DISTINGUISHED MASONS HONORED
Distinguished Masons Honored Staff Report t the annual communication on December 10, 2005, Grand Master Leonard Proden exercised his prerogative as Grand Master to award Valentine Reintzel Medals to W. Don Baugher, Paul D. Dolinsky, and Dalton A. West. In addition the Grand Lodge, on the recommendation of its Awards Committee, voted unanimously to present the Distinguished Service Medal to Victor Adegbite. The Valentine Reintzel Medals were presented at the Annual Communication and the Distinguished Service Award was presented at the Installation Communication, one week later. All recipients were accorded standing ovations by the brethren of Grand Lodge. The following citations accompanied the presentations of these medals.
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He was raised a Master Mason in March of 1963 and is a member of the York Rite, Scottish Rite and Shrine. Additionally, he holds membership in the Red Cross of Constantine and the Order of Eastern Star. In August of 2005 Brother Baugher received the 33° of the Scottish Rite Supreme Council. He served his lodge as Worshipful Master in 1978 and was elected to the Grand Lodge Board of General Purposes in 1979. He served that board for six years, the last as its President. Elected Junior Grand Deacon in 1988, he served as Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F.&A.M. of Michigan in 1993-94. At the Annual Communication of that Grand Lodge in 1997 he was elected to the office of Right Worshipful Grand Secretary, a position he held until 2003, when he resigned to assume the position of Executive Director of the National Masonic Foundation for Children.
Brother Baugher has been involved with activities concerning youth and drug prevenValentine Reintzel Medalists. Flanked by the Grand Master (L) and the Deputy Grand Master (R), tion for many years. He Brothers Paul D. Dolinsky, W. Don Baugher, and Dalton A. West (L to R), 2005 recipients of Valentine was a founder and coReintzel Medals. chaired the first Board of W. DON BAUGHER Directors of SAIL (Substance Abuse Impairs Living), a Raised on a cotton farm in Southeast Missouri, Most community group dedicated to identifying and filling gaps Worshipful Brother W. Don Baugher moved to Michigan in community services dealing with at risk children. in 1956 soon after graduating from high school. He Don was elected to the Executive Board of the National attended Lake Michigan College, studying business while Masonic Foundation for Children at the Conference of working for the Whirlpool Corporation. He retired from Grand Masters in 1992 and later served four years as Whirlpool on February 29, 1996, after 39 years of service. President. He has represented the National Masonic He was the Manager, Corporate Purchasing and Foundation for Children, in the “Prevention Through Administrative Services, at the time of his retirement. Service Alliance” an initiative hosted by the Drug In 1958 Brother Baugher entered the U.S. Army, and for Enforcement Administration. the next two years he spent most of his time in assignment to the 58th Infantry in Germany. The Voice of Freemasonry
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