Edward O. Weisser, R.W. Grand Master (1996-1997)

At age 80, Brother Edward O. Weisser, R.W. Past Grand Master, has no plans for slowing down anytime soon. He still enjoys skiing and hunting, as well as clamming and fishing with his family in Ocean City, N.J., where he owns a summer home. Active in Langhorne United Methodist Church, Brother Ed also spends a lot of time with his Brethren. He continues to confer Masonic degrees when asked (he recently gave his 134th 3rd degree), serves as Vice Chairman of the Children’s Dyslexia Center of Reading and Chairman of the Grand Lodge Committee on Preservation of Monuments. Every year, he visits the Grand Lodge of Alaska, where he is a dual member and a member of the board that selects students for scholarships.

Brother Ed hasn’t given his accordion a rest, either. A 72-year Mummer, he and his twin brother, Bill, joined their first string band at age 9. He continues to play with the Greater Kensington String Band, for which he served as President and in various other leadership capacities. In 2014, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association Hall of Fame.

“Both the string bands and the Masons are known for their charitable work,” Brother Ed said.

The Weisser brothers love the smiles they receive from the young and old alike. “It makes you feel like you’re doing something for humanity,” Brother Ed said. Helping other people is a core value for Brother Ed; he served as a role model for a student for more than a decade.

Members of Newtown Lodge No. 427, the Weisser brothers built a business on the land they grew up farming as children. Brother Ed still serves as Secretary-Treasurer of Eastern Dawn Mobile Home Park, Inc., Langhorne; Brother Bill is president.

Prior to his current vocation, Brother Ed changed careers a few times. After earning his master’s degree in education from Temple University, he taught for 11 years in the Neshaminy School District and coached baseball and bowling. He was also employed in the construction trade for three years and owned and operated a family campground for 14 years.

Brother Ed and his late wife, Barbara, have two daughters, Robyn and Kim, and six grandchildren. He is very proud of all their accomplishments.

During his term as Grand Master, Brother Ed led a ground breaking ceremony for the expansion of retirement living units at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, and new services began through the Bleiler Caring Cottage, the Lafayette Units for memory care and the Transitional Care Unit for short-term rehabilitation. In 1997, the 35 youth from the Masonic Children’s Home were treated to a surprise trip to Disney World with funds raised through the sale of note cards designed by the children. Brother Ed provided the idea for the project and announced the trip at the 74th Annual Youth Appreciation Day.

In March 1996, Grand Master Weisser signed an agreement to restore the National Memorial Arch, Valley Forge National Park, to its previous glory. The arch was erected at the cost of $125,000 to commemorate the arrival of General and Brother George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge and was dedicated on June 19, 1917. Eighty years later, the arch was closed to the public for safety reasons, as the stones were falling out of the arch. Federal funds were unavailable to repair it. Fortunately, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania stepped in and financed the project.

On Aug. 24, 1997, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania unveiled the restored National Memorial Arch.

“Why would the Masons spend $1.5 million? The answer is easy,” Brother Ed said. “We believe our children and their children need to know that the men in 1777 cared about freedom.” In fact, they so valued their independence, they endured the harsh Valley Forge winter and fought to preserve it.

Also during his term as Grand Master, Brother Ed supported the efforts of Prince Hall Freemasons in Pennsylvania to secure approval from the Grand Lodge of England. Back in 1732, when the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania received its warrant from England, there was only to be one Grand Lodge in each jurisdiction. R.W. Past Grand Secretary Thomas W. Jackson corresponded with England to ask that two warranted lodges be approved in Pennsylvania.

In his inaugural address, Grand Master Weisser announced the theme of his term to be the opening charge: “Let us promote the useful Arts, and by that means mark our superiority and distinction.” Twenty years later, he still lives by that tenet.