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Two Family Traditions in One Lodge
Skerrett Lodge No. 343, Cochranville, has a distinct honor
of having three blood brothers/Masonic brothers who are all Past
Masters: Brothers David L. Tennant, Sr., two-time Past Master;
William H. Tennant, Jr., three-time Past Master; and Donald F.
Tennant, Past Master (shown left to right in the back row of the
photo below).
On Feb. 17, members of Skerrett Lodge No. 343 were pleased
and honored to confer the three degrees of Freemasonry on
Charles B. Lantz by special dispensation granted by Ronald A.
Aungst, Sr. Bro. Lantz is the fifth generation of the Lantz family
to become a member of Skerrett Lodge No. 343 and to be raised
in the same building as his ancestors. He is shown in the front
row of the photo above with his father-in-law, Bro. John C. Evans,
II, P.M., who gave all three charges. Each of the Tennant brothers
conferred one of his degrees.
The brethren are shown in the newly renovated lodge room,
where Skerrett Lodge No. 343 has met continuously since being
constituted in July 1862.
William M. Roosevelt, III Reaches 100th Masonic Degree
On May 22, Bro. William M. Roosevelt, III, P.M., member
of St. Alban Lodge No. 529, Philadelphia, reached an historic
milestone by conferring his 100th Master Mason Degree during an
Extra Meeting of Springfield-Hanby Lodge No. 767, Springfield,
Pa. With some of the brethren from St. Alban Lodge looking on,
he conferred the degree on Bro. James P. Mulvihill, Jr., a member
of Springfield-Hanby Lodge.
Bro. Roosevelt conferred his first Master Mason's degree at
an Extra Meeting of St. Alban Lodge in February 2001. From
there on, he has also assisted when needed at other lodges around
the Greater Philadelphia area.
Bro. Roosevelt is also a member of St. Alban Lodge's Masonic
Education Committee and is the lodge's Ritualistic Instructor.
Left to Right: Bro. William C. Doty, W.M., St. Alban Lodge No. 529; Bro.
Armando M. Duran, W.M., Springfield-Hanby Lodge No. 767; Bro. James
P. Mulvihill and Bro. William M. Roosevelt, III, P.M., St. Alban Lodge No.
529.
Helping Hands
Bro. Fred Richards, Sr., P.M., Moscow Lodge No. 504, and his
wife, Karen, were out of town visiting their daughter last January
when they received a devastating phone call: their house had
caught fire! A short circuit in their kitchen range sparked the
blaze, and their home and its contents were a total loss.
"It was shocking," Bro. Fred Richards, Jr., Moscow Lodge No.
504, said. "Luckily, nobody was home."
It took just a few days for the word to travel to Bro.
Richards, Sr.'s lodge. In the tradition of Masons Helping Masons,
they wasted no time offering assistance however they could. His
Masonic brothers contributed money for food and supplies. One
brother donated a dump truck to demolish the remains of the old
home. Several others helped with pouring the foundation.
Bro. Matt Capooci, Moscow Lodge No. 504, went above
and beyond and assisted the Richards with the purchase of a prefabricated
house at a discounted rate. By the second week in
June, the house was near completion, and Bro. Richards, Sr., and
his wife were settling in.
"He's really the type of person who wouldn't ask you for anything," Bro. Robert Hawk, Worshipful Master, Moscow Lodge
No. 504, said.
"They didn't expect it," Bro. Richards, Jr., said.
"A lot of people really stepped up. They are very appreciative."
The fact that Masons are such benevolent men is one of the
reasons Bro. Richards, Sr., joined the fraternity. His father was
also involved and now, his three sons and several sons-in-law have
become Masons. He recently received his 25-Year Service Award.
Prior to being handed a check, he was not aware the lodge
was organizing a fund raiser for him, although the gesture did not
come as a complete shock.
"It was not a total surprise," he said. "[Masons] are such good people and they do this type of thing all the time. I was impressed with the whole aspect of people coming together to do something for me."
Lodge No. 474 Donates Flag Pole
Coalville Lodge No. 474, Sugar Notch, donated a flag pole
to Sugar Notch Boro and held a dedication on Memorial Day
2007. Bro. William A. Davis, Sr., P.M., W.M., served as Master
of Ceremonies. The former pole was many years old and in poor
condition.
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| Left to right: Brothers Frank Patts; Dr. Mark Bohn; Wilson Wickiser, P.M.;Carl Fedak, S.W.; PFC Thomas Fedak; William Brandt, District Deputy
Grand Master for District 12; William A. Davis, Sr., P.M., W.M.; Joseph
Koonrad, J.M.C.; William A. Davis, Jr., P.M.; Gerald George and Christopher
Balliet. |
Racing to a Clean Finish
Masonic District 24 sponsored the All American Soap Box
Derby for the 14th time on Saturday, June 16 in Erie. Lodges
within the district provide funding and manpower to run the race
for young boys and girls in the area. This year there were 37 young
people registered to race. A pre-race banquet was held the night
before at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Erie.
Ossea Lodge Restores Masonic Monument
Discolored, covered with moss and tilting, the Masonic
Monument in Wellsboro Cemetery was in desperate need of
restoration. Brethren from Ossea Lodge No. 317, Wellsboro,
cleaned the monument, seeded, mulched and repainted the
background. Bro. Gary Cooper, P.M. of Tioga Lodge No. 373
and owner of Wellsboro Monument Company, removed the
monument, dug a new footer 4' deep, poured it with concrete and
reset the stone.
The monument was originally dedicated on Dec. 28, 1973.
Left to right: Brothers Richard M. Boyce, P.M., whom, along with the late
Ronald Mogush, P.M., transported the monument from its creator three
decades ago; Timothy S. McConnell, D.D.G.M. for District 17; Robert B.
Reilly, W.M. of Ossea Lodge; and Brad Boyce, Pursuivant, newly raised
Mason and grandson of Bro. Richard. Photo by James L. Patterson, P.M.
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