Kennesaw Lodge No. 33, F & A. M.
July, 2008 Trestle Board Online

To all Masons Wherever So Disbursed

URGENT MEMORANDUM
TO: All Scottish Rite Valleys & Masonic Organizations
FROM: The Valley of Chicago, AASR, NMJ, USA
DATE: Monday, June 23, 2008

Public Service Night Recognition and Awards 2008

Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M. honors the Public Service men and women working to keep our community safe by providing those services that save lives and property for the citizens of Cobb County. Pictured first are Cobb County Sheriff, Brother Neil Warren, Worshipful Master Dr. Lee C. Gruber and Junior Deacon Bert Van Nouhuys who also served as Chairman of the committee that arranged this wonderful event for everyone involved. Each reciepient of an award was chosen by his/hers peers from the department they work. Prior to each award the presenter offered a story relating to the bravery and sacrifice made by these special individuals recieving an award, each story told touched all present and brought to light why we must honor and respect our Public Service Community and help them as they help us. Every Public Service Member present and not present were equally offered the appreciation of the community and the people they serve each day.

Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren provided us with good insight into the great cooperation by all the various agencies working together for the good of us all and for a brighter future for our children. Also in attendance was Brother and former 

Cobb County Sheriff Bill Hutson who is the longest serving Sheriff of Cobb County to date, Sheriff Hutson offered comforting words and told a personal story of what lead him to becoming a Freemason, we are happy to have Brother Hutson as one of our esteemed members and wish him many years of continued health and happiness, he served us all well and he is remembered by us all for his dedication to our community.  

The photo below was sent to us by our Brother from England who visited with us two times earlier this year including one night that was a degree night. Worshipful Brother Trevor Barnes from the Worcestershire Province also gave the members of Kennesaw No. 33 and wonderful eduactional experience during his visit with us. Worshipful Brother Trevor Barnes was kind enough to send us this great picture you see below and the kind words below the picture. It is addressed to Richard simply because he knows this name as webmaster of Kennesaw No. 33 it is sent to all the members of Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M.

Hi Richard,
I am not sure if you can get this picture, I was at a Masonic event where we entertain around 550 handicapped
Children at the fun fair for a day of free rides, ice cream, and chocolates etc arranged by my Lodge group with our Provincial Grand Master present ( he's the one on the left) and he wanted to know all about your Lodge having seen my Kennesaw 33 hat and sends you all greetings from Worcestershire Province.
Trust you are all well
Fraternal regards
Trevor

Kennesaw No. 33 Member 100 years old and counting!




Past Master Don Wilkes and Worshipful Master Dr. Lee Gruber visit Joe Williams on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Joel Sims Williams was raised a Master Mason on December 28, 1948 at Kennesaw Lodge #33 in Marietta, Georgia. The fact that he has been a Master Mason for 60 years is a very significant accomplishment in and of itself. Add to that remarkable feat, the fact that he was raised at age forty and you have a truly remarkable accomplishment. Brother Joe as he is known, taught himself the Morse code at the age of thirteen and went to work for the telegraph office in Anniston Alabama at the age of seventeen. His professional career included working for such notable persons as President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Little Whitehouse in Warm Springs, GA. His mind, still as sharp as a tack, he remarked that you had to get to lodge early in those days if you wanted a seat on the side. Kennesaw Lodge No. 33  is proud to honor Brother Joe Williams as its oldest Master Mason.

 Worshipful Master Doc Gruber appoints Richard E. Gibson Jr. as Ambassador to the Georgia Masonic Childrens Home in Macon. This position was accepted with extreme gratitude and a williness by Brother Gibson to place Kennesaw No. 33 back in a strong role with the Childrens Home of Georgia.

Brother John Arthur Meckley was voted in as Secretary for Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M. and we wish him the best while he serves the lodge as Secretary. To contact the new secretary you may email him at secretary@kennesaw33.org and he will respond accordingly. Congratulations Brother Meckley and may you serve the lodge for many years to come.

From your Webmaster

Some of you Brothers I know enjoy using the many different forums to seek more light and to get to know other Brothers from around the world. I would like to introduce you to www.thesanctumsanctorum.com this forum has really taken off and it is the best forum I found so far that really focuses on Freemasonry from the Blue Lodge level and up. I encourage anyone who enjoys this medium of learning and communicating to check it out. The rules are clearly posted and with any forum or public transfer of information be extremely careful not to pass esoteric knowledge over the net. In addition, I have activated our first beta test for our own new forum called the Marietta Masonic Forum. The same rules apply as with any forum with the main focus and concept of allowing Freemasons to answer questions, write on matters in and out of the Lodge, meet others online and then in person, and generally get a feeling of what others think in writing that they might not be able to convey in spoken words. This is a tool only to strengthen communications between every Freemason and the community at large. During our Beta access may be freely available and at times restricted until the final working version is determined by the manner in which the forum is used and the direction is appears to want to take.

Fiat Lux!

Enjoy Brothers,

Web Master

The Officers and Members of Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M thank you for helping already make this year one to remember and we look foward to meeting more of you as you continue to visit our lodge and help us keep Freemasonry alive and well in Georgia.

Kennesaw No. 33 F&A.M. has been fortunate this year and last regarding degree work. We are pleased to announce that we have initiated 4 new Entered Apprentice Masons as of 4/22/08. The Degree was conferred by Junior Warden Don Needham who did an outstanding job as did the entire officer corp and our visitors who helped by conducting for us. We appreciate each one of you and welcome your return and these fine young men advance their Masonic Careers. A special thanks to Mark C. Griffin for doing an outstanding first time job on the Apron, Charity, and Northeast Corner lectures, we expect great things yet from our growing ranks.

On behalf of Junior Warden Don Needham, the entire officer line and members of Kennesaw No. 33 we offer our sincere gratitude and special thanks to everyone who helped make our annual Pancake Breakfast a great success again this year for a worthy cause. We hope that each one of you enjoyed the fellowship and food and we look forward to the return of many of you as you rediscover Free and Accepted Masonry with us here at 33.

Most Sincerely and Fraternally,

Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M.

Cuban Lodges and Freemasonry in Cuba a great illustrated article submitted by

*Illustrious Brother Russ Mathuss 33°, Kennesaw No. 33 F&A.M.

CubanLodges.pdf

*Ill. Brother Mathis is one of only two 33° Masons from Kennesaw No. 33, the other being Samuel S. Lawrence. We appreciate Ill. Bro. Mathis and the lifetime committment he has made to our Great Fraternity and these United States of America.

2008 looks to be a year of growth for Kennesaw No. 33

The current buzz is that we have a strong line-up of Entered Apprentice to continue building Kennesaw No. 33 and Masonry in Georgia. Attend the degrees as they are posted on the calendar here on the Website or from the calling post reminders sent out before special event, degree work and meetings.

We need you!

The Officers and Members of Kennesaw No. 33 are pleased to announce the raising of three new Master Masons into Georgia Masonry and wherever so disbursed on March 11, 2008.

Welcome New Brothers,

3/11/2008 

John A. Meckley | Joseph Lee Woods | Mark C. Griffin

2/26/2008 

Jim Shuler | Andrew Woods | Roger Whitmore | Shane Whitmore | Jacob Whitmore

to Freemasonry and Kennesaw No. 33 F & A.M.

Remember that you will get out of Freemasonry what you put into it!

Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:19 PM EST
Shriners step in for PeachCare kids
Atlanta Business Chronicle

Submitted by Rick Conn, Georgia Highlands Clan, Royal Order of Scotland

Shriners Hospitals for Children has formed a partnership with Georgia to treat 500 PeachCare children at Shriners Hospitals, saving the state up to $1.3 million.

Each child treated in a Shriners Hospital will free up funds in the PeachCare program to provide preventative health care to the children of families that work hard and pay their health-care premiums.

The collaboration will provide pediatric specialty services at no charge to PeachCare for Kids children who suffer from orthopedic conditions and burn injuries, need spinal cord injury rehabilitation or require cleft lip and palate repair. The pediatric specialty services will be provided at Shriners Hospitals in Greenville, S.C., and Tampa, Fla.

"This kind of innovative solution will be a model for other states as they seek to partner with private groups to address health care needs," said Gov. Sonny Perdue. "We are grateful to Shriners Hospitals for their generosity and their willingness to partner with us as we seek to provide the highest quality health care possible for Georgia's children."

PeachCare for Kids began providing comprehensive coverage to uninsured children in 1999. Health benefits include primary, preventive, specialist, dental care and vision care. As of January, there were 234,720 children covered by PeachCare for Kids.

Freemasonry in the news, submitted by

Junior Warden Don Needham of Kennesaw No. 33

By Daniela Deane and Kirstin Downey

Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, December 24, 2007 ; Page C01

When Hollywood comes knocking, that's probably a clue the time has come to open the door. And the secretive, centuries-old order of Freemasonry seems to be picking up its cue.

"National Treasure: Book of Secrets," which opened in theaters this weekend, is the second film in the adventure-fantasy series to shine a light on the mysterious and little-known world of the Masonic order.

And although the Masons play a much smaller part in the sequel than they did in the 2004 original, the first scene featuring the movie's three male leads -- Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight and Ed Harris -- was filmed in Alexandria's George Washington Masonic Memorial, one of the Masons' most visible shrines.

Filmmakers and novelists have been mining the Masons recently, weaving their legends and symbols into such tales of conspiracies and secrets as the "National Treasure" films and Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." And filmmakers' interest comes as the fraternal, often-controversial Freemasons pull back the curtain on themselves in an effort to update their antiquated image and replenish their dwindling ranks.

Director Jon Turteltaub says, "The 'National Treasure' movies are all about things we think are forgotten but are actually pieces of history that are still percolating around us and have a role in our current lives -- a lot like the Masons."

Footage was shot at some of the grandest buildings in the Washington area -- the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Vernon -- for the sequel. (The Oval Office was a constructed set.) But filming also took place in the Masonic Memorial, known locally as the Masonic Temple , the Masons' majestic hilltop shrine to their most prominent member, George Washington. The top of the temple reaches to 400 feet above sea level, one of the highest points in the Washington area.

Although the Masonic Temple is Alexandria's most visible landmark -- and one of Washington's most intriguing and grandiose shrines -- few Washingtonians know what goes on inside the ornate building or what the organization behind it is all about. For centuries, the all-male group's eerie symbols and the exotic costumes have provoked speculation about the possibly strange doings inside their temples.

In the film, the Masonic Temple's grand auditorium acts as a stand-in for a lecture hall. Other than providing what the director called a "gorgeous, extraordinary" set, the Masons figure little in the sequel -- but their small part is significant. In a surprising twist, it turns out that the character Sadusky (Harvey Keitel), a Mason, is a better man than he seemed in the first film.

"When people don't know an organization, they fear it," says George Seghers, executive director of the Masonic Memorial. "If people don't know what you're doing, they think the worst."

But Seghers -- and other prominent Masons -- are determined to change that. And being in a Hollywood movie is just a small part of that effort.

"We're really trying to bring the memorial back into the community, not just be a fortress on the hill," Seghers says. "We're nothing to be afraid of."

Masons say their organization is dedicated to "making good men better." It donates about $2.5 million a day to medical research, health care, education and other causes, according to Richard Fletcher, a spokesman for the group. Masons are a staple of community parades, where they dress as clowns and ride in little cars to raise money for Shriners' hospitals.

Fletcher says the Masons numbered 1.5 million in 2006, down from a peak of 4 million in 1959. He says the membership shrank rapidly as the World War II generation, which he described as a generation of joiners, has continued to age and die.

But now there's a feeling in the group -- not yet backed up by statistics -- that the tide has turned and that a new generation is "looking for something beyond themselves, an anchor to stabilize their lives," Fletcher says. He says younger men nowadays are part of a "generation of volunteers," which he predicts will stabilize the downturn.

Others aren't as optimistic. "The lodges are in deep decline," says UCLA historian Margaret Jacob, author of "The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts & Fictions" and an expert in Masonic history. "It's no longer a vital societal organization, so it has become the subject of myth and legend."

One prominent local Mason today is Stephen Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University . He says he initially joined out of deference to the group's generosity in funding dozens of student scholarships. Trachtenberg says his membership makes him feel he's experiencing something out of another era.

"I'm 70, and I lower the average age when I enter the room," Trachtenberg says. He notes that it was like "being in a wonderful time machine, working with people who are transparently forthright. It's a 19th-century endeavor looking to redefine itself in the 21st century."

Like so many things about the Masons, even the organization's origins are shrouded in mystery. Hundreds of books have been written about them, but little is certain, partly because the organization has been so secretive and partly because conspiracy theorists have spread a variety of tales about the Masons and their ceremonies.

In the 1700s and 1800s, members tended to be intellectual free thinkers, associated with Protestantism and scientific inquiry. Freemasonry spread from England throughout Europe , and Masons were frequently involved with revolutionary movements. American Freemasons included Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, James Madison, James Monroe, Paul Revere and John Paul Jones.

Members came to be viewed as dangerous rabble-rouser's, particularly by those in positions of power. In 1738, Pope Clement XII declared that any group that operated in such secrecy was suspect, and that any Catholic who joined the group would be excommunicated. Adolf Hitler thought the Masons were engaged in a conspiracy with the Jews to dominate world affairs, and he persecuted European Masons and seized their libraries and archives.

Masons today say the group is not anti-Catholic and that it welcomes any man who believes in God and demonstrates good character. Their ceremonies contain religious references but are nondenominational and apolitical, they say

The group is believed to have been started by medieval stonemasons working with softer material called freestone, hence the name. Since the group's beginnings, its members have shared an intense interest in construction, and their ceremonies are still filled with architecture-related terminology and stories associated with the wonders of the ancient world. The group owns some of the most grandiose real estate in the country.

And the Masonic Temple in Alexandria isn't the Masons' only jaw-dropping Washington real estate. There's also the formidable Temple of the Scottish Rite on 16th Street NW, a massive neoclassical building -- flanked by two 17-ton sphinxes that can be puzzling to locals -- along with 36 other lodges.

Local Masons spearheaded the effort to build the Masonic Temple in Alexandria to honor Washington and to house relics associated with his membership. It was completed in 1932, during the depths of the Great Depression.

The temple's construction was an event of enormous regional importance. President Calvin Coolidge laid the cornerstone, and President Herbert Hoover attended the dedication.

But the group now must overcome a long legacy of suspicion. Seghers says one of the main things he wants to do is update the exhibits at the Masonic Temple to tell a coherent story about his philanthropic organization.

Touring the Masonic Temple's Cryptic Council and Grotto Rooms recently, Seghers pointed out Egyptian murals depicting scenes from the Old Testament, lotus and papyrus columns, alcoves filled with coins and artifacts, and rows of pictures of aging Masons wearing fezzes adorned with Arabic words written in glitter.

These rooms confuse people. They can even scare people, " Seghers says. "One woman asked us if she could leave. They don't understand it. They say, 'This is all very nice, but what is it?' We need to change that."