The Woz

 

We live in a world steeped in technology. We run around with our smart phones fused to our hands avoiding human interaction in favor of texts, tweets, and Instagram posts that shout to the entire world "it's all about me." We grab our entertainment from streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Peacock and others that weren't around a decade ago. We order Alexa to turn on and off our lights and we drive cars that brake, steer and parallel park for us. Most of us, though, don't know much about the wizards standing behind the curtain who make this magic work.

You may, for example, have never heard of Tim Berners-Lee but you use his invention every day. We call it the World-Wide-Web. I could list others whose names are even more obscure to the general population. But some of these so-called nerds break through and become household names: Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are known around the world.

In that group, there is at least one other name you will know. He was initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry in 1979. They call him "The Woz."

Steve Wozniak was raised in Charity Lodge 362, now Mt. Moriah Lodge 292 in California. He and that other famous technology pioneer, Steve Jobs, started and built Apple Computer, today recognized as the world's largest company.

Wozniak provided the technical skills needed for designing the circuitry for the first Apple computer, and together in 1976, he and Jobs personally built about 200 units in in a garage-shop operation. Each of those Apple I computers sold for $666.66, raising some eyebrows, but The Woz always claimed he chose that price because he liked repeating numbers, knowing nothing about its symbolism.

The following year, Wozniak designed and built the Apple II which together with improved models in the 1980s is now regarded as the first truly successful personal computer. For those early machines that launched Apple, Jobs' role was marketing and it was Steve Wozniak who provided the design and innovation. Many of his ideas were born of the fact that he knew what features he personally wanted in a computer and, since those computers didn't exist, he had to invent them. In describing his motivation, he once said, "I had two things going for me: I had no money and no training."

Wozniak married Alice Robertson in 1976. She was a member of the Eastern Star. As the marriage gradually became troubled, Steve thought if he joined the Masons with its associations to the Star, it would provide an opportunity to spend more time with Alice and might help their relationship. He subsequently joined Charity Lodge. The plan didn't work. Just a short time later the relationship fell apart. The couple divorced and with that Wozniak's participation in the Craft ended. It's likely his membership was more a commitment to attempting to save his marriage than to Freemasonry, especially when we factor in the fact that he has on occasion claimed to be an agnostic.

Years ago, when asked about his thoughts on Freemasonry, he had this to say: "A lot of things about me don't get filtered. My wife at the time, in the early Apple days, was in Eastern Star. I thought if I became a Freemason I could go to more events with her. I did become a Freemason and know what it's about but it doesn't really fit my tech/geek personality. Still, I can be polite to others from other walks of life. After our divorce was filed I never attended again but I did contribute enough for a lifetime membership. There is nothing wrong with the Freemasons."

In his personal life, Wozniak supports a multitude of charities, many tech related and aimed at youth development including the Tech Museum, the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, and his local school's technology program. He opened his own home to help start the Dream Camp Foundation for underprivileged youth, now better known as "Camp Woz." He is known as a generous donor who gives with no strings attached. He also, unlike Steve Jobs, remembered early Apple employees who did not stay with the company and lost out on millions of dollars. To that group, in 1980, he personally donated ten million dollars of his own Apple stock.

Later in life, Brother Wozniak went back to school and received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkley. By the time he enrolled, he was so famous, he registered under an alias that reflected his well-known sense of humor. That alias is now the name that appears on his college degree: Rocky Raccoon Clark.

So, by his own words, he has no opposition to the Craft. In spite of his lack of enthusiasm and uncertain belief in a deity, he does, in fact remain a Brother. We'll leave it at that and without judgment ask, how many other members do you know who have long since become inactive or question their spirituality?

Steve Wozniak has contributed greatly through his inventions and has used his resources to benefit those less privileged than himself. In this amazing world of technology we live in it's safe to say we have all benefited in some small or even significant way from his pioneering work and for those accomplishments we are proud to call him Brother.