June, 2008

To the Brethren of No. 15,

Please excuse the delay in sending out this most recent version of our newsletter. Much has happened over the past few weeks with the Lodge.

On April 30th, we held our 5th Wednesday Social at one of the most unique venues in the city…the Poste Moderne Brasserie in Chinatown and if you haven’t been to that part of Washington D.C. in the past five years, then you would not recognize it. The social event was well attended by close to 30 brethren, prospectives and ladies. Job well done, Brother Junior Warden!

On May 4th, Brother Senior Deacon accompanied me to the VA Hospital where we helped push wheelchairs for those veterans unable to attend the Sunday service otherwise. On May 8th, our Lodge once again sponsored a pizza party for the young patients at the NIH Hospital as well as donated a sizable check to the Children’s Inn. I would like to publicly thank Worshipful Brother Roman Volsky for his tireless, behind-the-scenes help and also "Feather the Clown" for making the day such a success.

At our first Stated Communication in May, Worshipful Brother Alex Crowther spoke off the record about his experiences at the U.S.

Embassy in Iraq, while offering a candid assessment of that country’s future. Also, Brother Joby "Joda" Dixon used the various furniture of the Lodge room and gave us quite a tour as he spoke about the "True Secrets of Freemasonry" on May 21st. There were at least a half dozen non-Masons in attendance at both presentations and I have a feeling we may need to enlist the support of our brethren to serve on upcoming "Investigation Committees". If it is within the length of your cable-tow to serve on a committee, please contact me.

After my last newsletter discussing our Lodge charity projects and trying my best to engage the brethren I have never met, I got some rather interesting feedback. Brother Gerard Scarano, who now hails from Florida, sent in a check in support of our Project Life charity program and I even received an email came from our "long, lost"

Brother Louis Prentiss. Brother Prentiss also sent me a note worth sharing:

"In 1957, I was assigned to the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir as an instructor. I had been curious about the Masons for many years. My Father started wearing a Masonic ring about 1948 and when growing up I saw in my mother’s jewelry case a well worn ring with the square and compass on it. I asked my mother what it was and where it came from.

She didn’t know much about Masonry except that it was something I needed to get into when I grew up. The ring belonged to her Great Grandfather. In casual conversations with my father he indicated that this period in my life I might want to consider petitioning to become a Mason, that Washington D.C. had several Lodges and B.B. French was an outstanding one. He gave me a petition with Renah F. Camalier as the sponsor. My father and Mr. Camalier were close friends as they both served as D. C. Commissioners together. My Petition was accepted and I was raised a Master Mason in 1957. The Lodge met at that time downtown Washington about 12th Street. The life in the Army is one of continual moves. I believe in my 31 years in the Army I moved 19 times. I found it difficult to return to my lodge and indeed never have since 1960. I did, however, attend lodges in Lima, Peru, Stuttgart, Germany and Waynesville, MO. It never occurred to me to demit to another Lodge. I found it interesting to keep up with my home Lodge through the monthly news letter. Here I could track the "changing of the guard" with my contemporaries starting in the line and progressing to become a Past Master. Mort Wendt was our instructor and a good one. I was delighted to see him become Master and saddened to see a number of years later he had passed on. In the last newsletter, the Worshipful Master indicated that very few brothers read the newsletter and I responded that I did indeed read it however I have outlived the names in the newsletter. None are familiar now.

Brother Ken, You should know that there are many of us who have been ‘lost’ who depend on the newsletter. Perhaps some of the others can give some feedback as well. Louis W. Prentiss, Jr., 33rd degree "

Have something you would like to see published for the Lodge? Please let me know and I will do my best to include it in our newsletter.

Best fraternal regards,

Worshipful Master, 2008