The North Carolina Mason

Page 4 The North Carolina Mason January/February 2009 e Grand Lodge officers and their wives en- tered the chapel under the arched swords assem- bled by the Greensboro Knights of Saint An- drews. Music was played by Donald Sizemore Jr. at the keyboards. Masonic Home for Children Administrator Allen Hughes welcomed the crowd. Assistant Administrator Chris Richardson did the invoca- tion. Debbie-Claire McBee Rice, Rice's grand- daughter, led the Pledge of Allegiance. George Tyre led the congregational singing. e ceremony was very similar to the one you have seen in your own lodge. e entire group took an oath to serve his office and the Grand Lodge well. Each was then charged and present- ed the apron and jewel of his office. e Grand Lodge officers installed were Grand Master Dan C. Rice, Deputy Grand Master William L. Dill, Senior Grand War- den Lewis R. Ledford, Junior Grand Warden Robert E. Gresham Jr., Grand Treasurer Clif- ton W. Everett Jr. (PGM), Grand Secretary T. Walton Clapp III, Senior Grand Deacon Dew- ey R. Preslar Jr., Junior Grand Deacon Dalton W. Mayo, Grand Marshal Douglas L. Caudle, Grand Steward Bryant D. Webster, Grand Steward A. Gene Cobb Jr., Grand Tyler Ste- phen Lynch, and Grand Chaplain Alan Sasser. Other appointive officers who are not installed were Grand Historian Michael W. Brantley, Grand Lecturer Donald E. Kehler, Grand Ora- tor Clifton W. Everett Jr. (PGM), and Judge Advocate Jimmie B. Hix Jr. e Grand Lodge was opened earlier in the day by members of Bula 409 who tem- porarily took the chairs of office to open and close the formal communication in the nearby lodge room. ose pro tempore officers were: Roger D. Stutts as grand master; Dwight W. Crews, deputy grand master; H. Sean Boone, senior grand warden; Norman L. Strickland, junior grand warden; Bill Brame, grand trea- surer; Donald E. Kehler, grand secretary; Brian R. Langhoff, senior grand deacon; Michael B. Enoch, junior grand deacon; C. Gene Martin, grand marshal; James O. Branson, senior grand steward; Ronnie L. Reid, junior grand steward; Mark A. Cook, grand tyler; and George L. Tyre, grand chaplain. In the fall of 1968 I entered UNC-Chapel Hill where I majored in math. When it ap- peared that I was going to be drafted out of college into the Armed Services because my draft lottery number was so low, I finished the semester at Chapel Hill and found a job as a printer at the Winston-Salem Journal. As it turned out I was never drafted, even though I should have been almost immediately based on my draft lottery number. I later moved to Burlington and worked for the Burlington Times News for a couple of years as a printer. I left the printing business in 1973 to go to work as a credit manager for a large tire store chain. I learned the tire business and grad- ually moved up to a store manager. In 1984, I purchased part of Piedmont Truck Tires in Greensboro. I bought shares of stock each year from the original owner until 1999 when I bought the remaining shares. When I started there, Piedmont had seven employees including me. We now have around one hun- dred and seventy employees and seven locations across North Carolina. In 1973 I married Deborah Watts from Hillsborough. Today, we have two children, Laura who is 31 and John who is 29. I also have two wonderful grand children, Debbie-Claire Arnold Gene Cobb Jr. was born in Roanoke Rapids July 9, 1958 to Arnold Gene and Joyce Pittard Cobb. Cobb majored in religion at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill be- fore getting his masters at the Duke University Divinity School and his doctorate at Salisbury's Hood eological Seminary. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout in 1972. He was official statistician for the UNC Varsity Basketball Team 1977–79. He was a trustee of Louisburg College and an instructor at Duke 2000–2001. Cobb has pastored United Methodist Churches in Mount Gilead, Wilson, Louisburg, Norlina, and Alamance, Edgecombe, and Nash STEWARDS, from page 1 counties. He is currently pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church in Durham. He is an adjunct faculty member of Hood eologi- cal Seminary and has mentored candidates for ordained ministry for more than ten years. Cobb was raised at Blackmer 127 in Mount Gilead in 1993. He served as their master in 1995. He later moved his membership to Royal White Hart 2 in Halifax where he was master in 1999. He was on the Board of the Masonic Home for Children 2004–2007 and was grand chaplain in 2004. He is currently chairman of the Committee on Masonic Jurisprudence. Cobb is married to Brenda King of Paris, Missis- sippi. ey have a blended family of eight children. RICE, from page 1 and Mark. I am a past master of Bula 409 in Burlington and a member of Orphans 761 in Oxford. I am a member of the Scottish Rite, the Greensboro York Rite, Battle of Alamance Chapter of East- ern Star, Amran Shrine, the White Shrine of Je- rusalem, the Red Cross of Constantine, and the Royal Order of Scotland. I have served several terms on the Board of Directors at the Masonic Home for Children since 1983 and currently serve as treasurer and chairman of the Finance Committee there. I have served as chairman of the Grand Lodge Finance Committee plus many other Grand Lodge com- mittees and boards. I have also served as chair- man of Finance Committee at WhiteStone, and I am currently serving my second year as chair- man of the Board of Directors at WhiteStone. I am a past president of the Oxford Or- phanage Alumni Association where I served on their Board of Directors for more than 30 years. I am a life member of the UNC-CH Alumni Association. I served multiple terms on the North Carolina Tire Dealers Associa- tion Board of Directors. I am a member of St. Marks Church in Bur- lington. I am involved with many other local charities. INSTALLATION, from page 1 Immediate Past Grand Master David R. Cash pronounced the benediction. Rice dedicated the installation ceremony to "all the Masons of North Carolina and especially those who in 1872 had the courage to step out in faith and open Oxford Orphans Asylum" and to "almost 10,000 children who have called this sacred ground home" and the "many great teach- ers and employees [who] have given unselfishly over and over again to help an orphan find his/ her way in a dark world." The Grand Lodge's officers take their oath. Officer's families enter the chapel. Donald Sizemore Jr. played. 2009 officers, front from left, are Cliff Everett, Bob Gresham, Billy Dill, Dan Rice, Lew Ledford, and Walt Clapp. Back, from left, Steve Lynch, Dewey Preslar, Dalton Mayo, Doug Caudle, Alan Sasser, Gene Cobb, and Bryant Webster. Ric Carter photos Grand Master Dan Rice plans to visit more than half our dis- tricts this year. His meetings start in late February and will finish in early June. e meetings this year will be mostly in the odd numbered districts. His meetings will be similar to the area meet- ings of the past few years. Pre-meeting meals are scheduled for 6:15 p.m. with the tyled meeting starting at 7:00 p.m.. District officers and the grand master will be received with usual honors. You may make your lodge's reservation for the meeting with your district deputy grand master or lodge secretary. Please be considerate of the host lodge. Make your reservations for dinner at least seven days before your scheduled meeting. It is very frus- trating to try to plan for a meal when reservations have not been made. Your lodge will be responsible to pay for all meals reserved. ose who have not made reservations should not expect to eat. Date District Lodge Location February 23 .......19 ............. Person 113 .....................Roxboro February 24 .......24 ............. Biscoe 437 ......................... Biscoe March 3 .............25 ...............Pilot 493 ............Pilot Mountain March 4 .............23 ....... Numa F. Reid 344 ........... High Point March 5 .............13 ....... John H. Mills 624 .................. Epsom March 23 ............3 ......... 7 Bakersville 357 ............. Bakersville March 24 ...........41 ...... Marble Springs 439 ................Marble March 25 ...........40 ........ East LaPorte 358 ............ Cullowhee March 26 ...........39 ........ Mt. Hermon 118................Asheville March 30 ...........27 ..........Mocksville 134 .............. Mocksville March 31 ...........22 ...............Bula 409 ................... Burlington April 1 ...............15 .............Garner 701 ....................... Garner April 13 .............31 .........St. Andrews 702 ............... Charlotte April 14 .............35 ........... Fairview 339* ...... Kings Mountain April 15 .............34 ........... Lovelady 670..................... Valdese April 27 ..............5 ..........Rich Square 488 ........... Rich Square April 28 ..............1 ..............Eureka 317 ........... Elizabeth City April 29 ..............6 ........... Greenville 284 ................ Greenville April 30 ..............9 ......... Morning Star 85 ................Nashville May 12 ...............3 ............ Belhaven 509 ..................Belhaven May 13 ...............7 ............... Ionic 583 .................... Cove City May 14 ..............11 ............ St. Johns 13 ................ Kenansville May 20 ..............33 ........ Mt. Pleasant 573 ............Wilkesboro May 21 ..............29 ............Waxhaw 562 ....................Waxhaw June 1.................12 ..........Oak Island 758 ..............Oak Island June 2.................18 ........... Lebanon 207 ................ Whiteville June 3.................21 ............ Raeford 306 .....................Raeford *hosted by State Line 375 In case of inclement weather, meetings will be cancelled in ac- cordance with local schools cancellations. If a meeting is cancelled, the host lodge and district deputy grand master will be notified. Your lodge may cancel its stated communication to attend your district meeting. Information will also be posted on the Grand Lodge web site: www.grandlodge-nc.org. is schedule was the schedule as of January 27, 2009. Changes may be necessary. Please consult your lodge for updates. Grand Master sets district meetings Free tax help offer for Masonic widows Masonic widows can get their tax returns done free this year at Liberty Tax Service offices in North Carolina. They can thank Tim Biggerstaff, a past master of Allen Graham 695 in Kannapolis. Biggerstaff owns a Liberty Tax franchise there. The national com- pany sponsors a number of service projects each year. Biggerstaff persuaded them to offer free tax preparation to Masonic widows in North Carolina. Also, Masons may get a $25 rebate or dona- tion to Masonic charity on their personal returns. Murphy Masons help kids MURPHY — Each year in Murphy, the Shop With a Cop program brightens holiday season for needy kids. It sends local kids with a law enforcement officer to stores to pick out their own gifts. For many, it would be an otherwise bleak time. Just be- fore Christmas this year, Cherokee 146 gave the Murphy Police Department a donation to help with the shopping. Seen here is Tim Dockery, left, presenting their check to Murphy Police Chief Justin Jacobs. — John Schnelbach University Lodge helps band CHAPEL HILL — University 408, on November 3, presented a donation to the Orange High School Band in honor of London Ivey, left. Ivey, an Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy, served at Orange High as school officer. Receiving the check are Andy Carter, band director, and Drake Carithers, a senior class member of the band. Ric Car ter photo Ric Car ter photo Home enjoys NC mountain Christmas trees For more than 25 years, Ashe 594 has delivered Christmas cheer to the Masonic Home for Children in the form of beautiful, live North Carolina fir Christmas trees. Each year, the Masons from West Jefferson bring a tree for each cottage on campus. Dale Hudler and Hudler Tree Farms supply the trees to the lodge each year. When Mike Sawyer, his wife and members of the lodge made their delivery this year, they were presented with a plaque showing the appreciation of the Home for the continued kind- ness. They also sent a plaque back for the nice folks at Hudler Tree Farms. Sawyer is seen here receiving the plaque from Home for Children Administrator Allen Hughes. — MHCO MHCO photo

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