What's Happening in the Valley of Olmpia

Brethern,

November 11 – 14th Degree, Dinner at 6:30, meeting at 7:30
November 21 – 18th, 30th, 32nd Degrees; Degrees begin at 9am

November 18 – Valley of Tacoma – Guest Speaker Ill. Brent S. Morris, 33º

Note: Because of Thanksgiving, there is no meeting on November 25.

Degree Activity in the Valley of Olympia

At our last meeting in October, we welcomed three Brothers receiving their 4th Degree, well conferred by WB Jack Sowers and his team.

Our 14th Degree will be conferred on Wednesday, November 11 with the other obligatory degrees on Saturday November 21. The candidates, and the Brothers taking part in the dramas, draw much energy and support from the side-liners, so please find time to attend if you can.

Illustrious Brent S. Morris, 33º Grand Cross to speak in Tacoma

Dr. Brent Morris, 33° Grand Cross, will be the featured speaker at a dinner at Tacoma Scottish Rite on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $15.

Brent is the editor of The Scottish Rite Journal and An Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, among a host of other books and articles. In addition, he is the Immediate Past Master of Quator Coronati Lodge in England. This is the premier research lodge in the world, and Br. Morris is only the second North American to hold that position.

He is a professional magician and often intersperses his talks with a little magic and lots of humor. As a result he is a most sought after speaker at Masonic functions. And, he has been the go-to guy for the television networks as they cover the interest in National Treasure and the Dan Brown books and movies. He is the acknowledged front person for the fraternity.

For a ticket, quickly get a hold of Tacoma Secretary Bill Hammontree at tacsrite@aol.com or (253) 565-0272 for reservations. (I’m definitely planning on going, so if you’d like to car-pool please let me know. Thx! Kris )

Wanted: Dedicated Brothers willing to serve as Officers for 2010

Brothers: If you think that you have the time and inclination to serve the Valley in some capacity, please let Personal Representative Jon Lenander know of your availability. Enthusiasm and desire are the only qualifications; we will provide all necessary training and support!

Scottish Rite Foundation of Washington

If you know of a full-time college student who is a US citizen and a Washington resident, who is maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA and will be attending a Washington State public or private college or university and holding Junior status as of 9/1/10; please have the student contact either Br. Rod Mason, Asst. Director or Br. Kris Graap, Foundation Secretary about scholarship possibilities. (Br. Ben Schatz, Director, is recovering from heart surgery currently, so for a month or two we’ll take care of things. Get well soon Ben!!) The student does not need to have a Masonic affiliation, although we certainly encourage all Masons to refer any relative who may qualify! Interviews generally begin now and go through March 1.

Lastly, attached is some wisdom from Illustrious Wayne T. Adams, 33º IGH, PGM of AF&AM of Maine. Brethren, it is not often that an article strikes me as a ‘must-share’; however this article – taken from the August 2008 Northern Light (published by the Northern Jurisdiction of Scottish Rite) – really summarized to me what our Degrees and Masonic experience should be about. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Fraternally,
Kris