Waukegan Lodge #78 AF&AM

June 2015

THE TROWEL
News | Education | Schedule
Did you know?
A MASONIC
INCIDENT DURING
U.S. CIVIL WAR
A little incident,
containing some mystical
interest, transpired in
Wayne County, South
Carolina, late in the war.
It is as follows:It was late at night, the
husband was absent, and
the wife, alone with her
children, had retired.
Three or four soldiers
rudely knocked at the
door of the house, and
demanded entrance and
something to eat. The
good lady told them that
it was too late, that she
had nothing cooked, but
fearing they would break
the door, she got out of
bed, and opened it to
expostulate with them.
Continued on pg.2

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The Masters
Message
The weather is changing and it has been
most welcome, brethren. New growth is abundant
this time of year and your lodge is no exception! This last
month has been crazy! I am so proud to announce that since last
month we have brought two of our Entered Apprentices to the
degree of Fellowcraft and before the month is out, you will have
another. In addition, we will have a new Entered Apprentice. July
is sure to be just as busy with degree work. We will have four
Fellowcrafts and one Entered Apprentice and make no mistake,
they will all be Master Masons before the end of the Masonic
Year (November). As we move forward we have several items for
you to look forward to in the coming months. We will hopefully
be having a "Blue Lightning" event in August. We have about
twenty Brothers who have not progressed for whatever reason
and I believe we should be helping these brothers along. Details
will be forthcoming and you can count on it being on a Saturday.
In addition, the August meeting will likely be the month we vote
on changes to our bylaws. Hopefully many of you are receiving
the letter we sent out to all, informing them of the proposed
changes. The reason for the long time between is to assure the
1

Waukegan Lodge #78 AF&AM

Did you know?

A MASONIC
INCIDENT DURING
U.S. CIVIL WAR
Continued from pg. 1

They insisted that she

should cook something
for them, and while she
was getting ready, and
they were roaming about
the house, one of the
party, who seemed to be
the leader, happened to
find a copy of Mackey's
"Masonic
Jurisprudence.
Turning over he found
the name of the poor,
frightened woman's
husband written on the
fly-leaf.
"Is this your husband's?"
he inquired of the lady.
"Yes sir," was the timid
reply.
"Is he a Mason?"
"Yes Sir."
"Come, boys, right
about-march!" and
immediately the house
was cleared and quickly
closed.
Published at THE
CRAFTSMAN - 1866

June 2015

members both local and afar have ample time to look through,
consider, ask the questions and raise issue with anything they may
see. In September we will have our annual Past Masters Dinner
and before you know it, it's time for an annual meeting and
elections. Time flies brethren, but we have been so hard at work
this last year and I hope you all see the positivity in what we are
accomplishing. If you have questions or concerns, as always, you
can reach me via email at rjred5@gmail.com or by phone at
714-615-7809.
God Bless,
~Robert Johnson - Worshipful Master

From The West

Brothers,
I had a great time at the Lake County
Courthouse Comer Stone Rededication.
There were masons from all around the
county as well as the grand lodge officers
performing the
ceremony. It was a
great time for
Waukegan Lodge to
reflect on what we
mean to the
community and how
long we have been
an integral part of it.
We have begun
summer with a lot of
excitement at the
lodge! It feels so
good to be a part of
the growth of so many good men. It is great to see all the
activity at our lodge. I look forward to seeing more of us
out to welcome the new Brothers into the fraternity and
our lodge in particular!
All clear in the west,
Senior Warden - Erik Solomon

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Waukegan Lodge #78 AF&AM

June 2015

Light Education

A Cornerstone Rededicated
Sunday, May 31st was an amazing event. The
Cornerstone of the Lake County
Courthouse was rededicated. Its hard to
imagine that something as big as this had
only been in planning for two weeks. When
Grand Master Weer approached us and told
us about the event, we were a little shocked.
Two weeks to prepare for this kind of event
was certainly a challenge. Luckily, with the
help of our DDGM RWB Dirk S. Stevens,
WB Kirk Preston (Master of Anchor and Ark
1027) and the Brothers of Waukegan Lodge 78, we got the word out and the
event was well attended by the gentlemen of our district. The cornerstone
had been sitting in the garden of the Waukegan Historical Society for more
than a decade but with the new additions going into the current Lake County
Courthouse, it was an apropos moment.
The brothers of the Waukegan Temple
hosted the Grand Lodge Ocials and their
ladies. A good time was had by all. I think on
a personal note, the event was a great
opportunity for Masons to be seen within
the community. I was especially proud to see
some of our youngest Masons attending the
event. Among the crowd that day were
brothers from around the area a great
showing of support from the Widows Sons
Riders Association and slew of community
ocials. Many thanks to all who helped, especially WB Kirk Preston who
handled the food for the event.
I look forward to future events and all that we can accomplish together.
Behold how good and how pleasant it is

www.waukegan78.com

BONE BOX
by William R. Fischer
In the early lectures of
the last century, now
obsolete, these
questions were used as
a test:
Q - Have you any keys to
the secrets of a Mason?
A - Yes
Q - Where do you keep
them?
A - In a bone box, that
neither opens nor shuts
but with Ivory Keys.
The bone box is the
mouth, the Ivory Keys
the teeth. The key to
the secrets is the tongue.

Source: MSA
Short Talk Bulletin

Waukegan Lodge #78 AF&AM

Reminders
We are hoping to
put on a Blue
Lightning in
August.
September is the
month of our
annual Past
Masters Dinner.
September we
need volunteers
for the Masonic
Booth at the
Waukegan Air
show.
October is Grand
Lodge sessions.
Any Mason can
go!
November is
installation for the
new elected
ocers of
Waukegan 78.
December is our
annual Childrens
Christmas Party!

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June 2015

Lodge Happenings
Waukegan #78
June 22nd -1st Degree
June 29th -2nd Degree
July 1st - 2nd Degree
July 4th - Pending a vote - 4th of July celebration hosted by
Waukegan York Rite Bodies. Pot luck, a reading of the
Declaration. Bring your own chair.
July 6th - 2nd Degree or 3rd degree practice
July 8th - Fraternal Luncheon at the InLaws Restaurant in
Gurnee, IL. In at noon, out by one. Cost is $10.
July 13th. - Possible 3rd Degree or 2nd Degree
July 20th - Stated with a presentation of education (4th of July)
July 27th - 2nd or 3rd degree
*Just a note, the above schedule is dependent on the return of
catechisms. We will post updates to the schedule as needed on
our website as well as weekly announcements through our
call em all phone system.

www.waukegan78.com - Waukegan Lodge #78

www.1stneil.com - 1st NE District Calendar