| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on June 5, 2001 |
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It is said that 'the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray'. The visitation for June has been postpone until August.
On Tuesday May 15th we advanced Justin Martin to the Degree of Fellowcraft. The month of June is heavy with activities for the Martin Family. Robert and Linda tie the knot on June 29th and will be on their Honeymoon in the month of July ( a whole month Robert?). Therefore the visitation will be in August. The exact date will be in the July Trestle Board.
As this is written early in May some of the activities are reported-on, before they happen. Such is the Santa Clara County Fair. This weekend, Sunday May 20 Los Altos Lodge 712 will man the Children ID booth and expound on the greatness of Masonry plus the virtue of having an up to date ID on your child.
In many circles we are still considered a 'secret organization'. To which I say, if we are a secret organization why do we put our logo on our buildings, wear rings and jackets with our emblem on them and list our phone number in the phone book?
At the County Fair and next month at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival we can show everyone that this 'secret organization' wants to be recognized!
Just to list some of the upcoming events that are in the mill for this anniversary year:
June will see our Junior Past Master Married and the Lodge wishes Linda and Robert the best that life can bring.
On the 14th and 15th of July is the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival.
Visitation in August TBA ( the whole Martin Family will be in attendance as Christian and Jason will be here for Justin's Third Degree.
Family picnic on August 26. Note that this is a Sunday and it will be in a park so plan to bring the whole family.
September will be a dinner cruise on the Bay. The cost will be kept low so everyone can attend.
For those that haven't heard, Gunner Galsgaard has retired from Redwood Mechanical. Gunner we wish you well on your retirement and know that now you will be able to do those things that you've been putting off.
In Greg Buschek's year as Master we were so busy with degrees that we had to practice almost every Sunday. Since then things have slowed down tremendously. We haven't had the candidates and now without them the progression of the line of officers is searching. What happened to the new members that joined. Were they disillusioned. What they saw in our Lodge was not what they were in search. Since I got raised in 1983 I have stayed active. Not only in Blue lodge but in several concordant bodies. One of the things I have enjoined is Ritual. I find that it keeps the mind active. Sometimes different rituals get mixed up (you have to be in Lodge to see this) as a lot is very similar with just one or two words changed. If any of our members have ever wanted to join the line and become an officer let the Senior and Junior Wardens Know. It may take a little work but I have found the rewards far exceeds the effort.
Remember MASONRY can be, and is fun. You get out of it what you put in it. Help make the next 50 years as exciting, memorable and fun as the first. Those that can remember the hard work and rewards of getting our Temple to what is today. What is the next step on the Masonic Road?
Fraternally
Bill Malmstrom, P.M.
Master
May is turning out to be a quite busy month for Los Altos Lodge. In addition to our regularly stated meeting we have 2 schools of instruction for our officers, a friendship night with Palo Alto Lodge, a second degree conferral, and a Masonic information / Kids ID booth at the Santa Clara County Fair.
First - I'd like to congratulate brother Justin Martin on being passed to the degree of Fellowcraft. The night went quite well considering some scheduling problems. I need to offer a big thanks to several people who helped with extra duties. Brother Rick Weyers (our Junior Warden) gave the "Middle Chamber Lecture", Brother Erin Frost acted as Senior Steward, Brother John Graham (our newest Master Mason) was Junior Steward, and Worshipful Sterling Bailey was Junior Warden for the night (he was our lodge's charter Junior Warden in 1951). I was quite proud of the way we did our work; and for those of you who were unable to attend, you missed a really special night.
At our May stated meeting I was pleased to see more people on the sidelines. You only get out of the Lodge what you put in to it. I was disappointed at the attendance at our recent second degree. Remember when you were initiated, passed and raised? These are very special events. Even if you can't make our stated meetings, please make an extra effort to attend degree conferrals (and bring a friend). The calendar in this trestleboard will list all upcoming degrees (as well as tentative degrees). Also watch the calendar for other upcoming events. Our Worshipful Master has all types of interesting activities planned for this year.
Lastly- I am currently looking for Officers for next year (2002). For those of you looking for a challenge in ritual work, we need people who can memorize the charges for the three degrees and people interested in serving as fill-ins for our Officers when they have scheduling conflicts. All members interested in learning what it takes to be in a degree are welcome at any of our officer's practices. Please call me if you can help. Fraternally, Bob Lake Senior Warden
Fraternally
Bob Lake
Senior Warden
Whew! We have a very active Lodge!
Since my last article, we've had a Model Seder (April 30th); our stated meeting "cinco de mayo" dinner (May 7th); an OAM with the Grand Lecturer, Very Worshipful Ulysses G. Patropulos, at the helm of the school of instruction (May 10th); a 2nd degree conferral on Bro. Justin Martin (May 15th); the JW Retreat (May 18th-20th); a combined meeting/BBQ with Palo Alto Roller Lodge (May 21st); another OAM (May 30th); and now it is time for our June stated meeting/dinner (June 4th). These are just the activities that I've attended. There are more, I assure you!
I'll provide my report on the JW retreat in next month's trestleboard. Our June stated meeting dinner will be "pizza night". We will have assorted pizza, buffalo wings, coleslaw, fruit, and cheesecake. The cost will be $8.00 each. Please call with your reservations by Noon Friday, June 1st. (650-903-9625)
Please come and support Los Altos Lodge!
Fraternally
Richard G. Weyers
Junior Warden
The Second Degree held for Justin Martin had a full compliment of Officers, however attendance was considered poor for this Lodge. There was only one sideliner. I personally did not attend since I had a previous commitment which kept me until late in the evening.
Some brothers felt that we could have done better. Be it as it may, Our Past Master, Robert Martin had a letter of explanation which I would like to share with the brethren. (ed)
Open Letter From Robert Martin, P.M.
I am in agreement with you on the need to strengthen attendance. The second degree Tuesday night had poor attendance for several reasons. I feel it would be very unfair to imply that those members who were not present were not being supportive of our lodge.
The degree was held on a Tuesday night (although Los altos Lodge regularly meets on Monday nights) at the request of the candidate, my son Justin, who started a new job a month ago in Reno Nevada for Southwest Airlines. His schedule changes every month, but for this month he only has Tuesday and Wednesday nights off work. He flew in Tuesday morning for the degree Tuesday night, and he left the next morning.
In addition to Tuesday being an unusual night for us to be conferring a degree, the announcement of the degree was at our Stated meeting a week earlier, and at the OAM a few days earlier. It was not announced in our lodgeís Trestleboard. So I would imagine that several brethren who would have enjoyed being present did not KNOW about it. We did this as a lodge, a variation from our usual procedure, partially at my request on behalf of Justin. He cannot guarantee a day of the week that he will be off work a month in advance, and the way it works for his airline is that an employee ìbidsî for a certain shift/days to work. Being the newest employee at Reno airport, his ìseniority is 40 out of 40 , so Justin does not know what he will be working until about 14 days in advance.
Third, the reason we held this degree at this time was somewhat impacted by my personal situation. Being that the candidate was my son, I was honored with the opportunity by our Master, Bill Malmstrom, to sit in the East and obligate Justin. As most brethren around here know, my schedule has become very tight because I will be married on June 29, and I have many onetime obligations related to the wedding which are taking up my days and evenings.
Fourth, our lodge has for many months been planning a visitation to Nevada City - originally scheduled for June 2001. We needed to get the second degree conferred on Justin so that he could have sufficient time to be a Fellowcraft and pass his second degree proficiency, so that he can be our candidate for the visitation. (As of our stated meeting on May 7, the visitation has been rescheduled to August 2001.)
I applaud the efforts by our Bro. to try to find out what we can do to stimulate attendance. I am afraid that it is a difficult problem, one which many Masters and officers throughout Freemasonry are struggling with. Our Grand Lodge has devoted a lot of its efforts to trying to find solutions to the drop in membership / attendance / interest of our members and prospective members. I would guess that it is the single most talked about subject among dedicated Masons. In future I will suggest some thoughts I have on the subject.
Fraternally, Robert W. Martin, :) P.M.
New Trestleboard Editor Needed Next Year
NOTICE Los Altos Lodge is looking for a new Trestleboard editor. Our current editor will finish this year. If you've ever wanted to publish a newsletter here is your chance. I'm sure Brother Ernie would be willing to help train a new editor if we can find one during this year. Please contact Ernie Castillo or Bob Lake with any questions you may have.
Ed.
June Beetle also called May Beetle, or June Bug, any insect of he Phyllophaga species, belonging to the widely distributed, plant -feeding subfamily Melolonthinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera).
These red-brown beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere during warm spring evenings and are attracted to lights. The heavy-bodied June beetles vary from 12 to 25 mm (1/2 to 1 inch) and have shiny wing covers (elytra). They feed on foliage and flowers at night, sometimes causing considerable damage. June beetle larvae, called white grubs, are about 25 mm long and live in the soil. They can destroy crops (e.g., corn [maize], small grains, potatoes, strawberries, and they can kill lawns and pastures by severing the grasses from the roots.
Each female buries between 50 and 200 small, pearl-like eggs in the soil. After three years of feeding on plant roots, the larvae pupate, emerging as adults in August or September, then burying themselves again for the winter. In the spring the adults emerge once more and feed on available foliage. Adults live less than one year.
A natural enemy of the June beetle is the pyrgota fly larva (pyrgota undata), which feeds on the beetle, eventually killing it. June beetle larvae are considered excellent fish bait. (Taken fro the Encyclopaedia Britannica 15th Edition)
One of the things I found that drew me to Masonry was that all the Masons I met possessed good manners. As to what I mean by good manners, let me use the definition I found in a book on "Service Etiquette"*: Good manners also mean kindness to others, respect for the other person's feelings, and acknowledgment of right and wrong, and awareness of someone - anyone - whom you meet in a hallway, on the street, or at a party. Good manners mean the consideration you grant someone as a person - not because he/she is important or of high rank, but because he/she is a human being. George Bernard Shaw expressed it this way: "The great secret . . . is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls . . ."
As Rodney Dangerfield likes to say "I don't get no respect!" A key I have found to obtaining respect was to treat others with respect. I will give a recent example in my life, which impressed me. In 1997 I moved to Puerto Rico. I had never lived there before for any extended period so, though I was familiar with their customs, I was not 'educated' as to their ways. My first lesson was with having workman at my home and establishing mutual respect. I quickly learned that the most common sign of respect, among Puerto Rican men, is in the greeting. To extend a hand shake when greeting, be it when you first meet or at saying "Good Morning" shows and creates respect. Since learning this simple rule I have found that whenever I do this, regardless of where, that the Masonic principle of meeting on the level is immediately invoked and mutual respect established.
Respectfully, ed
Wedding: Kermit Williams and Vera Mae Thoms!
Wedding Bells On April 27, 2001, the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii, hosted the nuptial between our Widow, Vera Mae Thoms and our widower, Kermit Williams. It was a very happy event and a great time was had by all.
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