Grand Lodge Gold Fidelity Medal Holder WB Glenn O. Rickard Jr

GRAND LODGE GOLD FIELITY MEDAL HOLDER WB GLENN O. RICKARD, JR. PASSES

Michael D. Nicholas Sr. PGM 2020

On August 1, 2009, a group of motorcycle riders from LaFayette DuPont Lodge #19 decided to make a visit to some Past Masters in the beautiful hills of Maryland, just north of Frederick. These Past Masters were older Masons who had not been able to attend Lodge in years. They were all incredibly happy to see us. When we stopped at the home of WB Glenn Rickard in Thurmond MD, his wife said he was not home. At age 84, WB Rickard was the oldest PM on our list, and we were sure we would find him sitting in a rocker knitting a sweater or something. No way! His wife directed us back out to US Highway 15, and we found Glenn working alongside that busy road at a submarine sandwich fundraising-booth for his local Lions Club! We had to wait for a while to talk because he was so engaged and hustling to serve customers. WB Glenn was not only happy to see us, but he treated us to some delicious subs, and then refused to take any payment. He was cheerful, smiling, and full of life. He joked that every month when he got the Lodge bulletin, he would check to see just how many slots he had moved closer to the top of the “Living Past Masters” list. At that time, he was just one PM short – a goal he had no desire to achieve. We presented WB Glenn with one of our newly minted Lodge Challenge Coins,

which he is holding in the picture. WB Rickard was an inspiration to us as a Brother who continued to stay involved and worked hard for causes to help others. I did not see WB Glenn again until December of 2020. Frankly, I regret not having made the MWB Nicholas time to visit with him sooner, or to have arranged a ride for him to the occasional Lodge meeting. When the previous holder of our Grand Lodge Fidelity Medal passed to the celestial Lodge in mid-2020, the Grand Lodge Committee formed for the purpose of finding another worthy Brother recommended WB Glenn O. Rickard Jr. as the most qualified candidate.

WB Glenn O. Rickard Jr.

2009 in Thurmond MD. Jim Hassen, Glenn Rickard, Mike Nicholas. Fort Dupont Lodge in 1949. WB Rickard is in the right front, sitting as Junior Warden.

On December 8, our Grand Secretary, Grand Lodge Photographer, and I visited WB Glenn and his wife at their home in Thurmont to present him that distinguished award. Glenn was now 95 years old and looked as spry and cheerful as I remembered him from 2009. Because of COVID restrictions, we kept the presentation party very small.

Glenn and Mary warmly welcomed us and invited to stay for lunch! We declined their gracious invitation. At that point in COVID protocols, people did not even shake hands, let alone share a meal in someone’s home. But it was such a joy to see how happy WB Rickard was to have us visit, and he proudly showed us his office and the barn out back of his home that he had built. Glenn’s father had been a member of Naval Lodge #4, and Glenn initially joined Naval Lodge after his service in WWII. But the opportunity came to form a new Lodge, and Glenn was proud to have been a founding member of Fort DuPont Lodge #52 when it was formed in 1947. He had several pictures on the walls of his office with his officers from when he served as Worshipful Master of Fort DuPont Lodge in 1955. Fort DuPont Lodge merged with LaFayette Lodge in 1989, and WB Glenn was one of the last remaining men from Fort DuPont.

Glenn and Mary explained that Glenn was still very active in his church, in the local Lions Club, and with the local Masons in Thurmont. He was sharp as a tack and we really enjoyed our all too brief visit.

In early April 2021, shortly after his 96th birthday, we received the sad news that WB Glenn Rickard had passed to the Celestial Lodge. His Masonic funeral service was held on Friday, 9 April in Thurmont, MD.

MWB Jesse Villarreal, PGM and PM of LaFayette DuPont Lodge #19, offered a very moving and dignified recital of our Masonic Funeral rite. We were ably assisted by many members of Acacia Lodge #155 AF & AM, Thurmont MD, whose Lodge building is located a block from the funeral home. They graciously offered to have us assemble and open an emergent lodge, process from their building, and then provided refreshments following the service.

My final thought on this experience centers on brotherly love. It is a chief tenet of Freemasonry and without it we are only a social club. It is brotherly love that ignites in us the desire to reach out and maintain contact with our older Masons. They are a treasure. We are all busy, but our elderly Masons are too often forgotten. It only takes a few short years, and soon no active Masons in a Lodge know most the majority of those men listed as “Living Past Masters”.

We do have some Brethren in our Grand Lodge who have already dedicated themselves to this purpose, locating and personally visiting older Masons, both here and in other states. On behalf of so many of us, I thank them for this selfless, often invisible, service.

And for me, WB Glenn O. Rickard Jr., former holder of our Grand Lodge Gold Fidelity Medal, will forever remain an example of brotherly love, cheerfulness, and dedicated service.