On Monday June 19, 2006 Sam P. Cochran Masonic Lodge in Dallas, presented the Community Builder Award, an official award of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas, to Mr. Steve Schenkel, General Manager of Schepps Dairy, in recognition of the Schepps Dairy Reward Program.

The program began when a Schepps Dairy store employee was murdered, and the case went cold. Mr. Harmon Schepps, a long-time Mason and founder of Schepps Dairy, offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the killer. Mr. Schepps met with the informant personally, and the case was successfully solved. Since its beginning the Reward Program has given nearly $500,000 in rewards, and offered more than $1,500,000 in rewards. The parent company of Schepps Dairy, Dean Foods, has now begun to introduce the Reward Program in several other areas of the United States where it has operations.

Texas Masonic Grand Master Visits Weimar

On March 28, Brian Dodson, the Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas, was in attendance at the regular stated meeting.

Weimar Masonic Lodge No. 423 was constituted on June 5 1875 and this is the first time that anyone can confirm that a sitting Grand Master visited here.

Sister Laura Toman Receives Prestigious Educator Award

Sister Laura is a born leader who inspires excellence, as evidenced in her 41 years as teacher and administrator.

She received her administration degree from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos.

She taught at St. Michael’s in Cuero from 1964-71, and taught and was principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Selma from 1971-75. She was principal at Sacred Heart in Floresville from 1975-76, St. Michael’s in Cuero from 1976-78, St. Patrick’s in Dallas from 1978-84, and St. Michael’s in Weimar from 1984 to present time.

Under her leadership, the community of Weimar, and beyond, have come to know and understand that educational opportunity is possible for all.

The Weimar Masonic Lodge on Monday, March 27, hosted officers from the Grand Lodge of Texas, including the grand master. From left: J. Weldon Clampitte, grand orator; Archie Scott, grand treasurer; Lonie Mercer, worshipful master, Weimar Lodge No. 423; Brian Dodson, grand master; Leo G. “Dusty” Martin, grand marshal; and Rodney Brown, grand junior steward.

J. C. Montgomery, President of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, was recently honored today as the first recipient  of the David Benton Dibrell Award, given by Knox-Corinthian Masonic Lodge #851.

Charlie Seay, Jr., chairman of the Award Committee for Knox-Corinthian, made the presentation at the Lodge’s quarterly luncheon meeting, held in the Solarium of the Scottish Rite Hospital.“We wanted to create an award that would recognize Masons who practice the teachings of the Masonic Fraternity, and exhibit those characteristics of high moral and ethical standards,” said Mr. Seay, “and J. C. Montgomery was our first choice for his work at the Hospital and contributions to Masonry.”

The Award was named after Past Grand Master and Past Master of Knox-Corinthian Lodge, David B. Dibrell.David B. Dibrell served as Master of Knox-Corinthian Lodge in 2000 and as the Grand Master of Texas in 2001.  “Dave Dibrell sets a very high example for us all, and when we decided to create this award, the committee unanimously voted to name it after him,” added Seay.

J. C. Montgomery, Jr., a native of Millington, Tennessee, received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and earned his Master of Public Health, Hospital Administration degree, from the University of California at Berkeley. He completed his Administrative Residency at Baylor University Medical Center and worked for five years on the staff at Parkland Hospital.

He joined the staff of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in 1974 and was named President in 1989. J. C. is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on numerous professional, civic and Masonic organizations. He is a 33° Scottish Rite Mason and received the Grand Cross from the Supreme Council in 2003.

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is one of the nation's leading pediatric centers for the treatment of orthopedic conditions, certain related neurological disorders and learning disorders, like dyslexia. There is no charge for treatment at the hospital, and admission is open to Texas children from birth to 18 years of age.

Knox-Corinthian Masonic Lodge #851 is based in Dallas, Texas and meets in the Green Room of the Texas Scottish Rite Cathedral near downtown.For more information, please see the Grand Lodge of Texas web site (www.grandlodgeoftexas.org) and use the “Lodge Locator” function to find “Knox-Corinthian #851” or email Lodge secretary Burrel Poston at bposton@tsrh.org.

Stephenville Man Becomes Mason on USS Constitution

October 15, 2005

Dan R. Foster grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas, moved to Stephenville and now serves in the United States Navy, on special detail with the USS Constitution. On Saturday, October 15, 2005, he became a Master Mason on Old Ironsides, the oldest active naval vessel in service to our country, first sailing in 1798.

Mr. Foster’s interest in becoming a Mason began with his grandfather, George Foster, Jr., a Kansas Mason. When living in Stephenville, he joined Stephenville Lodge No.267. After taking his first degree, he received an assignment on the post-Revolutionary War vessel berthed in Boston, Massachusetts.

Mr. Foster pursued his Freemasonry in Boston and was introduced to members of the Major General Henry Knox Lodge, named after the Revolutionary War General who transported cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Boston to target the British ships in Boston Harbor. While serving as Secretary of War under President Washington, General Knox commissioned the building of the USS Constitution. The spikes and copper sheathing used on the USS Constitution were provided by Paul Revere, a national Patriot and a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. Major General Henry Knox Lodge, whose members have served in a branch of the US military, was constituted on the “gun deck” of the USS Constitution on March 17, 1926.

The Lodge contacted representatives of the USS Constitution and the National Park Service to obtain permission to confer Mr. Foster’s Master Mason Degree on the ship. Permission was granted and the degree was conferred on the “berthing deck” of the ship last Saturday, perhaps the first time that a Masonic Degree has ever been conferred on this 207 year-old vessel. Masons from as far away as England were on board for the event; two served with Her Majesty’s Royal Navy, against which the Constitution was engaged in the early 1800s.

Storekeeper Seaman Foster is pictured with the Bruce Newman, the presiding officer of the Major General Henry Knox Lodge on the berthing deck of the USS Constitution. The deck, two levels below the main deck, has low ceilings compared to today’s vessels.

Freemasonry, the largest worldwide fraternal organization, contributes over $2 million to charity every day, such as for the operation of the Shrine-Mason’s orthopedic hospitals and burns centers, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas and the Texas Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Thomas E. Pulkkinen, Executive Editor, Trowel Magazine
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts 
TEPulkkinen@aol.com  (HOME)
tom.pulkkinen@bos.frb.org  (office)