I
n addition to the various changes and boosts
given to the Annual Communication this
year, Grand Master Frazier asked retired
USN Commander Scott Waddle to be the keynote
speaker at the Grand Master's Banquet this year.
Historically, the Grand Master's Banquet was
intended to be a small event for the Grand Master
and his officers to break bread together and
reflect on the upcoming business of the Annual
Communication. Over the past couple of decades,
the banquet grew in size and scope until it seemed
only fitting that the celebration of Masonic and
personal achievements be opened up to the entire
membership. With this in mind, Grand Master
Frazier determined the message of the banquet
should be reflective of our fraternity's values
and tenets.
Commander Waddle graduated at the top of his
class from the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland in 1981. Following a successful
career in the Navy, he was handpicked in 1988 to
command the USS Greenville, a Los Angeles class
fast-attack submarine. Waddle's life was changed
forever in February 2001 when, after he ordered
an emergency surface maneuver where the sub
ascended to the surface quickly, the USS Greenville
collided with the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime
Maru of the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The Ehime
Lessons in
Responsibility
and Honor
Keynote Speaker
Scott Waddle Addresses
Grand Master's Banquet
By Jonathan Underwood, Grand Secretary
Cmdr. Scott Waddle, USN (Ret.)
Photo courtesy of Mike Harding/Genesis Photography
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T H E M A S O N M AGA Z I N E
