Scottish Rite Masons and their Families VALLEY VOICE. January 2015

Transcription

1 Scottish Rite Masons and their Families VALLEY VOICE January 2015

2 Valley of Detroit VALLEYVOICE January, 2015 Valley Voice is the official publication of Detroit Scottish Rite. The Bodies of the Scottish Rite, sitting in the Valley of Detroit, State of Michigan, acknowledge and yield allegiance to the Supreme Council, 33 o, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America whose Grand East is in Lexington, Massachusetts. Ill. John Wm. McNaughton, 33 o Sovereign Grand Commander Ill. David R. Bedwell, 33 o Deputy for Michigan Ill. William J. Dover, 33 o, MSA Active Member for Michigan On the Cover: Master Mason Apron, circa 1814, Edward Horsman ( ), Boston, Special Acquisitions Fund, 89.66, photograph by David Bohl. Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library. February Valley Meeting Tuesday, February 10, :30 p.m. Presenting the 29 o DVD Knight of St. Andrew Ill. Walter F. Wheeler, 33 o Active Member for Michigan Ill. Robert H. Sale, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus Ill. Erwin W. O Dell, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus Ill. Gerald F. Thorp, 33 o, MSA Active Member Emeritus 32ndDegreeMasons.org All correspondence concerning this Publication should be directed to the Executive Secretary of the Valley of Detroit, Timothey S. Marshbanks, 33 o The 29 o Knight of St. Andrew emphasizes the Masonic teachings of equality and toleration as a group of Scottish Knights of the Order of St. Andrew are brought before Sultan Bayazad el Ilderim following the defeat of the last Christian crusade at the battle of Nicopolis in September Refreshments following Scottish Rite Masons Only Bring your Passport Mailing Address 907 Monroe St. Dearborn, MI Fax Toll Free valleyofdetroit@32nddegreemasons.org Editor Ill. David R. Bedwell, 33 o dbedwell@ameritech.net Permission to reprint original articles in the Valley Voice is granted to all recognized Masonic publications with credit to the author and this publication. Copyright 2015 Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit

3 January Valley Program Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Park Place Banquet Center Park St, Dearborn Social ~ 6:30 p.m. Dinner ~ 7:00 p.m. Program ~ 7:45 p.m. Come out and enjoy good food and fellowship and learn about the crown jewel of Michigan Masonry, our Michigan Masonic Home ~ Masonic Pathways. Mrs. Cindy Bosley, Chief Executive Officer of Masonic Pathways is our special guest and she will present an informative program explaining everything including the rich history, programs offered and future planning. There is no charge for the dinner, but reservations are absolutely a must and are required no later than Wednesday, January 7, For Reservations contact the Valley office toll free at or via at valleyofdetroit@32nddegreemasons.org This Program replaces our January Valley Meeting at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Join Us for a Great Time! VS the Compuware Arena Beck Rd. ~ Plymouth (just North of M-14) Sunday, March 15, :00 P.M. The Valley has reserved a private suite for this event. Prepaid reservations required - Call Toll Free $20.00 per person Includes hors d oeuvres and refreshments Limited to the first 24

4 Happy 2015! The Children s Dyslexia Center wrapped up another successful year in I hope you are enjoying the student of the month feature and getting to know our really great kids! We had two students graduate this past December so our center family continues to grow. While we serve a small number of students at a time, our services change the lives of our students forever. This past fall at our 5K Walk, two of our alumni went the extra mile in their fund raising efforts highlighting how grateful they are for our center and how it changed their lives. Tyler graduated two years ago and he is a successful sophomore in high school. He is doing great academically and enjoys playing on his high school football team. We are so proud of Tyler s achievements and very thankful for his family s ongoing support. Maria graduated in December of 2013 and is now a freshman in high school. Maria and her family launched a very successful Facebook campaign to help our center and we received checks from many different parts of the United States, all thanks to their efforts. Maria is a very talented young lady. This fall she donated a pencil drawing to the International Dyslexia Association student art exhibit. Her piece, Maria s Boot was on display at the IDA conference in San Diego in November and is now on display at our center. Student of the Month: Heather Heather is a 15 year old high school freshman who attends school in Livonia. Heather graduated from our program in December. According to Heather, the Children s Dyslexia Center made everything easier and her tutor made it fun and motivated her to learn more. Heather now enjoys reading; she is reading Romeo and Juliet in Language Arts and her favorite book is Before I Fall. Heather lives with her mom, step-dad, little brother and her German Shepherd, Titus. The whole family is looking forward to welcoming a new baby this January. Heather also enjoys spending time with her biological dad. They have a great time together playing racquet ball, attending movies and going out to dinner. Heather enjoys spending time with her big extended family who live on a farm in West Virginia. In addition to her aunt and grandparents, she enjoys visiting the four-legged relatives as well -- the goats, horses, sheepdog and cats that live on the farm. In school Heather s favorite subjects are gym and photography. She is a multi- talented young lady. She attends church regularly and the members are like extended family. She loves to draw and play musical instruments violin, clarinet, piano and guitar. She is an outstanding athlete and plays on the soccer team and plans to play on both volleyball and basketball in high school. We will miss Heather and her family but she now has a few more hours a week to enjoy art, music and sports.

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6 Stitching Together the History of Masonic Aprons Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., Director of Collections, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Learning history from inanimate antique objects can seem like a daunting task. We can look at an old Masonic apron and appreciate its beauty or workmanship, but placing it in a historical context or coming up with a date for its manufacture can seem impossible. This is why museum curators spend years learning about the history of the materials and visual design elements only by comparing aprons to each other can we start to see how their design evolved, what influenced it and when particular aprons might have been made. When this painted apron was given to the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in 1983, the donors did not have any information about who made it, who owned it or where it was from. But, once we added it to the collection, we were able to make connections between its design and the design of two other groups of aprons. With this information, we can date this apron to the late 1810s or 1820s and suggest that it was probably made in Massachusetts or Maine. This apron seems to have been influenced by an apron pattern designed by Edward Horsman ( ) in Horsman became a Freemason in 1802 in Boston s Mount Lebanon Lodge. In 1814, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts lauded his design as a judicious selection of the emblems of the Order, arranged with taste and propriety. Even after his death in 1819, Horsman s widow continued to sell aprons printed from his engraving of this design. The Museum & Library has five Horsman aprons in its collection alone, and many more survive in the collections of Massachusetts lodges, suggesting the wide popularity of these aprons during the early 1800s, as well as their accessibility as source material. This apron also shares a similar arrangement of symbols with an example in the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library collection signed by artist Charles Codman (1800 or ). Codman, who apprenticed in Boston, may have been familiar with the Horsman apron. In turn, the maker of this apron may have seen one of Codman s aprons and produced his or her own version. One major difference the addition of a flowering vine above the archway may indicate that the maker was a woman who received training at a local academy. Similar flowering vines appear on many American decorative arts and textiles, such as samplers, quilts, furniture and

7 ceramics. Like the Horsman apron design, Codman s design appears on several extant aprons in other collections. And, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library acquired a second example of the apron with the flowering vine design in Unfortunately, while the maker, or makers, of these aprons remain a mystery, the links to the Horsman and Codman aprons start to build a context for the popularity of these aprons in New England during the early 1800s. Looking at all of these aprons together helps us to understand the type of apron worn by Freemasons at this time and suggests an arrangement of symbols that resonated with members. These aprons are among the ones featured in the book, The Badge of a Freemason: Masonic Aprons from the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, which will be published by the Museum & Library in May Several aprons are also part of the Museum & Library s exhibition, Every Variety of Painting for Lodges : Decorated Furniture, Paintings and Ritual Objects from the Collection, which opens November 22, 2014, in Lexington, Massachusetts. PHOTO CREDITS: Master Mason Apron, , probably Massachusetts or Maine, gift of the Valley of Lowell in honor of Brother Starr H. Fiske, 32, The Valley of Detroit Invites You to Enjoy a Day Trip to FIREKEEPERS CASINO Saturday, March 7, 2015 YOUR TOUR INCLUDES: Round Trip Transportation - Via deluxe highway motorcoach. Restroom equipped and reclining seats for your comfort and convenience. Refreshments on the coach! FireKeepers Casino - Playing with fire is about to get way more fun! With over 2,680 of the latest slot and video poker games; 78 table games including blackjack, craps and roulette; a 200 seat Bingo room; a live poker room and exclusive high limit areas and VIP lounge, you ll see why FireKeepers is Battle Creek s newest gaming hotspot. With five sizzling restaurants and blazing hot bars and lounges, FireKeepers is Battle Creek s hottest dining and nightlife destination. From the classic but contemporary creations at Nibi to a variety of flavors at Mijem Buffet, great drinks at Dacey s sports bar and heart-warming comfort food favorites at Cafe 24/7, there s going to be something for everyone. Trip departs the Dearborn Henry Ford Centennial Library parking lot at 8:00 A.M. Cost: $30.00 per person * * Your package includes a $20.00 slot credit and $5.00 coupon to be used for food, slot play or gift shop. Net Cost $5.00. This event is limited to the first 50 reservations. Contact the Valley Office Toll Free No Later than February 27th

8 The Board of Trustees of the Scottish Rite Bodies of the Valley of Detroit 32 o Masons and Their Families 907 Monroe Street Dearborn, MI Dated Material - Please Do Not Delay Support Your Club Blue Water Club Bernie Kirchoff Voyager Restaurant 525 Riverside Dr St Clair 3rd Monday, 6:30 P.M. Macomb Club Chris Fildes Ram s Horn Restaurant Jefferson St. Clair Shores Last Saturday- Sept., Nov., Jan, Feb., March, & May- 9:00 A.M. Sajo s Restaurant Moravian Dr. Clinton Twp. Last Tuesday- April & October- 6:00 P.M. Oakland Club Dennis McWilliams Jimi s Restaurant 714 S. Washington Royal Oak 2nd Monday, 6:15 P.M. Club of the Lakes Les Ferguson Pinckney Masonic Center 210 Mann St. in Pinckney 3rd Sunday, 11:00 A.M. Downriver/Monroe Club Michael J. Stetz, 33 o Leon s Family Dining Michigan Ave. in Dearborn 2nd Saturday, 9:00 A.M. Jackson Club Ken Strobel The Groto Club 120 E. Washington Ave. Jackson nd Sunday, 8:30 A.M. S.E.M. Club Royd Buchele The Clinton Inn 104 West Michigan Ave. Clinton 1st Thursday, 6:00 P.M. Calendar January Valley Meeting - Masonic Pathways 15 Board of Trustees February Valley Meeting ~ 29 o DVD 14 Valentine s Party March FireKeepers Casino Bus Trip 10 Valley Meeting ~ Mt. Clemens Lodge No Plymouth Whalers Hockey Game 19 Board of Trustees April Valley Meeting