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 | | Our July Stated Communications is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month so that everyone can enjoy the 4th of July without having a Lodge meeting during that week. So it was that on Wednesday the 13th the brethren and their ladies met at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center for our annual welcoming dinner for our snowbirds, known to the Lodge as "Herb's Night". |
| Herb's Night features a buffet style dinner with several choices. Beef, Pork, and Chicken dishes were available as well as Barbeque pork on the tables. With everyone going to the buffet to serve themselves all had plenty to eat. Bobby was back with the never ending removable cast on her leg. She says that she is recovering at a steady pace from her latest surgery.. | |  |
 | | We were pleased to have guests who found the Lodge through our website at our dinner. They sat with a couple of the members and had a lively discussion on Freemasonry and St. John's Lodge No. 9 in particular. Petitions were received from two of them after dinner and we are very happy with the men who have come to us from our site. We know they will not regret their decision to petition the Lodge. | | |
| During the meal we were treated to the sounds of the Greg Fulton Trio. These professional jazz musicians played many familiar jazz standards at a sound level that made conversation possible and yet made it so they could be heard and enjoyed all through the meal. Greg Fulton is an accomplished guitar player and has played with many of the big groups that have come to Seattle. | |  |
Following the meal everyone was invited into the Lodgeroom for the evenings meeting. Lodge, having been opened by the officers at 6:55 PM and declared off session, made it so that the men did not have to go into the Lodgeroom to open Lodge and declare it off session before the ladies were able to attend.
WM Lund welcomed everyone and then did the introductions of visiting Brethren, Lodge Officers, Grand Lodge Committee members, District Deputies, and Officers, and the Past Masters and Affiliated Past Masters of St. John's Lodge No. 9.
 | | Following introductions the WM had the Senior Deacon to seek out and present Bros. Morton Blager and Glenn Goodson, and WBro. Frank Young and escort them to the East. The WM then invited the District Deputy to assist him in presenting Brother Goodson and Worshipful Brother Young with fifty year pins and cards for their years in the Fraternity. They also presented | | Brother Blager with a forty year pin and card to commemorate his many years of service. |
Committee reports were then heard. Bro. Jim Wold reported that four families enjoyed the family campout at Granite Falls Masonic Park. He asked that more members consider this weekend Lodge activity when planning their summer plans for next year.
Bro. Wold is also chairman for the family picnic to be held at the Nile Country Club grounds, Sunday, August 14. We will be in area B, beginning to assemble at 11am. Steaks, hot dogs, chicken and salmon will be offered to families and guests. Bingo players should bring an inexpensive prize to be shared. Other activities will include croquet and badminton for the adults and appropriate games for the children.
VWBro. Jim Russell reported that the 145th Anniversary celebration of our Lodge will be a dinner and dance at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, Saturday evening, September 10th. A swing band will entertain our brothers and their ladies. Help will be requested to decorate that day and to tear down following the celebration.
WBro. Ken Lane, Jr. presented championship trophies earned by the major and minor Little League baseball teams sponsored by the lodge. Both teams did well this season, winning the championship in their respective divisions. The major leaguers went on to win the Tournament of Champions in inter-divisional play. The Masons name has been well represented the last few years in Northwest Little League play. WBro. Lane has served on the coaching staff each year.
Five Memorial Scrolls were then read by the Secretary for Bro. Edward Gustav Anderson, Jr., WBro. George Harrison Price, Bro. Francis Thayer Bean, Bro. J. David Hampton, and VWBro. Richard Henry Oslund. These scrolls are found on our memorials page for 2005. The reading was followed by the Lodge memorial delivered by the Jr. Warden, Sr. Warden, Worshipful Master, and Chaplain. Eight Brothers shared remembrances of these fallen members.
Announcements were then heard. Our Secretary, VW Bro. Jim Russell, reminded the brethren of some of the approaching dates of interest:
- July 20 (7pm): Entered Apprentice degree
- July 23 (8:30am): Fellowcraft degree
- July 27, 4pm: St. John's Lodge No. 9 Trustees meeting - College Club
- August 3 (6pm) 7:30pm: St. John's 9 (dinner) Stated Scholarship Night
- August 6: Open Air MM Degree at Masonic Park
- August 14 (11am): Lodge picnic at Nile (Sunday)
- August 17 (7pm): Officers meeting/degree practice
- August 20 8am): degree (Quick Room)
- August 23 (7:30pm): King Co. Masonic Library (Delta-White Center No. 172)
- September 10 (6pm): St. John's Lodge No. 9 145th Anniversary Celebration@ Scottish Rite
- September 21 (6pm) 7:30pm: St. John's 9 (dinner) Stated (Greenwood!)
- October 12 (7pm): Officers meeting/practice
- October 19 (6pm) 7:30pm: St. John's 9 (dinner) Stated
VWBro. Bill Werner invited the brethren to attend Myrtle Lodge No. 108 stated meeting on the third Thursday of this month. He and WBro. Vince DiGiulio encouraged everyone to support CHIP (Washington Childhood Identification Program) now sponsored by the Masons of Washington. This program was initially started by Masons on the east coast and is becoming popular throughout the United States. It consist of obtaining a DNA swab, dental impressions, a video recording of the child talking about his or her favorite activities, along with other vital statistics, and all these placed in a kit and given to the parents for future use in the search of a lost or abducted child. The brethren were invited to assist in making this service available at the Evergreen Fair the latter part of August.
WBro. Charles Tupper announced that a September opportunity to invite friends who may be interested in the fraternity will be a visit to the Seattle Art Museum, Thursday, September 29.
WBro. Bill Collison told the brothers and guests that a friend who had suffered some memory loss has seen some positive results in participating in a variation of the accelerated reader program, which we sponsor at three elementary schools.
WBro. Darrel Womack announced that several of the Job's Daughters Bethels which we sponsor did well in competition at the recent Grand Bethel communication.
WBro. Mike Davis, Deputy of the Grand Master for District 5, announced that Daylight Lodge No. 232 will be installing officers this Saturday, July 16. Past Grand Master Sat Tashiro will be the installing officer. Hermanos del Arte Lodge No. 314 will be constituted that afternoon and will be installing officers. A cornerstone will be laid at Ocean Shores Convention Center, the site of next year's annual Grand Lodge, on July 31. The Open Air Master Mason degree will be performed by the Prince Hall Jurisdiction, Saturday, August 6. He brought greetings from Grand Master Al Jorgensen, and announced that MWBro. Jorgensen's theme for this year is "Great Expectations." VWBro. Davis said that he has "great expectations" for this lodge and freemasonry in our jurisdiction.
WBro. Terry Grove announced that he had a partial list of Masonic license plates and their owners and solicited others with Masonic vanity plates to give him their name and plate number. He hopes to generate a list to be carried in our travels to identify our brother Masons on the road
Ladies and guests were then excused and Labor was resumed on the Third Degree. Minutes of the previous Stated Communication were dispensed with and the usual business of the Lodge was quickly taken care of.
A proficiency in the Master Mason degree was heard and a new Master Mason was welcomed into the Lodge. Two petitions were received and read to the Lodge. Five petitions were balloted, three of them favorably.
The resolution that was published in the Trestleboard dealing with the upcoming move to Greenwood Masonic Center was favorably balloted.
The Lodge will be holding an EA Degree on July 20th and a FC Degree on the 23rd. Help is needed to ensure that the candidates have a quality experience at these degrees.
The lodge will be celebrating the 145th anniversary of our lodge on Saturday, September 10. We will again be served by Upper Crust Catering and entertained by the Dina Blade Trio for music and dancing. It was m/s/p to provide a deposit to Upper Crust Catering for the 145th anniversary dinner.
WBro. Bill Collison requested that the brethren consider two gifts to the Masonic Park. The staff and park committee are trying to raise funds for a defibrillator kit to have on the grounds. The park also could use some new family shelters to replace some of the older units and for additional camp sites. WBro. Collison reported that the Eagle Scouts construct the shelters as their projects. The cost of the materials, and some design recommendations, are provided by donations to the park. It was m/s/p that funds be donated to the Masonic Park toward the purchase of a defibrillator kit; that funds be donated to the Masonic Park for construction of a family site shelter dedicated to the memory of John and Lila Houck; and that funds be held in reserve for final Park shelter construction. The contribution for the shelter should be able to pay for a plaque and ground improvements (crushed rock, gravel, landscaping, and picnic table).
Bro. Mark Campbell reported that he and wife Katie returned last month from China, where they united with new daughter, Abigail (Abbey). Their adopted daughter is twenty-one months old and is adapting to her new home. The new parents are thrilled.
It was announced that Past Grand Master Bill Wood is recovering from surgery and should be kept in our thoughts. The secretary was instructed to send a card on behalf of the lodge
There being no further business before the Lodge, Lodge was closed at about 10:00 PM.
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