The North Carolina Mason

Page 8 The North Carolina Mason November/December 2016 INSTALL, from page 1 with the Joseph Montfort Medal. e medal is the highest award that can be bestowed upon a Freemason by the grand master. Cobb honored Webster for tireless work and dedication to making White- Stone: A Masonic and Eastern Star community a financial success and a strong Masonic charity. "Everyone knows that WhiteStone not only exists but thrives, and it is be- cause of three people. Two have already received the Montfort," he said. "Now, with three, the honor is complete." Webster wiped away tears as he ac- cepted the medal in the company of his wife, Jan; daughter, Amy; Mark Kolada, WhiteStone executive director, and Past Grand Master Gene Jernigan, chair of the WhiteStone Board. Both Kolada and Jernigan are Montfort recipients. Cobb, a native of Roanoke Rapids, remembered his parents during the ceremony. He recalled that when his father, Arnold Gene, passed away in 1991, he searched in the church and community for ways to move beyond his loss. He found the connection he sought with the brothers of Blackmer 127 in Mount Gilead and was initiated, passed, and raised in the winter of 1993. In April 1993, he attended the first of 24 con- secutive Annual Communications, and will preside this year on the 25th anni- versary of his first attendance. Cobb majored in religion at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill before getting his masters at the Duke University Divinity School and his doctorate at Salisbury's Hood eo- logical Seminary. A member of Royal White Hart 2, he has pastored United Methodist Churches in Mount Gilead, Wilson, Louisburg, Norlina, Durham, and Ala- mance, Edgecombe, and Nash counties. He currently is lead pastor of St. Luke UMC in Sanford. Cobb is married to Brenda King of Paris, Mississippi. At the ceremony, Cobb surrounded himself with symbols and remembrances of family, friends, and brothers at the ceremony. A candle burned in memory of friends and fam- ily he has lost; the Bible on the altar belonged to his grandparents; the altar, square and compasses were from his lodge, Royal White Hart 2; the columns, gavels, and staffs were from lodges where the four principal officers are members. Cobb got a surprise of his own as the ceremony wound down. Deputy Grand Master Speed Hallman pre- sented him with a seedling from the Davie Poplar, a large tree near the Old Well on UNC's campus, where legend says that then Gen. William R. Davie, who was grand master of our Grand Lodge from 1792–1798, selected the site for the University. Hallman said 41 sprouts have been grown in all for him to distribute as he sees fit throughout his year as grand master. Before ending the ceremony with a recording of the University of North Carolina alma mater, Cobb recalled what his father always said as he headed out to the paper mill to work. "Our usual custom was to give him his lunchbox, say, 'I love you,' and hear him say, 'See you later.' Dad would stop at the back door before leaving, smile, and say, "Let's go to work." So "what is it that binds us to this fraternity as to no other?" Cobb asked as he ended his opening remarks. "It is not the jewels, or the aprons, or the mystic legends. Or the knife and fork degrees we love so well. Our loyalty is not only to William Richardson Davie, though we are proud of what he did 224 years ago… nor even to Joseph Montfort. "No, our love for this fraternity is based on the fact that it is, as it was meant to be, a conspiracy of good people who best work and best agree through friendship, morality, and brotherly love. "May light and liberty keep us dili- gent, prudent, temperate, and discreet. "Let's go to work." In his opening remarks, Grand Master Gene Cobb honored past grand masters with whom he served in the grand line for teaching "us all something about belonging and hav- ing a moral conscience. eir message speaks to our conscience and 'binds us together as no other.'" Here's what they taught us: • We must, at all times, have fun but be truthful. (David Ronald Cash, 2008) • Be charitable with others. (Dan Charles Rice, 2009) • Learn and improve as much as we On the shoulders of giants can. (William L. Dill, 2010) • Practice our work to the point of excellence. (Lewis R. Ledford, 2011) • Be the family God put us here to be. (Robert E. Gresham Jr., 2012) • Own and deliver our Masonry and be not afraid to get to the rat killing. (Dewey R. Preslar Jr., 2013) • Be ever mindful of how we come across. (Dalton Wayne Mayo, 2014) • Always seek the high road. (Doug- las L. Caudle, 2015) • Build on the strong foundation laid before us. (Bryant D. Webster, 2016) The officers enter the ballroom. Mike Kenlan presents Grand Master Cobb a clone of the Davie Poplar. Past Grand Master Webster was named a Montfort medalist. Ric Car ter photos

• Cover