Volume 66, No. 02
March- April 2019
Acacia Leaves & Easter Lilies - pg 8
The Rite Facts
ELS&L
Beerfest
pg 2
pg 6
pg 7
2 Seattle Scottish Rite
Scottish Rite Communicator
The Rite Facts
Valley of Seattle
www.seattle-scottishrite.org
SCOTTISH RITE OFFICERS Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33° Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. Alvin W. Jorgensen, 33° S:.G:.I:.G:, Orient of Washington Ill. Sat Tashiro, 33° Personal Rep. of S:.G:.I:.G:. pr@seattle-scottishrite.org Daniel Southerland, 32° General Secretary Communicator Editor secretary@seattle-scottishrite.org
As a boy, John Philips Sousa accompanied his father to Gettysburg with the Marine Marching Band, where he witnessed Abraham Lincoln give his famous speech. He would later grow up to conduct that same band, and would spend his life writing patriotic marches.
Gene Ulrich, 32° KCCH Treasurer Ill. Tom Lamb, 33° Almoner
Harry S Truman cheated on his eye exam in order to qualify for military service. He once joked that his weak eyesight had always been a problem, in fact, he was unable to play baseball as a boy until his teammates found him a job he could do that didn't require good vision--umpire.
PRESIDING OFFICERS Gale Kenney 32. KCCH° Master of Kadosh, Consistory Adam Creighton 32° Commander, Council of Kadosh Bob Dearborn 32° KCCH Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix Bryan Reagan, 32° Venerable Master, Lodge of Perfection Seattle Scottish Rite Center 1207 N 152nd St. Seattle, WA 98133-6213 206 324-3330 voice 206 324-3332 fax
The Communicator (USPS 485-660) is published by the Valley of Seattle, A&A Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213, for the benefit of its members, bimonthly and is mailed as a non-profit publication to all members of the Valley of Seattle and to specified other interested parties. $2.00 per member is assessed for the publication of The Communicator. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, Washington and at additional mailing offices. The material contained within this publication is intended for the education and enjoyment of the members of the Masonic Fraternity and all material published becomes the property of Seattle Valley of Scottish Rite. Postmaster: Send address changes to — The Communicator at 1207 N 152nd St., Seattle, WA 98133-6213.
John Wayne's nickname "Duke" came from his boyhood when he used to run around around town with the family dog--a giant Airedale. The local firemen used to call the two "Big Duke" (the dog) and "Little Duke" (the boy).
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News from the Personal Representative
Winter is coming to a close. February was a difficult time for many of us as we endured record number of cold days and an unexpected snow storm, which left our parking lot at our Shoreline building full of slush and snow for many days in mid-February Our first meeting in 2019 was held on 15 January, where the body officers were installed in addition to the directors and committeemen for 2019. The installing team consisted of PR Sat Tashiro, 33°; Mark Conlee, 33°; Jeff Craig, 33°; Brian Thomas, 33° and Tom Lamb, 33°. The chieftain for the Knights of St. Andrew (KSA) will continue to be Brother Bob Guild. He will be contacting the black hats from the past several years and re-developing the program with assistance of the past KSA members to support the activities of the Seattle Valley. These activities will include assisting in the degrees, Wardrobe room, receiving visitors and in the educational process. We are looking forward to the involvement of our new Master of the Royal Secret with us in the activities of the Seattle Valley meetings and degrees. We had a Cigar and Scotch night in mid-January, at a facility in the South End for those interested in Scottish Rite Seattle Valley with a view towards interesting non-members to consider joining the class of 2019. Thanks to the effort of our membership we balloted upon eight (8) petitions at our February meeting. We will continue our efforts to reach a goal of ten as we start our 2019 degrees in April. As we start this year, it is important that our members put forth their energies in attracting new Master Masons into our Scottish Rite, and our valley, in particular. Our February stated meeting was highlighted by a program by Jackie Brown, clinic director, of the Seattle Clinic of Early Life, Speech and Language, the primary charity of our Valley. She was joined during the presentation by a mother of a child who has been helped by the efforts of Jackie and the staff. The monies collected at the end of the meeting were donated to the Seattle Clinic. Early Life, Speech and Language is our charity and needs our support. Our March meeting will be the annual Remembrance and Renewal, which will be hosted by the Rose Croix. All meetings will be preceded with the usual dinner at 6:30 PM and the ceremony at 7:30 PM in the lodge room, followed by a brief business meeting. Late petitions for the class of 2019 will be read and balloted upon during the meeting April will be a busy month for Seattle Valley. The beginning of the 2019 degrees, normally held in mid-March will be moved to Saturday, 6 April, to avoid meeting conflicts. The 4° and 14° degrees will be held starting with the 4° at 10 AM, and the 14° following the completion of the first degree. Light refreshments will follow the completion of the degrees. The April stated meeting will be held on 16 April, with the two non-terminal degrees, 6° and 7° scheduled before the business meeting Our two Scottish Rite clubs, sponsored by the Valley of Seattle, will be having their meetings in the coming weeks. The West Seattle Scottish Rite Club (WSSRC) will be having its second 2019 meeting at Southgate Masonic Center in Burien on 1 June starting at 9 AM. The first 2019 meeting was highlighted by a paper on the ‘Evolution -Blue Lodge Degrees to the Scottish Rite Degrees’, and was attended by six brothers. The topic for the June meeting will be the ’The Lost Word’.. Further information can be obtained by contacting Brother Richard Syson at nosys@comcast.net. Lodge meets at the IMC. The Master Craftsman course, based upon material from the Supreme Council is being planned and would be held at the Eastside Masonic Center on Willows Road. Please contact Dean Markley, secretary of the ESRC, wdeanm@gmail.com for upcoming dates on this aspect of Scottish Rite education.
Reminder - All Scottish Rite members of the Seattle Valley receive the Communicator, but may miss the fellowship with their fellow members within the valley and find the difficult-travel-miles to-and-from our Shoreline building a major problem. For these members, you are invited to attend one of the clubs in your area. Your attendance at the club meetings is tantamount to attending our stated meetings. As changes may occur in meeting dates and time over the course of the coming weeks, you are urged to contact the office or those in charge of the meetings prior to the meetings. Fraternally,
Sat Tashiro 33° Personal Representative of the S:.G:.I:.G:.
4 Seattle Scottish Rite
With spring in the thoughts of us all, we know there are so many things that fill our calenders fast. We here are no exception. We are looking forward to so many of them. Our new class degrees will be starting April 6th and we look forward to welcoming so many new Brothers into Seattle Valley. I want to talk about a couple of great things on the horizon. First is Beerfest coming on April 13th. Come join us for a great afternoon filled with tastings and auction items, not to mention friends new and old. Next is something I am excited about, We all talk about the exceptional work Early Life Speech & Language does with children . We here the stories of success. This surely is not done with out the generous people who contribute money to them. Now they are starting an excellent new way to help. The following page they will explain how and I will start it off... Starting with this great young man I am sharing the page with. To say his smile is contagious may be an understatement but lets take a look at his awesome tie. Ya, you all want one don’t you? I know its because of the smile and in this case it really is. Now I know what you ladies are thinking “I don’t wear ties” Great then they also have a something for you. A great scarf with the same pattern as the tie. This new program will enable ELS&L to help more children who are in need as we all know there is a waiting list for them to get what they desire. I am asking all to join with me in eliminating the waiting list by becoming a member of the “Children’s Champion Club” . I would love to see us all wearing the tie at our meeting to show just how much pride we have in our philanthropic, Early Life Speech & Language. Fraternally, Dan Southerland, 32° General Secretary
Seattle Scottish Rite 5
Join the Children’s Champion Club! Dear Brothers, this is for you! Are you inspired by the champions who came before you...who have invested their time, talent and treasure so that children have the gift of hope that speech therapy offers? Early Life Speech & Language (formerly RiteCare of Washington) holds a special place in so many hearts, not only because it is a Scottish Rite charity, but because this program works…it changes the lives of children so they may enter school prepared to learn, grown and socialize. It is not an exaggeration when we tell you the story of a three-year old who can only say do and dah when they first walk through our doors and after 18 months is singing a song, telling complex stories and playing with their peers effortlessly. Again, simply put, these services are life changing. Life sometimes gets in the way and any opportunity to simplify our lives is welcome. That is one of the reasons we are bringing back the monthly giving program to benefit Early Life Speech & Language clinic. Funds raised from the program, called Children’s Champions Monthly Giving Program, will be put to use in your valley’s program, ensuring services are available for the generation and the next. We hope you will consider a gift of support and learn more about how our Children’s Champion Monthly Giving Program may be the way you can support Early Life Speech & Language. Thank you for being a champion for today’s kids and tomorrow’s. How can you be a Children’s Champion? MONTHLY GIVING By becoming a Monthly Giver, you can spread your financial commitment over an entire year while helping to ensure consistent support for the services we provide. How does it work? • It’s easy! • Your credit card will be charged a predetermined amount set by you each month and will appear on your monthly statement. • You can easily increase, decrease, pause or stop your gift at any time. • You will receive an update and a statement of your year-to-date gifts twice a year. You can sign up for monthly giving on our secure website, by clicking the DONATE button or contacting our Development Office at 206.324.6293. To recognize your participation in the Children’s Champion monthly giving program, donors who donate at least $25 a month will receive a unique Children’s Champion tie and/or scarf, special recognition on our website, special thank you event and more. In honor of the 32 degree, you can set up a weekly contribution of $32 which is an annual gift of $1,536. Your annual gift of Is a monthly gift of $300 $25 $600 $50 $1,200 $100 $2,000 $166.67 $2,500 $208.33 $5,000 $416.67 All financial contributions are appreciated and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
6 Seattle Scottish Rite
Seattle Scottish Rite 7
ACACIA LEAVES AND EASTER LILIES by: Unknown April brings us to Easter Day - the festival of Memory and Hope. That a day in spring should be set apart in praise of the victory of Life is in accord with the fitness of things, as if the seasons of the soul were akin to the season of the year. It unites faith with life it links the fresh buds of spring with the ancient pieties of the heart. It finds in Nature, with its rhythm of winter and summer, a ritual of hope and joy. So run the records of all times. Older than our era, Easter has been a day of feast and song in all lands and among all peoples. By a certain instinct man has found in the seasons a symbol of his faith, the blossoming of his spirit attuned to the wonder of the awakening of the earth from the white death of winter. A deep chord in him answers to the ever-renewed resurrection of Nature, and that instinct is more to be trusted than all philosophy. For in Nature there is no death, but only living and living again. Something in the stir of spring, in the reviving earth, in the tide of life overflowing the world, in the rebirth of the flowers, begets an unconscious, involuntary renewal of faith in the heart of man, refreshing his hope. So he looks into the face of each new spring with a heart strangely glad, and strangely sad too, touched by tender memories of springs gone by never to return, softened by thoughts of 'â‚ŹĹ“those who answer not, however we may call.' Truly, it is a day of Hope and Courage in the heart of man. Hope and Courage we have for the affairs of daily life but here is a Hope that leaps beyond the borders of the world, and a Courage that faces eternity. For that Easter stands, in its history, its music, its returning miracle of spring - for the putting off of the tyranny of time, the terror of the grave, and the triumph of the flesh, and the putting on of immortality. Men can work with a brave heart and endure many ills if he feels that the good he strives for here, and never quite attains, will be won elsewhere. There is something heroic, something magnificent in the refusal of a man to let death have the last word. Time out of mind, as far back as we can trace human thought - in sign or symbol - man has refused to think of the grave as the coffin lid of a dull and mindless world descending upon him at last. It was so in Egypt five thousand years ago, and is so today. At the gates of the tomb he defies the Shadow he cannot escape, and asserts the worth of his soul and its high destiny. Surely this mighty faith is its own best proof and prophecy, since man is a part of Nature, and what is deepest in him is what nature has taught him to hope. For some of us Easter has other meanings than those dug up from the folklore of olden time. Think how you will of the lovely and heroic figure of Jesus, it is none the less His day, dedicated to the pathos of His Passion and the wonder of His Personality. For some of us His Life of Love is the one everlasting romance in this hard old world, and its ineffable tenderness seems to blend naturally with the thrill of springtime, when the finger of God is pointing to the new birth of the earth. No Brother will deny us the joy of weaving Easter lilies with Acacia leaves, in celebration of a common hope. The legend of Hiram and the life of Jesus tell us the same truth one in fiction and the other in fact. Both tragedies are alike profoundly simple, complete and heartbreaking - each a symbol not only of the victory of man over death, but of his triumph over the stupidity and horror of evil in himself and in the world. In all the old mythologies, the winter comes because the ruffian forces of the world strike down and slay the gentle spirit of summer and this dark tragedy is reflected in the life of man - making a mystery no mortal can solve, save as he sees it with courage and hope.
8 Seattle Scottish Rite
For some of us Easter has other meanings than those dug up from the folklore of olden time. Think how you will of the lovely and heroic figure of Jesus, it is none the less His day, dedicated to the pathos of His Passion and the wonder of His Personality. For some of us His Life of Love is the one everlasting romance in this hard old world, and its ineffable tenderness seems to blend naturally with the thrill of springtime, when the finger of God is pointing to the new birth of the earth. No Brother will deny us the joy of weaving Easter lilies with Acacia leaves, in celebration of a common hope. The legend of Hiram and the life of Jesus tell us the same truth one in fiction and the other in fact. Both tragedies are alike profoundly simple, complete and heartbreaking - each a symbol not only of the victory of man over death, but of his triumph over the stupidity and horror of evil in himself and in the world. In all the old mythologies, the winter comes because the ruffian forces of the world strike down and slay the gentle spirit of summer and this dark tragedy is reflected in the life of man - making a mystery no mortal can solve, save as he sees it with courage and hope.
Jesus was put to death between two thieves outside the city gate. The Master Builder was stricken down in the hour of His Glory, His Prayer choked in His Own Blood. Lincoln was shot on Good Friday, just as the temple of Unity and Liberty was about to be dedicated. Each was the victim of sinister, cunning, brutal, evil force - here is the tragedy of our race, repeated in every age and land, as appalling as it is universal, and no man can fathom its mystery. Yet, strangely enough, the very shadow which seems to destroy faith, and make it seem futile and pitiful, is the fact which created the high, heroic faith of humanity, and keeps it alive. Love, crucified by Hate high character slain by low cunning! Death victorious over life - man refuses to accept that as the final meaning of the world. He demands justice in the name of God and his own soul. The Master Builder is betrayed and slain his enemies are put to death - that satisfies the sense of justice. Jesus dies with a prayer of forgiveness on His lips Judas makes away with himself - and the hurt is partly healed. But is that all? On the mount of Crucificiton, by the outworking of events, goodness and wickedness met the same muddy fate - is that the meaning of the world? The Master Builder and his slayers are alike buried - is that the end? Are we to think that Jesus and Judas sleep in the same dust, all values erased, all issues settled in the great silence? In the name of reason it cannot be true, else chaos were the crown of cosmos, and mud more mighty than mind! When man, by his insight and affirmation of his soul, holds it true, despite all seeming contradiction, that virtue is victorious over brutal evil, and Life is Lord of Death, and that the soul is as eternal as the moral order in which it lives, the heart of the race has found the truth. Argument is unnecessary the great soul of the world we call God is just. Here is the basis of all religion and the background of all philosophy. From the verdict of the senses and the logic of the mind, man appeals to the justice of God, and finds peace. Thou wilt not leave us in the dust Thou maddest man, he knows not why, He thinks he was not made to die And thou has made him Thou art just.
Seattle Scottish Rite 9
With what overwhelming impressiveness this faith is set forth in the greatest Degree of Freemasonry, the full meaning and depth of which we have not yet begun to fathom, much less realize. Edwin Booth was right when he said that the Third degree of Masonry is the profoundest, the simplest, the most heart-gripping tragedy known among men. Where else are all the elements of tragedy more perfectly blended in a scene which shakes the heart and makes it stand still? It is pathetic, It is confounding. Everything seems shattered and lost. Yet, somehow, we are not dismayed by it, because we are made to feel that there is a Beyond - the victim is rather set free from life than deprived of it. Without faith in the future, where the tangled tragedies of this world are made straight, and its weary woe is healed, despair would be our fate. By this faith men live and endure in spite of ills. Its roots go deeper than argument, deeper than dogma, deeper than reason, as deep as infancy and old age, as deep as love and faith - older than history - that the power which weaves in silence, robes of white for the lilies or red for the rose, will the much more clothe our spirits with a moral beauty that shall never fade. But there is a still deeper meaning in the Third Degree of Masonry, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. It is not explained in the lectures it is hardly hinted at in the lodge. Yet it is as clear as day, if we have insight. The Degree ends not in a memorial, but in the manifestation of the Eternal Life. Raised from the dead level to a living perpendicular by the strong grip of faith, the Master Builder lives by the power of an endless life. That is to say, Masonry symbolically initiates us into Eternal Life here and now, makes us citizens of eternity in time and bids us live and act accordingly. Here is the deepest secret Masonry has to teach - that we are immortal here and now that death is nothing to the soul that eternity is today. When shall we become that which we are? When shall we, who are sons of the Most High, born of His Love and Power, made in His Image, and endowed with His Deathless Life, discover who we are, whence we came, and whither we tend, and live a free, joyous, triumphant life which belongs of right to immortal spirits! Give a man an hour to live, and you put him in a cage. Extend it to a day, and he is freer. Give him a year, and he moves in larger orbit and makes his plans. Let him know that he is a citizen of an eternal world, and he is free indeed, a master of life and time and death - a Master Mason. Thus Acacia leaves and Easter lilies unite to give us the hint, if not the key to a higher heroism and cheer, even ‘€œthe glory of going on and still to be’€ a glory which puts new meaning and value into these our days and years - so brief at their longest, so broken at their best, their achievements so transient, and so quickly forgotten. Sorrows come, and heartache, and loneliness unutterable, when those we love fall into the great white sleep but the sprig of Acacia will grow in our hearts, if we cultivate it, watering it the while with our tears, and at last it will be not a symbol but a sacrament in the house of our pilgrimage. What to you is Shadow, to Him is Day, And the end He Knoweth, Thy spirit goeth The steps of Faith, Fall on a seeming void, and find a rock beneath.
10 S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e
Messages Happy Birthday!
Congratulations from all your Scottish Rite Brethren To our members over 90 who have reached a very important birthday!
March
Frederick Maxam 3-23-1918 James Stephens 3-25-1921 George Artim 3-13-1932 Elroy Conant 3-7-1925 James Toner 3-21-1925 Eugene Adamson 3-25-1926 Richard Upchurch 3-8-1926 Lee Cox 3-24-1926 Myron Maxwell 3-12-1927 Robert Bean 3-22-1927 James Tuggle 3-29-1927 William Page 3-13-1928 Dean Borchert 3-1-1929 Harold Rice 3-21-1929 John Moorhouse 3-29-1929
April
Edward Hyde 4-18-1921 Edgar King 4-8-1922 Hardy Day 4-27-1923 Richard Bowser 4-13-1926 Howard Bothell 4-13-1927 Raymond Lundy 4-28-1927 H. Parker White 4-7-1929 Knut Karlsen 4-10-1929
Polo shirts are in! New Lower Price $20.00
S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 11
www.seattle-scottishrite.org
MONTH TIME
EVENT
March 2, 9:00 AM: Excom Meeting March 19, 7:30 PM: Stated Meeting with Dinner at 6:30 April 9, 10:30 AM: Lodge of Perfection Degrees 4째-14째 April 16, 7:30PM: Stated Meeting with Dinner at 6:30 May 4, 9:00AM: Excom Meeting May 11, 10:30 Rose Croix Degrees 15째-18째 May 21st 7:30 PM Stated Meeting with Dinner at 6:30 * All events subject to change.
Jackets $40.00 New Lower Price
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Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 1207 N 152nd St. Shoreline, WA 98133-6247
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