THE MASTER’S GAVEL

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF OGDEN LODGE NO. 754

Volume I, Issue II June 2010

Pancake Breakfast
Packs ‘Em In
Saturday was a beautiful spring morning—
sometimes nice weather can really kill a
pancake breakfast, but not this time. Hungry
folks started showing up as soon as we
opened the doors, and we stayed busy all
day.

Thank You Worshipful!

On behalf of a grateful lodge, I’d like to take a
moment to thank Worshipful Brother Tim Nichols for
a job well done. He accomplished a great deal
during the past year as Master of Ogden Lodge. On
top of the usual fare (pancake breakfasts, BBQ’s,
blood drives, roadside pick-up, etc.) we planned two
IL-CHIP Programs. One we did at the Prairieview
Grade School in Royal, and one we’ll do later this
month in Ogden during the 140th Anniversary Brekfast? Okay, who was in charge of the
Celebration. At his last meeting as Master, he sign? Please tell me we were just out of
managed to slip another IL-CHIP in there—we’ll be “A’s” . . .
co-sponsoring an event with St. Joseph Lodge at the
Prince of Peace Early Learning Center in June. We The Girl Scouts did a great job serving as
also held a very successful Past Masters Dinner, always—they stay right on top of it, and many
with a wonderful meal provided by Bro. Doug times were delivering the pancakes and
Behrens, and a special visit from Brother George sausage right as the diners were sitting down.
Washington. And this newsletter was another one
of his ideas. Local residents always seem to enjoy our
breakfasts—they show up and eat, and
But by far his greatest accomplishment was the sometimes will stay an hour or two visiting
completion of two endless projects—the signs, and with friends and neighbors and drinking
the window. Since I joined in 2005, two topics came coffee. å
up and were discussed every meeting. The signs
and window. It got to be a running joke. But in
Tim’s year as Master, he resolved them both.
Today, Ogden has Masonic Lodge signs hanging on
both ends of town, and the “Ogden Window”, which
survived the 1997 tornado has been restored,
framed, and is on display in our lodge room. And
now that we have nothing to talk about in our lodge
meetings, our future is uncertain . . . just kidding.

I hope to follow up on a few more of Tim’s ideas

over the next year—I’m used to following Tim. It’s
going to be strange as Master this year, and not
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 1
Who Is This
Freemason?
Excerpted from Todd Creason’s books
Famous American Freemasons: Vols I & II

Grantland Rice was a popular sports writer for

the Atlanta Journal. One day he received a
telegram from a man identified as “James
Jackson, news-tipster.” The telegram was
concerning a young man from Royston who had
just begun playing for a team in Anniston,
Alabama. The telegram described him as
seventeen years old and a “phenom.”
Laughing, Rice tore up the telegram.
He’d never heard of either the kid or the news- Brothers: It’s Time
tipster. Rice later sent back a telegram,
informing the tipster that the regular mail was To Pass The Torch
good enough for news about this “phenom.”
But the telegram wasn’t the last time Rice Included with this newsletter, you’ll find
would hear about this kid. something shocking—a petition. At least a few
Soon Rice was receiving a steady years ago, the idea of handing someone a
stream of letters from admiring fans from petition and asking them to join the lodge would
Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. “Keep your have raised a few eyebrows. The rules have
eye on [him] . . . he is one of the finest hitters changed—it’s no longer just 2B1ASK1. Now we
I’ve seen,” one said. Rice got reports of games can ask!
he played. Another writer calling him “a sure
big leaguer in the making.” And the letters just It’s true! Our Grand Master of Illinois, Richard
kept coming. And coming. And coming. Swaney has issued a challenge. He challenges
Grantland Rice finally wrote a blind article every Mason in Illinois to invite somebody they
about him without seeing him play, and as it know to join the fraternity.
turned out, the kid was a wonder, and his
career proved to be one of the most impressive Surely we all know somebody that we think
in the sport—unparalleled then or now. would be a good addition to the lodge—maybe a
Nearly fifty years later in 1951, son, or a grandson. If not a relative, then maybe
Grantland Rice, at age seventy-one, attended a a co-worker. Maybe it’s the guy that delivers
banquet honoring this ballplayer. There, he packages to your house, or the chiropractor that
learned he’d been tricked all those years always seems to have time to work you in at the
earlier. The player himself had written all last minute. We all know these men that stand
those letters, in different styles of handwriting out in our community. I urge you to take this
and on different paper, to convince Rice to opportunity to invite them to join our fraternity.
write about him.
Rice was angry, but eventually forgave Freemasonry is making a comeback in Illinois, so
him, but by then, the ballplayer had earned the join us in this effort. And take our word for it, if
reputation of being the kind of ballplayer he’d
described in his letters. He’d also earned the
reputation of being the most competitive,
“Sometimes in politics one must duel with
contemptuous, and difficult ballplayer in
baseball history. Lou Gehrig of the Yankees skunks, but no one should be fool enough
was one of the most gentlemanly men in to allow skunks to choose the weapons.”
baseball, but when he was asked about this
ballplayer, he became angry enough to say, ~Uncle Joe Cannon
“[He] is about as welcome in American League Olive Branch Lodge No. 38
parks as a rattlesnake.” Years later, Jimmie Danville, Illinois XE "Wallace, George C."
Reese of the New York Yankees described his
career which lasted from 1905-1928 as “a
rampage.”
This ballplayer once said, “I’ve got to be
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 2
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
OGDEN COMMUNITY BLOOD DRIVE
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
JUNE 5 @ 9 AM - 1 PM
Give the gift of life at Ogden Lodge at the
Ogden Community Blood Drive at Ogden Here We Go Again With
Lodge. See the story on this page.
Something New!
OGDEN/HOMER OFFICERS INSTALLATION Ogden Lodge No. 754 and Homer Lodge No. 199
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC To Hold Duel Installation
JUNE 6 @ 5 PM
Come watch the public installation We’re trying something different again—we’re always
right on the cutting edge. We’ll be going in with
ceremony as Ogden & Homer Lodge’s Homer Lodge No. 199, and installing our officers in a
Officers are installed in their chairs in a duel installation ceremony at Ogden Lodge on June 6
unique dual ceremony seldom seen. Meal at 5 PM. W.B. Sean McBride and his installation team
will be provided afterwards. will be performing the ceremony. And if you think
that’s a neat trick, stick around afterwards, and watch
REGULAR STATED MEETING the encore—when they make several chickens
OGDEN LODGE disappear at the dinner to follow!
SECOND WEDNESDAY (JUNE 9) @ 7 PM
It’s open to the public, so feel free to bring your
Come join us at our monthly meeting. family, potential members, friends and join us for this
We’ve invited our brethren from Broadlands unique installation followed by a terrific dinner and
to attend, so we’re hoping for a great home-made desserts.
turnout. We will be getting to the lodge
early this month @ 6 PM for IL-Chip training
to prepare for two IL-Chips we have coming
up. You don’t have to be a Mason, so bring
a friend, a wife, a girlfriend (but not both)
and we’ll teach you what you need to know Give the Gift of
to help out.
Life
OGDEN’S 140 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
TH
Ogden Lodge will be sponsoring the Ogden Community
OGDEN, ILLINOIS Blood Drive on Saturday, June 5th from 9AM – 1PM at
the Ogden Masonic Lodge. We encourage you to come
June 19
out and give the gift of life, and support this important
Ogden Lodge is planning an entire day of event. We’ve been sponsoring these blood drives for
festivities. We will host a pancake many years, and the community’s donations are much
breakfast at the lodge between 6-10 AM. in need, and very much appreciated. Remember to eat
within 4 hours PRIOR to donating, drink extra water,
Later in the day, we’ll be holding a IL-CHIP
and don’t forget to bring your identification.
(Child Identification Program) between
11AM – 1PM. We’re also going to If you have any questions about your ability to donate
participate in the parade—come out and blood, you can contact the Community Blood Services
join us. It should be a lot of fun. of Illinois
Who Was at 217-367-2202
That or 1-800-217-GIVE. They
Mason? (Answer
also have
from Page 2) a website at www.bloodservices.org. å
PRINCE OF PEACE DAYCARE IL-CHIP He was known as the “Georgia Peach”
PRINCE OF PEACE DAYCARE, ST. JOSEPH Ty Cobb. He became a Mason in 1907
at Royston Lodge No. 426. He joined
June 18 between 5 PM and 8 PM the Scottish in Detroit, Michigan, on
Setting up Child ID program at Lutheran January 25, 1912, and received the
Church daycare, so come help out. 32°. He became a Shriner in 1912
when he joined Moslem Shrine Temple
Members of Ogden Lodge will be leaving
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 3
Ogden’s 3rd Annual Special Invitation
BBQ To Our Broadlands
Congratulations Bro. Doug Behrens--each year,
the BBQ gets better and better, and we Brethren
certainly couldn't do it without you. Doug does In 2008, Broadlands Lodge voted to merge
cater, so give him a call. with Ogden Lodge. Since then, we haven’t
seen many of our Broadlands brethren in
lodge, and we haven’t done very well at
communicating our meeting times and
upcoming events with our newest members
either. We’d like to rectify that.

We’d like to take this opportunity to extend

an invitation to the Broadlands members to
join us at our next stated meeting on June
9th (with a fine dinner afterwards as usual).
We’re all one big happy family now—come
and join us, meet some new friends, and
make yourself at home. We look forward to
seeing you. Å
Our BBQ Master Bro. Doug Behrens

The doors opened at 4:30, and the hungry

diners began showing up . . . and they kept
coming, and coming, and coming.

Results of the Ogden

Lodge Officer
Elections
At our regular stated meeting on Wednesday,
May 12th, the brethren of Ogden Lodge held
They came from all over- we had a great crowd their annual elections and selected new
officers. The officers-elect for the upcoming
year are as follows:

Worshipful Master Bro. Todd E. Creason

Senior Warden Bro. Aaron
Ketchum
Junior Warden Bro. Greg Knott
Treasurer W. B. Steve Hooper
Secretary W. B. Denver
Phelps
Chaplain Bro. Butch Shreyer
Senior Deacon Bro. Steve Guess
Junior Deacon W. B. Carl W. Lewis
Senior Stewart W. B. Brandon
Lewis
Junior Stewart Bro. Doug Behrens
Steve Hooper W.M. Homer & Tim Nichols W.M. Marshall Bro. Brad Edwards
Ogden were in charge of quality control Tyler Bro. Carl D. Lewis
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 4
 A Look Back . . .

Worshipful Master Tim Nichols and his officers 2009-2010

We put somebody else in charge of

Bro. Greg Knott took this stunning photo of lettering the sign for the BBQ Dinner—
Broadland Lodge’s altar. Broadlands merged remember what happened at the
with Ogden in 2008. BREKFAST! Nice job, Katie.

Chief Pancake Flipper and Past

Master Steve Hooper—the apron
says “Cat: it’s what’s for dinner.”
Our pancake wait staff—the Girl
After cooking sausage all morning, Carl This is really all you need to know
Scouts do a tremendous job slinging
D. Lewis finally got the chance to eat about Ogden Lodge.
pancakes and sausage. Thank you,
girls! some!

The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 5

 Truman P. French
First Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754

It was a very different world when Truman P. French

snapped his gavel and opened Ogden Lodge No. 754 for the
first time on October 4th, 1877. The big news of the day was
most likely about America’s new President-elect, the
legendary General from the Union Army Ulysses. S. Grant.
But the tradition of Freemasonry in Ogden that Worshipful.
Brother French began so many years ago continues on to
this day unbroken. He would probably be surprised at the
fact his picture still hangs in Ogden Lodge 133 years, and 74
Worshipful Masters later, and that men he never knew, from

Ogden Lodge No. 754

PO Box 74
Ogden, IL 61859

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED X