Grand Lodge of NH, Free & Accepted Masons

The Grand Lodge

of New Hampshire
Free & Accepted Masons

The Grand Lodge

of New Hampshire
Free & Accepted Masons

The Grand Lodge

of New Hampshire
Free & Accepted Masons

The Grand Lodge

of New Hampshire
Free & Accepted Masons

Find a Lodge near you or contact us to learn more about Freemasonry!

“Charitable Works Outlive Us All”: A Masonic Family Story

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Written by Linette Handschumaker, CEO of Evergreen Place

Many of us will never know the measure of the impact we have on other peoples’ lives. But every once in a while, maybe once in a lifetime, we get to experience the joy and profound gratitude our impact has on another human being’s life.

Curious? Let me explain.

Recently, while purging old files to make some storage space available, we found a file for a resident named Charles Gerrish.

Mr. Gerrish lived here in 1987 when he moved back to NH to be closer to family. Prior to living in Florida he was a Mason at the Rochester NH Lodge. When he moved into the Masonic Home, he assigned his assets to the Masonic Home, as was customary, including some US Savings Bonds. Mr. Gerrish died in 1988 at the age of 91. So, why didn’t the Masonic Home redeem the Bonds? One reason might be the Bonds wouldn’t mature until 2015 so the asset was being held to a later date. Or perhaps the fact that they were non-transferrable was a factor? We’ll never know.

Fast-forward 30 years. While looking through Charles Gerrish’s resident file we found several US Savings Bonds. However, we did not find his “Absolute Assignment of Assets” giving the Masonic Home any rights to the Bonds. We also discovered that the bonds are non-transferrable, meaning that only the Bond owner(s) can redeem the Bonds. Interesting point: Mr. Gerrish purchased $27,000 worth of U.S. Savings Bonds in 1985 for $13,500. The bonds matured in 2015 and are worth about $65,000.

So now what?

Well, the Bonds are payable to: Charles Gerrish or Betty Lu Martin.

So, who’s Betty Lu Martin? Well, thanks to the Internet we located Betty Lu. She is Charles Gerrish’s 3rd of 4 daughters. She lives in Kittery Maine and is 92 years old. Betty Lu is Order of Eastern Star, her husband was a Mason and her son, Henry Martin is a Mason at Naval Lodge in Kittery Maine.

I sent a letter to Betty Lu (certified mail) and left a voicemail message asking her to call me about some information we discovered regarding her father Charles. Her son Henry contacted me because I piqued his curiosity. He also said that his Mom, Betty Lu, was not well and having health issues. I asked Henry some questions and I was able to confirm Betty Lu’s identity. I then explained that these Bonds existed and he was speechless (literally). He agreed to talk with his mother about this matter. They agreed to come to the Masonic Home.

Here’s the moment of positive impact!

I met Betty Lu Martin and her son Henry today. Betty Lu has dementia, has difficulty walking and can no longer care for herself. She needs to move to an Assisted Living facility and wants to be near her family. The Assisted Living Home they chose requires her to have 18 months of assets in order to be a resident after which time she will qualify for Maine Medicaid. Betty Lu has about 1 year of assets and so her children were trying to come up with the funds to make up the difference for her.

Today at Evergreen Place, we changed Betty Lu Martin’s life when we gave her a most unexpected gift! The U.S. Savings Bonds that her father purchased 30 years ago. She was speechless and tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes. She understands that this gift is her father’s way of taking care of her after all these years. She is now able to move to the assisted living home near her family without her children worrying about where the remainder of the funds will come from for the cost of her care.

Now, just in case the thought crossed your mind that she agreed to give us the money, I’m sorry to disappoint. However, I did encourage her to donate to the Masonic Home in her father’s name if she is so inclined. Plus, after all these years and with no proof of asset assignation, it seemed a travesty to just let the Bonds remain in our possession without doing what they were meant to do…make a positive impact for someone!

Today we changed Betty Lu Martin’s life for the better! Charitable works outlive us all…with this, we came full circle from a Mason to his elder daughter and her family…all of whom are Masonic family members!

In the spirit of all that is good and wonderful about humanity, this was the right thing to do! I just could not anticipate how great an impact this was going to have on another person/family.

75th Diamond Veteran’s Award Given to Brother Donald Wright

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75th Diamond Veteran’s Award Given to Brother Donald Wright on  June 7th, 2017

Brother Wright was raised in St. Peter’s Lodge No. 31 F&AM, Bradford NH, on March 18, 1942. He was born on November 11, 1914 and is currently living at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura. He is 103 years young.

At the request of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, Worshipful Brother. Luke Keith, PM (who was a member of St. Peters Lodge No. 31) of New Port-Mesa Lodge No. 604 and 9 members of Channel Islands Lodge No. 214 met to celebrate Bro. Donald’s 75 years as a Mason.

With overnight notice, the Brothers put aside their personal plans joined together in Masonic Fellowship to attend this celebration and recognition ceremony for Brother Wright. The brothers from Channel Islands Lodge who attended were: Most Worshipful Brother Harry Maynard, PGM; Worshipful Brother Gary Adkinson, Master; Worshipful Brother Andy Little, PM; Worshipful Brother Kirt Wilson, PM; Worshipful Brother Dee Matson, PM; Worshipful Brother Bill Kavanaugh, PM; Worshipful Brother David VadBunker,PM; Brother Roy Price, Brother Scott Neace, and Brother Rafael Longo.

Donald being congratulated by Most Worshipful Brother Harry Maynard, PGM of California.

Charity Lodge being Charitable

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By Right Worshipful Brother John Lobdell, Deputy Grand Master

Charity Lodge No. 18 in Jaffrey recently celebrated their Semi-public Installation of Officers.  The Lodge took advantage of this semi-public function to give back to their community. The Lodge presented donations to the Directors of the Rindge and Jaffrey Food Pantries. Fraternal Greetings from the Grand Master were also given.

Congratulations to Charity Lodge for this special day!

In The Spirit Of Giving

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In The Spirit Of Giving
by Right Worshipful Brother Kenneth Clay, Senior Grand Warden

We all know that Freemasonry is not a charity, but our great Fraternity is very much charitable. As the year 2016 comes to a close, now is a good time to reflect on the many ways in which Blue Lodges throughout the State of New Hampshire worked hand-in-hand with Grand Lodge and the New Hampshire Grand Lodge Matching Funds Program.

We are very pleased to report that in 2016, nearly forty percent of the Lodges throughout the state took part in the New Hampshire Grand Lodge Matching Funds Program. These Blue Lodges contributed nearly $17,000 to charitable causes while New Hampshire Grand Lodge contributed over $6,000 in matching funds. Here are some examples of charities receiving our assistance:

  • Food pantries
  • D.A.R.E. Program
  • Youth scholarships
  • Boy and Girl Scouts
  • Senior Center

With many thanks to our brethren and the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, our local communities have gratefully received your needed assistance. Thank you brethren for your spirit of giving.

A Day of Celebration at Jewell Lodge No. 94

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A Day of Celebration at Jewell Lodge No. 94
by Right Worshipful Brother Kenneth Clay, Senior Grand Warden

Sunday, July 31, 2016: Today members of Jewell Lodge No. 94 gathered to celebrate the community and to honor their Special Ladies and Masonic Veterans. Following a delightful luncheon in the dining hall, Worshipful Brother Kurt M. Ehler presented a Community Builders award to a local Boy Scout Pack Leader. Worshipful Ehler was joined in the presentation by Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Brother John E. Lobdell. The Master then presented red roses to Special Ladies in attendance and reiterated the Lodge’s continuous offer of assistance. The Lodge then reconvened in the Lodge Room where 25 and 40 year members were recognized. Right Worshipful Brother Lobdell then presented Worshipful Brother Edwards Ross with the Major General John Sullivan Distinguished Service Medal. This long-serving brother has been a faithful Marshal for many years.

Congratulations to Worshipful Brother Ross, Jewell Lodge and the Suncook / Allenstown / Pembroke community.

Mount Cube Lodge Honors their Masonic Veterans

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Mount Cube Lodge Honors their Masonic Veterans
by Right Worshipful Brother Kenneth Clay, Senior Grand Warden

 

On Sunday, July 24, 2016, Mount Cube Lodge No. 10 gathered in Orford, NH to honor their Masonic Veterans. The day began by recognizing two local youth who were presented with Mount Cube Lodge sponsored college scholarships. Mount Cube Lodge was able to use Grand Lodge Matching Funds to enhance the value of the scholarships. The Lodge then recognized several Special Ladies who were in attendance. Worshipful Brother Charles Pierce then presented the gavel to our Grand Master, M ∴ W ∴ Brother John F. Gordon. Our Grand Master was honored to present three 50 year Masonic Veteran’s Medals. Recipients were: Worshipful Brother Donald E. Randall, Brother Stuart C. Corpieri and M ∴ W ∴ Brother Wendell W. Woodward, Past Grand Master. On hand to celebrate were: M ∴ W ∴ Brother Jeremy J. Sawyer, M ∴ W ∴ Brother Robert G. Hatfield, M ∴ W ∴ Brother C. Wayne Libby, Jr., M ∴ W ∴ Brother Paul M. Leary and M ∴ W ∴ Brother Stewart L. Aronson. Joining the celebration was M ∴ W ∴ Brother Brother George J. Deblon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Vermont.

Congratulations to these Masonic Veterans for attaining a very special milestone.

Past Grand Masters Gather to Honor One of Their Own

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Past Grand Masters Gather to Honor One of their Own
by Right Worshipful Brother Kenneth Clay, SGW

On Sunday, July 24, 2016, five New Hampshire Past Grand Masters joined our current Grand Master, Most Worshipful Brother John F. Gordon in honoring Most Worshipful Brother Wendell W. Woodward. Most Worshipful Brother Gordon presented M ∴ W ∴ Brother Woodward with his 50 year Masonic Veteran’s Medal. On hand to celebrate were: M ∴ W ∴ Brother Jeremy J. Sawyer, M ∴ W ∴ Brother Robert G. Hatfield, M ∴ W ∴ Brother  C. Wayne Libby, Jr., M ∴ W ∴ Brother Paul M. Leary and M ∴ W ∴ Brother  Stewart L. Aronson. Joining the celebration was M ∴ W ∴ Brother George J. Deblon, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Vermont.

Masonic Leadership Training with W. Bro. Robert Herd, Sat. March 14, 2015

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Robert-Herd-232x300Masonic Leadership Training Session with Worshipful Brother Robert Herd will be on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Concord Downtown at 172 North Main Street, Concord, NH 03301. The program is from 9 AM to 4 PM. A coffee social begins at 8:30 with lunch at noon.

This event is limited to 150 attendees and is targeted to Masons elected to leadership positions in their Lodges and Grand Lodge, but any Master Mason is invited to attend.

Attire is Business Casual.

The cost to attend is $15 at the door and covers lunch and other refreshments.

***IMPORTANT: Please note that while you may still register, we cannot guarantee a meal for you if you haven’t registered before Friday, March 13. Thank you!***

 

About Worshipful Brother Robert Herd

Worshipful Brother Robert Herd is a Founding and Charter Member of Enlightenment Lodge 198, a Traditional Observance lodge in Colorado Springs, Colorado currently serving as Chairman of Masonic Education. In 2012 he served as Grand Orator for the Grand Lodge of Colorado. He is a Past Master of Tejon Lodge 104 in Colorado Springs,  and a member of East Denver 160 T.O. lodge. WB Herd is a Past District Grand Lodge Lecturer for the greater Colorado Springs area, and served two years as the Membership Committee Chairman for the state of Colorado. He is a member of the York Rite bodies, 32* KCCH serving as Reunion General for the Southern Colorado Consistory AASR and serves as Wise Master in the Chapter of Rose Croix. Other esoteric orders WB Herd belongs to include the Rosicrucians SRICF), and the Martinist order. He recently published his first book The Initiatic Experience: Ancient Pathways that Led to Your Initiation into Freemasonry, available here on Amazon.com. He also publishes Living Stones Masonic Magazine, one of the only hard copy monthly Masonic Magazines in the U.S. He is co-creator of www.TheSanctumSanctorum.com the most comprehensive Freemasons only Forum on the internet.

For the past 19 years WB Herd has worked for a global Leadership and Management training organization (Center for Creative Leadership) and is endeavoring to bring such leadership talents he’s learned and experienced to Freemasonry, its lodges, and individual members by creating a Lodge Leadership Course complete with lessons, lectures, activities, and discussions he facilitates. WB Herd has worked, taught and lectured in the UK, Nigeria, Mexico, Belgium, Turkey and many different cities across the United States. He has been on Dateline NBC and Turkish National television promoting and educating the public regarding Freemasonry. He has an exceptionally patient wife and a 14 year old son. He served as Scout Master for his son’s Boy Scout troop for 4 years. Troop 1, the oldest troop in Colorado. He can be reached via email at [email protected].

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Message from the Grand Master

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Greetings!

It is my privilege to bring you the warm fraternal greetings of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New Hampshire. What a great honor the Masons of New Hampshire have bestowed upon me by allowing me to represent them. When thinking back of the great men and Masons who have served in this position through the ages, one cannot help but be humbled by picking up this storied mantle.

My Brethren and friends, it has been said for a number of years now, by Masons everywhere, that our Fraternity is experiencing a renaissance, and that we, as the current holders of the long Masonic legacy, have been handed a great opportunity. We stand here today, in 2013, with the world open to us, and the ability to steer Freemasonry for generations to come. How to start?….The question we all ask, to so many responses.

Certainly, we must ask ourselves how Freemasonry has not only existed, but succeeded for so long, when so many other worthy organizations have been left in the mists of history. How has the world perceived us, as we have traversed the changes in society through these ages? And how can we have an impact on that perception now and for those who will follow in our footsteps?

Much has been written by men and Masons, far more studied and erudite than I, concerning the impact of our Fraternity on the world around us. But I know this….I know that the night I was made a Master Mason, the hands that reached out to take mine were filled with the voices of centuries of Masonic Principles and beliefs. Not secrets – not mysteries. Those hands reached out to me because I was Mason, and for no other reason. They were the hands of many Brethren I had never met, and who knew me only from my traveling through my Degrees. And the voices that I heard as each hand grasped mine were resounding and have reverberated inside me every day since. In time, I learned more about what those voices were saying, and today, they are words I repeat often, to whomever will allow me the time. I believe in my heart they are truly the keys to what the world believes to be our secrets and mysteries.

Friendship, Morality, Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth and Charity. In that instance, when my hand was grasped by that of one Brother after another, those words were communicated to me as surely as if they had been shouted from a rooftop or etched in stone. Can these words define Masonry? Can they define Masonic pride? Yes, my Brethren, they absolutely can!

If we lock ourselves in rooms and debate for hours on what we can do to be sure that Freemasonry remains relevant, we can emerge with no better plan or answer than is contained in these words. Friendship, Morality, Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth and Charity. They were relevant from the beginning of time. They were relevant at the building of King Solomon’s Temple, They were relevant at the construction of the great cathedrals. They were relevant in a tavern in 1717. They were relevant through wars and peace. They are relevant now, and they will be relevant as long as mankind exists. Our job is made easy when we understand that.

The challenge then becomes to be sure our hands reach out to others – that they hear in our grasps that same refrain. Reach out to your loved ones, your Brethren, your friends, your neighbors. Never assume they don’t need you. All of us have fallen in our lives, and have needed that hand to get back up. Offer that hand without condition. Offer it to the Brother who has been sitting next to you in Lodge for 25 years. Offer it to the Brother you have never met and is retired 2500 miles away. Offer it to the candidate who is slowly having the light of Masonry revealed to him.

Offer it to our Masonic military veterans who have sacrificed for us without a second thought. Offer it to the widows of Masons. Reach out your hand Brethren. In doing so, you are defining relevance and defining Freemasonry. We can study our histories, and discuss the interpretation of our Rituals. But the reason we have come so far, and are still the greatest Fraternity in the history of mankind, lies within these words and actions. Reach out and let everyone feel those truly Masonic virtues of Friendship, Morality, Brotherly Love, Relief, Truth and Charity.

I cannot describe the anticipation with which I look forward to working with each of you in the coming term. I will answer as many invitations as I possibly can. You have been my friends and Brothers for so long, and the prospect of serving you in our Grand Lodge is as spiritually uplifting as anything I can imagine. We, all of us together, gave ourselves this tremendous gift of Freemasonry. Now it is up to us to perform the greatest act of unselfishness we can with that gift. Share it. Share it and it will come back to you in multitudes.

I ask you to join with me, My Brethren….reach out and share the gift.

In Brotherly Love and Friendship,

Stewart L. Aronson

Grand Master