Three Generations and Counting

Cover Photo: Three generations of the Ewald family gather at the Masonic altar.

by Tom Ewald, 32°, Valley of Milwaukee

My father, Emil Ewald 33°, became a Scottish Rite Mason in the Spring, 1964 Class in the Valley of Milwaukee. In 1998, my three brothers and I all became Master Masons together. (It was first time in Wisconsin that four sons became Master Masons at the same time.) My brother Craig and I joined Scottish Rite in 2000, and today I am a Past Commander in Chief (2016) and a 33°- elect.

In 2002, my other two brothers, Brian and Dan, became Scottish Rite Masons. In 2017, my stepson Ryan and all four of my nephews (Eric, Jay, Kevin, and Brett) became Master Masons through Wisconsin’s Day of Light program. If not for this contemporary approach they all would not have been able to join, much less together like their fathers had. In 2018, my Father was the class honoree for the Valley of Milwaukee spring reunion. That day, my stepson Ryan, and nephews, Eric and Brett, became Scottish Rite Masons in their Grandpa’s class. Masonry is well rooted into our family’s third generation and is a proud part of our family’s legacy.