Three-Finger Brown

Mordecai Brown (1876-1949), a member of Edward Dobbins Lodge No. 164, Lawrenceville, Illinois, was Elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in 1949.  He was a standout Chicago Cubs pitcher who won 20 or more games for six straight seasons.  In 1908 as a fielding pitcher he did not commit a single error and pitched a record four shutout games in a row.  Prior to becoming a major-leaguer, he was injured in a coal mining accident which severed the index finger and severely deformed the middle finger on his pitching hand.  Amazingly, he amassed his spectacular pitching record with the missing finger and deformed hand, earning him his nickname, "Three Finger" Brown.

Interestingly, in a time when physical deformities might block someone from Masonic membership, Brother Brown's petition required review by a District Deputy Grand Master, who had to approve his admission to the fraternity.

John Ellis

John Ellis (1835-1913), was a Canadian Statesman and journalist and a member of Lodge of Social & Military Virtues, Montreal. He served as Grand Master of New Brunswick, Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of New Brunswick, Grand Master of the Grand Council of Maritime Provinces, Supreme Grand Master of the Sovereign Great Priory of Canada and Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite in Canada. He was named in honor of the saint celebrated on his birthday, February 14. His full name is John Valentine Ellis.

Devastating Day

In what was certainly the most devastating day of his life, Theodore Roosevelt's mother and wife both died on the same day, February 14, 1884, Valentine's day.

The double tragedy so crushed the 25-year old future president, that he quit politics and left New York, moving to the "Badlands" in the Dakota territories.

The Racin' Mason

Sam Hornish Jr., Omega Lodge #564, Defiance, Ohio, won the 2006 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.  Some have labeled his victory the single most exciting moment in the history of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."  Running second for several laps, Brother Hornish made a spectacular pass with less than 1/4 mile remaining to win the classic race by a matter of inches.

Lost in the hubbub of his breathtaking victory was the fact that Brother Hornish also won the race's sportsmanship award, reflecting his character as a Freemason.  It was the first time the sportsmanship award had ever gone to the winner of the great race.

Alexander M. Dockery

Alexander M. Dockery, Jackson Lodge 82, Linneus, Missouri, served as Governor of Missouri, Grand Master of Missouri, Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, R.A.M., of Missouri and Grand Master of Odd Fellows in Missouri.

Ernest Borgnine

Academy award winning actor Ernest Borgnine was born this date in 1917. A member of Abingdon Lodge 48, Abingdon, Virginia, At 95, Brother Borgnine remains an active Freemason and is presently the Honorary Chairman of the Scottish Rite RiteCare Program, which sponsors 175 Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs nationwide.

Brother Tom Mix

Brother Tom Mix:

 

● Made 336 films, but only 9 were "talkies"

● Had five wives

● Was a bitter rival of Brother John Wayne

● Performed his own stunts in films

● Served as a pallbearer at Wyatt Earp's funeral - and wept

● Left films to join the circus, his real passion

● Put custom tires on all his cars with special tread that left his initials, TM, on the road

● Appears on the cover of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album

● Earned millions, spent millions

● Paid his first 10 years' dues the night he was raised at Utopia Lodge 537 of Los Angeles

● Was killed by a flying suitcase

● Had a star-studded funeral where Rudy Vallee sang "Empty Saddles"

Brother Tom Mix

Brother Tom Mix:

● Made 336 films, but only 9 were "talkies"
● Had five wives
● Was a bitter rival of Brother John Wayne
● Performed his own stunts in films
● Served as a pallbearer at Wyatt Earp's funeral - and wept
● Left films to join the circus, his real passion
● Put custom tires on all his cars with special tread that left his initials, TM, on the road
● Appears on the cover of The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album
● Earned millions, spent millions
● Paid his first 10 years' dues the night he was raised at Utopia Lodge 537 of Los Angeles
● Was killed by a flying suitcase
● Had a star-studded funeral where Rudy Vallee sang "Empty Saddles"

A Three-Time Winner

Brother Dionisio de Herrera (1781-1850), Lodge unknown, was elected president of three countries!  He served as president of Honduras from 1824-27 and president of Nicaragua from 1829-34. He retired from politics and moved to El Salvador after serving his term in Nicaragua, but was so popular the people of El Salvador included him on the ballot and elected him president in 1835.  Weary of politics, he declined his third presidency and turned to teaching for the remainder of his life.

A Small Technicality

Bernard Pierre Magnan (1791-1865) was a French statesman and soldier who supported Napoleon III in his successful coup d'etat of 1851. Magnan's loyalty won the Emperor's enduring support and, in return he appointed Magnan Marshal of France.  Then, in 1862, Napoleon had Magnan installed as the Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France (GODF).  Many objected to the appointment due to a "small technicality" - at the time of his installation as Grand Master, Magnan was not a Freemason!

(Napoleon's motive in having Magnan installed as Grand Master was to have him monitor the GODF for any signs of subversion against the Emperor's regime. No definitive records indicate Magnan ever officially became a Mason; however he did claim having higher degrees and also became involved with the suspect Ancient and Primitive Rite of Masonry - "Memphis-Mizraim," helping to establish the "Sovereign Sanctuary of America, 33-95°.")

Frank E. Hering

Frank E. Hering (1874-1943), South Bend Lodge 294, Indiana, was the first Notre Dame basketball coach and also coached its football team. He expanded the football program from a small intramural activity to a full-fledged intercollegiate competition.  He also served as President of the Fraternal Order of Eagles form 1909-12, and used that forum to promote the establishment of a national Mother's Day.  Successful in all these endeavors, he is known both as "The Father of Notre Dame Football" and "The Father of Mother's Day."

The Boy Minister

William Mark Sexson, Bloomfield Lodge 84, Bloomfield, Indiana and Grand Master of Oklahoma in 1928, was Founder of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls.  A Christian minister, he began his ministry at the age of 14 and incredibly, was fully ordained when he was only 17 years old.

Although Most Worshipful Brother Sexson was a Christian minister, he made it clear the IORG was an organization for girls of all faiths.

Class Action

Josiah Quincy (1772-1864), St. John's Lodge of Boston, was Harvard's 15th president, serving from 1829-1845. In 1834, an argument between a student and teacher escalated and resulted in disciplinary action against several students.  The disciplined students' classmates rioted after the action, breaking windows and furniture and otherwise disrupting campus life.  Things got so out-of-hand, Brother Quincy expelled the entire sophomore class!

Brother Martin Luther King?

In 1999, Most Worshipful Brother, Benjamin P. Barksdale, Grand Master of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Georgia, posthumously made Dr. Martin Luther King a Mason at sight. 

The action was not without controversy, since it is one of the few instances (if not the only one) of declaring a man a Mason after his death.  Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, accepted the honor on behalf of her late husband.  Prince Hall documentation indicates Grand Master X. L. Neal had arranged for Dr. King to become a Freemason upon his return from Atlanta in 1968, an act which was prevented by Dr. King's assassination.

A Mason At Sight — More Than A Snap Of The Fingers

On December 3, 2011, I had the privilege to be present as Most Worshipful Brother Terry L. Seward, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, exercised an authority unique to Grand Masters. He made Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of Harry S. Truman, a Mason at sight. It has happened many times before to dozens of men who have become "true and faithful" Brothers among us. Milton Eisenhower, Charles W. Fairbanks, Andrew Mellon, Booker T. Washington, William Howard Taft... all were made Masons at sight. During the past year basketball standout Shaquille O'Neal and Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss became Masons at sight. It might be said a full list of Masons at sight reads like a Who's-Who of Masonry. Yet many Masons have reservations about the practice, feeling it dilutes the experience of becoming a Freemason and somehow indicates the Mason at sight Brother somehow lacks enthusiasm for or knowledge about the fraternity.

The conventions for making a Mason at sight, as most everything else in the Craft, vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, including mine — Missouri, the making of a Mason at sight is prohibited. In general, however, the procedure employs some form of ritual and obligation and has guidelines for how many Brothers must be present. According to Mackey, "The mode of exercising the prerogative is this: The Grand Master summons to his assistance not less than six other Freemasons, convenes a Lodge, and without any previous probation, but on sight of the candidates confers the Degrees upon him, after which he dissolves the Lodge and dismisses the Brethren."

Of course, not everyone does things according to Mackey. Still, some Brothers hold the general conception that the process of making a Mason at sight is almost literal: The Grand Master snaps his fingers and, voilà! A new Mason. It doesn't work that way. "In this case," said MWB Seward, "it means there was no petition, no investigation and the ceremony was slightly shorter. I made every effort to ensure Brother Daniel was comfortable doing things this way because I didn't want him to miss anything and didn't want him to feel he wasn't getting the full experience."

And so it was. Brother Clifton was obligated in the Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft degrees and received an impressive and full Master Mason degree. Whatever he missed he can now easily pick up by viewing the first two degrees. The entire ceremony was solemn, well-orchestrated and beautifully conducted, far more than a snap of the fingers.

The group of Brothers who witnessed Brother Daniel's raising were virtually unanimous in complimenting the ceremony after it was over. They overwhelmingly congratulated the Grand Lodges of Illinois and Missouri for the work. And Brother Clifton expressed the same sentiments.

To look at it from another point of view, every one of those fortunate to be in attendance in that packed Lodge room can now say something very few can claim, "I saw the making of a Mason at sight."

Honduras

At least ten Presidents of the Central American republic of Honduras were Freemasons, including: Dionisio Herrera, 1824-1827; Francisco Bertrand, 1913-1915 and 1916-1923; Vincente Tosta, 1924-1925; Miguel Paz Baraona, 1925-1929; Vincente Mejia Colindres, 1929-1933; Juan Manuel Galvez, 1949-1955.

Sin-Suffer-Repent

Brother Henry Lieferant (1892-1968), Lodge unknown, was a Polish-born and educated immigrant to the US who became a prolific author with several books and magazine articles to his credit.  As Editor-in-chief of True Story magazine, he was responsible for is rise to popularity when he developed the story format whereby a heroine "violates standards of behavior, suffers as a consequence, learns her lesson and resolves to live in light of it, unembittered by her pain."  True Story magazine still survives using Brother Lieferant's tried-and-true, if not slightly salacious format known as "sin-suffer-repent."

Strongman Lodge

Thomas Topham was an 18th century Englishman famous for feats of incredible strength.  Brother Topham was a pub owner who was so strong he could roll up a pewter dish in the same manner a normal person could roll up a piece of paper.  Known for being able to brace himself against a stone fence and out-pull two horses straining against him on the other side, his Lodge was named Strongman Lodge in his honor.  The sign above the Lodge door showed him pulling against the horses.  Drawing by Lovina Scott Ebbe, courtesy Missouri Lodge of Research.

The Bestseller

Charles P. "Chic" Sale (1885-1936), Urbana Lodge 157 (IL), was an actor and humorist in vaudeville and a character actor in movies.  He never achieved a great amount of fame, however, until he became an author and published "The Specialist."  The book sold 200,000 copies in three months and went on to be a million-seller.  Its subject: outhouses.  Considered risque for its time, the book was nearly banned, but Brother Sale chose his words just carefully enough to avoid having it censored.

Famous Last Words

Georges Jacques Danton (1759-1794), a member of the Lodge of the Nine Sisters at Paris, was a French revolutionary leader who advocated a unified France and stable republican government.  Caught up in the "Reign of Terror," Danton went to prison and the guillotine at the order of the dictator Robespierre.  As Brother Danton's tumbrel carried him to his execution, it rolled past Robespierre's house with Danton shouting insults at the tyrant and predicting he would also be executed... which he was.  When the executioner took him up to the guillotine, Danton turned to him and uttered some of history's most famous last words, "You will show my head to the crowd: It is worth seeing."

An Early Masonic Mark

One of the earliest examples of a Masonic mark appears on the tomb of William Schaw (1550-1602), a Scottish Freemason who was the country's Master of Works. The design forms the letters of Schaw's name overlaying a square and compasses.

Lights Out

Brother Wyllis Cooper (1899-1955) created and directed the classic radio program "Lights Out" in 1933. The show was so popular it generated over 600 fan clubs, an astounding number at the time.  Brother Cooper was so detail oriented that on one show he was not satisfied with the sound of a man being executed on a gallows, so he made the sound man drop through the trap door and "hang himself" during the live broadcast. The sound man survived as did "Light's Out," which ran on radio through 1947 and later made the transition to television.

Quisling

Vidkun Quisling, (1887-1945) a strident Norwegian anti-Mason whose name has become synonymous with the word "traitor" collaborated with Germany in its conquest of Norway during World War II.  Named head of the country by the Nazis, Quisling stripped and ruined Oslo's beautiful Masonic temple and used it for his own offices. At the end of the war he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. In an ironic twist, his trial and sentencing took place inside a Masonic Lodge.

The Truman Line - Unique in all of Masonry

Harry S. Truman was a man of many accomplishments. He is, of course best known throughout the world as the thirty-third President of the United States, Vice President, US Senator and World War I Captain, to name a few. Interestingly, however when asked which honor he valued the most, Truman always responded, "The greatest honor that has ever come to me, and that can ever come to me in my life, was to become Grand Master of Masons in Missouri." This is quite a testimonial to the office of Grand Master from a man who once was the most powerful person in the world.

Truman became Grand Master in 1940, while still serving as a United States Senator. Among his many duties during his year as Grand Master, MWB Truman appointed James M. Bradford to the advancing line. With that appointment, the Truman Line was born. The Truman Line consists of those brothers appointed to Missouri's Grand Line by Harry Truman or his appointees.

Eight years later, Bradford became Grand Master and appointed Harold O. Grauel to the advancing line. The tradition of Truman Line appointments has continued until today.

In the normal course of events, a Truman Line appointee becomes Grand Master (approximately) every eight years. At any given time, there is only one Truman Line member in the advancing line, and there is only one member of the Truman line at a time who has not been Grand Master. The next Truman Line appointee year will be 2014.

The Truman Line is truly unique in all of Masonry. It is a very select club, with only nine members (including Truman) prior to the latest appointment:

Harry S. Truman 1940-1941
James M Bradford 1949-1950
Harold O. Grauel 1959-1960
Elvis A. Mooney 1968-1969
Fielding A. Poe 1976-1977
Vern H. Schneider 1984-1985
D. Robert Downey 1991-1992
Wilfred G. Soutiea, Jr. 1999-2000
Bruce Austin 2007-2008

With MWB Austin's Truman Line appointment at Grand Lodge 2007, the Truman Line will continue as RWB David W. Haywood, the newest member of this elite club, continues to move through the advancing line.

The Epiphany

A victim of political and personal persecution, Charles L. Cadet-Gassincourt (1769-1821), blamed the Freemasons for his troubles and became a fervent anti-Mason.  He published the book "The Fall of Jacques DeMolay," in which he claimed Freemasonry was the cause of all European political dysfunction.  In his vehement detestation of Freemasonry he became obsessed with researching its failings.  His prolific research into the Craft led him to a stunning conclusion: that his accusations against Freemasonry were untrue and it was a worthy and just fraternity.  Having had this epiphany, he petitioned Lodge l'Abeille in Paris, and became its Master in 1805!

The Real Steamboat Inventor

John Fitch (1743-1798), Bristol Lodge 25, PA, invented the steamboat, first putting a prototype into operation in 1787. Discouraged after years of unsuccessfully trying to obtain funding, Brother Fitch poisoned himself, leaving a suicide note which said, ""The day will come when some more powerful man will get fame and riches from my invention; but nobody will believe that poor John Fitch can do anything worthy of attention."  That man was Robert Fulton, whom most people today credit with the steamboat's invention.

Boss Tom Pendergast

Serving under the iron rule of the corrupt political boss Tom Pendergast, Brother Harry S. Truman was once described as "The only honest man in Jackson County Missouri government."  Still, Pendergast befriended Truman and it was only through his blessing that Truman became a US senator. Truman had just become Vice President when Pendergast died January 26, 1945.  Without exception, Truman's advisers told him it would be political suicide to attend Pendergast's funeral. Truman, always his own man, ignored them all and went to the service saying, "I never forget a friend."

Fritz Hollings

Brother Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings served over 38 years in the US Senate representing the State of South Carolina until his retirement in 2005. During that tenure, he served as the state's junior senator alongside Brother Strom Thurmond. The pair are the longest serving team of senators ever and Brother Thurmond's longevity gave Brother Hollings the somewhat dubious distinction of being the legislative body's most senior junior senator.

Born on January 1, 1922, Brother Hollings is today celebrating his 90th birthday.