s Report, which was approved by a show of hands. Brother Ervin also announced that he would not stand for election as TAMDA Treasurer for another year. President Kirkpatrick entertained a motion that Brother Ervin be recognized as Treasurer Emeritus of TAMDA. The motion was made, seconded, and approved by a show of hands. Brother Ervin received a hearty round of applause for his long-term service as TAMDA Treasurer. A motion was made to raise the contribution to the Waco Scottish Rite for use of the building to $500. This motion was seconded and approved by a show of hands. The newest AMD council in attendance, Loyd L. Chance Council No. 522, attending its first Texas AMD Day, was duly recognized, its charter SM, Charles E. Cumming, Jr., and several other charter officers being in attendance. ELECTION: No more business coming before the association, President Kirkpatrick called for the election of new officers and asked Brother Floyd Edward Hall, a distinguished Member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Masonic Retirement Center, to assume the east to conduct the election of officers, all nominations to be seconded by the east. President Kirkpatrick nominated First Vice President Dan Turner to serve as President of TAMDA for the ensuing year. No other nominations forthcoming, Brother Turner was elected by acclimation. President-Elect Turner then nominated Second Vice President Jack Lester to serve as First Vice President of TAMDA for the ensuing year. No other nominations forthcoming, Brother Lester was elected by a show of hands. Two brothers gained nominations for Second Vice President of TAMDA for the ensuing year: Matt Cast, PSM of Anson Jones Council No. 462 and John Wilson, PSM of Grand 4
Arcanum Council No. 447. An election by ballot was taken. Brother Cast received 35 votes. Brother Wilson received 29 votes. Brother Cast was therefore elected as Second Vice President of TAMDA for the ensuing year. Brother Claude Ervin nominated Brother Buford John Young as Treasurer of TAMDA for the ensuing year. No other nominations forthcoming, Bro. Young was elected by a show of hands. Brother Buford J. Young nominated Brother Richard Schlaudroff to succeed himself as Secretary of TAMDA for the ensuing year. No other nominations forthcoming, Brother Schlaudroff was elected by a show of hands. Brother Floyd Edward Hall then declared the election closed. After invoking the aid of Deity, the newly-elected officers of TAMDA were duly installed by GSM Matthew D. Dupee and the installation was declared by RV Reese L. Harrison, Jr. as installing marshal. President Turner thanked the members for their confidence in him and announced that the next annual meeting of the TAMDA would be held at the Waco Scottish Rite on June 21, 2014 and suggested that the councils consider doing degrees next year which have not been done or have not been done in a while. CLOSING: Nothing further being brought before the association, the officers of Robert Bruce Brannon Council No. 270 resumed their stations and closed the council at 3:26 pm. MASONIC ORDER OF THE BATH A meeting of the Masonic Order of the Bath was opened in due form at 3:43 pm. MH Reese L. Harrison, Jr. presided during the Order, and MH Fred E. Allen served as Chaplain. Other Participants in the Degree included James D. Kirkpatrick and Edward R. Hjorth. An explanation of the MOB by MH Harrison was followed by conferral of the Order on those in attendance who had not yet been inducted but wished to become so. After the conferral, the meeting was closed in due form at 4:20 pm. Attest: Richard E. Schlaudroff, Secretary 5