Congratulations To the Grand Lodge of New York

Photo by Gill Calderon

The Grand Lodge of New York F&AM held its annual communication this week and elected and installed their new officers for the year. Congratulations are in order to:

M.:W.: Bill Sardone, Grand Master
R.:W.: Richard Kessler, Deputy Grand Master
R.:W.: Rev. Charles Roberts, Senior Grand Warden,
R.:W.: Oscar Alleyne, Junior Grand Warden
R.:W.: Steven Adam Rubin, Grand Treasurer
R.:W.: Richard Schulz, Grand Secretary

M.:W.: Bill Sardone, the new Grand Master of New York

Nothing special in that, as nearly every jurisdiction meets each year or so to elect officers, to enact legislation, and handle administrivia that needs either approval or evisceration by the assembled members. Except that it WAS special in its own symbolic way. 

Because, you see, the election of my friend and Brother Oscar Alleyne as Junior Grand Warden (right) is the first time a 'man of color' has been elected by the membership to the grand officers' line in New York since the founding of of that grand lodge in 1782.

If you don't know Oscar, you should make the effort. Dr. Alleyne is the senior advisor on public health programs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. He is a specialist in epidemiology, and he travels the country and the world giving lectures and presentations, and one of the side benefits of that is that he gets to visit Masons and lodges wherever he goes in his copious free time. He is also an engaging and outstanding speaker and presenter of Masonic education on a wide variety of topics, along with being an excellent ritualist. Oscar just seems to everywhere you look in this fraternity, and New York couldn't have made a better decision.

So congratulations to Grand Master Sardone and his officers, to Oscar, and to the brethren of New York!