The North Carolina Mason

September/October 2017

North Carolina Mason

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Page 4 The North Carolina Mason September/October 2017 T h e m i s s i o n o f f r e e m a s o n r y i n n o r T h C a 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. (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 A. Gene Cobb Jr. Board Of Publication Bill Faison (Chairman) R. Kevin Combs W.E. Warnock John R. Beamon III John S. Dodd Editor Beth Grace Good quality pictures are essential for suitable reproduction. e right to re- ject any submission not suitable for use is reserved. Pictures will be returned to the sender only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Email submissions are welcome; high resolution, unaltered JPGs and Rich Text Format documents are preferred. Submissions and other correspon- dence should be sent to the editor at 2921 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608 or . 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. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The North Carolina Mason, the Grand Lodge, or Board of Publication. From the editor's desk Grand Master A. Gene Cobb Jr. .............................. gcobb@glnc.us Deputy Grand Master Speed Hallman ...............shallman@glnc.us Senior Grand Warden D. M. "Mack" Sigmon. ... msigmon@glnc.us Junior Grand Warden Shaun Bradshaw ........... sbradshaw@glnc.us Grand Treasurer Lewis R. Ledford (PGM) ......... lledford@glnc.us Grand Secretary T. Walton Clapp III .....................wclapp@glnc.us Senior Grand Deacon R. David Wicker Jr. .......... dwicker@glnc.us Junior Grand Deacon Larry B. ompson Jr. ...lthompson@glnc.us Grand Marshal Kevan D. Frazier. ..........................kfrazier@glnc.us Grand Steward Donald E. Kehler ......................... dkehler@glnc.us Grand Steward Robert W. Rideout ...................... rrideout@glnc.us Grand Tyler William B. Bruton .......................grand.tyler@glnc.us Grand Chaplain Mark M. N. Vickers ....... grand.chaplain@glnc.us Grand Historian Steven A. Campbell ..campmckay1358@gmail.com Grand Lecturer Hugh L. McLaurin III ................... mac542@live.com NORTH CAROLINA The Mason By Beth Grace Editor I 've heard it said that the measure of a man is the company he keeps. Take Ed McBride, for instance. Ed, at 95, has kept the best of company for decades among the brethren of Kilwinning #64 in Wadesboro. You can tell. Not by the work these men did to physically move their historic lodge three blocks back in the 1950s. Not by the lodge room, kept in pristine condi- tion by dozens of loving, work-worn hands. And not by the strong bond these men so clearly share as Freemasons. No. You can tell by the way the faces of the brethren of Kilwinning #64 light up when Ed walks into the room. No, wait – the way they lit up BEFORE he even arrived, when word that he might be coming to lodge that night circulated. Ed and his son, Tommy, recently made a surprise visit to the lodge at the request of Deputy Grand Master Speed Hallman, who has been helping a small band of would- be authors and one amazing photographer compile a coffee table book looking at some of North Carolina's most historic lodges. e book will feature about 20 lodges, and will be released by the North Carolina Masonic Foundation next year as a fundraiser for the Historic Lodge Pres- ervation Fund. If it's well-received, it could be the first of a series of such books. DGM Hallman asked Ed to visit for a while before the meeting one recent night, to talk about his own history in an historic lodge. Ed also got the chance to pin a 50-year service pin on his son's lapel. His memory has dimmed a bit over the years, but he remembers everything about his lodge. He was there in November 1951 when the building that houses the lodge was moved a couple of blocks to its present site. He remembers clearly that he was the very first brother raised after the building was moved. It is brothers such as Ed McBride who have inspired the upcoming historic lodges book. e lodges are beautiful and worthy of note; but so are the men who built and cared for them. He has not forgotten his role in creating a museum on the first floor that chronicles the history of the lodge, its brethren, and the building's own interesting history. Ed is a hero within these walls – and within Anson County, where the lifelong sign-painter is known for his generosity of spirit and his ready wit. ere's not a soul in this county who can't spot an Ed McBride sign from a mile away. His style is singular – and beautiful. Two of his hand- painted signs on canvas decorate the lodge – one iden- tifying Kilwinning #64 and the other honoring the Order of the Eastern Star's Wadesboro Chapter #52. But ego plays no role in all of this. To hear him talk, he's just another brother. "I have loved being a part of this lodge," he says. "I have always been true and worked hard to do what I was supposed to do. "Well," he adds quickly, with a smile and a twinkle. "I have tried. I have tried." Painting signs of a life dedicated to Masonry Beth Grace photo Eddie McBride, right, and his son Tommy.

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