The King's Speech

With the recognition of "The King's Speech" as best motion picture of 2011, it is interesting to note that both George VI (1895-1952) and his speech therapist, Lionel George Logue (1880-1953) were Freemasons.  Initiated in Naval Lodge 2612 in 1919, King George VI was an active member holding many of the highest offices in England and Scotland. WB Logue was initiated in 1908 in St George's Lodge (now JD Stevenson St. George's Lodge 6, Western Australian Constitution), where he served as Worshipful Master in 1919.  King George VI said he considered Masonry to be one of the strongest influences in his life, "The world today does require spiritual and moral regeneration. I have no doubt, after many years as a member of our Order, that Freemasonry can play a most important part in this vital need.”

As a matter of interest, Lodge Brothers reported of the King, "His stammer rarely surfaced when he was involved in ritual."

A Forgotten Brother

His father was Sam Houston's Lt. Governor. His uncle died at the Alamo. At 28, Brother Ahijah W. "A.W." Grimes (1850-1878) was a promising deputy sheriff when notorious outlaw Sam Bass murdered him in cold blood.  Bass cornered Grimes in a general store where he was investigating Bass' suspicious activity.  Another lawman fatally wounded Bass as he tried to escape.  Buried in the same cemetery, Bass' fame and legend grew after his death. Several yards away from Bass' grave, Brother Grimes' memorial reads, "Gone but not forgotten." Unfortunately the broken, weathered tombstone and history's fading memory of Brother Grimes' heroism tell a different story.

Abraham Zapruder

He took the most famous and historic film of the 20th century.  Because he was a Freemason, anti-Masonic groups and other fringe organizations have maintained Abraham Zapruder (1905 - 1970) was standing in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963 to "document" the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, allegedly knowing in advance what would happen.  In reality, he happened to be standing in the right place at the right time to create a lasting record of a tragic but historically important event.

The Gun Invented To Save Lives

A member of Center Lodge 23 in Indianapolis, he invented a screw propeller for steamboats, a rice sewing machine, a wheat drill and various items which improved the operation of toilets, bicycles, steam cleaning machines and pneumatic devices.  But Dr. Richard Gatling (1818 – 1903) is remembered almost exclusively for a single invention.  It was a rotating barrel, rapid fire gun which bears his name: the Gatling gun.  Dr. Gatling was a physician who never practiced medicine, but invented the deadly weapon for the sole purpose of SAVING lives.  He felt the existence of such a destructive gun would reduce the need for large armies and save lives caused by the destruction of war and its accompanying diseases.

George Washington's Smile

George Washington's compressed lips in many busts and portraits are exaggerated because he tried to surpress a laugh while artist Joseph Wright was casting Washington's life mask.  In Brother Washington's words, "While in this ridiculous attitude, Mrs. Washington entered the room, and seeing my face thus overspread with the plaster, involuntarily exclaimed. Her cry excited in me a disposition to smile, which gave my mouth a twist, or compression of the lips, that is now observable in the busts Wright afterward made."

Grand Master of Masons of the United States

On January 13, 1780 the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania proposed unifying Freemasonry in the country and elected George Washington as the first Grand Master of Masons of the United States. When the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts failed to act on the matter, the issue faded away and Washington never assumed the office.

Friend To Friend

The Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial in the Gettysburg National Cemetery depicts a scene where the fatally wounded Confederate General Lewis Armistead entrusts his personal effects to  Union Captain Henry H. Bingham, knowing him to be a Brother Freemason. The memorial, a gift from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, is dedicated to the Freemasons of the Civil War, "Their unique bonds of friendship enabled them to remain a brotherhood undivided..."  This incident and other instances of Masonic bonding in the civil war are covered in Brother Michael Halloran's 2010 book, The Better Angles of our Nature: http://amzn.to/g9IDpb