Legacy of Brotherhood

THE 84TH ANNUAL MALHEUR CAVE DEGREE Legacy OF

by M.W.B. D. Arthur Bush, P.G.M. Worshipful Master of Robert Burns Lodge No. 97

“Why travel West to East?”

The answer of course is to attend the 84th annual conferral of the Master Mason Degree within the Malheur Cave!

To be the recipient of this distinct honor is a peculiarity that very few Masons have received over the years and it will certainly be the crown jewel in their Masonic journey. This year’s recipient was Brother William M. Alexander from Bend Lodge No. 139. What is especially unique is that the candidate was raised by his father W.B. Matthew A. Alexander and his grandfather W.B. William David Ranbeau, both members of Bend No. 139. What a legacy for this family.

This year’s event, hosted by Robert Burns Lodge No. 97 for the 84th time, set a record for attendance with 144 Brothers present—almost half of them were first time visitors. This was also the Grand Master’s Official Visit for Robert Burns Lodge No. 97. M.W.B. Timothy J. Best had ample support from his Grand Lodge Officers and his family. Brothers Joshua L. Best and Jacob T. Best, two of the Grand Master’s sons, attended.

The Grand Master received a whiskey decanter from the Lodge to mark his visit.

Several Brothers were recognized for contributing so much of their time to the betterment of Robert Burns Lodge No. 97. Every Lodge has a “spark plug” and in the Burns Lodge that is W.B. Gene L. Mackey. He was awarded the Hiram Award for being the “go to” guy not only in Lodge, but also during the weekend of the Cave Degree.

Two other Brothers, W.B. Daniel D. Bush and W.B. Brandt F. Shores, were awarded the first of its kind, “The Master Craftsman” award. Both these Brothers were driving forces in removing the old and installing the new bleachers, LED lights in the cave, designing and installing the gate for the cave, and lastly designing and building the new cook shack which will surely stand the test of time and provide the Brothers with good food for years to come.

The Widows Sons, Sojourners chapter, set up an axe tossing contest complete with a big slab of tree as the target. There was a movie on Friday night with popcorn provided by Tigard-Orenomah Lodge No. 207. They also sponsored the “Fairly Honest Art’s Horse Shoe Tossin’” tournament. Gresham Lodge No. 152 also provided the Brothers an opportunity, for a modest donation, to taste various “hard waters”. Several Brothers searched for arrowheads while others flipped over rocks just to see what lived underneath. There were campsites where Brothers huddled around and discussed the Code or the Ritual while another group sat and remembered departed Brothers and talked about the past. It was impossible not to enjoy the 84th annual Malheur Cave Degree.

Special shout outs go to W.B. Gregory L. O’Neal for providing new t-shirts and hats as souvenirs, W.B. Robert “Rusty Root” F. Root, Jr. and W.B. Patrick Cuomo of Corvallis No. 14, who took over cooking on the barbeque trailer, and W.B. Henry “Hank” G. Stockhoff for driving his grandfather’s 1950 Massey-Harris tractor to cut the tall grass so that the Brothers could see where they were stepping and what they might be stepping on.

During my 20+ years of attending the Malheur Cave Degree, I’ve always come away with something new and this year was no exception. This year, all present were treated to Brother Michael “Mike” J. Milford’s singing of the funeral soliloquy on the way to the grave. His voice was magnificent and resounded off the walls of the cave.