LEGACY
A Masonic and Military Legacy
The
fourth child of William E. and Alice H. Crosby, I was born on November 14, 1931, in Meridian, Mississippi, and grew up in the small town of Bonita wanting to be both a Mason and a veteran—a Mason, because dad, two brothers, and a brother-in-law were Masons, and a veteran, because both brothers and brother-in-law were veterans of World War II and Korea.
In
the summer of 1952, I was assigned to the 581st Maintenance Squadron of the 13th Air Force and stationed at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. A few weeks before my 21st birthday, I wrote home saying, “Dad, I don’t know what I’m supposed to ask but do you think it’s possible for me to be a Mason?”
“Dad, I don’t know what I’m supposed to ask but do you think it’s possible for me to be a Mason?” Since I was 2,000 miles from home, I wasn’t even sure it could happen. Several months later, a man named Alfred Adrian, Senior Warden of Leonard Wood Lodge #105, came by
The lodge was one of the most beautiful buildings on base. the shop to let me know that there was a lodge on base and that the officers of that storied lodge would be happy to confer the three degrees of Masonry as a courtesy to King Solomon #333 in Meridian, Mississippi. The lodge was one of the most beautiful buildings on base as was the work done by the officers. My
Four generations of Masons: (left to right) William E. Crosby, Lucius O. Crosby, John E. Crosby, and Tyler E. Crosby
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