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.

Masonic Funerals

Bother William Brockmeier (1866-1947) of St. Louis, Missouri, conducted 5,586 Masonic Funerals over the course of his Masonic life.  During the time he was actively presiding at funerals, this would have amounted to an average of 2-3 funerals per week over a period of 40 years.

The Missouri Lodge of Research would be interested in hearing from any Brother who has conducted more Masonic funerals than Brother Brockmeier.

Eddie Rickenbacker

Top WWI flying ace, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and Congressional Medal of Honor Edward V. "Eddie" Rickenbacker (1890-1973) led one of the most adventurous lives of any 20th century American. Left for dead in a horrific 1941 airliner crash, he survived only to be lost at sea and adrift in a raft for three weeks the following year while on a presidential mission. A man of many talents, Rickenbacker was an air racer, drove in four Indianapolis 500 races and then purchased and ran the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He also developed 4-wheel braking for cars, ran Eastern Airlines and even scripted the "Ace Drummond" comic strip. Brother Eddie Rickenbacker, 33°, was a member of Kilwinning Lodge No. 297, Detroit, Michigan, Detroit York Rite Bodies and Moslem Shrine Temple.

Lodge Chests

In 19th century Ireland it was a common practice for Lodges to keep their valuables, including money, paraphernalia and jewels in Lodge chests.  Each chest had three locks with the Master, Senior Warden and Junior Warden each holding a key. This practice required all three officers to be present at every meeting or any other time the chest was opened.

Kit Carson

Traveling with soldiers in 1849, Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868) came upon an abandoned Apache settlement. Here, Carson found the body of Ann White, who had been killed just minutes before his arrival when the Apaches had left the camp. Among her belongings, Carson found a copy of the dime novel, "Kit Carson," by Charles Averill. The book portrayed Carson as a great hero. Carson surmised Mrs. White somehow knew he was close and might rescue her. The incident haunted Carson for the rest of his life. He spoke of it many times and wrote about it in his memoirs. Brother Kit Carson was a member of Missouri chartered Montezuma Lodge #109 (today Montezuma Lodge #1) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Mystery of the Rolling Rock "33"

The mysterious number "33" appearing on the back of Rolling Rock beer cans and bottles has led to speculation that, among other theories, it refers to the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite. The company has explained it as a printer's error.  A company executive had written the number at the end of the text referring to the number of words in the blurb. The printer thought it was meant to be there and included it.  Rather than remove the number, the company left it there and has gotten a lot of mileage out of the speculation surrounding it.

War And Peace

It is said more people have falsely claimed to have read his book "War and Peace" than any other.  In that book, Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) mentions Freemasonry no less than 89 times, includes several characters who are Freemasons. and describes a Masonic initiation in such detail that many assume he was a Freemason.  In fact, no record of his membership exists and it is unlikely he ever became a member.  For most of his life Freemasonry was forbidden in Russia and by the time it returned, he was old and in poor health.

First Successful Open-Heart Surgery

In July 1893, a young victim was rushed to Provident Hospital in Chicago with a near fatal stab wound. With the knife still embedded in the man's heart, hospital founder and Surgeon Daniel Hale Williams performed the first known successful open-heart surgery in order to save the victim's life.  Dr. Williams had a long list of medical accomplishments including service on the Illinois State Board of Health and a presidential appointment as Surgeon-in-Chief at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C.  Named to the list of the 100 Greatest African Americans in 2001, Dr. Williams was a Prince Hall Freemason.

Dr. Williams' patient in that first successful open-heart surgery, lived for 50 years following the procedure.

The Wooden Gun

In 1832, his father sent him on a voyage to learn the seaman's trade.  But Samuel Colt (1814-1862) was more interested in mechanical things, having grown up working in his father's factory.  On the voyage, he observed the mechanics of the ships wheel, discovering "regardless of which way the wheel was spun, each spoke always came in direct line with a clutch that could be set to hold it." The motion gave the eighteen-year-old an idea and the revolving pistol was born.  Having nothing else to work with on the ship, he built the world's first revolving pistol out of wood, and went on to make a fortune as the founder of founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company. Brother Colt was a member of St. John's Lodge 4, Hartford, Connecticut.

Roscoe And Gilmore

Brother Roscoe Turner, 32° (1895–1970), Corinth Lodge 116, Corinth, Mississippi, was a pioneer American flier.  Congress awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1952 but, unbelievably, the military turned down his application to become a pilot in World War I.  After serving as a driver in the war, Turner went on to become the country's top barnstorming ace, operated the world's first high speed airline and held almost every air speed record of his day. The public, however, probably best knew him as the barnstorming pilot who traveled the country with his pet lion.  The lion, Gilmore, was a promotion for the Gilmore Oil Company, which used a lion as its symbol.  Turner was said even to sleep in the same room with Gilmore and pictures, perhaps staged, may support the claim.

Jacques DeMolay's Dying Vow

As he was being bound to the stake in preparation for his execution, Jacques DeMolay, Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is said to have invoked a curse on his persecutors.  He vowed that King Phillip of France and Pope Clement would join him at the throne of God within a year to account for their sins.  Both Phillip and Clement died within a year after DeMolay's martyrdom.