|
|
|
From The East: Spring has finally arrived. Hope everyone is getting out and enjoying the good weather we are having. This month promises to be another busy month for us. Brother Bring a Friend night will be Family Night this month and our Senior Warden has been busy putting that together for use. If you know someone who would be a good Mason please let either myself, the Senior Warden or Secretary know so we can send him an invitation. Congratulations to Virginia Beggs and Gus Greene on being installed as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron of Eastern Star. They had a very good installation on that night. Also, congratulations to Janet Mitchell and Norm Anders who will be installed as Royal Matron and Royal Patron on April 3 at 7:00 pm with refreshments to follow. Don’t forget about the Rainbow Girl’s car wash on April 14 from 9:00 to 1:00. If you purchased a ticket come by and get your car washed by professionals. There will be hot dogs and cold drinks for sale also. The Eastern Star will be having a fish fry on April 29 starting a 12:00 noon. I would like to thank Brother Jimmy Dionne and his wife Stacey for the Family Fun Day last month. Their efforts in this area are greatly appreciated. I also thank them for their decorations for family night this year. Congratulations to all the new Entered Apprentices. We still have another candidate to initiate. We will schedule that degree in April. We are still working on DeMolay at this time. I am looking forward to Grand Lodge this year and if anyone is planning on going you should make your reservations now while rooms are still available. Looking forward to seeing everyone in lodge this month, see you there. Fraternally, John R Story Worshipful Master From The West: Spring is here and the first quarter of the year has past. Before you know it we will be bidding farewell to our brothers and sisters who spend the winters with us. I hope before they go that they will find somebody who has the desire to become a Mason and bring them to Brother Bring a Friend Night April 19, 2007.This is the chance for all of us to show our friends and families the place we have chosen to spend a lot of our free time. It is a challenge for all of us to find good men to join our fraternity. At Marion-Dunn Lodge, we are very lucky to have new Masons joining every year. This is not the case for many lodges, the numbers of masons as a whole is shrinking. Please look around and see if there is someone you would like to sit next to in lodge and invite them to join us for dinner and a short program. If you have someone in mind please give there names to our brother secretary, myself or any officer as soon as possible and we will send your friend an invitation for him and his family to join us. In January the 2007 Goal was set to find your replacement. You cannot be replaced but you can help us grow. Thank you for all your labors. Fraternally, Paul D. Düscher, Senior Warden From The South... Dear Brethren and Families: I hope everyone enjoyed March’s Irish dinner and my thanks for all the assistance. Brother Jimmy Dionne and his wife Tracey have been very active in the dining room. Each month they have planned, purchased, and setup the tablecloths, decorations, and centerpieces. Thank you brother Jimmy and Tracey. April Biography: Joseph Russo Brother Joe has been a member of Marion Dunn Lodge since 2002. He grew up in New York State, spending much of his residency in Brooklyn. Brother Joe is married to Ethel for 40+ years and has two sons. While living in New York, Joe earned numerous professional licenses. In 1987 Joe and his family moved to Ocala where he intended to retire. Retirement was not 100% compatible with Joe, and it did not take long for the serial entrepreneur’s creativity to recalibrate. Today he is the sole proprietor of Dirt Cheap, a very successful landscaping contractor supplier. Joe enjoys spending time boating, hunting, golfing and exercising his dogs. Joe and I were initiated in Marion Dunn Lodge the same day and developed a steadfast friendship throughout the degrees and catechism. April 5 Menu: Men’s Night: Chicken a la King April 19 Family Night: Garden Salad, Italian Zucchini Soup, and c. Lasagna. Lodge News: I would like to welcome Brothers Tracy M. Pick, Ronald D. Tyler, Robert E. Viano, and Edward S. Comstock, who were initiated Enter Apprentice Masons in March. I had the honor to sit in the East for one of the degrees and thank everyone who participated and attended. I encourage everyone to inquire about participation when a degree is planned, you will thoroughly enjoy the work. Fraternally, Ken Shaw Secretary's Notes... My Brothers, at least once a week, we are visited by a Brother from out of state and we get the opportunity to discuss the status of Freemasonry elsewhere around the country -- and once in a while, overseas. Generally, they stop by because they admire the beautiful Lodge we have, and they want to not only see the inside of our Lodge, but they want to share successes and failures. Likewise, we get to visit with our own members who now live out of state, and with many of our older members who cherish the memories of their affiliation with the Lodge and the Fraternity. And we usually get around to talking about new members, how to find them, and how to bridge that always present problem of “but I am so busy now.” I have always been very busy, what with my newspaper gig, our commercial printing business, and my almost constant involvement with government and politics, and I understand that time problem, but at least in our home, it is a matter of priorities -- my bride of almost 50 years and I can always find time to do what we want to do. All of this is to talk about “Brother Bring A Friend Night” that comes up April 19 at our Family Night. Even our out of state visitors sometimes come up with prospects -- after Open Books on March 24, we met a visiting Master from New York -- visiting his sister on her “dreaded” 50th birthday, and he gave us the name and address of his brother-in-law. Then, while having breakfast with another Brother, two friends of his came up, one of them a past master of a military lodge in Germany, Worshipful Omar Kyle Green, who will likely visit the Lodge April 19. While waiting for that birthday party to start, a couple was looking over the Eastern Star display case, and the lady noted her mother is a past Worthy Matron in Miami, so we talked about the possibility that she may take another look at Ocala Chapter 29, and her husband left with an information packet about Marion-Dunn Lodge. And when Brother Tommy Needham was in Lodge to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of his raising during World War II, he sent along a Brother with a demit from his Miami Lodge, and gave us names of several others he would like to see consider Freemasonry. And as we were leaving Open Books, Otis “Dutch” Autry and his wife, Barbara, the retiring Matron of Order of Amaranth, -- they are moving to Chattanooga -- stopped by to share his pride in his grandson in Indiana who is active in DeMolay, and gave us names of some of his Ocala neighbors he has talked with, and maybe they will show up at Brother Bring a Friend Night. Good friend Paul Wilson, has given us several names during the year, and he spurred me to thinking and that produced more names. But ... have you called and given us the names you have been thinking about? Or maybe you haven’t started thinking just yet. Our visitors from across the country all tell the same story: our Lodges are getting too old, and we need to bring young men into the fraternity. Marion-Dunn Lodge has initiated four under age 30 in the last year, three over 70, two in their 60’s, and more than a dozen in the 30-50 age bracket. But we need the names of your relatives, friends and associates you would recommend to the Fraternity. Another brother with whom we had a long telephone conversation is William Lacey McLean Jr. with whom the Lodge had lost contact several years ago. He is important to this column, since he came home by bus on a 30 hour leave from Biloxi, Mississippi in 1945, went straight to the old Lodge on Silver Springs Blvd., received his three degrees, got back on the bus and returned to camp in Biloxi. He now lives near his son in a condo near Jupiter after moving in 1965 to West Palm Beach, where he retired with a long career in education. I knew him when I moved to Ocala as manager of Ocala’s airport and teacher of aviation mechanics at what today is the Community Technical and Adult Education Center, and it was fun to talk about “the good old days” when Ocala was small, and not so busy! The phone is always on -- 694-2461, and I’d love to hear from you! Marion-Dunn Lodge 2007 Lapel Pins Included In Trestleboard They’re new! They’re beautiful! And they are here. What, you ask? They’re the new 2007 Marion-Dunn Lodge pins, incorporating the ideas of Worshipful Master John R. Story, the graphics of Past Master Ladd Poehlman, and they make a great addition to your lapel pin collection. The outer rim of the embossed pin is dark blue enamel with the area around the Holy Bible and Square and Compasses a light blue enamel, with the lettering in gold enamel. We have enclosed a self addressed envelope, and a return card so you can send your contribution and receive credit for assisting your Lodge in meeting its community obligations and maintaining the integrity of the facilities the Craft of the past has provided for our membership of today. Please be as generous as possible, and enjoy wearing your new Marion-Dunn Lodge lapel pin!
Organizational Documents Filed Members of Marion-Dunn Lodge have approved filing an application for Letters Temporary, the first step in obtaining a charter for a chapter of the Order of DeMolay, an organization dedicated to preparing young men aged 12 to 21 to lead successful, happy, and productive lives. The decision to file came after about 20 members of the Lodge and 15th Masonic District attended an informational meeting on February 28 at the Lodge when Ian Berry, State Master Councilor from Tallahassee, and Ron Blaisdell, Asst. Administrator Officer from Titusville, discussed the process for organizing and the requirements of sponsoring a chapter. The process now involves forming an advisory committee, having those members approved by Florida DeMolay and the international organization, and then finding the young men who would like to become members. A number of Marion County Masons were members of DeMolay when a chapter was based in the area about 15-20 years ago and perhaps their children will join the new group. Worshipful Master John R. Story urges anyone interested in DeMolay: advisory board members, chapter advisors, or with children or family members interested in participating to contact the Secretary of the Lodge. Applications are on hand at the Lodge. Family Survey
These event ideas are for Lodge members and their families. Some activities would also be opened up to the community, to promote awareness of the Mason Lodge and make it more attractive to families, possibly gaining new members. We have several Brothers and their families that we never see. We are hoping to change that and have activities that would bring members back to the Lodge and take an active part in making Marion-Dunn a thriving Masonic community.
Please check off if you would / would not be interested in attending these events in the future. Based on your responses we will develop an activity agenda that will hopefully include something for all to enjoy. (All answers are confidential.)
Demographics: Your age ___, Spouse’s age___, Children’s ages ___, ___, ___, ___, __. Grandchildren’s ages ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___, ___.
Family Movie Afternoon- Pizza and a family friendly movie suitable for all ages. The 2nd Saturday of each month at 3:00. A different theme and movie each month. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
Candy Bar Bingo – Kids/ family Bingo played for candy bars instead of money. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
Father/ Daughter dance – Music and refreshments served. A special time for Dads and their girls to share together. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
Couples Dance – Music and refreshments for adult couples. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
DeMolay – A youth organization for boys ages 12 – 21. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
Rainbow Girls – A youth organization for girls ages 12 - 21. Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___
Crafts for kids – Various crafts for children, simple to make but fun! (Fee would vary depending on materials used.) Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ____
Crafts for adults – Rubber stamping, card making, or scrapbooking just to name a few ideas. (Fee would vary depending on materials used.) Yes ___ No ___
Community Events- Volunteer to help with the Child ID program at various local community events. Yes ____ No ____ Maybe ____
Would you like to be notified by Email of upcoming events? If yes, please provide your name and e-mail address. Name: __________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________@______________________. ______
Other activities you would like to see - ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you regularly attend Family Night on the 3rd Thursday of the month? Yes ___ No___ If you answered “No”, please share the reason that you don’t attend. (Be honest.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please mail this completed survey back to the Lodge, or even better- return it at Movie Afternoon on April 14th, or at Family Night on April 19th !
|
Send mail to
jpchem@msn.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
