Widows Sons MRA Washington, D.C

BY MICHAEL D. NICHOLAS SR., DEPUTY GRAND MASTER, GRAND LODGE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, F.A.A.M., AND CHARTER MEMBER, WIDOWS SONS GRAND CHAPTER, SONS OF SOLOMON

Interested in motorcycles? Would you like to know how to combine the Brotherhood of Freemasonry with the thrill of riding the open road? Look no further!

The Widows Sons are Master Masons who enjoy both pursuits. They are Masons first and motorcycle riders second, and they operate at the pleasure of our Grand Master. Sometimes all the leather, loud noise and chrome can be intimidating to non-riders, but Widows Sons conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of our Brotherhood. For these Freemasons, the experience of riding motorcycles with each other enriches the already strong bond that they share as Masons.

Founded by Illinois Masons in 1998, the Widows Sons are organized in a manner similar our Masonic Grand Jurisdictions, and each U.S. State and overseas chapter of the Widows Sons is chartered individually. The first chapter of the Widow’s Son Motorcycle Riding Association (WSMRA) founded in each State is called the “Grand Chapter”, and they charter additional State chapters.

In our Grand Jurisdiction, the Widows Sons are officially called the “Widows Sons Motorcycle Riding Association (MRA) of Washington DC, Grand Chapter, Sons of Solomon.”

Our first organizational meeting was held on June 17, 2010 at the D.C. Scottish Rite, and our first elected officers were MWB Jules Tepper (President), WB Jeremy Barnes (Vice President), Bro. Jim Hassen (Secretary), WB Mike Nicholas (Treasurer), Bro. Roger Ford (Guardian of Membership) and Bro. Jay Emmerson (Road Captain). Our Chapter was officially chartered by the WSMRA of Virginia in a bonfire ceremony in a remote wooded area near Richmond, Virginia on 24 July 2010. Our hosts were the WSMRA “Lions Tribe” from Richmond, and they made the event memorable! Representing our DC Grand Chapter were MWB Jules Tepper, Jay Emmerson, Roger Ford, and Mike Nicholas.

Today, chapters exist in most States as RW Bro. Michael D. Nicholas, Sr., well as in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Deputy Grand Master Spain, France, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and many Canadian provinces.

The mission of our chapter is to contribute to the relief of widows and/or orphans of Master Masons, and to donate to charitable organizations selected by the members of the chapter. All members of the chapter are strongly encouraged to participate in or to attend at least one yearly fundraising event where the proceeds are donated to such a charity.

This past Memorial Day Weekend, our Widows Sons participated in the Rolling Thunder activities and the Rolling Thunder “protest ride" on Sunday. The word was out that this year might be the final "Rolling Thunder" after 31 years, and Washington D.C. was packed with over one million motorcycles. Hundreds of thousands of bikes participated in the protest ride on Sunday from the Pentagon parking lots through downtown D.C., and our Widows Sons were part of it!

If you are interested in learning more about the Widows Sons, you can reach out to our current Chapter President, WB Ed Arroyo (e.arroyo77@gmail.com) or our Chapter Secretary, WB Dave Cornwell (davecornwell.p5@gmail.com), or contact the Office of the Grand Secretary. 