The North Carolina Mason

Discovering Masonry & What It Means to Me By W. Leon Rippy, Grand Orator Forty-five years ago, my father raised me to become a Master Mason. I'm sure it was one of the proudest moments of his life, as it was for me. I wanted to grow up to be like my Dad. He had an auto parts business with a machine shop in Rock Hill, SC. We raised beagles, went to field trials, and when I was 10 years old, he put me in the seat of a competitive go-kart. It was my first passion, and has resurfaced in a big way. I now have a collection of 15 vintage go-karts. Being an only child, I'd always wished I had a brother to pal around with, but this was not to be. On occasion I'd hear Dad call some of his friends "Brother," which seemed strange, as he only had one, a mysterious man who lived in Montana. As I became older I asked him about the men he called "Brother" and the insignia on their rings. A brief explanation was enough to satisfy me, as I was still young and there seemed all the time in the world in front of me. A few years later, Mom and Dad divorced and I was to live with Mom. Racing dreams faded, the beagles were gone, Cub Scout friends and so many other things were no more. Mom and I were now living in the big city of Charlotte. New friends were made, but not like my old ones. Mom remarried and shortly after, I was shipped off to military school. Mom found out her husband was a ne'er-do-well, got rid of him and shut the door on this part of her life. Now, once again I was living with Mom, starting public high school and enjoying the freedoms young boys desire. There were no strict rules to follow. I started to become a problem for Mom so, at 15, I quit school, ran away from home and neither Mom nor Dad knew where I was for three months. YIKES!! Hitchhiking here and there, Florida, West Virginia, Ocean Drive Beach, South Carolina, etc. This was my coming-of-age time. After my adventures were over, I was told of my Dad's alcohol problems, which had been there for years. I never knew how severe they were. I made the decision to move in with Dad, to try to help him through his addictions and finish school. Not an easy few years. He was in and out of rehab, his business was starting to falter. Still, I managed to finish school and develop a new passion in a high school play: acting. Also, there were more pretty girls involved in theatre than in racing circles. And so, through my efforts and those and many of those same men he'd called "Brother," Dad became sober and remained so for the final 24 years of his life. His focus shifted strongly toward Masonry and the Shrine, eventually becoming Potentate of Hejaz Temple in Greenville, SC, and having a 33rd degree bestowed upon him. Indeed, his Masonic roots were strong enough to make him a better man than he would have been without them. Naturally I became more interested in Masonry, inspired not only by him, but by the men who stood by him during his troubles. The day I told him I wanted to become a Mason, we were driving to lunch. He pulled to the side of the road. I can still see the tear on his right cheek. A red-letter day for both of us. As for myself, I followed my second passion and became an actor. Many years later I was having lunch while working on a TV series, Deadwood, and there was a tap on my shoulder from our director. I turned to see him standing beside Ernest fM T HE gND OTOR 20 | T H E M A S O N M AGA Z I N E

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