PORTRAIT PRESENTATION
Portrait Presentation Dean Clatterbuck,
T
he Grand Master, Albert McNair Smith, accompanied by Grand Lodge officers and Past Grand Masters, visited Cherrydale Lodge No. 42 in Arlington, Virginia on Thursday, August 17, 2006. They did so to present that lodge with the portrait of Stewart W. Miner that had hung in his office during his 18-year period of service as the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Cherrydale Lodge, on this occasion, was celebrating its annual Past Grand Masters Night, with all of the stations and places in the lodge being filled by past or present officers of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, F.A.A.M.; the Grand Lodge of Virginia, A.F. & A.M.; and the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia, Inc. Numbered among the 18 Past Grand Masters present, in addition to the nine that hailed from the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, were three from the Grand Lodge of Virginia, one from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia, and one each from the Grand Lodges of South Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Vermont. The program for the evening was offered in the presence of non-Masons after the close of the lodge. Festivities began with introductory remarks by Don Strehle, Past Master and master of ceremonies, followed by a musical tribute offered by the members of Bethel No. 1 of the International Order of Job’s Daughters. Thereafter, the Past Grand Masters present were afforded an open-ended invitation to comment, following which Grand Master Smith was invited to take the floor. In his
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response he stated that the Grand Lodge officers had approved the reproduction of Brother Miner’s original portrait, in the format now prevailing in Grand Lodge. That reproduction was prepared, he declared, and is now on display in the board room of the Grand Lodge. This done, it was the further pleasure of the Grand Lodge, he said, to present the original portrait of Brother Miner to his mother lodge. Those present indicated approval of his gesture with a sustained round of applause. In his response to the presentation, Brother Miner stated that on an occasion such as this, the words “thank you” seemed insufficient to express the appreciation that filled one’s mind and heart. But those words, he said, correctly conveyed the gratitude that he felt for the Craft and its members. “Through the good graces of the fraternity,” he declared, “you are all part of my extended family.” Thereafter, embellishing this theme, he made some observations as follows:
As a fraternal family we must be concerned with one another, share each others cares and concerns, working always for the common good in the face of a constantly changing society. We do so, I suppose, by a process of trial and error, but in Masonry, as in society as a whole, we are integral to and part of the phenomena of change. This is, it seems, a part of human nature, and as long as I have been a Mason, the Craft has been calling for change. And the leaders of Masonry have responded as they were able to do so. continued on page 14
Appreciation Celebration
at the end, a standing ovation.
continued from page 12
At the conclusion of the joyous celebration, the Grand Master, together with Grand Lodge officers and brethren, repaired to the upper lodge room to close the Grand Lodge after which they joined their families and friends for a sumptuos buffet reception and animated fellowship in the refectory. Unquestionably, this appreciation celebration, was a truly appreciated Masonic event. ■
special plaque honoring the Grand Lodge for the role Masons played in this year’s Olympics. The entertainment for this occasion was provided by On a Sensual Note, an all-male a cappella group composed of American University students, whose selections were received with sustained applause and,
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