Portrait Presentation

Dean Clatterbuck ,

PM Potomac Lodge No.5

The 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 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.

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Appreciation Celebration

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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 cappellagroup composed of American University students, whose selections were received with sustained applause and, at the end, a standing ovation. 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. ■

Portrait Presentation...

Look at the men who occupy the chairs in this lodge tonight. Also look at the Past Grand Masters who have helped to fill the sidelines. From the perspective of almost 50 years in the fraternity, I can tell you, without equivocation, that these brethren are all protagonists of change in the fraternity. Every one of them was and is an instrument of change. Masonry today is not what it was and for that we can all be grateful. It is better today than it was yesterday. And it is better because we now have, at long last, an opportunity to live up to all of Masonry’s proclaimed principles. While I do not want to impose upon your patience with a long and involved discussion of how and to what extent we have changed in the last 50 years, I do want to suggest the parameters of the effort in which we have all had a role. Moreover I want you to appreciate that in this time frame the Past Grand Masters who occupy the stations and places here tonight have been observers of and participants in epochal changes that have impacted significantly on:

1. How we recruit candidates for the degrees 2. How we view ritualistic standards and procedures

3. How we keep our records and conduct our business

4. How we select and train our personnel

5. How relate to other groups, Masonic and public

6. How we promote the fraternity in the public fora.

What has been done in the past 50 years suggests, in part, what must still be done. As the need for controlled change is eternal, it is my prayer that Masons of responsibility, at all levels, will continue to challenge the status quo and continue to be men of vision and imagination, men who will accept the reality of this hour as a challenge to the greatness that is yet to be attained. It is thus also my prayer that our current leaders, and those who are yet to come, will direct their energies to the evaluation of a number of unsolved or evolving issues. If they will do so, and I am confident that they will, they will focus on such pressing matters as: 1. The improvement of Masonic awareness within and outside the fraternity; 2. The evaluation, improvement, modification, and where necessary, the possible elimination of current benevolent, educational, and promotional programs; 3. The perfection of the current imperfect relationships that link the Masonic order to organizations of the spirit, to female organizations, and to organizations dedicated to the cultivation of American youth; and 4. The improvement of lodge relations with its members. We must continue to do good unto others, of course, but at the same time we simply must do more for those good souls who are already counted in the household of the faithful. In short, we stand at a significant and challenging Masonic milestone, and my only regret is that I personally do not have another fifty years to give to the cause. But I am confident that our successors will be equal to the task, will not shirk responsibility; and will, in the end, achieve goals that we cannot at this time even imagine. Masonry is forever, my friends, for ever and ever. So mote it be. ■

Portrait Presentation. Grand Master, accompanied by Grand Lodge officers, present portrait of our Grand Secretary Emeritus to Cherrydale Lodge No. 42, A.F&A.M. of Virginia