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Greetings Brethren,
As always, I hope all of you are doing well and not troubled by anything you can't solve by yourselves or with the help of a
Brother.
I'm sure you know this is the last Trestleboard I'll be writing for a while since my term as Master is up.
Some may consider this a blessing and they may be right. At the same time, I thank them and all of my fellow Brothers for supporting me during my tenure.
I suppose it's good form to recap accomplishments but I'd miss many of the items that the Lodge and its' elected and appointed
officers accomplished over the last, almost two, years. A couple of items that struck me as unique are as follows....
- We've gone through a membership growth period unprecedented in the Dutchess District!
Remember last year when we hardly had time to have a business meeting because we were so busy bringing new Brothers in to the Craft? Many Lodges would love to have that kind of a problem. This last year year, we have continued to grow in membership without having a "Brother Bring A Friend" night due to the personal recruitment efforts of many of you. Many thanks from your Lodge!
- With your contributions and the leadership of the HHL#875 Association, as well as the Building Committee, your Lodge has
been physically modernized and upgraded to be handicapped accessible with an elevator, new lighting, paved parking lot, etc., etc., and achieved through $80,000.00 in contributions and pledges. You
should all be proud!
- We went on-line with our own web page with the help of Brother Nick Sialmas of Beacon Lodge who is hosting our site
free of charge. I've received numerous Masonic e-mails as a result. http://www.njs.com/masonic/hendrick875 is the web address.
- We became the Dutchess and Ulster / Greene District champions for Lodge "opening" in the first competition held by the
Brotherhood Association for Ritual.
- We enjoyed the active participation of many of the newly raised Brothers who constantly bring new ideas to the Lodge.
I'll stop there since I can't possibly cover all that's been accomplished by our Lodge.
Rest assured, I feel privileged to have been a part of it.
You should be happy to know that your Lodge has elected officers for the upcoming year that have much more Masonic experience
than I had when I assumed office. Our new officers for the upcoming year are...
RW Fred Grieve... Master
Brother Herb Simmons... Senior Warden
Brother Bruce Peterson... Junior Warden
W Brother Ralph Douglas... Treasurer
W Brother Fred Quenzer... Secretary
We had one hell of a turnout for our Memorial Day celebration!
Thirty strong participated in the Red Hook parade with roughly 100 members and family / friends participating in the chicken BBQ at our Lodge afterwards. It was almost standing-room only at the BBQ. A special thanks to Brothers Herb Simmons, Charlie Harrison, (WB) Henry Manser, Roberto Ries, the kitchen crew AND ALL OF THE BROTHERS WHO HUNG AROUND AFTERWARDS TO HELP CLEAN UP!
Speaking of parades, we are once again participating in the Tivoli Days parade on 6/17. Assembly time is at 11:00 in
Tivoli with the parade starting at Noon. It happens to be the same day as our Chicken BBQ but, there shouldn't be a conflict since the BBQ doesn't start till 4:30.
All hands are asked to participate in both events! SELL THOSE TICKETS TO THE BBQ!
6/14 is the date for the installation of new officers for the upcoming year.
Please plan to attend and show your support for them!
On 6/28 we will be conferring the Dewitt Clinton Award on Mr. William Irwin, a staunch supporter of the Dutchess Masonic Home
Committee since 1988, one of many civic organizations he has supported. At the same time, we will confer a Dewitt Clinton Award on Rev. John Koppenaal who is well known for his aid and support for the
community.
That evening, we also plan to present a Douglas MacArthur Award to a young man achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Additionally, we will be conferring a 55 year pin , two 50 year pins and, possibly, two 25 year pins to our Brothers. RW Robert Balzer will be our guest speaker. Please plan to attend this important evening and help us honor these worthy community supporters, as well as our Brothers who have been Masonic contributors for so long. Lodge
will open at 6:30 and close at 7:30 with an Open Meeting following with Ladies and guests welcome.
I'm sure many Past Masters will attest, the role of Master can be challenging and a little bit of work. But with the
help of Past Masters and the input from the Brothers, older and newer, it is a very rewarding experience and should be pursued by every Brother. The challenges are keeping out the mundane,
fighting some out-dated thinking and making the Lodge a rewarding experience to participate in by soliciting ideas from newer members and implementing them. I believe I may have been successful in addressing some of the challenges but naturally, not all. I'm certain our officers-elect will continue to listen to our newer members and take their messages to heart. I will give them my whole hearted support and thank them for helping me in my "term-and-a-half" as Master.
DATES TO REMEMBER
- 06/09 District Golf Outing. Contact RW Fred Grieve for details.
- 06/13 Building Committee Meeting at 7 PM. All are welcome!
- 06/14 Installation of Officers, Lodge opens at 7:30. Officers' dress is formal.
- 06/17 Tivoli Days Parade.
Assembly in Tivoli at 11 AM with the parade kicking off at 12 PM. Dress code is the same as Memorial Day parade. Dark slacks, white shirt & tie.
- 06/17 Chicken BBQ at Lodge starting at 4:30. All help appreciated! AND SELL THOSE TICKETS!!!!
- 06/24 Presentation of Red Hook High School scholarship at graduation ceremony
- 06/24 St. Johns' Day bus trip to Utica. Contact RW Fred Grieve for reservations.
- 06/28 Dewitt Clinton Awards, Service Awards, Eagle Scout Award.
Tiled Lodge opens at6:30 and closes no later than 7:30 followed by an open meeting with Ladies and guests welcome for the award presentations.
Jules Riedel, julesr@netscape.net
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