The North Carolina Mason

November/December 2019

North Carolina Mason

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The Mason Official Publication of e Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina Volume 144 Number 6 Oxford, North Carolina November/December 2019 NORTH CAROLINA Photo by Michael Harding BECOME A LION & PILLAR LODGE IN 2020! See Pages 8-9 e installation was not exactly where you'd expect it to be, the new Grand Master told the crowd gathered to honor him and the newly installed Grand Line. It could have been in the beautiful Greens- boro Masonic Temple downtown … had the city not planned its annual Christmas parade for the same day … and had the parking lot outside the temple not been promised to brother Shriners to park their parade vehicles. "It occurs to me that I am standing in my mother's footsteps. at is why we are here. It couldn't be anywhere else," he said. "As Freemasons, we are taught to look to nature, the divine plan … to know there is a reason for every- thing. Being here is Divine Provi- dence at work. ere is no doubt in my mind." e installations followed a Toast to the Flag, recited by PM Ron Sortino, and the Pledge of Alle- giance, led by GM Bradshaw's son, Brother Graham S. Bradshaw. PM Johnny Surles led a commemoration of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on the 78th anniversary on the deadly attack, honoring those who fell that day and all service men and women who have given their all for their country. In a special presentation, Outgoing GM Mack Sigmon presented a specially commissioned Tyler's Sword to be used in perpe- tuity as the Grand Lodge Tyler's sword. e Grand Lodge Library and Museum Committee took the project on, found a swordsmith who took the pattern from a Crusader sword in the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem. e Grand Lodge asked all lodges to contribute a small piece of steel; about 80 lodges sent in more than a combined 45 pounds of metal. Wood for the grip was a piece of the 160-year-old post oak Witness Tree that witnessed the Civil War Surrender at Bennett Place NC State Historic Site in April of 1865. e day was filled with symbols and memories for the new Grand Master and his family. His son Graham addressed the crowd, telling them his mother "told me not to make my dad cry. … I just want my dad to know I'm very proud of him." He then invited Brother Christo- pher Wright, a close friend of GM Bradshaw and fellow member of Stokesdale #428, to join him. Both unveiled a specially commissioned gold ring for the new Grand Master. Wright described the symbolism: "e symbol on the face of the ring is the jewel of the Past Grand Master. In the center of the jewel is the Greek letter Phi, which repre- sents the Divine Proportion, also known as the Golden Ratio. is is a symbol of special significance to GM Bradshaw and was recom- mended by his son Graham. "e columns on each side of the ring should be familiar to any Mason, but they represent the columns on the porch of King Solomon's Temple. eir symbolic A STORY OF Providence and a ring Grand Lodge installs Bradshaw at ceremony in Greensboro ■ see INSTALLATION page 2 Grand Master Shaun Bradshaw listens to his installing officer, PGM Dewey Preslar Jr. By Beth Grace Mason Editor GREENSBORO – It was all about Providence. Paul Shaun Bradshaw stood in the footsteps of his beloved mother Deborah as he made the promises and vows to become the 167th Grand Master of Masons. In the ballroom at the heart of the Sheraton Four Seasons in Greensboro, where Deborah Elaine Brad- shaw had worked her way from the reception desk to a key hotel directorship, her son became the leader of some 36,000 North Carolina Freemasons.

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