The North Carolina Mason

Page 4 The North Carolina Mason September/October 2014 STATE, from page 1 ANNUAL, from page 1 Ric Car ter photos Winston-Salem Plans are developing for a 26 th Masonic District chicken stew cook off. We've gotten no details yet. Old Town 751's big Fall Fundraiser is coming up November 3. Raffle prizes include a televi- sion, three guns, and a substantial prize from a men's clothing store. — On the Level at Old Town Lodge Highlands Blue Ridge 435 recently fed the members of Highlands United Methodist Church. About 150 were entertained. e lodge was having their own picnic July 16. Blue Ridge Lodge's Ruger raffle brought in $1,200 for charity. Two of their members, Neville Wilson and Morris Wilson earned their Veteran's Emblems for 50 years as Masons. Knights of Solomon Lodge met at Blue Ridge Lodge this summer. Several members of the host lodge joined the more than two-dozen biker Masons during their meeting. — Trestleboard Statesville A "good ol' fashion cook out" is a great way to spend a hot summer evening. at was just the plan at Statesville 27 for July 15. Sitting under the big oak behind the lodge, they were telling stories and lies and grilling hot dogs and hamburgers. Also on the program were water- melon, homemade ice cream, lemonade, and corn hole tournaments. — e Joppa Informer Weaverville Blackmer 170 held their fall barbecue fund- raiser September 13. — Terry Gevedon Cary Cary 198 had their Past Masters' Night Au- gust 18. Now, things will pick up in the fall. ey have move-up month in September with officers moving up one station for the practice. November 7 is the date for their Fall Barbecue, and their Ladies' and Awards Night is set for November 21. — Cary Masonic Lodge Apex Cucina de Milano restaurant in Morrisville was the site for Apex 584's biggest fundraiser of the year. ey brought in nearly $1,900 from the 44 attendees on June 14. Apex Master Dave Nyce recently presented Tony King a Masonic pocket knife on apprecia- tion for all he does for the lodge. King is current- ly secretary of Apex Lodge, but has done much more for the lodge over the years, as their only certified lecturer. He presented his first lecture in the lodge in 1974. —Trestleboard Boone Snow 363 was presenting service awards to members on July 21. Getting Veteran's Emblems for 50 years Masonic membership were Doug Carson, Lynn Castle, Steve Castle, Ed Critcher, Robert Denton, and Robert Greer. Snow Lodge's annual barbecue fundraiser was set for July 18. — Snow Lodge Ramseur Marietta 444 was holding a Country Break- fast May 10. — Clay Andrews Candler Hominy 491 was holding a flapjack fundraiser in conjunction with Applebees on September 13. — Terry Gevedon Marshall French Broad 292 held their Widows' and Past Masters' night on September 13. ey held it at the Madison Seminary Church. — Terry Gevedon Laurinburg Gun raffles seem popular these days. Laurin- burg 305 is selling chances on three guns and drawing for them on November 4. Money raised goes to Masonic charities. — Jason Butler Green Level Vince ompson and Scott Rose were hon- ored by Green Level 277 with Coach's Cer- tificates August 5 saluting their hours teaching candidates in the lodge. — Stan Latta New Bern St. John's 3 had a busy and successful week- end May 17–18. On Saturday, they raised $1,000 for the Masonic Home for Children and White- Stone with a yard sale. On Sunday, they collected 42 pints for a blood drive. — James Wiley Kenansville St. John's 13 celebrated Independence Day with a family cookout at their July stated com- munication. Family, friends, and lodge widows were invited to come and share hamburgers and hot dogs. — Lodge Log Hope Mills Lebanon 391 representatives Marvin Wood and Andrew F. McMillan repeated a tradition of the lodge on August 14. ey traveled to the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford to de- liver piggy banks filled by lodge members. — Andrew F. McMillan Beulaville Beulaville 658 held a pancake supper July 11. e five-dollar all-you-can-eat Friday night supper brought in donations for the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford. — William David Miller Durham Members of Fellowship 687 enjoyed lunch and a tour of WhiteStone when they delivered the proceeds of their recent annual golf tournament. — Rene Couch Deep Gap Asher 373's newly renovated fellowship hall was the center of the action for their Fourth of July barbecue fundraiser. ey were very pleased with the results — $1,500 for the Ma- sonic Homes. — Keegan Watson Black Mountain e Past Masters' and Awards Banquet at Black Mountain 663 was scheduled for Sep- tember 8. — Terry Gevedon Gastonia King Solomon 704 continued a recent tradi- tion by dining at the Passion Pit before their August stated communication. — e Plumb Line Franklin Junaluskee 145 was holding a Poor Man's Dinner July 19. — Trestleboard Correction John Barnette of St. John's 13 recently earned his Veteran's Emblem. His name was misspelled in our last issue. We regret the error. District deputy grand masters and grand lec- turers were seated on either side of the ceremo- nial lodge floor. Grand Lodge officers from the grand lodges of North Carolina Prince Hall, On- tario, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Geor- gia, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as sitting officers from state appendant bodies were escorted to the stage which held the podium and the symbolic East. Finally, our past grand masters were brought to the stage. Each group was welcomed and accord- ed private grand honors. Mansour Hatefi, past grand master and past grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of District of Columbia, delivered the keynote. Hatefi, a refu- gee from Iran, spoke on the joys of his American citizenship and the importance of our fraternity re- membering our fraternal lessons of toleration and promoting it in our communities. rough the rest of the morning, recognitions were presented, and a number of reports were in- troduced before breaking for lunch. Immediate Past Grand Master Dewey R. Preslar Jr. presented a supplement to his preliminary report of last year, finishing the business of his term. Immediately after lunch, and before retyling the lodge, representatives of North Carolina's Masonic youth groups: Rainbow for Girls' Schifra Drew and DeMolay Andrew Williard, spoke to the gathering. After the non-Masons were escorted from the lodge hall, we resumed labor. A ceremony, the Necrology, was conducted by Past Grand Master David Cash to honor our members who died this past year. At the conclusion of the Necrology, Grand Master Mayo presented his preliminary report on his year thus far. Friday afternoon saw business requiring voting. e Committee on Appeals' rec- ommendations were considered by the delegates. Two expelled members were restored and two were rejected. Amendment voting began and was con- tinued on Saturday morning. Grand Master Mayo called us from labor to re- freshment about 4:00 p.m., ending the first day of our business session. On Friday evening, Masons were seen in groups around downtown Winston-Salem. ey enjoyed the entertainment and many restau- rants around the center of the city. ey got to visit with old friends and brothers they never met before. e final business session of the Annual Com- munication began at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. e first business before us on the second day was the 2015 budget. Finance Committee Chairman Grover Dees, of Fellowship 84 in Smithfield, pre- sented the budget and called for discussion after each section. Interspersed between those parts, del- egates marked ballots to elect Grand Lodge officers for next year. e budget was approved as presented. Elections proceeded without surprise with elected officers advancing a station and the grand treasurer and grand secretary comfortably holding their seats. Statesville 27 member Douglas L. Cau- dle was elected to become our next grand master. Caudle is president of Piedmont Fiberglass, makers of various composite products from church steeples to tractor tops. He is also a member of Wilkerson College 760, Orphans 761, Grassy Knob 471, and Sophia 767. He and the other new officers will be installed December 6. e Grand Lodge voted to grant a charter to Sophia Lodge No. 767 in Salisbury. We had ten amendment groups to e Code to be considered during the meeting. e most con- troversial consideration this year regarded allow- ing the use of alcohol on lodge property. Similar measures have been debated and rejected for some years. Substitute Group 8b was discussed at length. It would have permitted the four temple associa- tions to experiment with alcohol using rentals. A written ballot showed the measure won a majority of the votes, 460–420, but it was short of the two- thirds necessary for amending e Code. Substitute Group 8a was next on the agenda. It forbids the use of alcohol in the lodge room. It allows lodges to amend their bylaws to allow or forbid such beverages in facilities they own. Only one person asked to speak to the amendment. He urged the Grand Lodge to seize control of their own buildings and vote for the amendment. ey did. e amendment clearly carried the needed two-thirds vote. Grand Lodge will define neces- sary "terms and standards" for such rentals to assure safe and responsible policy. Amendment Group 1 was sent back to the Committee on Masonic Jurisprudence to work on details and several questions which arose in dis- cussions of conducting business in lower degrees. While the concept of including advancing candi- dates in lodge meetings is inviting, its complica- tions reach deep into our customs and regulations. Group 2, Group 4, and Group 5 were defeated. Two and Five would have permitted officers and members of Grand Lodge boards, commissions, and committees to live outside the state. Group 4 would have allowed lodge trustees live out of state. Group 3 was sent back to the Committee on Masonic Jurisprudence for further work. It at- tempts to clarify the residency requirement of dis- trict deputy grand masters. Group 6 was returned to the Code Commission because of potential tax law concerns. is group ad- dressed fundraisers for non-charitable lodge projects. Group 7 passed. It permits a member to serve as master of more than one lodge at the same time only with a grand master's dispensation. e change is effective immediately. Group 9 was a rewrite and modernization of the Trial Code. It is being returned to the Code Commission for further clarification and consid- eration of some changes. Group 10, allowing the Board of Custodians to create and present miscellaneous certificates, passed easily. In addition to Doug Caudle's selection, also elected to Grand Lodge offices were Bryant D. Webster (Nichols-West Asheville), deputy grand master; A. Gene Cobb Jr. (Royal White Hart 2), senior grand warden; Jimmie B. Hicks Jr. (St. John's 3), junior grand warden; T. Walton Clapp III (Mystic Tie 237), grand secretary; and PGM Lewis R. Ledford (Statesville 27), grand treasurer. e most awaited appointment each year is the new grand steward, the man who will join the line of men advancing toward the office of grand master. e new steward is Larry D. ompson of Blackmer 127. He is also a member of Wilkerson College 760, Mosaic 762, Knights of Solomon 764, and Sophia 767. ompson, a biologist, owns ompson Environmental Consulting. He and his family live in Midland. is year's appointed officers include Speed Hallman (Eagle 19), senior grand deacon; Dwight M. "Mack" Sigmon (Catawba 248), junior grand deacon; Shaun Bradshaw (Stokesdale 428), grand marshal; David Wicker (Oak Grove 750) and Lar- ry B. ompson Jr. (Blackmer 127), grand stew- ards; R. Kevin Combs (Statesville 27), grand ty- ler; Past Grand Master David R. Cash (Campbell 374), grand chaplain; Richard J. Smith (Pilot 493), grand historian; Keith B. Rash (Harmony 299), grand lecturer; Andrew Hammer (Alexandria- Washington 22, Virginia), grand orator; and James R. Stevens (Garner 701), judge advocate. Annual Communication was adjourned just be- fore noon on Saturday. e installation of Grand Lodge officers will be held at 11:00 a.m., December 6 at the Statesville Civic Center, 301 S. Center Street, in Statesville. You are invited. Caudle Thompson

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