The North Carolina Mason

T h e m i s s i o n o f fr e e m a s o n r y i n no r T h Ca r o l i n a i s T o r a i s e T h e m o r a l, s o C i a l, i n T e l l e C T u a l, a n d s p i r i T u a l C o n s C i e n C e o f s o C i e T y b y T e a C h i n g T h e a n C i e n T a n d e n d u r i n g p h i l o s o p h i C a l TeneTs of broTherly love, relief, and TruTh, whiCh are expressed ouTwardly Through serviCe To god, family, CounTry, and self under The faTherhood of god wiThin The broTherhood of man. The Mason NORTH CAROLINA (USPS 598-260) is published bimonthly by e Grand Lodge of AF & AM of North Carolina, 2921 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608. ird class postage paid at Oxford, NC 27565. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to e North Carolina Mason, School Of Graphic Arts, Masonic Home for Children, Oxford, NC 27565. Grand Master Dan C. Rice Board Of Publication John O. Newman Jr., Chairman Gary R. Ballance Don E. Bolden omas A. Pope Jr. Hugh K. Terrell Jr. Editor Ric Carter Good quality pictures, whether color or black and white, are essential for suitable reproduction. e right to reject any submission not suitable for use is reserved. Pictures will be returned to the sender only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Submissions and other correspondence should be sent to the editor at PO Box 6506, Raleigh, NC 27628 or rcarter@grandlodge-nc.org. Each North Carolina Mason is a subscriber to e North Carolina Mason. If you know a member who is not receiving the paper, please send us his full name, his complete address and the name and number of his lodge. Masonic widows receive e Mason free upon request. Subscriptions are available to others at a rate of five dollars per year. Subscription inquiries and address changes only should be sent to: e School of Graphic Arts, Masonic Home for Children, 600 College Street, Oxford, North Carolina 27565. Reproduction of articles by Masonic organiza- tions is permitted with proper credits. Opinions expressed are not necessar- ily those of The North Carolina Mason, the Grand Lodge, or Board of Publication. Page 2 The North Carolina Mason January/February 2010 From the editor's desk Masonic doodling By Dale Swiggett © Grand Master William L. Dill plans to visit more than half our districts 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 meetings 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 f rustrating to try to plan for a meal when reservations have not been made. Your lodge will be responsible to pay for all meals reserved. Those who have not made reservations should not expect to eat. Date District Lodge Location March 3 .............30 ........ Grassy Knob 471 ........ Union Grove March 4 .............22 ..... omas M. Holt 492 ............. Graham March 22 ...........37 .......... Cranberry 598 .................. Elk Park March 23 ...........26 .... Piedmont Pioneer 685 .Winston Salem March 24 ...........14 ............Zebulon 609 .................... Zebulon March 29 ...........21 .............Elberta 654 .................. West End March 30 ...........10 ...........Mt. Olive 208 .................Mt. Olive March 31 ............5 ............... Charity 5 ...................... Windsor April 5 ...............12 ............. Orient 395 ...............Wilmington April 7 ................4 .............. Ocean 405 ........... Morehead City April 8 ................7 .............. St. John's 3 ................... New Bern April 19 ..............1 ..............Eureka 317 ........... Elizabeth City April 20 ..............2 ............. Manteo 521 .....................Manteo April 26 .............41 ...........Cherokee 146 ................... Murphy April 27 .............40 ......... Waynesville 259 ............Waynesville April 28 .............34 ............ Maiden 592 ...................... Maiden April 29 .............24 ...........Bush Hill 732 .................. Archdale May 10 ...............6 .............. Bethel 589 ................... Greenville May 11 ...............8 ...........Royal Hart 497 ................. Littleton May 24 ..............36 ..........Cherryville 505 ..............Cherryville May 25 ..............32 ........ Steele Creek 737 ............... Charlotte May 26 ..............38 ......... Western Star 91 ....... Rutherfordton May 27 ..............28 ........... Cabarrus 720 ................... Midland June 1.................18 .......... St Alban's 114 .............. Lumberton June 2.................20 ...... Neill S. Stewart 556 ................. Erwin June 3.................16 ..............Kenly 257 .......................... Kenly In case of inclement weather, meetings will be cancelled in accor- dance 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 5, 2010. Changes may be necessary. Please consult your lodge for updates. e Lost Symbol, Dan Brown's latest blockbuster book (and you know it will be a runaway, big bucks movie) has brought even more attention to Masonry. e Lost Symbol uses Freemasonry as a central force in the plot. While perhaps not all that much of an educational bonanza, the book is one enjoyable adventure yarn. We get a favorable treatment in the thriller. Brown is not a Mason. So why make us a central theme and plot agent of the book? Some might say that it's because we are a popular draw among mystery and conspiracy aficionados. at likely did not hurt our getting the part, but we can be satisfied with Brown's own answer to the question. In an October letter to the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scot- tish Rite, he tells us why. Brown says, "In the past few weeks, as you might imagine, RALEIGH — On August 26, two North Carolina Highway Patrol troopers were honored with North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety's Commendation Award and the Highway Patrol Samaritan Award. Both Lt. Charles R. Lee and Trooper S. G. McKeel are Masons. Lee is a member of Dur- ham 352 and McKeel is in Morning Star 85 (Nashville). Trooper McKeel and Lt. Lee performed life-saving CPR on a distressed motorist on US 64 in Wake County. "Each Trooper went beyond the normal call of duty, and dem- onstrated outstanding judgment. is level of service exemplifies what it means to be a state employee — to serve others," said Colonel Randy Glover, Highway Patrol Commander. e Commendation Award is CCPS's second highest award for heroism and is given only to those who have demonstrated judgment and courage that saved others. e Samaritan Award is given to a trooper who went beyond the call of duty to aid or assist a fellow citizen. Patrol Commander Col. Randy Glover made the presenta- tions. Glover is a member of Doric 568 (New Bern). NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety Secre- tary Rueben F. Young said they were "to be commended on their actions and contributions to the citizens of the state of North Carolina and to our department." Masonic membership among the Patrol has long been strong. Patrol Masons get heroism award By Ric Carter Lt. Lee and Col. Glover Trp. McKeel and Col. Glover Former Rainbow girl Kimberly Munley is being hailed as a hero for bringing down the Fort Hood shooter while taking three bullets herself, and her former partner isn't a bit surprised. Shaun Appler, who worked with her years ago in North Carolina, says that he be- gan calling her "Mighty Mouse" after she leaped through the air to free him from an assailant choking him and trying to grab his gun. "She saved my life that night," Appler says. "When I found out the female officer at Fort Hood was Kim, I wasn't surprised. Kim not only has the training, I know she was mentally prepared to know what to do when you get into that situation." He spoke with her by phone yes- terday. "She is in good spir- its, although she is obviously saddled with the loss of life that occurred there." All of us were horrified by the terrorist attack at Ft. Hood last week. We were equally thankful for the heroic actions taken by the civilian policewoman who ended the attack by shoot- ing the terrorist and bring- ing him down. Officer Kimberly Bar- bour Munley was a member of North Carolina Wilm- ington Assembly 29, now Goldenrod Assembly 29, where she served as worthy advisor, and as the North Carolina Rainbow grand musician. She was also a member of the Grand Cross of Color. North Carolina Rainbow Supreme Inspector Kay Letterman said, "We are very proud of the courage that this young lady dis- played to save so many lives." is uncredited article appeared in the Cinosam Newsletter and several other publications. Editor's note: According to her blog, Munley is now home recov- ering from a mid-January knee replacement to repair damage to her blood vessels and bone caused by her gunshot wounds. Her injuries seem to be coming under control now. She was seated beside the First Lady during President Obama's recent State of the Union address. Kimberly Munley NC Rainbow Girl is Ft. Hood Hero Grand Master's district schedule announced Masons star in Brown's latest novel I have been repeatedly asked what attracted me to the Masons so strongly as to make it a central point of my book. My reply is always the same: In a world where men do battle over whose definition of God is most accurate, I cannot express the deep re- spect and admiration I feel toward an organization in which men of differing faiths are able 'to break bread together' in a bond of brotherhood, friendship, and camaraderie. "Please accept my humble thanks for the noble example you set for humankind. It is my sincere hope that the Masonic com- munity recognizes e Lost Symbol for what it truly is… an earnest attempt to reverentially explore the history and beauty of Ma- sonic Philosophy." I enjoyed listening to it on audio book. Grab a copy if you like suspense and a chase. Expect fun, but not literary high art or Masonic education. By Ric Carter Resetting TarHeelMason list Missing the Tarheel Mason email list? When Grand Lodge Internet hosts were changed late last year, Tarheel Mason blew up. Despite host assurances otherwise, the list and all addresses were irretrievably lost. e list is being relaunched, but it will require that those inter- ested sign up for the list. To get access, got to the Grand Lodge web site for directions . Brotherhood universal As North Carolina struggled with the racial problems so deep- ly ingrained in Freemasonry, we often heard, "I don't have any problem with recognition, it's just the way the Grand Lodge has gone about it." Of course, those critics never had an answer when asked what the right approach would have been. e closest thing to an an- swer was, "Just give it time." Apparently 200-plus years were not enough for it to work itself out. Could it have been done better? Perhaps, but it certainly could have been worse. Just look at Georgia's experience in 2009. Gate City 2 in Atlanta raised a young African American Army Reservist who had been visiting their lodge dinners for a couple of years. ey made no big deal about it, but as soon as the young man appeared at a couple of events, the rumbling started. Before long, Georgia's grand master released a statement affirming that indeed the black Mason had legitimately and le- gally joined the lodge. Soon, formal Masonic charges came from two lodges: that the "peace and harmony throughout the Craft" had been destroyed by "raising a non-white man… which has never been done… under [Georgia's] jurisdiction." ey demanded the revocation of the charter of Gate City Lodge and expulsion of several of the lodge's officers. eir grand lodge accepted the charges and proceeded with trial procedures. Fearing they were being railroaded, Gate City Lodge sued the grand lodge for violating Masonic proce- dures and their own rules. ey demanded a restraining order to prevent continuation of the trial. Eventually, the goings on became known around the world. National newspapers carried the story. It was all over the Inter- net. Pressure grew. Eventually, the lodge withdrew its lawsuit after threats of Masonic trials were dropped. But, it was too late to pre- vent the parading of a repulsive racial outlook before the world. Lawsuits against grand lodges are not unusual when jurisdic- tions work their way through racial questions that are at odds with Masonic philosophy. In Virginia, a Mason favoring Prince Hall recognition was expelled summarily after calling a grand master a rude name in connection with the topic. He was re- instated by court order in 2009 tanks to a civil suit he brought against his grand lodge. One past grand master of West Virginia had several "reforms" passed by his grand lodge, among them a resolution to pursue recognition of Prince Hall Masonry. e changes were quickly overturned by the next grand master, and the offending grand master was expelled from the fraternity. He is suing the Grand Lodge of West Virginia for reinstatement. A hearing is set for this summer. Our own Grand Lodge was sued when charges were brought against four men for insulting and urging the undermining of one of our grand masters who urged normalization of relations with Prince Hall Masonry. Charges on both sides were eventually dropped. ese civil cases have one thing in common: Masons let their passions push them into disregarding their own laws and proce- dures. Court decisions came from not following our own rules and principles. It does not necessarily have to be that way as the last of the Southern holdouts grant recognition of the reality that is Prince Hall Masonry. Reports are that Louisiana has raised African American members and will consider Prince Hall recognition at its next meeting. Rumors have it that Kentucky is also consider- ing recognition. It is inevitable that grand lodges will become more inclusive — it is one of the basic tenets of Freemasonry, and to live otherwise under world scrutiny will be just too painful to explain and excuse. e inclusiveness of our own lodges and Masons will likewise grow. Visitation between our Grand Lodge and Prince Hall lodg- es is now unrestricted. Everywhere it has been tried, it is popular and has been universally enjoyed. Black membership in our lodges continues to grow. We did not get nearly as many resignations as promised for passing recognition. We yet have members who play race games to build their personal power. We have others who avoid the les- sons and fellowship of Masonry because of personal prejudice. But, this too shall pass as they learn that Freemasonry is no safe- house for antipathy. e words of the ritual of our forefathers will eventually overwhelm the whisperings of uninformed men in the lodge hallway. Every day, we move closer to our ideal of universal brotherhood.

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