March Trestleboard - 2005

The Secretary’s Desk

Masonic Education

Escallonia Chapter OES

Escalon Assembly Rainbow for Girls

Members

District Events

Cancer Dressing Station

Master’s Message:

From the East The Brethren had their Sweethearts Dinner on Sunday February 13th. It was not as well attended as it might have been, but Brother Salomon and his sweetheart, Lindy put on a great dinner. My thanks to my sweetheart, Sue, for her help in putting this on. I am still in need of participants for the conerstone ceremony on the 19th of March. Please call if you can attend. Grand Lodge ceremonial work is alway an inspiration. Speaking of ceremonies, the 1st degree scheduled to come off on the 21st has been postponed. WE NEED ENOUGHT PEOPLE AT PRACTICE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE A CREDIBLE DEGREE. Please attend Mondfay nights, 7 PM and help su give Mr. Lowe a favorable impression of Masonry Fraternally, Jerold Farver, PM 838-1638

The Secretary’s Desk:

Dues for 2005 are now past due. Please send a check in the amount of $48.00 to PO Box 387, Escalon, CA. 95320-0387. There are two brothers who owe for 2004. Please mark your calendar to attend the Grand Lodge opening in Escalon Lodge on March 19th for the Cornerstone Cermony for our newest buildings in the Escalon Unified School District.This is a rare opporunity to see something that usually only happens in San Francisco in October. The Cornerstone Cermony will be at 10:30 at the High School Performing Arts Center and is open to the public. Invite your friends to watch Masonry in action. Looking forward to April and Public Schools Month, please mark your calendars for the 27th of April for our Student Recognition dinner and awards.

Masonic Education:

This information is largely based on a paper by MW Eugene Hopp, PGM of Masons in CA & HI., Feb 14, 1975 and has been shortened to fit here.. Freemasonry came to CA & HI by land and sea. Adventurers who challenged the wilderness and mastered it carried freemasonry overland. They trapped the beaver, lived on bear and buffalo, fought Indians and caroused away theri hard-earned wages. They were know as the Mountain Men.When the American frontier moved swiftly from the Mississippi to the Pacific, these men were the leaders, guides, scouts, soldiers and statesmen. They displayed pragmatic wisdom about morality and politics. Their morality did not concentrate on abstract ideas or achieving an ideal virtue. They concentrated on human deeds and their consequences for good and evil. Among the earliest men to bring moral restraint, respect for law and justice and for the rights of each individual human being, was Christopher “Kit” Carson. He had learned these attitudes toward other men at the altar of Freemasonry. Carson carried the first overland mail from Taos, NM to military headquarters at Monterey, CA.

The first American settler in the Napa Valley was George Yount. He received the degrees of Masonry in Benicia Lodge No. 5 and from 1856 to 1864 served as Grand Bible Bearer of the Grand Lodge of California. The Rev. Saschel Woods, brought the first Masonic charter carried to CA. The Charter was for Western Star Lodge No. 98 of the GL of Missouri, and was dated May 10, 1848. The Lodge was to be opened at Benton City, CA. Between this first charter and 1850 some fifteen other charters and dispensations found their way to CA. The following were used to form Masonic Lodges: Californis Lodge No 13 (now No. 1) San Francisco. Charted by the GL of the District of Columbia, 11/9/1848; Connecticut Lodge No 75 (now Tehama No 3) Sacramento, chartered by the GL of Connecticut, 1/31/1849;Lafayette Lodge No 29 (later Nevada Lodge No. 13), Nevada City, chartered by the GL of Wisconsin, 4/20/1850. Other GL’s represented in CA during this time were Florida, Illinois, Indiana and New Jersey.The Masons who contributed to the founding of CA were men of action and men of the world. They did not keep their Masonry only in their Lodges - they practiced out of the Lodge the great ideas taught in it. When writing the first California Constitution men such as Robert Semple applied the Masonic principles of respect for law and justice and the rights of individuals by insisting that CA. be admitted to the Union 1850 as a free state - not allowing slavery to be part of the new Stae. Education was importnat to these Masons, and so they created a good system iof Public educatino in CA. John Swett, the first Superintendent of Public Instruction in CA. was an active Freemason. Men today are pioneers still. The complexities of modern life require the same pragmatic wisdom practiced by the mountain men and early sea captains. In raising our families, going about our jobs, participation in civic affairs, we need all the courage and skill that our forefathers had. Freemasonnry equips us with the attitudea of moral restraint, consideration for the less fortunate, and understanding of human nature that will give us strength - like our great-grandfathers- enabling us to leave our communities and state better than we found them. Applied Freemasonry is the key.The entire article may be found at the Administrative web site under Publications.

Escallonia Chapter OES:

February’s meeting was our Valentine’s Day celebration as well as celebrating our American Presidents. We were honored by the attendance of our DGM Betty Overbey. Plans were discussed for the Official Visit of the Grand Officers on the last Sunday of the month in Oakdale. The theme for the OV is “Happy Hearts - The Magic of Our Year” and the Escallonia Officers will be performing the ritual opening for the event. Two 50 year pins will be handed our to our members Alburna McNear and Opal Gilmore, who will receive their pins from the WGM, Donna Herring, at the Official Visit. Before retiring from the chapter Room , a game of trivial pursuit regarding our American Presidents was played by all in attendance. The grand prize winner was Judy Davis, our substitute organist for the evening. Thanks to our refreshemt committee for the evening, Gerry Caviness and Ruby Snell, the dining room looked beautiful with lots of red and pink flowers and of course, hearts and cupids. Delicious sandwiches and red velvet cake were thouroughly enjoyed by everyone.On February 18th, the Chapter initiated Heather Caudle with her father, Richard serving as Worthy Patron for the evening. Richard’s ritual work was superb and he is indeed a very proud father. Congratulations Heather! Serving as Conductress was Casandra Mooney and as Marshal her father Alexander, as well as Mary Green as Martha, Clarence Green as Treasurer and Bobbie Stout was our musician for the evening. Thank you to all the officers for making this Initiation a lovely evening for Heather and for us all. After the initiation ceremony everyone retired to the dining room for refreshments provided by Judy Bradley, AM and Beck Bailey, WM. Our next meeting will be March 9th, and will be the Official Visit of our DGM Betty Overby who has been such a great help to us this year. It will have a St. Patrick’s Day theme. So wear your green and let’s all turn out for a fun and festive meeting.Star Love, Becky Bailey, WM and Walt Bailey, WP

Escalon Rainbow Girls:

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for comming to the Ham Dinner. We had a great turnout - (we had to set up another table at one point) woo hoo!!We have a couple upcoming events on april 2nd we will be going on a mystrery trip to ..... just kidding! And on March 18th we will be leaving for the Happiest Place on Earth. No not Disneyland, Grand Assembly.Our next meetings are on February 24th and it’s B-day night and on March 10th will be mascot night. We hope to see you all there!Thanks!With all my Rainbow Love.Sara Ingold, Worthy Advisor

Members:

We have seven Brothers who celebrate a birthday during the month of March. Aldo Albertoni, 3/1; Lewis Young, 3/4; Warren Dunn, 3/11; Gene Boesch, 3/14; Karl Swartz and Dave Price, 3/18; Jim Haley, 3/20. Hope you have a wonderful Month.Third degree anniversaries this month are: Vic Quattrin, 4 (17 yrs); Keith Vollert, 8 (12 yrs); Jacob Bowen, 10 Members (cont)(55 yrs); Jaime Mauhay, 18 (16 yrs); Dave Price, 19 (58 yrs); Tim Dahlin, 20 (36 yrs); Fred Paulus, 22 (28 yrs) ahd Harry Dedini, 30 (7 yrs). That makes a total of 229 years of Masonry combined. Congradulations Brethren.

District Events:

The Grand Lodge of California will convene at the Escalon Masonic Center on March 19th for the pupose of the Cornerstone Ceremony. Grand Lodge will open at 8:30 AM Open to all master masons. A light breakfast will be served at Escalon Lodge beginning at 7:00 AM. Please call the Secretary at 838-1632 if you plan on attending.The March School of Instruction will be hosted by Sumitt Lodge at 7: 00 PM on the 28th. District Lodge Meetings:Riverbank on the 3rd at 7:30Oakdale on the 8th at 7:30 Sumitt on the 15th at 7:30 Yourth Orders:Escalon Rainbow on the 10 & 24 at 7 PM Tri-Angle Chapter Demolay on the 9 & 13 at 7:30

Cancer Dressing Station:

Our members of Cancer Dressing Station met on Feb. 15th. There were 168 items turned in which tool 123 hours to complete. These will be taken to cancer patients in Modesto at Memorial Hospital and to the American Cancer Society. 58 Bone (Neck) Pillows, 56 Kathy Kaps, 14 Lap Robes, 10 Mastectomy Pillows and 30 Turbans.Our next meeting will be March 15th at the Escalon Masonic Hall from 9-11 A.M. Please join us. We need cotton, flannel and knit materials. If you have any to donate, please bring it that moring. Thank you. Co-Chairpersons: Olive Schmitt, El Rio Chapter and Claudia Albertoni, Escallonia.

Editorial:

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