A u g u s t 1, 2012 The Vision Statement Of Oasis Masonic Lodge # 52 Is That The Lodge: Is A Recognized Active Participant In The Masonic Community Fostering Fraternal Fellowship And Masonic Teachings. Supports The Local Community Through Involvement With Public Schools And Programs Addressing Community Concerns. The Mission Statement Of Oasis Masonic Lodge # 52 Is To: From the East WB Randy Jager s the temperatures in Tucson finally begin to cool, there is a lot of A Oasis 52 activity to report. The month of July finished on a very cool in fact a cold note! On Sunday July 19, Horizon Chapter #69 OES hosted another ice cream social. We had a very good showing of Oasis 52 Brothers at the event, and all in attendance had a fantastic time. Along with the delicious ice cream Preserve And Promote The Teachings Of Freemasonry. Promote Masonic Values Through Service To Mankind And Truth In Life. Inspire Good Men To Seek Membership Within Our Organization. Encourage The Membership To Continually Seek The Truth. Promote Active Fellowship With Masonic Friends And Family. and toppings, our Horizon Sisters and Brothers held an afternoon of dirty bingo. This always proves to be very entertaining as prizes are passed back and forth. On the last Tuesday of July, Oasis hosted an educational event focused on the FellowCraft Degree. Several of our Oasis members presented papers during this educational event. The education was mainly centered on the FellowCraft lecture. Worshipful Brother Paul Weathers discussed the first portion of the lecture, and I presented on the second portion of the lecture. Worshipful Brother Roger Cousineau then presented a very informative section discussing the wages of a FellowCraft Mason. During this presentation, WB Roger closely detailed the historical sense of all the wages as well as the symbolic. Following WB Roger, we were treated to the presentation of a paper by Brother Dan Brys. Brother Dan s presentation provided the evening with a good summary of the entire FellowCraft Degree, its relevance, its significance, its lessons, and much of its symbolism. The entire evening provided all in attendance with a good opportunity to enjoy fellowship and learning together. I want to thank all of the presenters and guests that helped make the evening a wonderful success. On August 2, Oasis Brethren made a visitation to the Perfect Ashlar Lodge #12 Stated Meeting. However, attending this Lodge s Stated Meeting and fellowshipping with the Brethren was just a small portion of what made this visitation well worth the trip. Before dinner, several of us were treated to a tour of the historical Lodge building by the Junior Warden, Brother Frank Belluardo. Brother Belluardo was a wealth of information about the building and the history of the Fraternity in that area of the state. The evening was capped off by a well-run Stated Meeting in a beautiful Lodge room. On Monday, August 6, Oasis Brothers were honored to be invited to participate in a Master Mason Degree at Anahuac Lodge #81. This Degree was a very well attended event seven different Lodges from the Tucson area participated in the ceremony. I have no doubt that the Brother being raised that evening will remember the event for the rest of his life. (Continued on page 2)
P a g e 2 Features Page 1 Oasis Lodge Vision Statement Oasis Lodge Mission Statement Thoughts from the Worshipful Master Page 2 Masonic Birthdays Page 3 Upcoming Events 2012 Officers 2012 Committees Page 4 From the West Page 5 Our Website is our Face to the World (Article) Page 6 From the South (Continued from page 1) Several weeks over the last couple of months have been spent by the Oasis members updating the Lodge s long-range plan. This process has been led by the Oasis Senior Warden, WB Dean Millard. It is important for all Oasis members to participate in this planning process to allow them to have ownership in the Lodge s future. August 9 found several Oasis Brethren once again in attendance at an event hosted by Horizon Chapter #69 OES. This time, it was a movie night complete with hot dogs, popcorn, candy, and an Elvis film! All in attendance were treated to a viewing of Blue Hawaii. Of this event, I can only tell you one thing my Brothers, don t miss the next one it was a lot of fun! Just two short days later, on August 11, Oasis Brethren turned out in force for the Oasis visitation to Jerusalem Daylight Lodge #66. This visitation was the best attended visitation of the year. Thank you all Oasis Brothers that made this visitation terrific. We were treated to a very strong proficiency examination and a truly interesting Stated Meeting! In early September, I met with Jon Ben-Asher, principal of Anna Henry Elementary School. Oasis Lodge has had a long-standing relationship with this school, and the two of us met to discuss how to keep this relationship strong during the next year. There are various ways to help at the school that do not require a large commitment of time during week days. These programs have been discussed several times in Lodge now, but if you have time that you would like to volunteer, please contact me for information. Our discussions also highlighted the fact that next year will be a very difficult budget year for Anna Henry Elementary. Oasis Lodge was presented with several ways to help, that will most definitely involve assistance from all of the Oasis Lodge members. Please watch for the calls to action in future months and help in every way you can. Birthdays August Natural Blanchard, Rodney Fogus, Steve Hooks, Thomas Slocum, Eric Taylor, Richard Yaiser, Timothy September Berry, Alan Bibars, Maen Chaney, Earl Cheatle, Scott Collier, Milton Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend one of the University of Arizona football games. During that game, I had the wonderful experience of witnessing a true Mason in Donohue, Raymond Martin, Phillip Thourot, Frederick August Masonic Cottrell, Vern Crenshaw, Robert September Benavides, Tony Bibars, Maen Garner, Gregory Lindquist, Alex IV Mysak, Terrance Polston, James Wraight, Michael (Continued on page 6)
Upcoming Meetings P a g e 3 October 2012 COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN 01 Oct Official Visit:Marion McDaniew #56 Oct 02 3rd Degree Oct 16 Official Visit: Green Valley #71 Oct 23 Fall MFFN Planing / Mentor and Coaching Program Presentation Oct 27 Fall MFFN Oct 30 3º Education Event Ritual Director WB Gene Scott 298-0920 WB Dan Tulloh Masonic Education WB Tim Yaser Candidates, Coaches, and Mentors WB Dean Millard Mason Of The Year Assigned by Lodge Master Long Range Plans WB Jerry Badinger Widows / Welfare / Assistance WB Paul Weathers WB Lee Harter November 2012 04 Nov Widows & Serior Luncheon 06 Nov Final Planning for Poker run 11 Nov Poker Run 13 Nov Stated Meeting (Elections) 20 Nov Degree Practice 27 Nov Degree Practice OFFICERS for 2012 WM Randy Jager, 405-6098 Randy@thejagers.com SW WB N. DeanMillard, 298-0765 drallimd@msn.com JW Mike Bravin, 777-3716, Bravin32@msn.com Sec. WB Timothy Yaiser, 661-3008 TYaiser@cox.net Treas. Robert Shrager, H-296-0709, C-449-4588, LBob130709@msn.com SD Leroy Smith, 762-8881, Leroy2741@yahoo.com JD Dave Bonnell, 331-2767, Sheldon12@cox.net Chaplain WB Lee Harter, 461-2033, LJH75sinosa@gmail.com SS Ray Donohue, 290-9802 / Cell: 203-3252 RMDonohue@cox.net JS WB Dan Tulloh, 370-4115, DWTulloh61@cox.net Marshal WB Frank Rice, 546-1312, FRice@microsoft com Tyler WB Paul Weathers, 290-6260, pwabble@cox.net Trustees: 3 year WB Roger Cousineau, 2 year Bro Russell Long, 1 year WB Bruce McLaughlin Annual Veterans Day Poker Run JW Mike Bravin SS Ray Donohue Spring Masonic Family and Friends Night WM Randy Jager SW Dean Millard Public Schools Bro Leroy Smith, Jr Masonic Communications WM Randy Jager Fall Masonic Family and Friends Night JW Mike Bravin WB Dan Tulloh Membership Committee WB Jerry Badinger Youth Groups WB N Dean Millard Dues & Relief WB Jerry Badinger 745-4307 Trestle Board Editor WB Jim Hewitt 721-4049 jlhewittsr@cox.net WEB Master WB Frank Rice Masonic Communications WM Randy Jager Public Relations WB Bruce McLaughlin SICKNESS and DISTRESS If you or your loved ones are stricken with an illness or distress or any other major concern, don t keep it inside, let us know about it. We may be limited in many cases to remembering you in our prayers. But I believe that the majority of us believe in the power of prayer so please let us be informed of your troubled times. Call WB Paul Weathers at (520) 290-6260 or Brother Ray Donohue at (520) 290-9802.
P a g e 4 From The West W.B. N Dean Millard Senior Warden T he topic for this paper is "Communications." Well duh! That's what you are doing now aren't you? The answer is, of course, yes. But I want to delve just a Little deeper into the topic because I have begun to notice (it takes me more time than most, it seems) just how much our methods of communications have changed. Have you thought of it lately? It wasn't that many years ago that computers were just beginning to show up and the internet was someone's dream in a lab somewhere. Electronics has been the driving force behind the tremendous and extremely rapid growth of modern communications. Here is a very brief history of the development of electronics and its influence on our lives and particularly, communications: Morse Code developed, 1838; Telephone developed, 1876 (Note that it took nearly 50 years for this jump in technology!); Phonograph, 1877; Morse Code sent across the Atlantic Ocean by wire, 1901 (WOW! 63 years after the code itself was developed.); The Vacuum tube (What?) was developed, 1904; First Radio Broadcast in the USA, 1920; IBM Founded in 1924 (Don't you wish you had bought stock when it first came available?); The first Binary Electric Digital Computer invented, 1937; What is called by many as the first real computer, ENIAC, developed in 1946 and the first computer game in 1947 (Of course!); The first Transistor was also invented that same year, 1947 and in 1949 it was predicted that computers may weigh NO MORE than 1.5 TONS in the future! The first Commercial Computer, 1951; an early Super Computer was built in 1958 for ONLY $1.5 Million and there were an estimated 2000 computers in the USA in 1960. The IBM Selectric typewriter was developed in 1961 as we still sent our thoughts mostly on paper. The first discussions of the concept of networking (The Internet) occurred about 1963 and UCLA introduced the Internet to the public in 1969. Along came dot matrix printers (the precursor to all of our present ink jet printers!) in 1970, the first email in 1971and the acronym of "WYSIWYG", What You See Is What You Get, came along in 1974. The first mail order PC, selling for only $397, came available also in 1974, and NO, it was NOT an IBM PC. The first Apple Computer was developed and sold in 1976 -- WELL before IBM PCs! In 1979 it was estimated that more than 500,000 computers were in use in the USA -- quite a jump from the 2000 in 1960! The IBM PC was finally announced in 1981 at a cost of $1565 dollars and it ran under the operating system DOS which required the user to type in cryptic commands to make it work. We have learned a whole bunch since then, thank goodness. By 1983 we were up to more than 10 Million computers in the USA. Desktop publishing comes into being in 1985 on Apple Computers and Bill Gates officially becomes a Billionaire in 1986. The Internet as we know it today was proposed in 1990 and the WWW (World Wide Web) is launched one year later. Along with communications always comes entertainment and NETFLIX (downloadable movies) arrives in 1997. By the year 2000, over half the households in the USA have Internet access and by 2002 approximately 1 Billion PCs have been shipped worldwide since the mid 70s. Facebook was launched in 2004 and YouTube in 2005. The main point of all of this is that in just 66 years we have gone from the very first computer that would take a good sized room to contain, to computers that we can carry in our pockets that are millions of times more powerful. How many of us have been passed by in this mad rush to modern computers and communication? Think about it, are we serving ALL of our Brethren in the Lodge?
P a g e 5 Our Website is our Face to the World WB Frank Rice emember back when a web site was just the home of a spider? I think that most individuals and businesses today realize the R importance of having an online presence whether that be through a website, or a Facebook page, or a Twitter profile. For example, if your business does not have an online presence, the chances are you could be losing valuable business and customers to your competitors who do have effective and active online presences. The same can be said of Freemasonry in Tucson. There are a number of great lodges available in Tucson and all have some type of online presence, some better than others. As a matter of fact, that is exactly how I came to be at Oasis 52. I looked on the Internet for "Masonic Lodges in Tucson" and low and behold, up popped Oasis 52. I emailed the secretary and the rest is, as they say, history. With the abundance of lodges in Tucson, how can we attract prospects looking for a way into the greatest fraternity in the world? We know how great we are but what about the rest of the world? Of course, the first step is to have an online presence; for Oasis 52, that place is (http://www.oasis52.org). We also have a link at Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/pages/oasis- Lodge-52/203168356071). So the hard part is done. But how do we grab the attention of a prospect that opens the website's home page? Statistics show that you have approximately 5 seconds to attract the attention of the viewer before they hit the Back button and move on. Ways to attract the attention of repeat readers is with topical content, colors, site layout, and navigation. Arguably, one of the most important aspects that all great websites have in common is great, highly applicable content. Usually, a reader comes to your website while looking for specific information. The website can be stunning and beautiful but without focused, up-to-date content, it is all form without substance. After quickly scanning the website and not finding what he wants, the reader will quickly move elsewhere. So, for example, if I browse to a website looking for recipes for fish but instead see mostly discussions about the equipment to catch fish, I will most likely hit the Back button pretty quickly. Depending on the purpose of the site, website colors should project a bright, positive feel for the reader. But not be so bright as to overpower the information that you are trying to convey. Colors should also delineate the different sections on the page so that the buttons, menu items, and other controls are grouped into their own sections. Pictures also add variety to the pages. Layout is also important to a useful and efficient website. The important parts of the website are those things that represent the core information that brought the reader to your site in the first place, and should be placed in logical, easy to find, consistent locations. The less the reader is forced to move around the website to find what he needs, the friendlier your website will be to the reader. As a comparison, grocery stores take the opposite approach. They purposely rearrange the shelves frequently to force customers to scan each and every shelf to find what they need in hopes that the customer will see something new and buy on impulse. This is great for the store but frustrating for the shopper. And the last attribute that all good websites share is easy discoverability and consistent navigation, by using aids such as buttons, menus, links, and even clickable pictures. While most people use the Back button to back out of areas on the website, well placed navigate aids enable the reader to easily move forward and backward through the pages of the website. So to summarize, a great website will have interesting, timely, and constantly evolving subject matter; it will project positive feelings through the use of colors and layout; and be easy to navigate. This is where you can make a difference with your ideas. As with anything in life, the rewards you can expect to get out of something are equal only to the effort you put into it. Because our website may be first positive exposure that a prospect has to Freemasonry in general and to Oasis 52 in particular, is it imperative that we make it reflect the best of ourselves and our beloved fraternity. You have seen the available tools and techniques, as described in the proceeding paragraphs, so it just a matter of putting them into practice. From what I've heard from many of the members of Oasis 52, the current website appears to be conveying a positive image and is relatively easy to navigate. However, that is not to say that there is no room for improvement. The site Webmaster can only come up with just so many fresh ideas. The more sets of eyes we use, the more ideas that will be generated, and the better the results. So please, please look the website over and think of ways that its looks and navigation might be improved. A successful website also needs a constant flow of new, targeted, and refreshing content. That is the hook that brings readers back to your site. No one wants to see the same old tired text and the same old links to content. There is a universe of information on Freemasonry, the Masonic organization, charities, and inspirational persons that would make the website feel fresh and dynamic. Perhaps you know someone in your life, lodge, or community who has made a difference and would serve as a positive role model. (Continued on page 6)
P a g e 6 (Continued from page 2) action. This Brother did not know that we were watching, in fact, I could not even get his attention! Oasis own WB Bruce McLaughlin was at the game working with the Event Staff. We watched as this Worshipful Brother made certain that all the fans in the stands were having a good time and staying safe. WB Bruce has been performing this service for the past 32 U of A football seasons, and he certainly appears to still be enjoying his work. I have to tell you Brothers, Oasis can be very proud of how this Brother represents Oasis Lodge and the Fraternity when he is in the public. I enjoyed watching this Brother work nearly as much as I enjoyed the game. Brothers, I look forward to seeing all of you in Lodge very soon. From The South Bro Mike Bravin Junior Warden as political correctness trumped doing the right thing these days? H I asked myself that question this week when reading an article recently regarding how Rhode Island is now banning Father-Daughter dances and Mother-Son Ball games at public schools, a tradition in that reported school. A single mother whose daughter was unable to go to the dance because of an absent father filed a complaint with the ACLU which used the Federal legislation Title IX regarding gender discrimination in public school activities. The intended use of this article of law was to allow girls and boys equal opportunities in activities. Where did all this go wrong? First off, instead of doing the right thing which was to allow that girl to attend with another father in a double date situation (I know I have done just that with my two daughters) or giving her an option to bring another father-type adult with her, the school officials decided to choose the wrong path and not allow her to go at all. The situation could have been moot at that point had some faculty thought about just doing the right thing with the right intentions. Secondly, our society is more often under the assumption that someone might be offended and choose the less obvious choice of being politically correct. This dumbing down of our values is not helping people make great choices. This has made me reflect on my own Masonic journey of Brotherly love, truth and relief. I often think about those virtues when making decisions but am bombarded about being politically correct in todays society. Who am I offending? Who am I excluding? Instead of thinking about how can I help, how can I ease their problem or how I can just do the right thing How many times this week has your decision been based on doing the right thing or being politically correct? (Continued from page 5) Perhaps you have had an opportunity to work with a charity that you think could use the benefit of a relationship with our lodge. Maybe you know of another website or organization that has had a positive impact of the lives of our military members and veterans that we might feature on the website. Maybe in your research, you have encountered some masonic tidbit or trivia that you are dying to share. A primary requirement for material that goes on the website is that it must be original, non-copyrighted (although you can ask for permissions to use even this type of content). So start today! Take a good, hard look at your website (http://www.oasis52.org) and send me (frice@microsoft.com) your ideas and content. Take a look at the flow of the pages and see if it feels natural. For content, it is almost always better to condense the subject down to a few paragraphs or page or two, in your own words. It doesn't even have to be perfect. I am happy to work with you to produce a well-written piece. What about linking to related content on other websites? And even if the content you find is copyrighted, usually you can send a mail to the site s Webmaster (or to the lodge secretary, if applicable) telling them who you are and how you intend to use the content (emphasize not for profit ), and they will more times than not give you permission to use the content. So please, please, please resolve today to take a proactive role in improving YOUR lodge website and Facebook page. It is our face to the world. If you have additional questions about anything in this article, please feel free to contact me or the Worshipful Master.
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P a g e 8 The cost is only $125 / Year and it can be prorated. Contact our treasurer, Bro Bob Shrager for more details. Oasis Masonic Lodge #52, F&AM 450 N, Pantano Rd. Tucson, AZ 85710 http://www.oasis52.org