The North Carolina Mason

Page 6 BENEATH THE Oaks Committed to help the children? By Allen Hughes Administrator Masonic Home for Children at Oxford By the time you read this, we will have celebrated another Tanksgiving, and Christmas will be approaching, if not already passed. For what are we thankful; for what can the children around us be thankful? What gifts do we wish to give or receive; what gifts might the children hope to receive? We know those here at the Ma- sonic Home for Children will have a wonderful Christmas because so many caring people, many who are strangers to the children, seek to help create special memories. Several of our children will not be able to spend the holidays with family but there are concerned groups and individuals who provide enjoyable activities for them to make the holidays pleasant. Unfortunately, there will be many chil- dren, some who once were part of our family, who will not receive gifts because their families cannot afford the basic necessities but still will not seek or accept help. I once was one of those children. Until I came to Oxford Orphanage, I had no concept of gift giving and thought of Christmas only as a special time when we got fruit and nuts that didn’t come off the trees in the yard. As I sat pen in hand to prepare this article, I found myself ago- nizing and searching for answers. I thought of children who have spent a memorable part of their life at MHCO but now are back with parents or custodians and living in far less desirable situations. I remembered recent calls for help from distressed teenagers and from mothers with whom we have lost contact in homeless situa- tions who for unexplained reasons did not accept our offer to help with their children. I often pray the same prayer that I might say the right words to the right people to motivate them to actually do something to help children in disadvantaged situations. Despite be- ing lured to work at MHCO under the misrepresented pretense of it being a “pie job” by a Brother I trust, no one told me it would be easy. But never could I have conceived that it would be so hard to get parents or guardians who are struggling to properly provide for their family to accept an offer to help care for their children. If you have read my articles in recent months, you probably have become bored with my constant plea for your help to find families we can assist. I have gotten a lot of advice on what we should do to get oth- er people to help us bring in children. We know many people who can help; what we need are personal commitments from those who can help. Some of you who have tried to help have had your efforts rebuked by people who dispute the value of the care we provide. I have given up trying to understand why many parents won’t put proper care and interests of their children first or why there is such an effort to keep children from being placed in our Home. But, I have not lessened my focus of trying to reach families with children who are struggling and to get them to understand that we offer a safe and nurturing home for their children. Te number of children in our Home has continued to decline for many years, and Masons across the state have expressed concern about the declining numbers. As I write this article more than half our beds are empty. We can admit 11 females and 15 males between the ages of seven and 17 years old and one male or female age six or younger without adding staff and with little additional expense. Now, more than ever, rumors abound that MHCO is closing and will no longer care for children. MHCO is not closing and we’re not selling the property. Te plan is to continue to provide care for dis- advantaged children for as long as the families need our help. Our Board of Directors is looking for ways to help more disadvantaged children and is considering implementing other programs which are compatible with our current child care. Please understand that the first requirement for any proposed change is that it will not adversely affect what we already are doing to care for the children. Torough review of the vision and mission of our Home will be conducted to determine what else can be done to help more families in need. Board members and staff will be talking with other orga- nizations that help disadvantaged children to see whether there is a need which MHCO can help meet without adverse impact on the children in our care. When you hear that the Board is investigating other things we can do on campus to help more children, it does not mean that we plan to stop providing care for children as the Home has done for 138 years. All we’re doing is looking for more ways to better utilize the facilities to help more disadvantaged children. Many of us know of families with children who are living in un- safe or undesirable conditions. Tere are some who might seek our help if only they knew about our Home, and there are others who will refuse help for fear of being separated from or losing their chil- dren. Either way it is the right thing for us to do to offer our help. As I keep telling anyone who will listen, if we fill our empty beds with disadvantaged children, there won’t be any reason to look for other programs or uses for the facilities. If we help families in need find their way to MHCO, we can help them care for their children until they can get in a better position to safely care for them. We hear so often that we need to publicize our Home more, but the families with children who need our help most likely will not be reached through a publicity campaign. Tey need to be told about our Home by people they can trust in their community. Tere are Masons in ev- ery community who can convey that trust and can offer help to those who need it. Every Lodge should have several members who have visited our children’s home and can speak from experience about the opportunities we offer. Are we willing to make a commitment to do more to seek the families who need assistance for their children? Trough the years, our children’s home has survived many finan- cial and social challenges because the majority of Masons in North Carolina have been committed to caring for children in need. In almost all those challenges, the families were knocking at our door seeking help, and usually, the solution was to find the financial sup- port and caring personnel to provide the support needed. Now the circumstances are different. Tere still are many children living in unsafe and undesirable conditions but their parents don’t know we are available to help them or do not understand that MHCO offers a homelike environment which will allow them to remain involved with their children. We have room for many more children. Will we fulfill our commitment to aid the disadvantaged children? If we will include in our commitment finding those who need help and lead them to our Home, all the available beds once again can be filled and there will be no reason for rumors about closing our Home or for looking for other programs to better utilize our facilities. Please help spread the word about MHCO to families with children we can help. If need be, help bring them to us. Masonic Week declared in Statesville STATESVILLE — Statesville Mayor Constantine Kutteh proclaimed October Masonic Appreciation Month in his town. Te proclamation read: “Whereas, Freemasonry had been estab- lished in the City of Statesville and Iredell County for over two hundred years, and “Whereas for more than two centuries, hundreds of men from every walk of life have nurtured and supported the various lodges in the community and have devoted themselves to the principal Masonic activities of community service and charitable work, and “Whereas, it is the mission of Freemasonry in North Carolina to raise moral, social, intellectual, and spiritual conscience of soci- ety by teaching the ancient and enduring philosophical tenets of brotherly love, relief, and truth. “… I… do hereby proclaim that October 2010 be declared as Masonic Appreciation Month.” — Te Joppa Informer WELCOME OUR NEW Brothers 1 .........................Michael A. Faulkenbury 1 .............................Adam Blake Jennings 1 ..........................................Ben Sorensen 4 ..................................Virgil Todd Chase 4 .......................Joseph Christopher Gates 8 ....................................Valle Alfredo Del 8 ........................Vincent Brent Matthews 8 ..................Christopher Brian Melendez 8 .................Michael Brian Johnson Pruitt 8 .................................Gustavo Ritschl IV 8 ...........................William Paul Seifert Jr. 8 ........................................ Billy Joe Ward 13 ...............................Taylor Wright Best 13 ....................... Johnny Allen Sanderson 13 ...............................Austin Dail Turner 13 .............................. Jeremy Alan Turner 13 ............................ Gerald Bond Wilson 17 .................................Wayne Keith Hill 19 ...........................James Randy Johnson 27 .................... Ronald Martin Henion Jr. 27 ...............................Jeffrey Alvin Young 31 ..........................Jeffrey Joe Armentrout 31 ....... Robert Washington John Golibart 32 ................................Kevin Wayne Clay 32 ...............................Brian Keith Sifford 45 .......................Mark Robert Tompson 53 .......................William Charles Glover 53 ................................Gene Autry Jewell 76 ...........................Justin Mathew Brown 76 .........................Blake Anthony Collins 76 ........................ Jerry Paul Shropshire II 76 ................... James Tomas Sizemore Jr. 76 ..........................David Rash Tomas Jr. 81 ............................... Jerry Steven Foy Jr. 81 .................................Dan Eugene King 81 ..........................Myron Page Meadows 81 ...............................Dennis Carol Mills 81 ....................... Clifton Manley Mills Jr. 81 ..............................Ronnie Alan Odum 81 ........................ Brent Robert Whitford 83 .....................................Daniel Corrales 83 ..........................Ronald Leroy Graham 83 ............Joseph Emanuel Sharif Polingo 85 .........................George Alton Bottoms 85 ...............................Tomas Paul Wade 85 ...................Cecil Tomas Williams III 106 .......................William Donald Lamb 106 ...................William Craig Trueblood 109 ..............................Mason Leslie Ellis 109 ...........................Steven Bryan Marsh 109 ................Tomas Carl McArthur III 109 ..................... Ryan Artley Pepperman 109 ..........................Eddie Dale Reynolds 112 ..................................L B. Jackson III 112 ............................... Phillip Scott Null 112 ...........................Kevin Lynn Turnage 113 ....................Edward Harrell Brandon 113 .............................John Tomas Davis 113 ........................ Sammy Dwight Davis 117 .............................Barrett Daniel Ellis 118 ............................Michael Jason Fizer 118 .....................Andrew Merwan Meyer 118 ............................Eric David Winters 122 .............. John-Caleb Woodlief Sadler 125 ..............................Gary Eugene Britt 125 .......................Elbert Harold Holland 126 .......................Timothy Young Earley 126 ...........................Johnny Ray Gunnell 127 .............................John Riley Beaman 128 ......................Carlos Manuel Morales 128 ....................Matthew Tomas Rector 129 ....................Edgar William Barker Jr. 129 ..................Darrell Wallace Brumfield 129 .................................Eric Dean Davis 129 ............................ Michael Jan Knight 129 ........................Adam Michael Ramey 129 ..............................David Lee Stanley 132 ...................... Joseph Carlton Braxton 134 ....................... Kevin Delano Hendrix 134 ....................Adam Christopher Ressa 137 .......................................4 Neal Duke 137 .........................Rick Tomas Hensley 137 .......................... John Edward Isaacks 138 ......................... Tomas Hagan Blake 138 ...........................Loranza Page Cottle 143 ................................... Jerry Lee Cook 143 .......................Marvin Bailey Murrow 143 ......................Martin Wayne Pinnock 145 ................................John Allison Tice 147 ........................Andrew Logan White 147 ......................Charles Gary Whitman 150 ....................Vincent Dean Carpenter 150 ..............................Joseph Daniel Cox 154 ....................... Michael Lee Tutherow 155 .............................Adrian Scott Hicks 158 ......................................Jason Eatman 162 ........................Marion Shermer Jones 170 .........................Joey Allen Hammond 170 ...............................Jeffrey Scott Tracz 172 ...................... John Robinson Morton 172 ..................Crafton Bishop Warren Jr. 176 ........................ Arleigh Joe Carpenter 181 .......................... Billy Ray Freeland Jr. 188 ............................Jody Michael Ferree 188 ............................. Derrick Philip Hill 188 ..........................Robert Joseph Wiker 198 ..................... Marc Andrew Belle-Isle 198 .......................James Edwin Reynolds 202 .......................Steven Travis DeMetro 202 ................William Clayton Greene Jr. 205 ......................William Russell Brown 205 ...........................Jacob Lee Earnhardt 205 ..........................Tomas Alan Hilmer 206 .........................William Tomas Best 207 ......................Shaun Chadwick Eason 207 ...........................Paul Hamilton Jones 207 .....................William Pinkney Sellers 210 .......................... John Grover Mallard 214 ................... Stephen Leonard Grimes 214 .........................Larry Edward Mathis 217 ...................... Jeremy Lawrence Frank 230 ............................. Michael Lee Baker 230 ......................Michael Gerald Melvin 230 ....................William Ashley Woolard 231 .................Tomas LaVerne Beckman 231 ..................Jr. Howard Nelson Brewer 231 ................................Jeffrey Allen Hall 243 .............................Jeffrey Tomas Hill 243 ......................Ashley Lendall Johnson 243 ......................William Randall Rouse 244 ..........................Michael Ray Flanner 244 ......................Adam Kendall McCain 253 ......................... Jonathan Clark Coley 259 ............................Robert Vance Cagle 259 ................................ Steven Lee Hord 259 .........................Julius Felmet Morrow 259 ..................David Anil Wijewickrama 261 ....................... David Gregory Allison 261 .....................Jordan Alexander Parker 263 ...................Mark Tanner Fortenberry 263 .............................Ricky Keith Keever 263 ..............................Bryan Lee Petzold 263 .....................Lyman Lee Stoneburner 272 ............................Steven Duain Moss 272 .........................Michael Glenn Stuart 282 ...............Charles Edward McGhee Jr. 282 .............................Jeffrey Arthur Sank 284 .....................Daniel Najera Van Liere 289 .........................Derek Geoffrey Frosh 289 ...................Austin Lawrence Schaner 289 .............................Stephen Ray Wood 292 .........................Van Hardwick Griffin 293 .....................Christopher Alden Gurr 294 ......................... Keith Webster Harris 300 ...........................William Curtis Cain 300 ..................Christopher Patrick Grose 301 ......................... Jerry Dustan Buckner 301 ....................Joseph Madison Buckner 301 ............ James Christopher Turmond 304 .................................. Jason Lynn Ball 304 .......................Donald Louis Bland Jr. 304 ....................... Johnnie Frank Braxton 304 .................... Edward Earl Eubanks Jr. 304 .........................David Allen Kennedy 304 .......................... Rickie Allen Pearson 306 .................................Lee Allen Isham 314 ....................Charles Michael Herring 314 ..................Nicholas Steven Overman 317 .......................William Arnett Bryant 339 .......................Oscar Newell Bowman 340 ...........................Bobby Joe Brundege 348 ..................... Robert Arthur Parker II 352 .................... David Eugene Hartmetz 352 .......................Ronald William Morra 352 .................Christopher Haynes Noyes 358 ................Tomas John Turrentine IV 363 ...................Raymond David Labonte 363 .............................Albert Allen Lewis 363 .....................William Ronald Mast Jr. 363 ............................... Stacey Lee Miller 363 ........................ Matthew Fred Rollins 381 ..................................Jose Diaz Aviles 381 ............................. James Eric Shelton 381 ................... Chase Michael Snelgrove 387 ..........................Edward Day Flocken 387 .............................Gary Maurice Pace 387 ...........................Paul Edward Westin 390 ........................Bruce Gerald Shore Jr. 391 ....................Edward Manuel Morales 395 ....................... Bradford Wayne Odell 395 ...................Jonathan Richard Padgett 407 ......................Kimberly Keith Clonch 408 .........................Edmond J. Byrnes III 409 ....................David RAymond Burton 409 ...........................Paul Edgar Cobb III 409 ...............................Shad Emory Cole 409 .................... Kenneth Wade Hinshaw 409 ...................... Michael Robert Nowak 412 ..........................Marion Shane Farrar 412 ...............Timothy Dwight Lumpkins 417 .............. Matthew Randall Blackburn 417 .................... Richard Seavie Lowry Jr. 418 ...............................George Lee Baker 418 ......................... Perry Edward Harrell 418 .......................... James Walter Nelson 423 ................................Kenneth Waddell 428 ..................... David Corbett Everidge 428 ............................Donald Wayne Hill 428 ......................... Jesse Blanton Joyce Jr. 428 ...................... Ronald Benjamin Kuist 435 ......... Christopher Stanley Maskelony 439 ............................... Douglas R. Sneed 446 ............................Steven Kelly Knapp 446 ........................ Donald William Stills 460 .......................... Jeffrey Martin Smith 461 ........................Tomas Glenn Austin 461 ...................... Patrick Andrew Barratt 461 ...........................William Glenn Ford 461 .....................MIchael Stuart Freeman 461 ...................Christopher Harvit Kuhn 461 ..................... Kenneth William Silvea 463 ......................Chase Edward Brinkley 491 ............................Erik Turner Phillips 491 .....................Timothy Jeffrey Phillips 492 .....................Michael Eugene Hunter 495 ........................Dennis Michael Burns 495 ..................George Carey Gillenwater 496 .......................Zachary Hugh Protzko 496 ........................... Timothy Ray Taylor 496 ........................Trevor Leland Vickers 505 .........................Andy Jonathan Eaker 515 .........................Chranson Todd Beam 515 ....................... Joshua Brandon Capps 515 ..............................Todd Jeffrey Gantt 521 ....................Terence Mathew Sheehy 530 ................... Robert Christopher Tosti 534 .................David Christopher Bridges 535 ................. Buford Garmon Chapman 544 ........................ Joshua Adair Huggins 544 ..................... Jason Aaron Scheuvront 551 ......................Willie Joe Chambers Jr. 552 ........................Robert Powell Burwell 554 ............................. Aaron Dean Smith 564 ...................Wyatt Diamond Fluharty 564 .............................Ebbie Oscar White 571 ..............................Ted Allen Clayton 571 ...................................Tyler Dale Furr 573 ........................Eddie Dwayne Denny 576 ........................... Max Alan Crawford 576 ........................Kenneth Wayne Dietz 576 ........................Timothy Van Mauldin 576 ..............................Joel Eugene Young 584 ...................... Brandon Moore Gaster 584 .....................Daniel Robert Rousseau 592 ...................... Jason Steven Cloninger 593 ......................Wayne Eugene Wooten 598 .......................Randall William Clark 598 .......................... Michael Ray Watson 602 ................Daniel Stephenson Pridgen 602 ....................... Derek James Robinson 602 .........................Phillip Andrew Wells 606 .............................Eric Shayne Brown 612 .....................George Michael Carlisle 612 ..........................Donald Ray Hufham 616 ....................Roy Christopher Tomas 618 ...................Vincent Joseph D’Andrea 618 .........................Mitchell Allen Elliott 618 ...........................Rodney Blake Sehen 627 ....................... Matthew Reed Harvey 627 ............................ Ryan Dan Lovelace 634 ...........................Justin Tomas Stone 637 ..........................Matthew Alan Bolen 650 .......................Joseph Dewayne Payne 650 ........................Tomas Arthur Smith 656 ...............................Dwayne Lee Abel 656 .............................. James Dean Baker 656 ..................Samuel William Funchess 656 ............................ David Eugene Kalil 657 ..................... John Matthew Rowland 663 ...........................Scottie Tyler Wynne 667 ............................. Jory Dillon Mathis 669 .............................. Billy Max Denney 669 .......................... Robert John Gale IV 669 .............................. Shawn Jerry Lowe 669 ...................................Ralph Wadkins 670 ........................ George Leo Dewitt Jr. 670 ........................Michael Dean Shoupe 672 ................ Gregory Clifton Grindstaff 672 .............................Carie Jarrod Sellers 673 ........................... Jason Russell Crowe 673 ...........................William Paul Crowe 673 ............................ Kevin Charles Dills 673 .............................Michael Joe Sisk Jr. 674 ..................Joshua Michael Blackburn 674 ..................................Nick Ryan Wall 675 .................Gary Dwight Chrismon Jr. 676 .............................Joshua David Blake 676 ............................. John Stewart Knoy 680 ...............Shawn Christopher Hughes 680 .......................... Jeffrey William Hurt 680 .................................Ryan John Keith 680 ............................ John Morgan Little 680 .........................Richard James Lydick 680 ..............Daniel Norman McDermott 680 .............................. Richard Earl Near 680 .............Anthony Jiravasin Pamintuan 680 ................ Steven Benjamin Slaughter 680 ........................ Matthew Allen Spotts 680 ..............................Bruce Lee St. John 680 .........................Timothy Alan Tolfree 683 ......................... Brian Randall Sawyer 683 .......................Timothy Curtis Stoker 685 ............................Stuart Worth Shore 685 ..................... Christopher Todd Walls 687 ...................Stephen Sanders Howard 688 ......................Timothy Charles Brush 690 ............................Donald Lee Warren 693 ................ Robert Baker McDowell II 693 ........................Jack David Stallings Jr. 693 ........................ Edward David Wrenn 694 ........................John Russell Fields III 694 ............... Chauncey Eugene Lambeth 694 ...................Calvin Franklin Summers 701 .............................. Billy Ray Mitchell 702 ...................... Robert Anthony Dabbs 704 ............................Larry Dale Morrow 707 ...........................Richard Burns Cobb 708 ........................... Daniel Allen Turner 709 ............................Jeremy Dwight Hill 709 .............................Gregory Lee Ream 709 ..........................Lance Wayne Teague 713 ........................James Richard Hargitt 713 ..............Christopher Hewell Murphy 713 ......................Timothy Buford Trakas 715 .........................David James Edwards 715 .....................Daniel Stephen Schuller 720 .............................. Jonathan Paul Hix 720 .................... Benjamin Ray Sammons 722 ..............................John Douglas Barr 722 ............................David Glynn Fagan 722 ..................Jerry Randell Hatmaker II 725 ................ Chester Eric Dolph Gartin 725 .............................Anthony Ray Pugh 727 ............................ John Fletcher Frink 727 ...............Christopher George Raynor 727 ............................Aaron Glen Stanley 733 ..................Christopher Ryan Honold 734 ......................... Dallas Patrick Hurley 735 .................... Christian Michael Lilley 735 ...................Michael Allen Tompson 736 ......................Wilfred Centino Flores 736 .....................James Tomas Simmons 737 ................ Matthew Charles Clapham 737 ..........................Talion Dirk Hendren 737 ....................... Larry Garnett Monroe 738 .................Christopher Devon Barker 741 .................................Eric Dean Floyd 741 ........................ Charles Milton Taylor 742 .......................... John Arthur Bunting 742 .................... Ryan Christopher Eaton 743 ....................David Michael Dickman 749 ......................Michael Edward Lanier 749 ............................ Jeffrey Scott Sturgis 749 .......................Robert Sidney Webster 750 .................Roger Mitchell Friedensen 750 .......................Walter Tomas Hensey 750 ....................Daniel Nicholas Herman 750 ..................... Jimmie Day Johnson III 750 .................... Allen Shane Tarrington 751 ....................Robert Wesley Whitaker 755 ...........................David Edward Allen 755 ...................................Angelo Caprilli 755 ........................Richard Cress Pulliam 755 .....................Wesley Grayson Walker 757 ......................Wesley Charles Harkey 757 ..........................John Edward Murray 757 ..........................Roger Lee Nichols Jr. 757 ............................Chad Martin Reece 757 ...............................Bradley Clay Sain 757 ...........Timothy Phillip David Sawyer 758 ..........................Terry Dean Cheek Jr. 758 ......................James Mitchell Gleason 758 ................. James Lawrence Martin Jr. 762 .........................Steven Clinton Foster 762 .........................Adam Tomas Tucker 763 .......................Daniel Lorin Langston 763 ..........................Joshua Wade Parsons 763 ....................Christopher Mark Smith 763 .................William Chanford Wright The North Carolina Mason November/December 2010

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