The North Carolina Mason

lathe that made parts for jets. He didn't consider working on an assembly line a step down as much as "I was 60 and tired, so I thought I'd take orders from somebody instead of giving them." Those are parallel duties to those he's had in 43 years as a Mason in the roles of two-time Master and as DDGL. The latter, he said, gives him ample opportunity to meet with Masons in Wilkes and Ashe counties, and to discuss ritual work and topics that affect the fraternity. "I just enjoy meeting with the members and getting questions and answers," he said. "Some lodges are sticklers for the ritual and won't change and ask, 'Why do they do it this way at this lodge and don't do it the same over here?' Just trying to get everybody on the same page and teaching them where to find it. "There are different ways to look at a problem. Being a supervisor in a manufacturing facility that hires three or four hundred people, you get a lot of different viewpoints," he added. "I don't see things as 'problems,' but 'opportunities.' Just like having been the master of two lodges and being a DDGL gives you a lot of experience with people of opposing views," he said. And then there's his morning role as a DJ of "Hymn Time" at the radio station. Tom began working part-time at WKSK as a high schooler, and when he moved from Hickory back to West Jefferson, his father was serving as the host of "Hymn Time" – which features church standards and Southern gospel tunes – until his death. "I had always wanted to keep it going," Tom said, "and when I retired I had time to do it. So a coupla years ago, I went and begged for my old job back. I sit in the studio and push two or three buttons: I know to turn the microphone on and off, and turn the music on and off. That's about all I know – and all I need to know. "It's a good way to do God's work. I can't preach or sing or anything like that, but I can pick out good music to play for other people." "I got all of my formal education, if you will, at the Hickory lodge. They caught me and taught me whether I wanted to learn or not. … It's always easier to learn when you're young, and I thought I'd get it while I could. I was single at the time and had time to study and practice. I figured I might as well go ahead and get started." W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 | 13

• Cover