Issued Eve ry Three Months By The Right Worshipful Grand lodge of The Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging, through its
COMMITTEE ON MASONIC CULTURE- William E. Montgomery, Chairman, G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Frank R. leech, William A. Carpenter, Charles A. Young and Ashby B. Paul, Grand Secretory.
APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED TO BE PRINTED BY MAX F BALCOM
A. CARPENTER, Editor
Change of Address: Notify above addreu. Your odge number must be included,
Vol. VIII February, 1961 No. 1
Lodge Anniversaries
It has been the custo m for many years for the Grand Lodge Officers to vis it Lodges celebrating their Anniversaries on multiples of 25 years.
During 1960, such visitations were made to one Lodge on the occa sion of its 175 th Annive rs a ry, thr ee Lodges ce lebrating 150th Anniversaries, five which had reached th e century mark, and four which had been constituted 50 yea rs ago
Man y similar Anniversaries are pla nned for the present yea r. Last year's events were as follo ws: Da te of Lodge Date of AnniNo. Location Constitution versary
42 Masonic Districts Have Reached 100% Record in Support of Plan"
Fort y-two Masoni c Di s tricts have . 100 pe r ce nt of their Lodges com plete in the " PENNSYLVANIA PLAN" in support of Th e George Wash ington Masonic National Memorial. The other 26 Mason ic Dist ri c ts are nearing completion. There remain only 36 Masonic Lodges m
District Lodges in District LODGES
A (10) 51, 295 , 646, 493, 609, 636, 187, 59, 482
B {{ (10) 748,402,723, 11 4,654,543,450, 745,529,605
Brethren , I personally thank yo u for yo ur co ntinued confidence. I shall dev ot e anothe r year of m y life, God willing, to the services of Freemasonr y Although the conditions of the world have not impro ved, we must hold fast to our Masonic prin cipl es and make them a v ital part of our lives. We must not lose t h eir s ignifican ce. Th ey must s hine as a beacon in a wo rld that needs light. Freema so nry in Pennsyl va nia continued t o make prog ress in 1960. Some of the resu lts include:
• Atte ndance at Lodge Stated meetings increased approxi matel y six p er cent du e to Worshipful M aste r s pl a nning th eir work in advance and present ing interesting Lodge programs.
• The color movi es on " The Ma sonic Homes at Elizabethtown" a nd "Youth Program " were shown in 356 Mason i c Lodges, resulting in a g r eate r appreciation of th e benevolent projects of th e Fraternity
However, approval o n any major building projec ts must b e obt ained to prevent Masonic Lodges f rom entering into agreements not financi all y so un d, assuming r es ponsibilities be yo nd th e ca p ab ilities of th e Lodge and to ke e p Lodge Rooms as uniform as poss ible.
In 1960 I felt it was des irable to revoke and amend several decision s in order t o libe r alize Lo dge a c ti v iti es and th e materials that may be included in Lodge Notices. · Th ese c hanges were t o s timula te more interes t and promote better a tte ndance.
As exampl es, s uch ite ms a s refres hments, mi xed dinners s p on so r ed by Lodges , D egree work an d th e names of Candidates on wh om D egrees will be conferr ed ma y be i ncl uded in Lodge No ti ces
42 * (6)
43 (7)
Sept. 14, 1785 April 23
Dec. 27, 1785 Oct 22
I 50th
Feb. 19, 1810 Feb. 20
Nov. 30, 1810 Nov 12
Jan. 25, 1811 Dec. 5 lOOth
Feb. 23, 1860
May 15, 1860
Jul y 23, 1860
Jun e 20, 1860
Aug. 6, 1860 50th
Mar. 12, 1910
Mar. 19, 1910
Oct. 1, 1910
Sept. 9, 1910
April 20 Ma y 16 J une 4 J une 11 Sept. 23
Mar. 19 Mar. 30 Oct. 1 Oct. 29
Moo sic Fawn Gro ve Hers hey Ephrata ! 75th 1960
The age we live in threaten s world- wide catastrophe, but it likewise ho l ds forth unexpe cted hope and unexampled pro mise. Th e shadows that now fall across our pa th meas ure the height we have s till to cl imb.-LEWIS MuMFORD
• New e nthus ias m to improve the ph ys i cal cond iti on of M aso nic m ee ting r oo m s was genera t ed . Th e r es u lt was maj or improvements in approximately 60 Mason i c m eeting rooms.
• Twelve Masonic Lodges s ponsored or ass isted in form ing Chap ters of th e Order of D eM olav Other Masonic Lodges have expressed a desire t o sp ons or DeMola y Ch a pte r s.
• The program to help endow Th e George Wash in gton Maso ni c Nati onal Mem o ri al is n ear in g com pletion in P ennsy l van ia. The record s h ows that 56 1 Lod ges h ave compl e ted the proj ect.
I feel sure th at 1961 will bring eve n greate r res ults. Three new Masonic Lodges have been Constituted s ince I became Grand Mas t er on D ecemb e r 28 1959. Two more are schedul ed. They in clude:
Monaca-Center Lo dge No. 791 , at M o naca, on Ma r ch ll and Emmaus Lodge No. 792, at Emmaus , on April 8
We mu st co ntinue to Constitute Commun ity Lodges. I f we are to progress, Fre e mas onry mus t be r epresented in new and g rowin g co mmunities
N ow it becomes the dut y of Worshipful Ma st ers t o u se these new " tools" in plann ing Mas onic m ee tin gs. Exper ience has s hown that well-pl a nn ed meetings s timula te atte ndance I took pride in d edi cating t h r ee Maso nic Lodge R ooms in 1960: S t ro udsb ur g, Boyer town a nd G irard. In each in s tan ce the new meeting fa cilitie s we r e th e product of outstanding Masonic cooperation. The Brethren d onated fr eely of their time and money.
I a m s ure that the M aso ni c s pirit wi ll in crease in th ese three communiti es as a result of th ese new faci li ties.
It is good to know that the Grand Master is surround ed b y M asons d edi cated a nd wi ll ing to accep t a n y challenge. I thank a ll th e Breth r e n who ser ved Freemasonry in 1960 and urge yo u to this dedicat i o n in 1961.
This is a new yea r , but th e c hall enges of tomorrow a r e s till with u s Th e refore, in 1961 I hope for t he follo wing:
• A cont in ued effort to fo llo w the Eigh t-P oint Pr ogram to ass ure the growth of F r eemasonr y in Pennsy l van ia.
• All M aso nic Lodges in Pennsylvania complete th e ir obligation to Th e George Washington Masonic Nati onal M e morial.
• I nvestiga te all possibil iti es t o Cons titut e n ew Masonic Lodges i n n ew a nd growi n g communities in P e nnsyl van ia.
Masonic Lod ges planning n ew buildings, fo rmin g building corporations , or planning major c han ges in meeting f aciliti es, mu st ha ve th e approval of th e Committee on M ason i c T e mples, Masonic Hall s and Masonic Lodge Rooms, and finally , of th e Grand Ma st e r.
All s u ch building inquiries a r e dir ec ted to the Gra nd Mas t er's Offi ce, Maso ni c Templ e, Broad and Filb ert Stree t s, Phila. 7, Pa. Th e a b ove Committee and the Grand Master's Offi ce will give y ou all the ass ista n ce possibl e
• Aides t o th e Committee on Maso ni c Culture co ntinue to educate new initia t es in th e t eac hings o f th e Craft
• Every Mason in Pennsy l va nia think o f hi s less fo r tunate Broth e r s in The Masonic H om es at Elizabethtown especi ally at Christmas.
On Saturday, Apri l 29, a Masonic Congress will be held a t (Co ntinued on pa&e 2)
A
Message from Our Grand Master Ours i s an obligation non e ma y s hirk without being r ecr ean t to th e trust r e posed in him.
( Cont;nucdfrompage 1)
the Maso ni c Homes at Elizab e thtown. Th e Congress , th e fir st sta t e -wid e gath e ring of Ma s onic ead e r s in P en n syl va nia, i s d esigned to bring about a mutual unders tanding of probl e m s facin g Freem aso nr y.
I hope it will res ult in a g r eater determination o co ntinue th e hi g h ideal s of a ll Mas o nic B od ie s in Pennsyl van i a Ma so nry, a s a who e, shou ld profit fr o m this Congress.
In 1961, and th e years to fo ll ow, I urg e yo u to carr y th e torch f o r Free m as onry- to li ve for Masonry
This past year has s h ow n that we wi ll not b e found wanting in ou r judgment th at Mas onry h as a des tiny. We a r e ded cat e d people, pl edged Lo p ro m o te th e Fatherh oo d of God and the Broth e rh ood of Man.
Two New Lodges Constituted -
Two More R e ady and Waiting
Two n ew M aso ni c Lodges-B e th el Lodge, No. 789 and Cochranton L o d ge, No 790-were constituted by Bro t h e r M ax F. Ba l com, R W. Grand M as te r , a nd o th er G r and Lodge Offi cer s
Two o th e r Lodges, M o naca -Ce nte r Lo d ge, No. 79 1 and Emm aus Lodge, No 792, will be constitute d in M arc h a nd Apri l.
M onaca-Ce nter L odge, No 791 will be co nstituted on March 11 at Beave r Falls Emmaus Lodge, No. 792 will be constit ut ed o n April 8 at Emmaus
When the above two L odges are cons tit uted, i t will mark five n ew L odges cons titute d s in ce Broth e r B alcom became Grand Mas ter of Mason s in P e nn sy l va nia.
B eth e l L o dge, No. 789 was cons titute d on D ecember 17,1960, i n th e Juni or Hig h Schoo l , City of Lowe r Burre ll with 55 War ra nt Me mbers . B rother J oh n W. R awson, D istrict Deputy Grand Mas e r fo r th e 54th Maso ni c
Di s tri c t, was in c harge of the cons ti t ut ion
The O ffice r s -E lect of B e th el Lodge are : Broth e r Ri c hard C. K e nn ed y, Wors hipfu l Mas t er; Broth e r William W. Kapp , Senior Warden; Broth er Earl A Ro se, Juni o r Warden; Broth e r Harr y E R ya n , Secre tar y , and Broth er J o hn H. Middl e hurs t, Treasurer. The Tru s tees in clude: Brothers Fran k F Gigle r, Jr ., Milton W. Ryan a nd Carl W Acre. Th e appo inte d Offi cers i nclude : B rothe r Ard ith H . S halfe r , Chaplai n; Broth e r George C. Arm tage, Senior D ea con; Bro th er Lefteri A. Despo taki s, J unior D eaco n ; B rother R obert M Connor, Senior Mas te r of Ceremonies; Br o th e r H ar r y A. Painte r Jun ior Maste r of Ceremo n ies; Bro th e r J o hn W. T aylo r Pursu i vant; B ro th e rs Sta n ley A K edzie r s ki and R ober t M Koch, Stewards, and Br o th e r H e nr y E. M ye r s, Tyler.
Co c hr a nt o n Lodge, No. 7 90 was consti tuted on Janu ary 7, 1961 , in the Cochran to n Hig h Sch oo l, Coc hra nton, wit h 71 W a rr a nt M e mbers Broth er Domer J. B ailey, Di stri c t Deputy
L e u s th e n red ed icate ourselves o th e principles and tenets of Free masonry and humbl y r es olve to demonstra t e i n o ur li ves and a c tions th e b e neficent influe n ce o f the Craft and th e excell ence o f the Faith we profess.
Th e mos t important work on th e tre s tleboard s to make th e principles of th e Craft a vi t a l and li v ing force b y sp r eading our t e a c hings from the Lodges to our hearts, our businesses our soc ia r e lati ons and into th e communities in which we live
Cordially and fr a ternally,
Grand Mas te r fo r th e 25th Ma so nic Di s tri c t , was in charge of th e co n s ti tution. Th e Offi ce rs -Elec t of Coc hra nton Lodge a re: Broth er Dav id H. M cCarl, Worshipful
M as te r; Brother Karl W. Senn, Senior Warden; Broth e r H a r old B. Hovi s, Jun ior Warde n ; Broth e r Gl en n A. Stockton , Treas ur e r, and Broth e r M e rl e G. Ridgeway, Secretary. The Trustees include: Brothers Allen R
M oon, Carl T. S h affer and H a rmon G Sillowa y. Brother P a ul W Anderso n P.M., was e lected r e pr ese ntati ve in G r and Lodge
Th e app o inte d Offi cer s in clude:
Broth e r Th e odore V. P ower, Chaplain; Br other H. Edw in Moore, Senio r Deacon; Broth er Ma r tin J Schwartzbauer, Junior De acon Brot he r Elm e r R Barnes Senior Mas ter o f Ceremon ies ; Brothe r Lewis C Schaff, Juni o r Mas er o f Ceremonies; Br o th e r Fran cis H. Sexton , Pursuivant; Bro th er Stanley F Lawhead Tyler, a n d B rot hers D o m er M M yers and John A. J ackso n, Jr., S eward s
New Masonic District Formed; ]ames R. Thomas and William A. Hodge, New District Deputies
The 12th Maso ni c Dis tri ct, whi c h incl uded 15 M aso ni c Lodges, was di vided in t o two Maso nic Dis tri cts by Broth er Max F. B al com, R W. Grand Maste r. Broth e r Wilbur H Schang, Di s trict D eputy Grand Maste r fo r th e 12 th Masoni c Di s tri ct for th e pas 13 years, received the honor of P as t Di s trict Deputy Grand Maste r. The 12t h M aso ni c D ist r ic t n ow includes th e following Lodges: Lo d ge No. 61; St. J ohn's L o d ge, No. 233 Landmark L odge, No. 442; Coalville Lodge, No. 474; Valley Lodge, No. 499 ; Fid e lit y L odge, No. 655; King Hira m L o dge, No. 721; an d Tuscan Lodge, No 770 Bro ther J ames R Th o m as of Wilkes-Barre, Pas Master of Lo d ge No. 61, wa s appointed Di str ct D e put y Grand Master for t h e 12th
Ma so ni c Dis tri c t b.y th e Grand Mas ter .
MAX
F. BALCOM, R. W. Grand Master
The other Maso nic Lo dges, f ormerly in th e 12th M aso ni c Dis tri c t , are in th e new 59th Maso nic Dis trict. They include: Ply mouth Lodge, No 332; Sy l van ia L odge, No. 354; Kings ton Lo dge, No. 395 ; W yo ming Lo dge , No 468; George M Dalla s Lodge, No. 531; Nanti coke Lodge, No. 541; and King David Lodge, No. 763
Brother William A. Hodge of Wyoming, Past Mas er of W yo ming Lodge, No. 468, was appoi nte d Di stri c t D e puty Grand Master for the 59 th M aso ni c Di s tr i ct by the Gra nd Ma s ter
Bro th e r Th o mas and Br othe r Hodge will be pr ese nted by th e Grand Master at the Mas onic Temple in Wilkes-B a rre on M arch 3
Three New Lodge Rooms
Dedicated at Specia l Communications of Grand Lodge
Three n ew Maso nic L o dge R oo m s were dedica ted to Free mason r y by Brother Max F Balcom , R. W. Grand Mas ter, and other Grand Lod ge Officers at Specia l Communications of Grand Lo dg e.
On September 21, 1960, the Lodge Room was d e di ca te d for Barge r Lodge, No. 325, Strouds burg.
On Novem ber 19, 1960, th e Lodge Ro o m was d e dicate d for Boyertown L odge, No . 741, Boye rtown.
On D ece mber 3, 1960, the L odge Room was d e dica e d for Lake Erie Lodge, No. 347, Girard.
I n each in sta n ce Brother Ba lcom c ommended th e Brethren fo r maki n g an outstanding co ntribution o Freemason r y in their communities. H e pointed out: " I am co n v in ced that Maso n s can achieve almost an yt hin g th ey agree to accomplis h united! y."
H e said the ne w Lodge R oo m s were a result of outsta nding Maso nic coopera tion and devo ti on.
190 of Honor" Life J.Vlember Certificates Presented
to Pennsylvania Freemasons
Since F eb ruar y 2 2, 195 8, 190 P e nnsyl va ni a Maso n s and Mason c organizati ons h ave contributed $ 100 or more to becom e Life M e mbe r s in The Geo rge Was hington Maso nic Nat ona M e morial A ssociation
BRo WILLIAM H. ABEL, JR , W.M. , Apollo Lodge, No. 386, Phil adel phia
BRo. CHARLES J BAKER, P.M. Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, Ph oe n ixville
BRo. GoRDON L. BooTE , George M Da llas Lodge, N o. 53 1, Dalla s
BRo. MINOR M. DAI N, D .D.G.M. Pho en ix Lodge, No. 75, Ph oen xville
BRo. J. CARLTON EDWARDS, Lu c i us H. Sco tt Lodge, No. 352, Chester
BRo. HARRY M. K EE L, Penn Lod ge, No. 709 , Cheste r
BRo. Ro GE R E LEwis, P .M., Cass ia Lo d ge , No 273, Ardmo re
BRo. GEORGE C. MECK W.M ., I vy Lodge, No. 397, W lliamsport
BRo. DAN IEL MINTZE R Fidelit y Lodge, No 655, Wilkes -Barre
BRo H ARRY G. MoRGANROTH, Union Lo dge, No. 29 1, Scranto n
BRo FL OYD RuDOLP H Muss ELM AN, Eas ton Lodge No. 152, Easton
BRo BAYNARO W. 0TTERMA N, P M., Wilkinsburg Lod ge, No 683, Wilkin s bu rg
BRo DA VID J R Ex, JR., P.M., Crafto n Lodge, No. 653, Craf o n
BRo. HENR Y F. RoLLMAN, Columb a Lo dge , No 91, Philad elphia
BRo. M o RRI S J. Ro o T, Columbia Lod ge , No. 91, Ph iladelph ia
BR o. ALBERT SANDERS, D.D.G.M., In dustry Lodge, No. 13 1, Phi ladelphia
BRo. H AROLD A. TAYLOR, Lake Erie Lo dge, No. 3 47, Girard EuREKA ROYAL ARCH CHA PTER, No. 167 , R ochester
Attractive New Book in Color Describes History and Features of Masonic Temple in Philadelphia
A new b ook o n the Masonic T emple in Phil a delphia-the headquarter s of th e Ri g ht Wors hipful Grand Lodge of th e Most Anci e n t a nd Hon orable Fraternity of Free and Acce pted Ma so n s of Pennsylvania and Maso nic Jurisd ction Th ere unt o Be longing-has bee n complete d by th e Committee on Maso nic Culture. Th e 40-page book has 12 color pi c tures, ncluding a ll the Maso nic L o d ge Ro oms in th e T emple.
B ooks can b e obtained from th e Library Masoni c T e mple , Broad and Filbe rt Streets Philadelph ia 7 P a. The bo o k w ith a soft-bound cover sells for $1. 00 and th e hard-bound, $1.50. Please add ten cents for mailing and handling costs.
Willia m E. Montgomery
Appointed Chairman of Committee on Masonic Culture
Th ey h ave received " R oll of H o n or" Li fe M em be r s hip Certificates fro m th e Memori a
Association
Th e fo llowing are additions as o f J anua r y 25, 1961 :
ANCIENT AccEPTED ScoTTISH RITE, Va ll ey of Sc r an ton, N. M.J. , U S.A., Sc ranto n PITTSBUHGH VISITATION CLUB, Pius burg h
ANCIENT AccE PTED ScoTTISH RIT E, Va ll ey of Cou d ers por t, N .M.J. , U. S.A., Couderspor t ANCIENT AcCE PT EO ScOTTI SII R ITE, Va lle y o f Oi l City, N. M.J., U.S.A Ve nango Lodge of Perfec tion, Oil City DuQUESNE Ro YAL ARcH CHAPTER, No. 193, Pitts bu rgh
TEMPLE Ro YAL AR Cti CHAPTER, No. 248, Philadelp h ia
S HI LOH R oYA L ARCH CHAPTER, No. 257, Pitt s burgh ANC IENT AccEPTED ScoTTISH RITE, Valley o f Harri s burg, N. M.J ., U.S.A., H arr isbu rg
ANCIENT AcC EPTE D ScoTTISH RIT E, Valley o f R eading, N. M.J., U.S.A., Read ing CHARTIERS CoMMANDER¥, No. 78, Kni g hts T empla r, Pittsburg h
I N MEMOR I AM OF Guy E Mas on Pas t Master CORINTHIAN LODGE, No. 573, Millv a le James H Dorman, Past Mas te r E uCLI D Lo DGE, No 698, Harrisbu rg H Ear Rixs ine CHARLES M SwA IN LoDGE, No. 654 Ph iladelphia Morris Rub e rg , Pas t Master COLUMBIA LoDGE, No. 91, Phil ad el ph ia Charles J u l ius J o hn son WESTMORELAND LoDGE, No 5 18, Greensburg and h is wife, Katheri ne Johnson
1\ T " Q . d A " l YeW uestwns an nswers Booklet Now Avai labl e
Th e C o mmittee on Mas onic Culture has a new bo o kl e t , " Questions and Answer s," that s being distributed fo r th e nominal pri ce of ten ce nts
The 36-page booklet ha s th e an s we r s to 124 often-as ke d questions on Freema soh r y For exa mpl e :
" Q. W hen and where was the first Grand Lodge establish ed?"
"A. In London on June 24, 171 7 " Booklets can be ob tained from th e Librar y, Ma so ni c T emp e, Broad and Filbert Streets, Philade lphia 7, Pa Be s ur e t o include ten cents for each d esired co py The pri ce includes mailing and handling costs
The flaw , in a ll s ys t ems based on senio rit y, is th at no wa y has been fo u nd to dispose o f the ca refu l bu ng ler, th e man who never d oes anything right an d never do es anyth i ng technica lly wrong.- ERIC LARRABEE
After many years o f dedicated s er vice, Brothe r William E. Yeager, R. W. Pas t Grand M as ter, has res igned as Chairman of th e Committee o n Ma so ni c Cul tu re. Al ways intere s t ed in mak ing a uthenti c Maso nic informati on r eadil y ava ilable, especially for new init iates , Brot h e r Yeager wa s large l y r es pons ible for our prese nt Maso ni c ed ucational program.
Brothe r Yeage r has a s o been clos ely ide ntifi ed with the es tab lis hm en t and grow th o f THE P ENNS YLV ANIA FREE MASON. S tarted ba ck n 1954 thi s publi cati on h as co n tinued to g r o w in popu la ri ty and usefuln ess with each n ew issue.
Brothe r Ma x F Balcom , R. W Grand M aste r , ha s ap po inted Brother William E. M ontgo mery t o s ucceed Brother Yeage r as Chai r man of this important Committee. Broth e r Montgomery has been close ly a ssoc iate d wi th Br other Yeager on thi s Committee, as well as the pri o r Commi ttee on L ibra r y and Muse um. Broth e r Montgomer y is un us ually we ll qualified fo r thi s assignmen t. S o me items of interes t in B ro ther Montg omery's bus y Maso nic and Civic career a r e as follows:
Masonic
l. Or igi nally a Member o f Ge o rg e Washing t o n Lodge, No. 14 3, Cham bersbu rg
2. Warrant Master of Willi am S. Snyder Lodge, No. 756, H ar r isburg
3 Secretary Grand Lo dge Committee o n Maso ni c Cul tu re, and a uth o r of e n pamphlets issued by th a t Committee
4. Author, " 150 Years of F reemasonry I n Chambersburg, Pennsyl va nia. "
5. Grand Mas ter o f Grand Co un c il of Roya l and Select Mast ers o f P e nnsylva ni a 194 1-42 ; now Gran d R ecorde r of th a t body.
6. Gran d Commande r of Gran d Co mm andery of Knights Templar o f Penn sy lva ni a 19531954.
7. Seco nd P en nsy lvanian in las h a lf- century to be presiding office r o f more than on e o f the S tate-wide York Ri te Bo dies
8. Th irty-third deg ree Member (1942) of Harri sb urg Consistory and former Ex ecutive Dire ct or of Degree Work of that organ ization.
9 Grand Se nior Gen e ral of Knight s o f R ed Cross of Cons a n tine o f the United S tates, Me xico and the Phi l ip pines
10. Mem ber of va riou s o th er organ iza tion s, s u ch as Zembo T emple, Am eri ca n Lodge o f R esea rch , Triu ne Tabernacle H R.A K.T P., etc
Civic
l. F orme r Deputy Se cretar y of Penn sylv a nia Depar tm ent of Fo rests an d W a ters
2 Past Presid ent of Ro tary Club of Ha rri sburg (1935 ) and Past Presiden of Rotary Club of Chambers bu rg (19 53)
3. Pas President of Chambe rs burg Hos pital.
4. F o rm er Ass is tant Bu si ness Ma nage r of Pen n Hall Junior College , and la ter Field Representa tive of same.
From Our Grand Sec ret a ry 's Office
Our December Communications
Decembet· Qua•·terly Tele v i sed
I n an effort t o kee p our Membe rs, wh ile cas tin g th eir ballots, a nd th e ove rfl ow attendan ce fully info rm ed of the pro ceedin gs in Grand Lodge at the December Quarte rl y Communi ca ti o n on
De cember 7, 1960 , closed circu it television equipment was again u sed betwee n Corinthian and Renai ssa nce Halls in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia. Bro th er Waldo E. Baker , Chief Engineer at the Masonic Homes at Elizabe tht own , was in charge of in s talling and operating t he equipment.
Over 700 Bre thr en, rep resenting 435 Lodges, were in a t tendance Dis tingui s h ed Gu ests we re present from Mas sac h u setts, Virginia , Mar yland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delawa r e, Di s trict of Co lumbia, I ndiana Maine, the Maso n ic R eli e f Associa ti on of United States and Can ada , and th e Ma son ic Service Assoc iatio n of the United S tate s
A nnu a l E l ection
The following Brethren were du ly elected to serve Grand Lodge fo r the ensuing Ma so n ic year:
Brother MA x F. BA LCO M
R. W. Gran d Ma ste r
Br other W. LEROY McKI NLEY
R. W. D eputy Grand M aster
Brother EAR L F. HEROLD
R. W Senio r Grand Warden
Broth er RoBERT E. D EYOE
R. W J unior Grand W arden
Brother LOUIS BA CHARACH
R. W. Gra nd Treasure r
Bro th er AsHBY B. PA UL
R W. Gran d Secretary
Com mittee on M ason ic H omes
Brother Sc oTT C. R EA
Brother Ro BE RT E. Wo oDSIDE , J n Brother Sc oTTS LEIB Y, R.W P.G.M.
Brothe r C. HowARD WITMER
Brother WILLIAM E. YEAGE R R. W .P. G.M
Brother ELLIS E. STE RN
Brothe r WILLIS R. MICHA EL
As u s ual, t hi s Quarte rl y Communi cation was exceed ingly bu sy, a nd the fo ll ow ing br ie f comme nt s cover s ome of th e more impor ta nt item s The Committee r eports will be printed in full in the Pro ceedin gs . Communi cati on s fr om other G ran d Lodges inc luded exp r ess ions of good w s h es from the Grand Lodges of Japa n a nd I s r ae l , a nd ap preciation from the Grand Lod ge of Chil e for o ur fin ancial ass i s t ance followin g th e r ece nt earthquakes in that count r y .
A petiti on was re cei ved for a Warrant for a n ew Lodge to b e h eld a t Cochranto n , Cr a wfo r d County, to be called Cochranton Lodg e, No. 790. Commi ttee Reports
The Committee on Appea ls presented rep orts on th re e app eal s . Th e requ es t of Ris ing Star Lodge, No. 126 for th e remov al o f th e expulsion of one of its former Mem bers was
n ewes t Lodge , the 596th in our J ur isdiction, had 55 Wa rrant Members
A nnual Grand Co mmun icati on
rejected b y Grand Lodge upon the recommendation of thi s Committee, wh ile s imilar r equests by Merid ian Sun Lodge , No. 158 and Woodbur y Lo dge, No. 539 we r e a ppro ved. The Budget R eceip t s and Expenditu r es for the fi scal year e nding November 15 , 1960, were outlined in th e report of the Committee on Fina n ce; als o the prop osed Budget fo r the p resen t fi scal year, wh ich was appro ved by Grand L odge.
Two R esolu ti ons recommended b y this Committee and app r oved by Grand Lodge provided f or :
l. Amend ing the Grand Lodge P en s ion Pl an to perm it increas ing th e capitalization of the Fund be yon d the former limi t of $200, 000.
2. Amending the provis ions of the Higher Educational Fund t o in creas e the l imi t of ass istance, per annum, to each s t ud ent to S1,000.
The m y ri ad detai ls re lati ve o the operation and maintenance o f the Maso nic H o mes at Elizabethtown were fu ll y covered in the fiftysecond annual re p ort of th e Comm i ttee on Mason ic Homes A copy of t his r ep ort and that of th e Patt on Schoo l will b e s ent to ea ch Lodge in the near fu ture
Th e Emp loyment Burea u Comm i ttee, in its forty -fo ur th ye ar of ope r ati on , made 643 p lacemen ts Th e above pos i tions me ant an in come to Mas onic fa milies of ove r S ,OOO ,OOOannually. A n in t e r esting booklet " Ques tions and An swers" ha s been publi s hed by th e Committ ee o n Mason ic Culture an d co pi es h ave been forw a rd ed to eac h Lodge. Thi s booklet can be pu r chase d from the Librar y, Maso ni c T em ple, Philadelp hia 7, P e nnsyl va n a The man y acti vities of this Com mittee a r e cover ed in its annual r epo rt.
Patton M a soni c In sti tution for B oys
Th e a nnua l report o f the Trus tees o f the Th omas Rank en Pat t on Maso nic Ins t itutio n for Boys in clud ed a deta iled account of th e ir ac ti v it es d ur ing th e past year. Nine t een bo ys gra d uated las t Sp r ing, many of w hom are continu in g their ed u ca ti on in various college s A res um e of th e work com pleted during th e yea r in th e Mas oni c T empl e in Philade lphi a was in c luded in the r eport of th e Comm ittee on Templ e
The R. W. Gra nd Maste r called upon Brothe r Ch arl es M. Flintoff, M.W. Grand Mas er of th e Gra nd Lodge of Virginia, t o r ep r ese nt a nd s peak for all th e D is tin gu is hed Gue s t s Br other Fl in toff r esponded in a gra c ious and e oqu en t manner.
Special Con1munication
Beth el L odge, No 789 was c on s titu ted at a Special Communica ti on of Grand Lodge a t Lo wer Burrell on Decemb er 17, 1960. Thi s
561 Pennsylvania Lodges Appreciate Full
Participation in Plan"
The Ann u al Grand Communication was held on December 27, 1960 , in the Maso nic Temple, Philadelph ia. Disti ng u is hed Gue s ts were present from No rth Carolina, Mar yland , Georgia, New Je r se y, Conne c ti cut Delaware , Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, W isconsin, Michigan, Wes t Virginia and Ontario, Canada.
A peti ti on was rece ived for a Warran t for a new Lodge to be held at Monaca , Beaver County to be calle d Monaca-Center Lodge, No. 79 1 ; a s imi la r pe titi on was rece ived for a new Lodge to be held at Emmaus, Lehigh Count y, to be called Emmaus Lodge , No. 792.
Upon th e recommendations of the Comm ittee on Cor r es pondence, Grand Lodge adopted s eparate reso lu ti o ns by which fraterna l r ecognition was exte nded t o the Grand Lodges of Greece, Venezuela and Sao P aulo Brazil; another reso lu tion whi c h was also adopted , denied recogn i tion to th e G rand Lodge of Belgium. No a c tion was recommended at this time relat ive to th e United G rand L odges of Ge rm any, th e Occide n tal Grand Lodge of Colombia , nor the Grand Lodge of Fran ce.
The Comm ittee on Fu ture Planning for the Masonic Temple an d Other Properties in Phil adelphia, in a detailed report, again poi nted out th e n ecessity for car eful planning to meet future r eq ui rem ents
The Committee o n Mas onic T empl es , Mas onic Halls a nd Mas oni c Lodge Rooms r epor ted it h a d collaborated with 33 Lodges in thei r effo r ts t o erect n ew buildings, or e xtend or alte r exis tin g q ua rt ers T y pical dr aw ings of a mode rn Maso ni c T emple are being prepared. The R. W. G ran d Mas ter s t ated that during th e past fisca l yea r Grand Lodge h ad re ce ived gi fts and bequ est s a mounting t o $33 9,996.13
He al so announced th a t Brother George H. Deike, R.W.P.G.M., a nd Mrs Deike had aga in ma de a generou s gift to Grand Lodge. This gift is to b e u sed to pur chas e and in s tall a Hammond Orga n in th e Ge orge H. De ike Audito ri um at th e Maso ni c H omes at Elizabethtow n
The R. W. Grand Mas te r p r esent ed Brothe r Charles H. Strayer, M. W. Gra n d Mas ter of Ohio , a nd Bro ther Cla r ence M. Pitt s, M. W. Grand Mas ter o f Ca nada in the P r ovince of Onta rio , t o spea k for all th e G u ests and each r ep lied mos t app r opr iatel y Promptl y at h igh noon th e Grand Lodge
Offi cer s who h ad been e lec ted at t h e December Quar t erly were dul y in s talled. The Grand Mas ter briefl y s ummari zed his Ann ual Add r ess, which is re vi ewed elsewh ere in this iss ue and w hich will b e printed in its e ntiret y i n th e Proceedings
S in cer ely a nd fra t ernall y,
AsHBY B. PA UL, R. W. Gra nd Secreta ry
Th ere are only 36 Mas onic Lodges in P enn sylvan ia that have not earned the Gr and Mas ter 's Award for fu ll pa rticipation in The George Wash ngton Ma s on ic National Memor ial, as of January 25 1961.
Brother Max F. Balcom , R. W. Grand Master , commended th e Lodges fo r outs ta nding cooperation a nd urged the remaining L odges t o complete the proj ect as rapid ly as possible Bro th e r Ba lco m p ointed ou t: "All Masonic Lodges in Penns ylvania must WASHINGTON LoDGE, No 59, Philadelphia PHOENIX LoD GE, No 75, Phoenixville CoLUMBIA LODGE, No. 91, Philadelphia ST. JoH N's LoDGE , No ll S, Philadelphia UNION LoDG E, No. 121, Philadelphia RISING STAR LoDG E, No 126, Ph iladelphia EA STON LODGE, No. 152, East on MERIDIAN SuN LoDGE, No. 158, Philadelphia EASTERN STAR LoDGE, No. 186 , Philadelphia CHARITY LoDGE, No. 190, Norristow n LAFAYETTE LoDGE, No 199, L ock H a ven DAN VILLE LoDGE, No. 224·, Dan-ville
RoCHESTE R LoDGE, No. 229, Rochester
SH EKI NAH LODGE, No. 246, Ph iladelphia
FRA NK LIN LODGE, No. 263, Lacey-ville
KEYSTO NE LoDGE, No. 27 1 Philadelphia
CASSIA LoDGE, No. 273 , Ardmore
HAMILTON LoDGE, No. 274, Philadelphia
HoBAH LODGE, No 276, Brookville
CAMBRIA LoDGE, No. 278 , J ohnstown
}EFFER SON LOD GE, No 288, Pittsbnrg h
ORI ENT LoDGE, No. 289, Phi la delphia UNION LoDGE , No. 291, S cranton
GEO W. BARTRAM Lo DGE, No 298, Media WILLIAMSON LoDGE No 309, Downingt ow n
PoRTLA ND LoDG E No. 3ll, P ortland SuMM IT LoDGE, No. 312, Ebensburg CLEARFIELD LoDGE, No . 314 McKI NLEY LoD GE, No . 318 , Pittsburgh WEST CHESTER LODGE, No . 322, West Chester
PETER WILLIAMSON LoDG E, No 323, Scranton BARG ER LoD GE , No. 333, Allent own UNION LoDG E, No. 334, B radford HYDE PARK LoD GE, No. 339, Scranton Eu LAL IA LoD GE, No. 342, Coudersport
LAKE ERIE LODGE, No. 347, Girard
Lucws H. ScoTT LoDG E, No. 352, Ches ter SoME RSET LoDGE, No. 358, Somerset CoRRY LoD GE, No. 365, Corry MI FFLINBURG LoDGE, No 370, Mijjlinbnrg
TENN IS LoDGE, No 371, Thompsont own NEwPORT LoD GE, No 381 , Newport ORI ENTAL LoDGE, No. 385, Philadelphia DALLAS LoDGE, No. 396, East on I vY LODGE No 397, Williamsport
WATSONTOWN LOD GE, No. 401, Wat son town M ERIDI AN LODGE, No. 411, Enon Vall ey CA NTO NLoD GE, No . 415, Cant on FRITZ LoDGE , No. 420, Conshohocken SLATINGTON LoDGE, No 440, Slatington
PHILO LoD GE, No 444, Philadelphi a CovENA NT LODGE, No. 456, Philadelphia
ST. lAMES LoDGE, No. 457, Bea-ve r ORIENTAL LoDG E, No 460, Orangeville KENNETT LoDG E, No. 475, Kenn ett Sqnace
rea ch the 100 per cent pa rti ci pa ti on goal b e fore the prog ram ca n be comple ted. "
To compl e te the proj ec t, Lodges mu s t c ontr ibu te at leas t $1.00 a Member an d S lO.OO from the Lodge it sel f. Lodges co mple ting t h e pr ojec t are presen ted wi th th e Grand Mas ter's Awa rd.
Th e Ma y, Au g ust and No vember iss ue s, 1960, listed 45 7 Mas onic Lodges that earned t h e Gra nd Mas te r 's Awa r d. The additional 104 Lodges, as of Ja nuar y 25, follow:
ATHELSTAN LODGE, No 482, Philadelphia
RoBERT A. LAMBERTO N LoD GE, No. 487 , P hiladelphia
TYRO NE LODGE, No 494, Ty rone
Gu YAS UTA LODGE, No. 513, Pittsburgh
EvERETT LOD GE, No 524, E -verett
I ONIC LODGE No. 525, Pittsburgh
P HILATES LoDGE No 527, Phila delphia
BELLEVUE LO DGE, No. 530, B ellevne
GEORGE M. DALLAS LoD GE, No. 531, D allas
JoH N M. READ LODGE, No 536, Reynoldsville
OLD FonT LoDGE, No. 537, Centre H a ll STi LL WAT ER LODGE, No. 547, Yonngs ville
EDE NBUR G LODGE, No 550, Kno x
NoRTHERN STAR LODGE, No . 55 5, Duke Center
LEW ISVILLE LoDGE, No. 556, Uly sses
GREENLEA F LoDGE, No 561, Allentown
PROSPECT LoD GE, No. 578, Prosp ect Park
WAYNE Lo DGE, No 581 , Way n e KI NG So LOMO NLODGE, No. 584, Du nm ore
SHARON LODGE No. 598, Shinglehouse
E. CoPPEE MITCHELL LoDGE, No. 605 , Phila d elp hia
RA DIANT STAR Lo DGE, No. 606 Philadelph ia
NoRRI ST OW N LoDG E, No. 620, Nor ristown
HENRY W. WIL LI AMS LOD GE, No. 62 4, Phila d elphia
Do NORA LoDGE, No. 626, Don ora
]. S IMPSONAFRICA LODG E, No 628, E Stroudsbnrg CRAFTON LoDGE No 653, Crafton
FIDELITY LODGE, No. 6 55 , Wi lkes-B a rre
TH OMA S R PATTO N LoD GE, No. 659, Philadelphia
MAT H. H EN DERSON LoDGE , No. 661, Ph ladelphia
Mo os iC LoDG E, No. 664, Moosic OAKDALE LODG E, No. 669, Oakdale
P ETE R A. B WIDE NE R LoDGE, No. 671, Philadelphia
]AMES W. BnowN LOD GE, No . 6751
J ohnso nburg
G. W. K EN DRICK , ]R., Lo DGE, N6 690, Phi ladelphia
CoNEMAUGH VALL EY LoDGE, No 692, Johnstown
CoMM ON WEA LTH LoD GE, No 695, Erie AM BRIDGE LoDGE No 70 1 Ambridge
LAWRENCE Lo DGE, No. 708, Erie
P EN N LODGE, No 709, Cheste r
NEw T EM PLE LODGE, No. 720 , Allentown
KING HIRAM LODG E, No. 72 1, Wilkes -Barre
W ILLIAM P ENN LoD GE No 732, Philadelphia Lo DGE, No 744 M a noa
Jo sEPH H. BnowN LoD GE, No. 751, Ph ilad elp hia
] AMES I. BUC HANA NLODGE, No. 757 , Pittsburgh
BROT HERHOOD LODGE, No. 773, Philadelphia
BETHEL Lo OGE, No. 789, Lo we r Bnrrell
CocH RANTON LoDG E, No. 790, Coch ranton
JJn
BROTHER R ALPH M. L EHR
Ri g ht Worshipful Past Grand Master
The Grand Lodge of P ennsylvania los t one of i ts mos t ac ti ve a nd u se ful Members in the d eath, on Febru a r y 6 , 1961, of Brother Ra lph M. Lehr, R. W. Past Gr and Mas ter , at the age of 66.
Edu ca t ed in the Harrisburg public schools and Lehigh Univers it y, Bro her Lehr had engaged in th e retai l coal bu sines s f or many years until h is re tirement in 1959. He served as Di s trict Coal Adm inis tr ator during Wo rld Wa r II.
He was W ors hipful Mas ter of Harris burg Lodge, No. 629, in 1930; High Pries t of Perseverance Chap ter, No. 21, 1935; Thrice Illus trious Mas t er of Ha rri s burg Council, No 7, 1936 ; Eminent Comman der of Pil grim Commande r y, No. 11, 1932 a nd served as D vis ion Commander, 1936- 194-2 He was a mem ber of Penn Priory, No . 6, Yor k Cross of Honor. He was affiliated with th e var ous Scottis h Ri te Bodies in the Valley of Ha rr is burg and was created a Sovereig n Gran d I nspector General in 1943 at B uffalo. Duri ng the past ten yea r s he was Executive Director of Degree W ork for these organi za ti ons He was a member of Zembo Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. Brother Lehr wa s Grand Ma rs ha l of t h e Grand Lodge of Pennsyl va nia for a number of y ea rs prior to h is elec ti on as R W. Junior Grand Warden. He served a s R. W. Gra n d Mas t er in 19 54 and 1955 . I t was during hi s te r m of office that THE PEN NSYLVA NIA FREEMASON cam e in t o exis tence. He not onl y p arti cipated in t h e extens ive building opera tio n s and r eno vation program a t the Mas on ic Home s a t E lizabethtown b ut s ince that time has been Chai r man of the Comm ittee on Future Planning f or that great ins tit ution . He was a ls o Cha irm an of the Co mmittee o n Masonic Temple s, Mason ic Halls and Mas onic Lodge Ro oms. Locall y, h e was pres ident of the H arrisburg Mas onic Templ e Asso ciat ion ; vice-pres ident of th e Scottish Ri te Cat hedral and Maso nic T emple Association, and Cha irman of the Ad visory Committee of Pilgrim Chap t er, Ord er of DeMolay
Funeral services we r e held in th e Scottis h Rit e Cathedral with the R ev. J. Ch arles McKira ch a n, pas tor of the Pine Street Pres by terian Church a nd a Grand Cha plain, officiat ing. Bro ther Leh r 's wid ow is hi s only survivor. A public-s pirited citize n , an ardent churchman , d ee p ly interes ted in th e welfar e o f yo uth , d evoted t o Freemasonry's princ ipl es a nd concerned in all its ac ti vities, Bro her Lehr will b e greatl y missed in numerous areas of s erv ce
