Page 4 The North Carolina Mason September/October 2018
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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Grand Master Speed Hallman ................................. shallman@glnc.us
Deputy Grand Master Dwight M. "Mack" Sigmon ...msigmon@glnc.us
Senior Grand Warden P. Shaun Bradshaw ............ sbradshaw@glnc.us
Junior Grand Warden R. David Wicker .................... dwicker@glnc.us
Grand Treasurer Lewis R. Ledford (PGM) ............... lledford@glnc.us
Grand Secretary T. Walton Clapp III ...........................wclapp@glnc.us
Senior Grand Deacon Larry B. ompson Jr. ........lthompson@glnc.us
Junior Grand Deacon Kevan D. Frazier ......................kfrazier@glnc.us
Grand Marshal Donald E. Kehler ...............................dkehler@glnc.us
Grand Steward Robert W. Rideout ............................ rrideout@glnc.us
Grand Steward Steve M. Norris ................................... snorris@glnc.us
Grand Tyler John W. Speed II
Grand Chaplain James G. Jones
Grand Lecturer Donald M. Helton
Dan
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NORTH CAROLINA
The Mason
By Beth Grace
Editor
■ see BRANTLEY, page 14
Devoted Bro. Brantley
had a servant's heart
B
eing the center of attention never held
much appeal for WM Michael Brantley.
He much preferred working from the
sidelines … lecturing about history, teaching
the catechism to men working their way
through the degrees, shooting photos in the
world capitals he loved to visit, or
sharing his love of music through
the French horn.
e role he chose was to be
the brother who always had your
back, was always teaching, always
moving things forward, always
bringing the best of Freemasonry
into the light. He had a servant's
heart, to the very end.
While the limelight was not his
natural habitat, I have to believe
he would have truly appreciated
the symbolism, the words, the
ritual, the brotherly love on display
when some 200 Masons and others
gathered in late August for a memorial service
at Raleigh #500, one of the lodges he led and
nurtured in life.
e Troy, Ala., native passed away Aug. 15
at age 80. He did not go without ghting the
good ght: dealing with failing eyesight and
the throat cancer that stole his ability to speak.
Michael was, as Past Grand Master Gene
Cobb said, "quite possibly the most well-
known Mason in North Carolina." In 37
years in the Craft, he labored on behalf of his
brothers in many roles.
His sisters, Betsy Gresham and Tina
Anderson, and their husbands attended the
service, nodding and smiling as the brethren
remembered a man they described as a friend,
a teacher, a hero … and a unique
man among good men.
Grand Master Speed Hallman,
standing next to the altar where
Brother Michael's remains were
lovingly held in a perfect ashlar,
celebrated his brother's unique
ability to teach while also pursuing
scholarly knowledge.
"Michael was the whole package.
He had it all. He was a unicorn," he
said.
Michael earned his undergraduate
and master's degrees at the Univer-
sity of Alabama. After receiving a
Fulbright Scholarship, he studied
medieval history at the University of Edin-
burgh in Scotland. Soon after, he received a
Ph.D. in European Art History from Loui-
siana State University.
He was a professor of history at Spring Hill
College in Mobile, Ala., and at the Univer-
sity of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was
considered an authority in the eld of art
history.
A perfect ashlar anchors displays of memorabilia from Michael Brantley's well-lived life.
