| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on April 9, 2001 |
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As The Sun Rises in the East as I write this article I am breathing a little sigh of relief. Last week I had only thirty some reservations for our anniversary day activities. I've been working on this for over a year. In fact I first approached Most Worshipful David Decker when he was Grand Junior Warden and we were at Grand Court for The Order of the Amaranth. He put it on his calendar in pencil until he got a firm date.
Last year he firmed it up to coincide with the Morgan Hill OAM meeting. As of tonight there are only six days to our ceremony and it is looking good. The turn out has picked up from last week and every one is getting excited.
Last week Linda was in charge of luncheons (five of them) for the volunteers at El Camino Hospital and I've been working on this Celebration so maybe we'll take a long and well deserved vacation and relax some where in the wine country.
I was informed that a blue application was forth coming and that we will be looking towards a first degree in May.
At the Senior Wardens retreat Bob Lake said the message was that we were going to have to change if we were to move forward. I have felt this way for a long time. Times have changed and we must also change to keep up.
No longer are we a one wage earner family where our wives can stay home and took care of our children and the house. In the past there weren't that many activities for us, so joining a fraternal organization gave us an outlet. Our children could join one of the many youth groups, Scouts, DeMaloy, Jobs or Rainbow. Our wives, for a night out, would go to Eastern Star which provided a break from the daily house activities.
I didn't get into Masonry until the late 1970s but I was told that in the fifty's and sixty's at the lodge meeting, the sidelines were both full and the concordant bodies also had good attendance. With the changing times, in this Valley it takes two to make a go of it.
What we need is to reinvent the wheels that will keep our Masonic vehicle rolling forward. As our Blue Lodges grow and prosper so will all the concordant bodies that are reliant on them for their growth.
The Blue Lodge is not an island, but the very life blood of Masonry. Right now it need a transfusion and I believe that there is enough of us with the right blood type to make this happen. The recovery will not be overnight but the healing process would be shorter with everyone donating their pint.
Fraternally
Bill Malmstrom, P.M.
Master
As I sit here writing this article, I have just returned from the Northern California Warden's Retreat. We had an informative and very useful weekend. If there was one main theme for the weekend, I would say that it was "Times and the world are changing, and if we are to survive, we must adapt." I'll have more on this in future months, stay tuned.
For this month I will pass along one thought: we need to do what we're proud of and tell the world you're a Mason. Wear your rings, hats, pins, jackets and Masonic shirts and let people see for themselves - Masons in action.
From the 3-1-01 issue of the Southern California Research Lodge's Fraternal Review: "Prior to the inauguration of George W. Bush Fox News mentioned that he would be sworn in on a "sentimental Bible." Reaching back through my memory I recalled that his father took the oath of office as President on the Bible of St. Johns Lodge No. 1 of New York City, the same Bible that George Washington took his oath of office as President on the first inauguration. At that ceremony no one remembered to provide a Bible so the Master of St. Johns Lodge No. 1 went to the lodge and borrowed their Bible. Washington's oath was administered by Robert R. Livingston, the Chancellor of New York who was also the Grand Master.
I called the Grand Lodge of New York and found they had no information on the use of the Bible but they gave me the phone number of the Secretary of St. Johns Lodge No. 1 and on calling him found that their Bible would be used in the swearing in ceremony of George W. Bush. Three lodge members are required to accompany the Bible when ever it is out of the lodge, and so it was at this inaugurations.
In service to the craft,
Bob Lake
Senior Warden
Our stated meeting dinner, April 2nd, will be "Armadillo Willy's BBQ". The cost will be $10.00 each. Please be sure to make your reservations to me by noon Friday, March 30th.
On Monday, April 30th, LA712 will be hosting a model Seder. This will be a traditional Seder menu featuring Harriet Gluck's special Orange Chicken. The cost will be $10.00 each.
Please make your reservations to me by noon Friday, April 27th. Please let me know if you need assistance in traveling to or from both or either of these events.
Richard G. Weyers
Junior Warden
Los Altos Lodge No. 712 is well-known in the Masonic community as a lodge where brotherly love prevails and warmth and welcome are hallmarks of our Tiler's greeting.
Ours is a lodge where a sojourning brother is made to feel at home from the very first moment he arrives to the hour of his departure, and it is a lodge well-remembered long after a visitor has returned home. This is nothing new at Los Altos Lodge; indeed it has been a proud lodge tradition since its inception in 1951.
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration took place on Saturday, February 17, 2001, at 3:00 PM in the Lodge Room of our Masonic Center, where an impressive attendance included visitors from both the Masonic and Non-Mason communities. The gala event found many celebrities in attendance, including Mr. King Lear, Los Altos Mayor, and our very own Most Worshipful David C. Decker, Grand Master of Masons in California. Other celebrities in attendance included several Grand Lodge Officers and several Inspectors, as well as a number of sitting Blue Lodge Masters and an impressive host of concordant-body leaders.
The Lodge Room was full to capacity, and the joyous event was overwhelming in celebration. Our current Lodge Master, Worshipful William (Bill) Malmstrom, served as host and was supported by Worshipful H. Sterling Bailey, our Treasurer; to quote Worshipful Sterling, he is"...fifty percent of the living founders of Los Altos Lodge No. 712." Indeed, he was our founding Junior Warden and host of the first meeting of the founding committee. There can be no question that we are very blessed to have had such a pillar of support to guide us in our 50- year quest for more Light.
Worshipful Sterling also gave a first-hand presentation on how and where the Lodge was started, and then went on to describe the many innovative original- working tools of the Lodge. Memorable indeed were the demonstrated use of simple floor brooms as Deacon and Warden rods, hammers which were used as gavels, wooden orange crates as altars, and sundry other types of ritual items. Being our resident historian, he even presented all the newspaper clippings and various printed and written programs used in the early days of the Lodge. The high point of his presentation was reached when he finally presented the only remaining copy of the first Los Altos Lodge Trestleboard.
Following this impressive presentation, Worshipful Coye Vincent related how and when the Lodge came to purchase the 1st Baptist Church building, which now houses our Lodge. While it was a time of hardships and tight budgets, it blessed our Lodge by causing all the brethren to come together as virtual operative masons who, working together, transformed the old church into our current wonderful Lodge Room. Those tough times indeed forge strong bonds, which to this very day are strongly felt among our brethren. Worshipful Coye was the first Master to preside in this location and vividly recalled his many rewarding years in service to our "Craft."
Worshipful Ed Fentum, another of our illustrious Lodge historians, described how Los Altos established a close bond and relationship with the Masons and Masonic Lodges on the British Isle of Wight. He explained how we have established Masonic intercourse, exchanged good will, and shared in the rewards of extraordinary fellowship with these brethren over the years. This fellowship is to this day enriched almost annually by exchange visits.
Our Grand Master, delivering hearty congratulations, recalled how his home lodge in Riverside, California, was founded similarly in what was a Methodist church. Working in the East, he explained, he was actually standing directly over the original church baptismal fount. Isn't it interesting that as he spoke he was at that moment standing over the original 1st Baptist Church baptismal fount, which has remained under the platform in the East at Los Altos Lodge. In culmination, our Grand Master presented the Lodge with a wonderful framed commemorative citation in recognition of our 50th anniversary.
At the completion of the ceremony, all retired to the Lodge dining room for fellowship, champagne, more fellowship, finger food, and even more fellowship. All in all, it was a memorable, grand affair.
In the evening, the Lodge hosted a dinner at Mariani's famous Santa Clara Restaurant, where 120 members, friends, and relatives continued the gala event by indulging in a particularly sumptuous meal, graced with superb fellowship and exuberance. Each guest was graced with a complimentary 'firing glass', a commemorative gift from the lodge. The 'firing glasses' are a deep blue, each engraved with Los Altos Lodge 712 F&AM, 1951 - 2001 surrounding a Masonic logo. Gaiety was the order of the evening, and cherished memories will remain its profound reward. Happy Birthday 712!
(Lou & Ernie)
Another matter to bring to your attention is our distressed brethren in South America and India. Though we have not seen the sign nor heard the words, there is great distress in both these areas of the world. We, as the richest nation, currently on this ever decreasing globe, should extend our assistance. The Grand Master has authorize this endeavor.
At our next meeting we will address financial aid to assist both of these disaster areas. The monies will be sent to Grand Lodge and they will forward it according to our wishes. Each Lodge will get credit for it's participation.
We find that we have some Brothers not so well. I am sure it would please these brothers and raise their spirits if they were to hear or see some of us.
[Contact the Master for telephone numbers and addresses, deleted here.]
Bro. Ken Arnold, he is at, he is at [snip]. I'm pretty sure you can stop in almost anytime. However if you wish to call, his number is (650) [snip].
Bro. Jack Shoenhair is at home. He enjoys seeing and talking to visitors. Speaking is not too easy for him but his mind is alert and active. It is better to give him a call if you plan on visiting to insure that it does not conflict with his care. [snip].
Bro. Ford Osborn, is at home and recuperating. He was in good spirits when I spoke with him last week. He is very optimistic about his recovery. Those in the area are welcome and if you can't visit, then give him a call [snip].
Bro. Ed Chappelle is at home recovering from muscle spasm in his leg. Give him a call or stop in. He is at [snip]. Be sure to ask for Ed by name. (Ed)
The Los Altos Lodge will be hosting a Model Seder. This our third. It is a great experience for all attending. It is especially informative for the kids. Make your reservations, you will really enjoy this event both for it's symbolism but also for the culinary delight that it is.
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