Scottish Rite Masons and their Families VALLEY VOICE December 2017
Valley of Detroit VALLEY VOICE DECEMBER 2017 Secretary s Scribblings Valley Voice is the official publication of Detroit Scottish Rite. The Bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Detroit, State of Michigan, acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33 o, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts. Ill. David A. Glattly, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Walter F. Wheeler, 33 o Deputy for Michigan Ill. David G. Boring, 33 o Active Member for Michigan Ill. William J. Dover, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus Ill. Erwin W. O Dell, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus Ill. Gerald F. Thorp, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus 32ndDegreeMasons.org All correspondence concerning this Publication should be directed to the Executive Secretary of the Valley of Detroit, Timothey S. Marshbanks, 33 o Mailing Address 907 Monroe St. Dearborn, MI 48124-2309 313.724.1907 Fax 313.724.1996 Email valleyofdetroit@32nddegreemasons.org Editor Kim Ross VODGraphics@gmail.com Cover Photo by istockphoto.com Permission to reprint original articles in the Valley Voice is granted to all recognized Masonic publications with credit to the author and this publication. Brothers, CHALLENGING TIMES AHEAD Your Valley is feeling lonely. Membership has fallen in the Valley of Detroit from a peak in the late 1970 s of close to 20,000 members to a 1911 level of around 2,000 members. The members of the large classes of the 40 s, 50 s and 60 s have laid down their working tools. Concentration of Scottish Rite Masons in Michigan is less than 20% of the Masonic membership of Michigan. If each Brother of the Valley of Detroit sponsored just one new member, we would only catch up to membership levels of 10 years ago. Though that is not likely to happen, your Valley is taking the necessary steps to insure its presence for the future. We have moved from the Detroit Masonic Temple to our own debt free state of the art facility. We have restructured the Officer Line for strong leadership. We have taken a long hard look at our expenditures. We are now looking at what we can do to make your membership a more solid value. What does this mean? As a member of the Valley of Detroit, we know you expect something for your dues money. For several years now we have made the claim that if you attended a reunion and one or two of the special events we host, you would receive a value more than what you paid for your dues. However, only 10% of the membership attends any of our events and less than 5% have seen the actual value we claim. We realize that many live outside of the jurisdiction and/or are unable to attend the events. For that reason, we are taking another look at how to bring value to everyone. As we move forward into 2018, you will be seeing many changes in your Valley. We hope that you will consider taking advantage of these values to make your membership stronger. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Officers and Staff, we wish you a joyous holiday season with peace and cheer in the New Year! Copyright 2017 Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit
This event is Full Valley Holiday Party Tuesday, December 12, 2017 7:00 PM Annual Holiday Party at the Valley has become one of our most popular events! Valley members and one guest please. There is no charge and reservations are required. Reservations Please! Reserve online or call the office at 313.724.1907. January Meeting - 7:30 PM Tuesday, January 9, 2018 Following the Business Meeting, Joel Stone Presents: LOST TO TIME: 20 FAMOUS DETROITERS YOU VE NEVER HEARD OF Joel Stone is senior curator for the Detroit Historical Society, which oversees the Detroit Historical Museum, the Dossin [daw-sin] Great Lakes Museum, and a quarter million artifacts in the City of Detroit s collection. Raised in the Detroit area, he has studied journalism, history, archaeology, and archival management at the University of Detroit, Wayne State University, and the University College Cork, Ireland. He supports a number of regional history organizations and is a board member of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History. Reservations Please! Reserve online or call the office at 313.724.1907.
Moments From Our 2017 Fall Reunion Saturday, October 28, 2017 Scottish Rite Masonic Center Illustrious Brother Justin F. Krasnoff being presented with the plaque in his honor. The 366 th Fall Reunion Class. The Class getting their final instructions before the Degrees. Breakfast to start our day! Reception following the Degrees. Fellowship!
Fort Wayne s 2017 Fall Reunion Members from the Valley of Detroit Traveled to the Valley of Ft. Wayne to support our newest Candidate! Brother Daniel J. Applefield, who was unable to attend the Valley of Detroit s Reunion, was conferred at the Valley of Ft. Wayne s Reunion on November 11. C e l e b r a t e Mardi Gras Style with the Valley of Detroit Valentines Party at The Gazebo Banquet Center 31104 Mound Rd, Warren Saturday, February 10, 2018 6:00 pm $45/person Reserve online or call the office 313.724.1907
March Meeting - 7:30 PM Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Following the Business Meeting, there will be a presentation on the Yankee Air Museum by Kevin Walsh yankeeairmuseum.org Reservations Please! Reserve online or call the office at 313.724.1907. Want to keep up on all Valley events? Would you like to have the information at your fingertips? Check out the Valley of Detroit Facebook page. If you already have a Facebook account, all you need to do is type Valley of Detroit AASR in the Search Bar and select the page that has our logo (see example). It s a great way to follow Valley meetings, reunions, upcoming events, and what s been happening in the Valley. This is also an easy way to find links to making very important reservations for Valley events. So don t be left out, follow the Valley of Detroit AASR today!
Digital Collections Highlight: Hand-lettered Scottish Rite Certificate of Appreciation By Jeffrey Croteau, Director of Library & Archives, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Lexington, MA The Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives Digital Collections website (https://digitalvgw.omeka.net/) features a rich collection of digitized documents from the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library. Among these items is this hand-drawn certificate of appreciation issued by the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, to Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, the Mayor of Boston and an Active Member of the Supreme Council. The certificate, dated June 19, 1869, was given to Shurtleff in recognition of the Supreme Council s high appreciation of the most cordial and fraternal welcome extended to the Council during the Annual Meeting held in Boston, June 16-19, 1869. The 1869 Annual Meeting was held at the Masonic Temple in Boston. According to the 1869 Supreme Council Proceedings, on the second day of these meetings, Friday, June 18, the Supreme Council voted on an invitation to accept the hospitalities of the Mayor of the City of Boston, the Hon. and Ill. Bro. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, at Young s Hotel, at 7 ½ o clock, this evening. On motion, the Mayor s party invitation was unanimously accepted. While the 1869 Proceedings provide no details about the celebration held at Young s Hotel, an article published in the July 1, 1869, issue of The Freemasons Monthly Magazine gives a brief account of the dinner. It records that the tables for the reception were furnished with such luxuries as the markets at this season of the year can afford, and were in great abundance. The celebration continued until late in the evening, when it was increased by the addition of music, by an excellent band from the City of Troy, New York, who had previously been contributing of their skill to the success of the Peace Jubilee. The National Peace Jubilee, which happened to coincide with the 1869 Annual Meeting, was a five day music festival held in Boston. It began on June 15, 1869, and celebrated the end of the American Civil War four years earlier. Thousands of people attended the Jubilee, and a huge temporary coliseum which could seat 50,000 people was constructed for the musical performances. The event was so attractive that The Freemasons Monthly Magazine reported that the Jubilee actually delayed the start of the Annual Meeting: The session [i.e. the Annual Meeting] was informally opened on Wednesday, at 12 o clock, noon; but, in consequence of the interest which the members manifested in the festivities of the opening of the Peace Musical Jubilee, the Council was called off until the following morning at 10 o clock, and no business was transacted. Certificate of Appreciation Issued to Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, 1869. Collection of Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, SC 040. The celebration hosted by Mayor Shurtleff at Young s Hotel made a great impression upon his guests. The following day, at the Supreme Council s Annual Meeting, Henry L. Palmer, a future Sovereign Grand Commander for the Supreme Council, offered a resolution, the text of which was incorporated into the certificate by its artist, Charles E. Sickels (1841-1927). In 1869 Sickels was a 28-year-old artist and engraver who executed this certificate entirely by hand. He had only been a Mason for two years. His father, Daniel Sickels, 33, Grand Secretary General for the Supreme Council, signed and sealed the certificate in the lower left-hand corner. Charles Sickels would later go on to become the head of the Art Department of the American Bank Note Company, which printed currency and stamps for the federal government, as well as stock certificates. By 1875, the American Bank Note Company printed membership certificates for the Scottish Rite. You can get a closer look at the Certificate of Appreciation by visiting the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives Digital Collections website: http://digitalvgw.omeka.net/items/ show/452. The Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives is located in Lexington, Massachusetts, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and is open to the public 10-4, Wednesday- Saturday. Have questions? Drop us a line at library@srmml.org or give us a call at 781-457-4109.
The Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit 32 o Masons and Their Families 907 Monroe Street Dearborn, MI 48124-2309 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ROYAL OAK, MI 48068 PERMIT#95 www.32nddegreemasons.org Dated Material - Please Do Not Delay Support Your Club Blue Water Club Gary L. Paquet - 810.434.1940 Voyager Restaurant 525 Riverside Dr. St Clair 3rd Monday, 6:30 P.M. Macomb Club Chris Fildes - 313.885.1500 Ram s Horn Restaurant 23815 Jefferson St. Clair Shores 1st Saturday of the Month Except July, August, and Holiday Weekends Oakland Club Damon Garascia - 248.388.8210 National Coney Island 1812 N. Main St. I Royal Oak 2nd Monday, 6:30 P.M. Club of the Lakes Les Ferguson - 313.414.1792 Pinckney Masonic Center 210 Mann St. Pinckney 3rd Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Downriver/Monroe Club Douglas S. Simpson - 313.274.1546 Leon s Family Dining 8787 Telegraph Taylor 2nd Saturday, 9:00 A.M. Jackson Club Ken Strobel - 517.787.2680 The Grotto Club 102 E. Washington Ave. Jackson 517.782.4934 2nd Sunday, 8:30 A.M. S.E.M. Club Royd Buchele - 517.270.1340 The Clinton Inn 104 West Michigan Ave. Clinton 1st Thursday, 6:00 P.M. MARK Y OUR Calendar December 2017 9 Scintas Holiday Show 12 Holiday Party January 2018 9 Valley Meeting February 2018 10 Mardi Gras Party 13 No Valley Meeting March 2018 13 Valley Meeting