Monday, May 06, 2024
Act Fast! Beat Another Price Increase on Freemasons For Dummies!
MAGI: Robert Cooper and Mark Tabbert Launch Masonic Book Review Podcast
Mark Tabbert |
Both of these knowledgeable Brothers have held unique positions over the last couple of decades, and as Masonic authors and researchers, neither of them could be considered to be a slouch. Mark Tabbert is a past president of the Masonic Library & Museum Association, a former curator for the Scottish Rite NMJ's museum in Lexington, Massachusetts, and most recently, curator at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial's museum in Alexandria, Virginia. He's the author of American Freemasonry: Three Centuries of Building Communities and most recently, A Deserving Brother: George Washington and Freemasonry
Robert L.D. Cooper |
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Man Accused of Vandalising and Setting Fire To Chattanooga Masonic Hall Considers Plea Deal
Kadum Harwood's mugshot from Hamilton County (TN) Sheriff's Dept. |
The affidavit says the Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Chattanooga Masonic Center around 2 a.m. on September 4th.
When crews arrived, the affidavit says they noticed forced entry at the front door as well as 2 separate fires on the property.
The affidavit says one fire was in the shrubs to the left of the front door and the other was in the cafeteria where a podium was set ablaze.
This was all caught on surveillance video, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says the surveillance footage also shows Harwood using a sledge hammer to vandalize several sections on the Masonic Center.
Harwood 'recklessly' discharged a large caliber firearm into the air before leaving, the affidavit says.
The footage shows a blue Toyota SUV at the center, which the affidavit says was know [sic] by police to be driven by Kadum Harwood based on his social media posts.
The affidavit says officers also found social media posts from Harwood of him threatening to "burn the Free Masons building downtown."
For several months before, he had written Facebook posts threatening to burn down local businesses, a fire station, and a Masonic hall. The night of the attack, when police and firefighters arrived at the scene to respond to an alarm, several walls, windows and interior decorations and furnishings had been smashed with a sledgehammer. There were two small fires smouldering, one inside and the other outside.
Harwood fled the scene and crossed the border into Georgia to evade police. Local police there located him in a hotel near the border, and arrested him.
The Masonic Center is shared by Temple Lodge 430, Chattanooga Lodge 199, John Bailey Nicklin Chapter RAM 49, and Lookout Commandery 14.
Previous related stories
September 4, 2023: Tennessee: Another Masonic Hall Vandalized
November 3, 2023: Accused Chattanooga Masonic Hall Attacker Faces Federal Charges
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Indiana University Annual Giving Day Raising Money For the Center For Fraternal Collections & Research
Three years ago, Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana opened the new Center for Fraternal Collections & Research (CFCR), headed up by Dr. Heather Calloway. The mission of the CFCR is to collect, preserve, and protect objects and ephemera of fraternal and religious groups for study and research in a permanent and accessible collection.
Today, April 17th is #IUDay at Indiana University, and the Center is attempting to raise $10,000.
"Indiana University's CFCR works to collect, preserve, and make accessible historical and cultural materials related to fraternal organizations and their membership, with an emphasis on organizations that are extinct or without stable historical repositories. They promote research into the history of fraternal organizations in service of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission."
CFCR Board Menber Seth Anthony
- Collecting and stewarding rare fraternal organization materials donated to Indiana University for the sake of scholarly research.
- Creating and supporting research related to fraternal studies at the student and faculty scholarly levels.
- Disseminating research and information related to fraternal studies via public events, academic symposia, exhibitions, media presentations, and publications.
The CFCR is located in the IU Collections, Teaching, Research and Exhibition Center, located in the historic McCalla building on the IU Bloomington campus. Following a $6 million renovation of this one-time elementary school building, the Center now provides a safe, climate controlled facility for collections, plus seven display galleries, meeting areas, and a state-of-the-art media digitization and preservation department, all under one roof. Last year, the Center played host to the Scottish Rite Research Society's Fall presentation of papers.
So if you're interested in helping to support this new center, CLICK HERE to donate for #IUDay.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Meet, Act & Part Podcast Interviews Indiana PGM Roger S. VanGorden
If you don't know Roger (or know OF him), he's currently the Active member of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite NMJ for Indiana, the Magus for the Indiana College of the SRICF, and most important for this particular discussion, president of the Masonic Renewal Committee of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons In North America.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Speaking at New York's Pelham Lodge 712 on City Island, April 16
Tuesday, April 09, 2024
“MARS RESIDENTS VIEW ECLIPSE AT MASONIC LODGE!”
It seems the brethren of John E. Mair Masonic Lodge 729 in the Earth-bound borough of Mars, Pennsylvania hosted an eclipse viewing party. Because of the town's astronomical name, a pretty decent sized clot of eclipse watchers poured into the area just so they could say they watched the solar light show from their position on Mars.
Friday, March 29, 2024
Guthrie Scottish Rite: Backdrop for new Ronald Reagan Movie
An article appeared on the Oklahoman news site yesterday announcing that a new biopic of former president Ronald Reagan will be released in August this year. Reagan is directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer) with a modest budget of $25 million and stars Dennis Quaid as the actor, governor and president.
©Rawhide Pictures |
The production team used Guthrie's Scottish Rite Cathedral for its base of operations, and you'll see much of it on screen. Its magnificent interiors were used to recreate the Oval Office and the Situation Room of the White House; several scenes in Cold War-era Soviet Russia; the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub (which was inside of the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood); and Germany's Brandenburg Gate between East and West Berlin, where Reagan famously demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Masonic Buildings As Film Locations
Fairfax, Oklahoma's Grayhorse Lodge 124 appeared in Martin Scorcese's Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). |
BTW, In Case You're Wondering...
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Grand Lodge of Cuba Votes To Expel Sitting Grand Master Mario Carreño
(Havana) The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Cuba, Mario Alberto Urquía Carreño, has been expelled by the representatives of more than 300 lodges on the Island, shouting “Out with a thief, usurper, scoundrel, traitor.” The events occurred on Sunday, when Urquía, who continued to hold office after the controversial theft of $19,000 from his office, was preparing to preside over the semi-annual session of the Masonic Upper House.
The information, reported by CubaNet, was confirmed to 14ymedio this Monday by Ángel Santiesteban, a 33rd degree Mason – the highest step in the order’s hierarchy – and an independent journalist, who could not attend the event but knows the facts.
In his opinion, whoever succeeds the Grand Master – predictably the Deputy Grand Master, Gerardo Cepero Díaz, critical of Urquía – will stop the interference of State Security in the lodge, something that leaves room for optimism.
The Freemasons considered that Urquía was illegally carrying out the position, since on January 25th he was expelled by the Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for the Republic of Cuba for his alleged “betrayal.”
A witness to what happened this Sunday told CubaNet that the Grand Master refused to leave the room, but he had to do so due to the almost unanimous demand of the representatives of the lodges.
“There was a lot of indignation accumulated over the actions of the Grand Master. “He came out saying that he would call the Registry of Associations (of the Ministry of Justice) to complain, but they have no authority here,” he said.
“That had never happened in Cuban Freemasonry,” he added, “not the painful aftermath of the robbery, nor the blatant interference of State Security, nor the expulsion of an acting Grand Master. “Today is the day of shame, the day in which Cuban Freemasons demonstrate our autonomy and integrity.”
The Grand Lodge had expelled Urquía for his “punishable and intentional” conduct, despite the fact that his responsibility in the theft of the money – which belonged to the Llansó National Masonic Asylum, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo – is still being investigated.
The Supreme Council then considered that his “entrenchment” was, in addition, leaving as a consequence a “major Masonic schism in the national territory.”
Urquía continued to cling to the position, despite the rejection of a large majority of Freemasons, some of whom had asked the United States to eventually deny him possible entry into the country for “being an active collaborator of the intelligence agencies of the regime of Cuba”.
This was stated by a Freemason residing in Colombia, Pompilio Portuondo, on his Facebook account, where he added the names of some alleged “collaborators.”
“Gradually we will continue to bring to light more names of people who are collaborating with Mario Alberto Urquia and all the HH (brothers) who in one way or another have hidden, supported, or support Mr. Mario Alberto Urquia Carreño in the next session of the Masonic Upper Chamber of the Grand Lodge on Sunday, March 24.
We will expose it to the knowledge of the entire international community and especially in the United States so that they are denied entry as agents of the regime,” he said.
According to CubaNet, once Urquía’s departure was achieved, and under the transitional presidency of the former Grand Master, Ernesto Zamora, all the Decrees that Urquía had formed after January 25 to date were challenged, “including those in which he sent to the Court to those who had confronted him.”
It remains to be known what will happen to José Ramón Viñas Alonso, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, who was expelled from Freemasonry for seven years by a ruling by the Supreme Court of Masonic Justice of Cuba on Thursday, February 22.
His “punishment” was interpreted by many as revenge by Urquía Carreño against Viñas, for having reported the theft of the $19,000 in dispute.
F.O.B.s (Friends O' Brent) Meet Up in Central Indiana
Monday, March 18, 2024
Guthrie, Oklahoma Scottish Rite Spring Reunion April 5-7
The Guthrie, Oklahoma Valley of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite - SJ has one of the most magnificent Masonic buildings in the U.S., and they are understandably proud of their architectural treasure. But Guthrie also is renowned for its outstanding presentations of the complete AASR Southern Jurisdiction’s Pike-derived rituals of the 4th-32nd degrees.
If you’re an existing Scottish Rite member in either the NMJ or SJ, don’t miss the opportunity to experience these degrees as they were meant to be staged, in person, in this beautiful temple, and in full pageantry. If you’re not a member and you are a recognized Master Mason in Guthrie’s jurisdiction, contact them directly and ask about membership.