The Teddy Bear

Brother Clifford K. Berryman (1869-1949) was Past Master of Temple Noyes Lodge 32 of Washington, DC, a Shriner and Knight Templar.  A self-taught illustrator, he is thought to be the only political cartoonist ever to sketch every single member of any given congress.  He is best known, however for a single 1902 Washington Post cartoon captioned "Drawing the line in Mississippi."  It alludes to a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana.  In it, Brother Berryman depicts President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt showing compassion for a young bear cub.  The concept of the "Teddy Bear" and the industry it spawned sprang from this single cartoon.

Gander Memorial

On December 12, 1985, an Arrow Air flight crashed on takeoff leaving the airport at Gander, Newfoundland.  There were 256 people on board, including 248 members of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division who were on their way home for Christmas.  No one on board survived the crash, which remains Canada's worst air disaster.  The town built a memorial at the crash scene, which depicts an unarmed soldier holding the hands of a small boy and girl, each holding an olive branch.  The memorial was originally funded and is perpetually maintained by the Freemasons and their ladies auxiliary.  Last December, Gander Lodge #16 conducted a memorial service and wreath-laying in remembrance on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

Walter P. Chrysler

Brother Walter P. Chrysler (1875-1940), the automotive industry magnate for whom the famous car, company and building are named, began life modestly in Wamego, Kansas and went on to become one of the automotive industry's most notable figures.  He often said he cared nothing for genealogy and even commented on the subject, "Ancestors, I have millions of them."  However, with all his accomplishments, when asked for a biography for "Who's Who," he specifically made note of the fact he was descended from Tuenis Van Dolsen, the first male child born on the island of Manhattan.

Richard C. Harlow

Brother Richard C. "Dick" Harlow (1889-1962) had a spectacular career as a college football player and coach.  He was the first non-alumnus to be head football coach at Harvard.  Voted college coach of the year in 1936, Harlow has been recognized as a pioneer of modern defensive tactics.  The fact that he compiled an overall record of 149–69–17 as head coach at Penn State, Western Maryland, Colgate and Harvard is made even more impressive by the fact that football coach wasn't his "real" job.  Brother Harlow was actually a professor of zoology and was considered the country's foremost expert in the field of oology - the study of birds' eggs.

Scottie Pippen - Number 33

Scottie Pippen, standout NBA player for the Chicago Bulls and instrumental in that team winning six world championships had a distinguished professional and college basketball career. He is also one of the most well-known contemporary Prince Hall Freemasons. As one might expect, conspiracy theorists have had a field day with the fact that Pippen wore the number 33 throughout his career, overlooking the fact that he wore that number long before he was a Freemason.

Daniel Boone

There are no existing records to indicate if frontiersman Daniel Boone was a Freemason.  However, there is this report from his son Nathan on the occasion of his father's funeral,"Father's body was conveyed to Flanders Callaway's home at Charette, and there the funeral took place. There were no military or Masonic honors, the latter of which he was a member, as there were then but very few in that region of the country." So if his son is to be believed, Daniel Boone was indeed a member of the fraternity.

Joseph Lister

An English Baron and a renowned surgeon, Brother Joseph Lister (1827-1912) pioneered antiseptic surgery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Recognizing his medical accomplishments, Joseph Lister Lodge 8032 at University College Hospital in London is named in his honor.  The general public, however, knows him more for the mouthwash named after him... Listerene.