Seattle Communicator Sept-Oct 2018

Volume 65, No. 05

September-October 2018

Turners Tale

- pg 6

Rite Artifacts

SR Polo Shirts

ELS&L

pg 2

pg 10

pg 5

2 Seattle Scottish Rite

Scottish Rite Communicator

The Rite Artifacts

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 Ill. Brian Thomas, 33° Treasurer Tom Lamb, 32° KCCH Almoner PRESIDING OFFICERS Thomas Lamb 33° Master of Kadosh, Consistory Todd Pike 32° Commander, Council of Kadosh Ian Hyde 32° KCCH Wise Master, Chapter of Rose Croix Bob Guild, 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.

Albert Pike was a pipe—and smoking— aficionado, to say the least. He loved his pipes, many of which were gifts from his friends and admirers. His impressive collection of Meerschaum pipes is on display in the Albert Pike Museum in the House of the Temple.

Meerschaum pipes are expensive and highly-prized. Some of the pipes in Pike’s collection cost $500–$600, a significant amount—especially in the late 1800s.

One of Pike’s favorite pipes is 22 inches long with a silver statuette of Germania — the personification of Germany.

Wearing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, she carries a medievalstyle shield and wields the Imperial Sword or Reichsschwert. Pike received the pipe around 1871 and presented it to the Supreme Council, 33°, on February 11, 1891.

Masonic lanterns were hung outside of taverns and other meeting sites in the 18th and 19th centuries, usually as a signal of a lodge meeting or that lodge meetings are held in that establishment. This lantern was used by a Union Army lodge during the American Civil War. Note the Masonic symbol “G” in the door of the lantern.”

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News from the Personal Representative T

his Communicator issue marks the end of our summer hiatus and a return to our labors for the latter half of 2018. We hope that many of the members of Seattle Valley took an opportunity to renew and refresh their bodies and minds during the sunny days of a warm summer.

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ur neighboring Valley of Everett will be performing the 31°, known as the Egyptian degree on 19 November at the Everett Scottish Rite Center. Members of the Seattle Valley will join the cast and support them. Jack Stewart, KCCH, of our valley is working with Richard Kovak, 33°, the director of the degree for Everett. All members of Seattle Valley are invited to attend.

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e will be performing the 30° and the 19°, or Grand Pontiff Degree, on Saturday, 8 September, starting at 9 AM. We are concluding the final terminal degree of the year, with the performance of the 32° in mid-October, completing the last of the terminal degrees for our class of 2018. We are planning on having a cap and ring ceremony for the class in mid-November. The wives will be invited to this festive ceremony and will be the restart of a ceremony practiced when we were in the building in Broadway. The ladies will be invited to cap the new members of 2018 in a special ceremony.

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n addition to the final terminal degrees in the coming two months, the Class of 2018 will have participated in many nonterminal degrees this year. They included many which had not been performed in years. They included the 5°, 9°, 10° and 13°. Aside from the 19° in early September, we are also planning on concluding this year by a performance of the 29°and 27° in early December.

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e are attempting to make our stated meetings of value to you in terms of content, with speakers or short degrees to remind us of our obligation to ourselves, our family and to our world. At our upcoming stated meeting on 18 September, we will have a report by our Venerable Master, Bob Guild and Dan Southerland, General Secretary, of their recent attendance at the KSA symposium which reported upon the growth of KSA in many valleys through our jurisdiction.

In addition we are planning on presenting the 23°, a brief nonterminal degree, as a part of our 4 year program to present all 29 degrees within our valley.

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e are encouraging members who have been inactive to resume their labors with the Valley. At this special time in our Valley, we have been and continue to bring events and fellowship which will be attractive to all. Body leaders will be contacting the classes of the past three years to generate their interest and to participate in these many activities of the Seattle Valley. Towards this end we will be making the Knights of St. Andrew an important body as we reinvigorate them in the new initiatives. Our Venerable Master, Bob Guild and General Secretary, Dan Southerland, attended the national Knights of St. Andrews meeting to arrive at initiatives underway in other Valleys to provide the Knights of St. Andrews with a mission and purpose. Also our Fellow for the year, Brother John Hairston, is attending the meeting in Washington, D.C. with fellows from other Valleys, to meet with the Sovereign Grand Commander, Ron Seale. He will be providing a report to the Seattle Valley on his return in late August.

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embership drives our valley forward. We will be planning events in the coming months for those who may be interested in the Scottish Rite. We are also inviting potential members to attend our stated meeting dinners as our guests to become acquainted with our members and to learn about our Valley. Members are urged to act as quasi-ambassadors at their respective blue lodges, and to inform the lodge that class of 2019 is being formed.

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ur two Scottish Rite clubs, sponsored by the Valley of Seattle, continue to have their meetings. In the coming weeks. . Further information on future meetings can be obtained by contacting Brother Richard Syson at nosys@comcast. net. The second is the meeting of the Eastside Scottish Rite Club (ESRC) at Issaquah Masonic Center (ESMC), located in Issaquah. Their meetings are held on those months with five Wednesdays, with the meeting on that date. Please contact Dean Markley, secretary of the ESRC, wdeanm@gmail.com for additional information.

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ll 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.

Please attend these club meetings

F

raternally,

Sat Tashiro 33° Personal Representative of the S.G.I.G.

4 Seattle Scottish Rite

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s we come back from our summer activities and join each other in our lodges we try to catch up with those we have not seen in awhile. Its always nice to see friends and brothers after an absence. I find myself thinking of the Brothers I have not seen in awhile and wonder. What about those Brothers we have not seen even longer? So I ask that you please reach out to those who for some reason or another have been absent and see how we can help them. Maybe their lives are full of activities that makes it hard to get to lodge or maybe its something we don’t know about.

Let all reach out and find our Brothers to see what we can do to help them in what ever they or their families may need.

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ast month Brother Bob Guild and I attended the Knights of St. Andrew Gathering in Waco Texas. (ya Texas in July is a little warm) I will say we had an awesome time meeting fellow Scottish Rite Brothers from all over the country, and we even had some Brothers from Japan, now that’s dedication. We learned a lot in hopes to get our KSA going full force. There were so many ways that they are working in their perspective valley to make them better. I was so impressed with the openness of every one we met to help us in our endeavors then and in the future. A huge hank you to all the KSA brothers, to the Valley of Waco as they did a phenomenal job putting on the event and to the Grand Lodge of Texas as they were so great. So look for the news and think about what you would like to do as a Knight of St. Andrew. On a side note, if you are ever in Waco go visit both the Grand Lodge of Texas and their incredible museum and the Valley of Waco, so worth the time.

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e are continuing the our degrees on September 8th with the Council of Kadosh. We hope you all can make it out as our 2018 class continues its journey. So welcome back from the summer lull and get ready for all the fun we will be having here at Seattle Scottish Rite.

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elieve it or not we are also gearing up for the 2019 dues season. Yes I have already received the new 2019 cards and they will be going out soon so be looking for them in the next couple of months.

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lus we are looking to the 2019 degree session and making it bigger than ever. We want you all to think of who in your lodges would benefit from becoming a Scottish Rite Brother. Would you like some help deciding? Well let me give you a hint, ALL of your brothers. If you enjoy it so much why would you not want to share the fraternity? So lets start getting the Brothers invited to our events and involved with us to further their journey. We look forward to seeing you all at our September stated meeting.

Fraternally, Dan Southerland, 32° General Secretary

5 Seattle Scottish Rite

early lIFE SPEECH & LANGUAGE

Making a Difference Ashlynn, almost 4 years old, started with Early Life Speech & Language in June 2018. She started out extremely quiet and uncomfortable speaking with anyone she didn’t know. It was frustrating for Ashlynn and so she didn’t speak at all for the first two sessions.

Now, after working with her Speech Language Pathologist, Barb, and incorporating toys, books, games and so much more into her therapy, Ashlynn’s comfort level has grown tremendously, she’s comfortable, chatty, silly and motivated to learn new sounds. She’s beginning to talk with people she doesn’t know very well and all of us at the office are loving it!

UPCOMING EVENT: We are hosting our 7th annual Beer Fest at the Seattle location of Early Life Speech & Language on April 13, 2019. Special tickets are available now for Masons. This event will be bigger and better than ever to support kids just like Ashlynn! We plan to double the size from the past years by increasing the amount of breweries, pre-selling Mason tickets, and increasing the footprint of the event. To secure your tickets now, please contact Bob Dearborn at coug0990@aol.com.

Seattle Scottish Rite 6

Turners Tale- Genealogy Research Leads to Amazing Masonic Discovery

Above: This detail from Shepheard’s Tavern, Charleston, SC, 1802 by Allyn Cox (1959) at the House of the Temple in Washington, DC, shows four of the founders of the Mother Supreme Council. Rabbi Abraham Alexander is second from left. (Courtesy the House of the Temple Museum and Library)

The punchline is this: Abraham Alexander was one of the first Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the Mother Supreme Council of the Thirty-third Degree. Jimmy Turner can now tell you a lot about his great-great-great-great-grandfather Abraham Alexander. This extraordinary story lies in the unveiling of the details, and that’s where the Devil resides. Larissa Watkins, long-time librarian at the House of the Temple had this to say about Jimmy Turner, the principal player in this remarkable tale. “Mr. Turner knocked on the door of the House of the Temple Library not knowing for sure that he would find the answer to his genealogical quest which began in 2015.”

Watkins has been employed in the Library of the House of the Temple since July 1, 1999. She said that Turner had been armed with more information than most. “Before Jimmy came to the Library, he did exceptional research. He knew that his great-great-grandfather, Saul Magnus, lived in Rome, Georgia. Jimmy thought Magnus might have been a Mason.” Watkins added, “Thus, for the librarian, it was a piece of cake to pull the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Georgia for the time period. Well, Jimmy got his genealogic reward: Saul Magnus was a Master Mason of Cherokee Lodge No. 66.” And as a side benefit, a date for Saul’s residence in Rome could be established.

Alexander was born in London in 1743 and immigrated to Charleston, SC, in 1771. He was a very prominent Jew who had been described as “a Calligraphist of the first order,” which may account for his election as the first Grand Secretary General of the Supreme Council. This wry historical reference comes with an intriguing storyline. It was an unusual group who formed the first Supreme Council in Charleston, all possessing a strong religious heritage. Four were Jews, two were from Scotland, two from Ireland, two were Frenchmen, and one was a German. Each possessed a rich and varied background. The four who were Jews were from different countries and reflected quite different upbringings in religious matters. By profession the founders were soldiers, physicians, and merchants; one was a clergyman. Illustrious Albert Pike summarized the founding fathers in this manner: “When and where has there ever been exhibited a more striking proof of the strength and value of Masonic brotherhood?” Yes, but who is this Jimmy Turner and what has he to do with this story?

7 Seattle Scottish Rite

Jimmy Turner, current head of the storied liquor empire Joseph A. Magnus, is at the crux of this journey, for certainly his saga is an amazing voyage of fortitude and discovery that ends at the House of the Temple in Washington, DC. Turner is the great-grandson of Joseph A. Magnus. His company, the Jos. A. Magnus & Co., located in Cincinnati, distributed and distilled a successful line of pre-Prohibition spirits. Turner had embarked on a spirit-driven quest for the family’s Masonic ancestry—filling in his family tree.

It is unlikely that Joseph A. Magnus remembered his father, Saul Magnus. Saul Magnus had marched away to fight for the Confederate cause when his son, Joseph, was only three years old.

As the eldest of four young and fatherless children, Joseph struggled through his early life to restore the family fortunes. He succeeded by prospering in the whiskey trade.

The 1860 US Census found the Magnus family at home in Rome, GA. Saul Magnus was recorded as a thirty-year-old merchant, even at that young age affluent for the times. He had come from Germany to join an extended Jewish family headed by Ralph Moses, a plantation owner who had pioneered the growing of peaches in Georgia, and Saul had grown wealthy in the process. When Moses joined the Confederate rebellion in 1861 as chief supply officer for General Longstreet’s Army, many of his male relatives and friends had joined the South’s cause. Saul was among them, and perished at the Battle of Resaca, GA. The battle occurred on May 16, 1864, when the advance of Gen. James McPherson´s (USA) troops moving South from Lay’s Ferry en route to Kingston, GA, were delayed twenty-four hours by Gen. William J. Hardee´s (CSA) rear guard.

Saul’s son, Joseph Magnus, also appears to have been successful early. By the age of twenty-six he was financially secure enough to marry. His bride was Helena Eleanor, five years his junior, who was born in South Carolina into an established family there. Subsequently, the couple moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. The 1900 Census found them living there with four children. The family was wealthy enough to have three live-in servants. Magnus’s occupation was given as “wholesale liquors.”

Although Ohio voted to ban sales of liquor, wine, and beer in 1916 Many liquor dealers in Cincinnati and elsewhere in the state folded up, but Jos. A. Magnus Co. continued to operate for two more years, probably as a result of serving customers in states that were still “wet.” After the advent of National Prohibition in 1920, Magnus disappeared from public view. He died on May 4, 1927, and is buried in the United Jewish Cemetery in Cincinnati. Suffice to say, however, that in his lifetime he had experienced severe hardships and yet had risen above them to become a wealthy and respected merchant. In so doing Joseph Magnus had redeemed the supreme sacrifice of his father. Enter heir and family historian Jimmy Turner, whose dogged drive and determination led to a wonderful discovery. Saul Magnus had indeed left a legacy.

The House of the Temple Library is the unlikely star of this tale of a liquor baron that started unfolding over two hundred years ago! Through persistence, a sharp eye, and the assistance of Librarian Larissa Watkins, Jimmy Turner discovered that his great-great-great-great-grandfather was a founding member of the Mother Supreme Council! But this amazing story and journey begins with another liquor baron during the Civil War period in American history. Alfred Hitchcock could not have invented a more twisted and intriguing plot for a movie.

Jimmy Turner is chief executive of Joseph A Magnus Distillery, created to honor his great grandfather, and on a whim searched his family tree. Many American families have begun to look deeply into their pasts to discover the heroes and rogues in their lineage. Jimmy Turner’s ancestor was the first Secretary-General of the Supreme Council! His visits to the House of the Temple yielded much fruit!

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Let’s travel back in time a little bit. The port cities of Charleston, SC, and Rome, GA, are a stone’s throw away from each other. They share a river waterway, the Savannah River, a major tributary that forms most of the border between South Carolina and Georgia. They were the nuclei of early English settlements during the Colonial Period of American history. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border. This detail is a genealogic reference that figures prominently in this stunning tale.

Unbeknownst to Jimmy at the beginning of his quest, the Supreme Council for the Scottish Rite was founded on May 31, 1801, at Shepheard’s Tavern located at the corner of Church and Broad Streets, Charleston, SC. “I discovered that from the work that these gentlemen did, all councils throughout the world have descended” Jimmy notes. “This information has sent me on a three-year journey.” “Without a doubt, I know by each fascinating development, this is nothing short of destiny and fate.” Jimmy exclaimed excitedly. He continued with, “Immediately within two weeks of learning the story from my brother, I flew to Charleston and met with two of the most renowned researchers and curators in the city, Dale Rosengarten, curator of the special family collection library at the college of Charleston, and Nic Butler, public library of Charleston.”

“On that same trip, I went to the Scottish Rite library. Outside the door was an obelisk with all the names of the eleven gentlemen of Charleston [the founders of the Supreme Council]. On July 28, 2015, I met with Librarian Larissa Watkins [at the House of the Temple] who suggested that I check the Georgia Proceedings. The library was so large; it was intimating.” Joseph Magnus’s father was Saul Magnus. “Upon looking him up, we found him in Rome, Georgia’s Cherokee Lodge No. 66. I had an epiphany.”

Above: Detail of the 1855 Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Georgia listing “S. Magnus” as the Junior Deacon of Cherokee Lodge No. 66 in Rome, GA (Courtesy the House of the Temple Museum and Library)

“Joseph had emigrated from Prussia around 1850 and married Rebecca Alexander, the greatgranddaughter of Alexander [the Supreme Council founder]. I was confident but bitterly disappointed that we did not find Joseph in our initial search. Larissa said don’t give up. And I literally opened the book to the page where his son, Saul, was listed as a member of Cherokee Lodge! He was Junior Steward.”

“Abraham Alexander’s year of arrival in Charleston was in 1763, as it was listed in both 1760 and 1763 census records, and in 1790 census records in different sections. I also confirmed from census records that he was still listed with the port at the time of his death in 1816.”

“Without having come here and receiving great help from both Brent Morris and Larissa, so many future discoveries would never have occurred.”

Seattle Scottish Rite 9

“However, the story did not fall together until January, 2015. Let me retrace some facts. My greatgrandfather, Joseph A. Magnus moved to Cincinnati in 1890 and opened his distillery around 1892. One of his brands became the most popular brand of rye whiskey in the south. He closed his doors a year before prohibition.”

It turns out that Abraham Alexander Sr., the founder of the American family, was born in London, England, in 1743. His father, Joseph Rafael, was a rabbi, and Abraham was schooled in rabbinical studies. In 1763, Abraham emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina and eventually became the second rabbi of the first temple of Charleston, the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Congregation.

After the resignation of the rabbi in 1764, Abraham Alexander served the Congregation as its rabbi and cantor for the next twenty years. Records show he was among the first Jewish settlers to come to the Southern Colonies. In 1771, he went back to London to marry, and had a child, Joseph Alexander Jr. He then returned to Charleston, while his wife and child remained in England.

Although he had only been in the American Colonies since 1763, Abraham Alexander Sr. became firmly rooted in his new homeland and proved himself to be a true American patriot. He fought the British as a Lieutenant in Burns Troop, Wade Hampton’s Regiment of Light Dragoons, Sumter’s brigade during the Carolina campaign, and as Lieutenant of Dragoons in Captain William McKenzie’s Troop, in Lieutenant Colonel William Hill’s Regiment.

After the Revolutionary War, in 1798, Abraham Alexander Jr. followed his father to the United States and settled in Charleston. He married and had ten children, the youngest being Rebecca, who married Saul Magnus. Joseph A. Magnus was the oldest of their children.

Indeed, Abraham Alexander Sr., an early Mason in the Colonies, was among the group known as “The Eleven Gentlemen of Charleston,” founders of the Mother Supreme Council of the World of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. It was the first Supreme Council and all other Supreme Councils in the World descended from it. Perhaps more amazing was Jimmy’s fortuitous meeting with historian Dr. Fred Auld in Charleston who indicated that his great-great-great-grandfather, Isaac Auld, was also one of the founding members! “I thought it was absolutely amazing that his ancestor, Isaac Auld was huddled with my ancestor!” A hunch, a feeling, and persistence, with the help of the House of the Temple Library and its vast resources, enabled Jimmy Turner to discover his Masonic roots!

Photo: Authors of this article S. Brent Morris, 33°, Grand Cross (left) and Gregory S. Kearse, 33° (right) with Jimmy Turner (center) (Photography: Kia Boone, The Scottish Rite Journal)

James Turner has a BA in Communications and Economics from Denison University and was a long-time partner in Turner-Gary Sports whose clients included several major league baseball players. He is now the principal of Joseph A. Magnus Distillery.

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!

September

October

James Perry 09-07-1921

Benton Webb 10-02-1920

James McCurdy 09-24-1924

Charles Lamb 10-11-1920

Douglas Barrette 09-21-1924

Genero Garcia 10-19-1921

Rodney Phillips 09-16-1925

James Lumsden 10-27-1923

Gomer Evans 09-18-1927

Adel Mohsen 10-31-1925

Loyd Evens 09-27-1927

Robert Johnson 10-08-1926

Rene Blumenfeld 09-10-1928

William Hartley 10-09-1927

Timothy Hurley 09-17-1928

Donald Wilson 10-07-1928

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S e a t t l e S c o t t i s h R i t e 11

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September 8, 9:00 AM: Kadosh Degrees September 18, 7:30 PM: Stated Meeting with Dinner at 6:30 October 16, 7:30 PM: Stated Meeting with 6:30 Dinner * All events subject to change.

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