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The North Carolina Mason
July/August 2011 Let me help Masonry's charities
❍ The North Carolina Masonic Foundation ❍ WhiteStone, a Masonic & Eastern Star Community (MESH) ❍ The Masonic Home for Children ❍ Send information about wills and bequests. ❍ Please have someone contact me.
My name Address City
Phone 230 supports Relay
ROCKY MOUNT — Corinthian 230 helped out the Nash County Relay for Life back in March. Early on the morning of March 19, a crew turned out to cook three large pots of Brunswick stew. They were finished up by noon and were ready to serve. Seen stirring the pot are Noah Stokes, Charles Barrett IV, and William Jenkins. Behind them are Damien Wiegand and Bill Davis. From left to right at the check pre- sentation are Lodge Master David Mosley, Tom Jenkins, and Stew Chairman Joe Fuller, Shannon Lashley, and ash County Relay for Life Co-Chair- men Crissy Moore Steve Brumfield. — Tom Jenkins
Lodges by the numbers
• Lodges in Massachusetts have no numbers. • In Pennsylvania, there are 11 lodges that have numbers but no names. • In Georgia, there are two lodges with the number 1. • In Maryland, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, there is no lodge with the number 1. — Arizona Masonry
AMENDMENTS, from page 1
The social aspect of Annual Communication is nearly as important as the voting. Please do not mail your credentials to the
Discussions of amendment items often bring new thoughts to our thinking as well as changes to the proposals.
voting. More often still, arguments not thought of in analysis or lodge debate arise at the meet- ing, bringing a different outlook to the proposal. Discuss the votes and suggest the thinking of the lodge. Your delegates should vote in the best interests of your lodge and all Masonry after hearing all discussion. The first four groups of proposed amend- ments this year are from Judge Advocate Jimmy Stevens. They each make simple updates to the language of The Code and are meant to clarify interpretation. Group One would more carefully define
marriage as lasting until legally recognized di- vorce in REG 86-2.4, the regulation which deals with illegal carnal communication. Yes, the tech- nical question does arise with some frequency. Group Two would introduce some common
sense language into REG 86-2.7, the regula- tion which forbids talking to non-Masons about things that happen in lodge. It merely adds the word “confidential” to the rule, again to prevent misunderstanding of the severity of the rule. The current rule could be read as forbidding you to tell your wife that you learned in lodge that a neighbor was in the hospital. Group Three deals with Masons who claim
to have quit Masonry while they have not. It removes confusing additional language from REG 86-2.17. Group Four deals with serious crime con-
victions as mentioned in REG 86-2.27. Some court procedures, such as Alford pleas, have been added since the regulation was written. This group addresses the omission. Group Five, if adopted, will bring us a ma-
jor rewrite of our regulations related to Masonic funerals and burials. The Code sections dealing with Masonic funerals have become seriously out of touch with today’s society and funeral practices. In recent years, lodges have cited The Code in denying services to Alzheimers victims who had lapsed in dues payments just months earlier, a man who’s wife requested that her hus- band’s Sunday School class be allowed to serve as pall bearers, demanded of ministers that the lodge have the last word at the grave rather than a prayer from the minister, and argued with veter- ans’ groups about holding the position as last part in the burial. Further, there are holes in prescribed ceremonies due to changing burial customs in our country, i.e. memorial services, cremations, and memorial services weeks after burial. The proposed changes would give much
greater leeway to the lodge master in determin- ing if, and how services would be granted to a Mason. Further, the grand master could grant permission to make accommodations in special circumstances. Group Six would forbid any alcohol in a
lodge room, but allow it to be served in other parts of lodge facilities. Lodges would make their own decisions about what to allow or not in their own facilities. This would allow such things as a table lodge which includes toasts. More important, it would allow lodges to rent
facilities to groups such as wedding parties wish to serve alcohol. Opposition to the measure seems to center
on objections to alcohol in general and see it as a violation of the “sanctity” of the lodge. Some see liability risks. Those supporting the change see safeguards protecting lodges from abuses. They also say that Masons are capable of controlling themselves around a variety of beverages. The exact wording and changes on the amendments is in the hands of your lodge secretary and on the Grand Lodge web site at . If you have questions about any of the pro-
posed changes to The Code, contact the grand secretary’s
office at or (919) 787-2021.
Grand Lodge office. You must present them at the registration desk to receive ballots and other essential information. You may register at the main lobby on Thursday and outside the Grand Pavilion on Friday and Saturday mornings. In order to vote, you must have your credentials, and you must register. Again, do not return your credentials to the Grand Lodge office. Grand Master Ledford will open the first
session at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning. That’s when you’ll see the formal opening and welcoming of special guests. Grand Orator A. B. Swindell IV will make the keynote address. The rest of the morning, a number of reports will be read and others submitted for the re- cord without reading. Downtown Winston-Salem has lots of restau-
rants, so you can find a place you like for the lunch break within easy walking distance of the hall. A memorial service for those Masons who died in the past year will follow the call from re- freshment to labor. The Grand Master’s Report is next. Other reports will also be received. Some voting will take place on Friday afternoon. Plan to spend Friday evening with friends
and Brothers. Grand Master Ledford and his wife Susan are hosting a charity fundraiser one
Know the 2011 players By Ric Carter Most Masons don’t think too much about
Grand Lodge officers until Annual Commu- nication rolls around. Can’t tell the players without a program? Now you’ll be able to identify those guys opening and closing the meeting. Here’s your program. Starting just inside the door is Grand Tyler
Larry B. Thompson (Blackmer 127) from Lo- cust. He’ll be assisted by assistant tylers who will be posted outside the several entrances to the meeting room to check your dues card and listen to a whispered password. At the front of the auditorium, a lodge room
will be set on and before a riser. It is of much the same form as your blue lodge, but with a station or two added. Four officers will be on the stage facing the crowd. Front and center on the stage will be Grand Master (GM) Lewis R. Ledford (Statesville 27). Ledford is Director of NC State Parks and Recreation. He is the only head of State Parks to rise to that position from the job as Park Ranger. He and his wife Susan live in Raleigh. On his right will be Deputy Grand Master
(DGM) Robert E. Gresham Jr. (Albemarle 703). Gresham and his wife Carolyn live in Mount Gilead. He was president of Service Distribut- ing Company (SERVCO) before his retirement. On the left side of the stage is Grand Trea-
surer (GT) Clifton W. Everett Jr. (Crown Point 708). Everett, who was grand master in 1995, has been grand treasurer since 1996. Everett, a Superior Court judge, lives in Greenville with his wife Mary. At the right on the stage is Grand Secretary
(GS) T. Walton Clapp III (Mystic Tie 237) who has served in the office since 1997. Clapp resides in Raleigh with his wife Betty (a Presbyterian minister) and daughter Anh. Seated at the back of the stage in neat rows
are special guests and past grand masters. The special guests include officers from state appen-
DGM GM GT SGD GMsl GS GC SGS JGW
Officer positions at
Annual Communication
dant bodies and officers from other grand lodges and Masonic organizations. The rest of the officers are on the auditori- um floor in front of the stage. Facing the stage, with his back to the delegates, you’ll find Senior Grand Warden (SGW) Dewey R. Preslar Jr. (Andrew Jackson 576). Preslar and his wife Ter- rie live in Salisbury. He recently retired as a vice president of Food Lion and is now consulting for the state self-insurance service. Junior Grand Deacon (JGD) Bryant D. Webster (Nichols- West Asheville 650) sits on Preslar’s right. Webster is a lawyer and lives in Black Moun- tain with his wife (Janet) and daughter. On the south side of the floor, to the del-
egates’ right, is Junior Grand Warden (JGW) Dalton W. Mayo (Hiram 98). Mayo is retired from the faculty of Sampson Community Col- lege. He lives in Clinton. At the meeting, Mayo is flanked by the
grand stewards. Senior Grand Steward Jimmie B. Hicks Jr. (St. John’s 3) is nearest the stage, and Junior Grand Steward C. Speed Hallman (Eagle 19) is nearest the delegates. Hicks is a
Grand Lodge altar SGW JGD DELEGATES
lawyer in New Bern. He has a 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter. Hallman and his wife Susan live in Hillsborough and have two teenaged sons. Senior Grand Deacon (SGD) Douglas L.
Caudle (Statesville 27) sits before the stage in front of the grand treasurer, to the grand master’s right. Caudle and his wife Angela live in Tay- lorsville. He is president of Piedmont Fiberglass. Another officer in the Grand Lodge line
we don’t have in the blue lodge progression to master is grand marshal (GMsl). Grand Marshal A. Gene Cobb (Royal White Hart 2) holds that chair beside Grand Chaplain (GC) Paul F. Kelly (Sanford 151). Cobb is minister at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in San- ford where he lives with his wife Brenda. Their children are grown. There, you have it — the starting line up for Annual Communication of the Grand
the 224th
Lodge of North Carolina. Don’t get cocky, though. We’ll elect new officers at this meeting. They’ll be installed in November and take us all, once again, into a new year.
JGS stage
In memory of (optional) Address
To assure that your gift is properly credited to the fund of your choice, please make the check payable to that charity.
Mail to The Grand Lodge of North Carolina, PO Box 6506, Raleigh, NC 27628. ANNUAL, from page 1
State My lodge
Zip
block from the hotel at the Millennium Center. There, you can enjoy barbecue from five-time Pig Jig People’s Choice winners Big Boy BBQ and bluegrass music. Any profits from the casual event will go to the NC Masonic Foundation which supports Masonic charity in the state. For you late-night types, there are several restaurants and night spots along the streets around the ho- tel to spend your evening. Business resumes on Saturday morning
at 9:00 a.m. when the last day of the session opens. That’s when more proposed amend- ments and resolutions will be considered. An analysis of those proposals starts on page one of this issue of The North Carolina Mason. We will also adopt a budget for the year. We will elect Grand Lodge officers. Business is gener- ally concluded around lunch time. To reach the Twin City Quarter take the
Cherry Street exit off I-40 Business and go four blocks north. The hotel is taking reserva- tions now. Their toll-free reservation number is (800) 320-0934. Be sure to specify that you are with the Masonic Grand Lodge so you may get our special rate. Come to Annual Communication this year
for the fun of it. Bring a Masonic buddy with you. We hope to see you there!
Ric Car ter photo
Ric Car ter photo
