September/October 2012 TRAVELING THE
The North Carolina Mason
TAR HEEL STATE NEWS FROM
NORTH CAROLINA'S LODGES
By Ric Carter
Mast Jr. was killed in the line of duty July 26. The Snow 363 member had a Masonic funeral. Mast left a pregnant wife who delivered just days after his passing. A least one scholarship fund has been started for the child. For details on helping the family contact or Snow Lodge, PO Box 2672, Boone, NC 28607.
Watauga County Deputy Sheriff William Boone — Aaron Whitener
Golf Tournament was set for September 22. An August report said that they were ahead of all last years markers at that point in time. The Tournament was to be played at Lakes Coun- try Club in Boiling Spring Lakes. A continental breakfast was included, and there were numer- ous awards to be made. Ladies even had a special putt to win a chance to win a $300 rug. The lodge has voted to install a new emer-
Pythagoras 249's seventh annual Masonic Southport
gency exit at the back of the first floor. South Carolina Masons Chris Holland and
A committee at Blackmer 127 has been ap- pointed to investigate the viability and desirabil- ity of installing a lift chair in the lodge. — Blackmer Buzz
Mount Gilead
a new roof. Leaks were becoming an aggrava- tion at one of Masonry's landmarks. Roof repair inspectors found damage which was covered by insurance. This made a huge dent in the cost of restoring the temple to its former glory, freeing up funds to take care of other parts of the proj- ect. Replacement of the roof was estimated to take four to five weeks. Inside, the several of the main stairways have
The Greensboro Masonic Temple is getting Greensboro
NASCAR's David Ragan is now a Mason
been scraped and repainted. The dining hall has a fresh paint scheme. The Fellow Craft stairway behind the lodge room has been refurbished. Air conditioners have been replaced and old radiator pipes removed. Scottish Rite offices have been moved back into the Temple. The Temple will be sponsoring what they call a
Grand Re-Opening on December 19. Public tours will be offered and many of the lodges in the 23rd Masonic District will be installing their officers. The Greensboro lodges were cooperating on the annual Community Servant Luncheon to be held October 6. They serve lunch at the lodge that Saturday. The meal is free for policemen, firemen, servicemen, emergency medical techni- cians, veterans, and so on.
ters' and Ladies' Dinner September 15. There was to be live entertainment, and Ray Hall was to be guest speaker.
Corinthian 542 was to hold their Past Mas-
the Temple September 8. It's one of their most anticipated family events. The next day, they were sponsoring the chapel church service at WhiteStone. On July 14, they patrolled their Adopt-A-Street run along Holden Road. As usual, Arthur Marshal marshaled the crew. Maybe having such an active schedule is what
Gate City 694 held their annual fish fry at — Trestle Board — Philip Bialek
CORNELIUS — North Carolina gained a speedy member May 22 when Williams 176 raised NASCAR standout David Ragan. Ragan was joined in his degrees by his crew member Chris Dilbeck. The lodge was overflowing with visitors from as far away as Savannah, Georgia. Seen here, from left are then Deputy Im-
perial Potentate of International Shriners Al Madsen, Dilbeck, Ragan, and Williams Master Steve Hamlin. Ragan and Dilbeck managed to go through
cookout on Labor Day. It fell on their usual first Monday family/guest meal night. Nothing fan- cy, they enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs. University Lodge enjoyed a baseball night
sity Lodge was going free form on July 30. They were not sure what they were going to talk about, but one suggestion was to have Danny Ferguson, Dickie Lyon, and Will Towne each recite a dif- ferent degree lecture, to see which one lasts the longest. Not really.
The fifth Monday education night at Univer- — Steve Sparrow — Keith Morgan
keeps attendance up at their meetings. Gate City Lodge normally runs 40 to 55 members present for their communications. Lodge logo clothing is available at Gate City.
They have both sweatshirts and polo shirts in several colors.
a comeback. P. P. Turner 746 is sponsoring the boys. The chapter will meet in the Greensboro Masonic Temple.
Greensboro's DeMolay Chapter is making — Trestleboard
The Winston-Salem Masonic Temple is be- ing sold and a new building being built. They plan a smaller, better equipped, cheaper to main- tain facility. They expect to build debt-free from the sale of the old building. A pork barbecue for the charities is being held October 5 by Salem 289, West Bend 434, Winston 167, Piedmont-Pioneer 685, and For- syth 707. Big Boy BBQ, two-time grand cham- pion and five-time People's Choice Award win- ner at the Carolina Masonic Pig Jig, is doing the cooking.
Winston-Salem
November 3. A $25 ticket gets you supper and a chance in the raffle. This year's raffle prizes a Charles Daly shotgun, an Apple iPad, and large screen tele- vision. Proceeds will go to Masonic charities. Their pancake supper was scheduled for
September 28. Old Town Lodge was hosting Masonic
Heritage Day September 10 for Triad Masonic Youth. — On the Level at Old Town Lodge
Old Town 751's raffle fundraiser dinner is set for — The Salem Sentinel — Trestleboard
Burnham had the pleasure of raising his son Josh as a Master Mason.
On April 17, at New Lebanon 314, Mike — The Compasses
South Mills
Pickin' set for September 15 at their lodge shel- ter. Buy a ten-dollar ticket, and you could enjoy plenty of bluegrass music, food, fun, and games. All proceeds were destined for lodge charities. Jenna Beswick, a UNC-Greensboro bound student won Polk Lodge's $500 scholarship this year. Polk members are giving free eye exams to the kids and staff at the Masonic Home for Children this year. Doctors Sam and Ben Hobbs are providing the exams and glasses for kids who need them.
James K. Polk 759 had their annual Pig Pineville — Randy Richardson
themed. They were pursuing the Fourth of July holiday with hamburgers, watermelon, and other standards of the season. A Hawaiian shirt was required for admission. They later were judged in a shirt contest. Ten members of St. John's 1 traveled to
July stated meeting at St. John's 1 was beach Wilmington University 408 and Mosaic 762 had a lodge Chapel Hill
the same requirements of the degrees as other North Carolinians, despite their very demand- ing travel schedule. They are owed a special sa- lute for taking the slow road when they likely could have gotten special treatment in some other jurisdictions. The 26-year-old Huntersville resident this
year drives the Number 34 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. Ragan joins other NAS- CAR drivers Cale Yarbrough and David Pearson who have been Freemasons.
— John Sullivan
out on August 25. They were attending a Dur- ham Bulls game.
to." That's why James B. Greene 735 Master Dustin Tarditi has set up a planning schedule for his lodge to more effectively deal with neces- sities of the lodge. The lodge will take up future planning on a three- to five-year horizon. Mas- ter, wardens, and trustees will plan and evalu- ate needs in a six- to 36-month range. Officers will plan and execute activities and projects on a three- to six-month range. Green Lodge has long held several ice cream
Things are "better anticipated than reacted Raleigh
social each summer. They host one at each of our Homes as well as at the lodge. In July, they visited WhiteStone and served up 14 quarts of home- made. They were to visit the Home for Children August 18 to deliver school supplies and host an ice cream and fixings bar for the residents. NC School of Science and Mathematics stu-
George Wertheimer have been made honorary members of Pythagoras Lodge. — Newsletter
braved six inches of rain to travel to Hampton, Virginia to see their honorary member Tom Powell receive his 60-year service award from the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Powell's son Scott is Gatesville's senior warden. They enjoyed a Ha- waiian style meal at Virginia's Army/ Navy 306. Gatesville held their annual fish fry May 3.
On May 16, 13 members of Gatesville 126 Gatesville
They enjoyed their many visitors from around northeast North Carolina and southeast Virginia. The lodge's Ladies Picnic was set for Colerain — The Compasses
Beach on July 14.
National Guard firefighting aircraft battling forest fires in South Dakota. One of the vic- tims in the crash was Master Sergeant Robbie Cannon. He was the son of West Gate 738 member Robert Cannon. The recent workday at West Gate got lots
You may remember the recent crash of a Paw Creek
Blue Ridge 435 had a successful hot dog sale June 30. They have donated $100 to the local Relay for Life. The Lodge has recently installed a gate in the
Highlands
fence between their property and the neighbor- ing Methodist church — sign of good neighbors. Blue Ridge Lodge has authorized the place-
ment of a plaque bearing the names of their past masters. Jim Dautel is donating the plaque. — Trestleboard
dies groups to dinner on August 6. Members of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, Easter Star, and Amaranth were invited to share a Low Country boil of crabs, shrimp, sausage, pota- toes, and corn. A silent auction for a mantel clock was held
Excelsior 261 hosted the local Masonic la- Charlotte
by Excelsior Lodge. Bids ended September 16. Proceeds from the sale went to Masonic charity. They did their Adopt-A-Street cleanup — Trestle Board
August 11.
done. They removed trash from the grounds. There's fresh paint on the doors, railings, and posts. Less visible, but maybe more important, is the new underground pipe diverting water from the building foundation.
— Gary Cooke
August stated meeting and taught them about the bagpipe and its Masonic history. According to reports, the program was "very entertaining and educational and enjoyed by all." Derita's April Chicken Fry Fundraiser
David Ludlow visited Derita 715 at their
Bonds and Edward Irwin Wingate Jr. received their Veteran's Emblems for 50 years lodge membership. — Derita Lodge
Page 3
brought in $1,400 for Masonic charities. The next one is scheduled for October. In September, Derita members Donald Ray
sonic Book Club. They would select a book that all would read and then discuss. Temple Lodge has new lodge lapel pins for sale at ten dollars each.
Temple 676 is investigating starting a Ma-
Hall of Famer Joe Edwards in a fundraiser per- formance. They raised about $500 for Masonic charity. Terry Lawson spoke at the dinner. He and Mack Wilson facilitated the Masonic Home for Children ski outing the lodge helped sponsor. — Trestleboard
Phalanx 31 hosted Guitar Thumbpicker
able problem in keeping up with their coach- ing chores; they have 11 candidates in the pipeline. Among them is the lodge's first Af- rican American initiate. Three more petitions were in the hopper. The lodge's first Open House/Homecoming
Charles M. Setzer 693 is having an envi-
was held July 14. About 70 people attended the four-hour event. Setzer Lodge is also becoming a community
activity center. They are the home to Knights of Solomon 764, the motorcycle traveling lodge and Charlotte's recently reinstated DeMolay Chapter. A neighborhood church also meets in their dining hall. Donnie Wrenn has completely redone the — Trestleboard
lodge's landscaping.
For the three years it took them to relocate, King 722 met in Pilot Lodge's building. They are now safely in their new facility. In July, a delegation of King's members visited Pilot and presented a thank you gift: new officer aprons and jewels. On August 7, Pilot Lodge once again par- ticipated in National Police Night Out. They handed out free hot dogs and drinks at Dickie's Sandwich Shop. Sam Carson recently gave Pilot 493 new gav-
Pilot Mountain
els for the master and wardens. An expensive roof repair is needed at Pilot
Lodge. They let a contract after taking several estimates.
ows of Masons, Pilot Lodge entertained six la- dies. Each of the ladies was pinned with a corsage and given the opportunity to catch the lodge up on what they had been up to during the previous year. They got the ladies to fill out a contact in- formation card which was then used in a drawing for the flower centerpiece from the dinner. — Rick Smith
At their August 21 annual Dinner for Wid-
dent Nicolas Munsen is helping research Green Lodge's history for their upcoming 50th anni- versary. His work will not only help the lodge, but will be a part of his community project re- quired by the school. — The James B. Green Scene
own its own lodge. Years ago they bought a piece of property only to lose an acre and a half to the expansion of NC Highway 49. Luckily, the De- partment of Transportation paid them more for that portion than the lodge paid for the whole lot. But, that left them a lot no longer suitable for a lodge. They recently sold the remaining proper- ty to the bordering family. As a result, they have made a profit on the sales which will go into the continuing dream of building ownership. — Newsletter
Cabarrus 720 has long had an ambition to Concord
Grand Strand Lodge in Myrtle Beach to see some "foreign" degree work. They plan to return soon for another visit. The local Woodmen of the World recently
featured the Hinson Girls. It netted nearly $350. The lodge brought in more than $4,000 with their March 17 Spring Fish Fry. Proceeds will be shared by our two Masonic Homes. There was to be a taste of Hawaii at Mint
Mint Hill 742's June 2 Bluegrass/Gospel Fest Mint Hill
gave St. John's Lodge an American flag. The group has given away more than 2,000,000 US flags in the last 60 years.
— Trestle Board
Hill Lodge August 2. That was the night for their luau. They were enjoying whole pig roast- ed Hawaiian style and other classics from our 50th state. Prizes were also to be awarded for best costumes.
pendence Day at the lodge. They were having a pot luck lunch at noon, and the rest of the afternoon was given to fun and games. They were to have a bounce house, water balloon toss, and penny pitch for the kids. The old folks were having a corn hole tournament and just visiting. Texas-style barbecued brisket, hot dogs, and hamburgers were on the menu. — David Browning
Mount Lebanon 117 was celebrating Inde- Wilson
Wilson 712 and Mount Lebanon 17 are in- viting other local Masonic bodies to co-sponsor a blood drive they were holding October 4 at the Wilson County Shrine Club. — Sixteenth District News
see STATE, page 5 — Mint Hill Lodge
If your lodge has a newsletter for its members, make sure The North Carolina Mason is on your mailing list. Lodge newsletters are a major source of news for Masons around the state. If you don't have one, think about starting one. Newsletters are a good way to keep your mem- bers active, happy, and informed.
— The Pilot Mountain Traveler — Trestle Board
John Sullivan photo
