The Friendly Word
Brethren,
As I write, your lodge is conducting an investigation for membership in our Great Fraternity; if found favorable we will be conducting the three degrees. The TB will have to be change to meet this obligation. 19 March for the Entered Apprentice Degree, 14 April for the Fellow Craft and 7 May for the Master Mason Degree.
Winter will soon be behind us and hopefully by the time you read this Spring will be peeking around the corner. Your lodge had a nice gathering for the Super Bowl game and plenty to eat. R.’.W.’. Vassily prepared his tasty Greek wings and every one else brought something to pass around. Our two out of town work commuters even stopped down. It was a nice night even though most wanted the Chicago Bears to win. Our JW Dennis Lagoe and your Master put on the spread for the first Monday this February. We have 5 March and 2 April 2 open for our esteemed First Monday Chef. Please call the JW 427-5031 to reserve your spot.
Our Chaplain W.’. Bill Schuetz will be hosting a Masonic booth at the Shrine Circus this year 30 March – 1 April. He will be looking for help; there will be 6 two-hour slots to cover during the event. For more details please call him at 457-8875. Brother Paul Killius’ daughter won an Ambassadorship to Australia representing Liverpool High School and the United States. She needs to raise funds to assist her with this travel. Any donations may be sent to the Lodge Secretary for this young lady’s assistance.
The Long Range Planning Committee handed in and read their report. This committee has put forth many recommendations for improving your Lodge. Many, if not all of the
recommendations, can be reached. This committee is made up of a mixture of seasoned and new Brothers, and their recommendations are well received. Improving the functions of your Lodge should be every Brother’s concern. I openly ask each of you to contribute at least one suggestion to assist in moving your Lodge into the 21st Century. I believe every brother who lives out of town or state can actively participate in the Lodge’s growth. You say how may I do this? One thing that comes to mind is the new program that I will dub the ‘501 Short Talk,’ and it may be done by proxy. You need not be scholars to put together a couple of paragraphs of Masonic Light to be read in open lodge on your behalf. The list is endless on what you may share. From those who research, to those who wish to share humble or humorous stories, the topics are endless. Your stories and research are very important to your Lodge, as are you, the Brothers. Your Lodge roster has many Brothers listed but lacks biographies for most of them. I urge you all to submit a Masonic Biography to our Secretary. You are part of the oldest Fraternity in the world. Let us place your time in the Quarry and family history in our vault of Brotherly Love. Feel free to contact the Secretary if you need some guidance with this undertaking; he had written many hundreds of pages on our Masonic District and his family history, encompassing over 60,000 people, plus a unique socio-biographical summary of all of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland. We are fortunate to have a Historian such as our Secretary willing to record the life and times of your Lodge and its Brethren. Brothers it cannot be said enough: Teamwork is the cornerstone of all success whether in family or business; our Lodge without teamwork will come down. Andrew Carnegie said it well; “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It is the fuel that allows common people to obtain uncommon results.”
Robert Bowles
Master
In Memoriam
Date of Passing:
Thursday, June 3, 2010Robert E. Rockdashil, former owner of Liverpool Bookkeeping Services, passed away on Thursday.
He was predeceased by his father, Bro. Willard J. Rockdahshil in 1996. He long enjoyed scuba diving throughout central New York.
His funeral service was 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at Maurer Funeral Home with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery.
In Memoriam
Date of Passing:
Monday, May 24, 2010Harold W. Main , 87, of Taunton, died Monday at his home of 48 years. Born to John and Hilma Main on November 21, 1922, in Syracuse, Harold was a lifelong resident. A single man, Harold loved children and he was the Boy Scout Master of Troop No. 34 from 1947 to 1970. Friendships remain to this day.
Harold was predeceased by his brother, John and sister, Dorothy Behnke. Survived by his niece, Barbara Cimino; nephew, John Main; and caregiver, Lizabeth Iglesias. He was employed by General Electric, Harold retired in 1984.
He was a member of Liverpool Syracuse Lodge No. 0501, also a Tigris Shriner life member. Harold loved to sit by the sea with his dog, Chip, and watch the ships. He had a big affection for trains and fished on Oneida Lake for many years. A longtime member of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Harold will be missed by all who knew him.
Service: 11 a.m. Thursday at the Greenleaf Funeral Home, Inc.
Friends may call 10 to 11 a.m. prior to the service at the funeral home, 503 W. Onondaga Street in Syracuse.
Contributions can be made to the Boy Scouts of America. Greenleaf Funeral Homes, Inc.
In Memoriam
Date of Passing:
Sunday, April 4, 2010Richard G. Buck, 80, of the Masonic Home of CNY, formerly of Liverpool, Clayton and Utica, died Easter Sunday, 4 Apr 2010.
Born 18 Dec 1929, in Cicero, NY, the son of H. George and Grace Vanas Buck, he graduated from Nottingham High School, 1947 and Princeton University, 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He married Shirley Jean Cragle 23 Apr 1955, in Camp Hill, PA. He and his wife ran their own business in Horsham, PA, for many years before moving back to Liverpool, NY. For many years Mr. Buck owned a personal income tax business. After his wife’s death Mr. Buck moved to the Masonic Home in Utica, NY. He was a member of the Clayton American Legion Auxiliary and Liverpool Syracuse Lodge No. 501. He enjoyed gardening, travelling, drum corps and spending time with good friends and family. Surviving are his daughter, Barbara Brooker and his granddaughter, Jennifer Brooker, both of Liverpool.
A graveside service at the Sackets Harbor Military Cemetery is being planned for late May.
Arrangements are with the Cleveland Funeral Home.
Our Fraternal Condlences are extended to family of Bro. Buck.
The Friendly Word
I am very proud to announce that Liverpool/Syracuse Lodge No.501 has been selected to receive a Mark Twain Award for Excellence in Masonic Awareness from the Masonic Information Center in Silver Springs, Maryland. The award was announced at the Grand Masters Conference in Alexandria, Virginia in February and will be officially presented at Grand Lodge in New York City this spring. We are the only lodge in New York State to receive the award and one of only eighteen in the country. The award recognizes excellence in both internal and external Masonic awareness and emphasizes the importance of Masonic awareness to stimulate the quality of the lodge experience and to raise awareness among the community about Freemasonry’s history and value to the community.
I am also pleased to announce that Brother Benjamin Lees has been selected to receive the Dedicated Service Award for 2010 from the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. Brother Lees is being recognized for his dedication, talent, participation, and leadership in our lodge and to Masonry in general. A dinner and open awards presentation meeting will be held at our lodge on Monday April 19, 2010. Regional DSA Committee Member James Jones will present the award and talk about the history and significance of the award. Dinner is prime rib with all the trimmings and tickets are just $15.00. Reservations can be made through the secretary…..don’t miss it!
Our “Recruitment and Retention” campaign continues to produce results with more inquiries coming in than ever before. Many of these inquiries are being followed up with petitions for membership, and we hope to be initiating a new class before we go dark for the summer. Membership committee chairman Bob Bowles has been magnificent in his follow up with inquiries we receive through the website and emails.
Our lodge now has a Facebook page and a Facebook group. If you are unfamiliar with facebook.com, it is a social networking site that has grown exponentially since its inception and has millions of members. The more “friends” and “members” we get on our pages, the more powerful our presence will be. Please visit and join by going to facebook.com/syracusemasons. It will take you to both the page and group. You can leave a message, watch video, or just read the latest words from your fellow member Masons.
It is exciting to be recognized for our achievements this year. We are moving in the right direction, but it will take commitment and energy to bring about the needed change we seek. Redesigning and re-branding our fraternity’s public image is an important part of our modernization, but people will always be job one! We must all make a concerted effort to move forward and bring our glorious fraternity into the 21st century. Remember that everything we do today will effect the viability of our organization for years to come.
