Masons of Texas Turn Out in Force For Annual Meeting

Photo: Don Comedy

by Christopher Hodapp

Note: This story was updated Monday, January 22nd at 1:00 AM to reflect corrections passed along to me by Texas brethren. Corrections include: a revised list of grand officers who were reelected to the Grand Officer's lineup and retained from last year; addition of GM Chapman's photo; more detail added to summarize what led up to these events over the weekend. Errors in the previous version of this story were mine alone. My apologies to all, and my thanks for those who offered corrections. CH

Revolutions are normally noisy and bloody things, but the Masons of Texas managed to stage their revolt in a remarkably calm and measured manner. The Grand Lodge of Texas AF&AM held its annual communication in Waco over the last three days, culminating in their grand officer elections this afternoon. Attendees eligible to vote – collectively known in Texas as the "Grand West" – numbered more than 3,400 rumored to be their biggest assembly so far in this century. After all the controversies taking place in Texas over the past year, it’s not surprising that events unfolded the way they did. 

Voting members approved a resolution permitting the consumption of alcoholic beverages in a Masonic building after a lodge meeting. In a normal year that would be seen as an almost cataclysmic event, but it was a mere footnote to the drama of choosing whose vision will lead Texas Freemasonry into the future.

In a major upheaval and repudiation to "the Old Guard" of grand lodge officers, last year's Deputy Grand Master H. Bart Henderson was passed over for advancement by voters in favor of electing MW Tommy F. Chapman, Past Grand Master from 2018, whose name was placed into nomination from the floor. 

The new officers of the Grand Lodge of Texas for 2024 are:

Grand Master: Past Grand Master Tommy Frank Chapman
Deputy Grand Master: Raborn Reader
Grand Senior Warden: Jim Rumsey
Grand Junior Warden: Justin Duty
Grand Treasurer: Rick Townsend
Grand Secretary: Brad Billings

Officers remaining and advancing from last year's line were: Raborn Reader (last year’s GSW), James Rumsey (last year's GJW), and Grand Treasurer Townsend. 

[NOTE: A previous version of this story said there had been a major shakeup in the Grand Lodge Trustees, as well. I've since been informed that these six elected grand officers actually make up the Trustees in Texas, which is quite different from many U.S. jurisdictions in which the Trustees are a completely separate group of brethren, that sometimes may include the current grand master. Apologies for my misunderstanding.]

At the heart of this year's tensions were previous attempts by PGM G. Clay Smith's administration to isolate, suspend or otherwise blunt the popularity of 2023 Grand Master Brad Billings and other brethren who were seen to be his allies and supporters in order to prevent a major change in the leadership's direction of the Grand Lodge. Even before Billings left office last January, clashes arose between him and what Jim Tresner used to refer to as Masonry's "mossback turtles" who disapproved of his younger, brasher style. 

An attempt had been made last January to prevent James Rumsey from being installed as Grand Junior Warden after his election and immediately after the installation of the new Grand Master, but mere moments before Rumsey's installation as GJW. The installation was halted and charges were read out against him by the GM, but the assembled brethren made such an uproar over the obvious ploy to scuttle Rumsey that the charges were deferred to a later time. Rumsey was subsequently suspended by Grand Master Smith the week after the annual meeting. The Grand Secretary at that time, Justin Duty, was also seen to be allied with PGM Billings last year, and GM Smith suspended him last month after Grand Trustees had voted against his making such a move. The political machinations and the misuse of the Grand Lodge rules became repugnant to the rank and file Masons in the state (along with countless Masons outside of Texas who watched events unfold via social media posts), which is what led to this weekend's proceedings.

This year, the voting brethren had their say all weekend long. A resolution was adopted forbidding the grand officer elections from taking place until the completion of all other business in order to prevent last minute shenanigans once the bored crowd left town (something that is extremely commonplace during previous long sessions in years past).

In a brief moment of online embarrassment, the internal Grandview website of the Grand Lodge of Texas was updated Saturday morning with 'the new Grand Lodge officers for 2024' showing Bart Henderson as GM, along with the slate of officers who had been expected to advance normally through the line. But as the election began to unfold, it was hastily removed. (That page fortunately never went onto the public website.)

Similarly, the Grand Lodge booth in Waco selling "H.B. Henderson 2024 GM" commemorative coins, belt buckles, pins and more was immediately shuttered when elections concluded, making those items truly rare and unusual collectors' items.

In his acceptance message, GM Chapman addressed the subject of appointed District Deputy Grand Masters, committee members and others by inviting them to remain in those positions for his administration if they wished to continue serving the grand Lodge. Otherwise, they could turn in their officer aprons and a new appointment would be selected. 

On Friday, a resolution (Resolution 10/24) was passed that had a huge effect on the activities and elections that followed. It immediately moved that all charges against anyone making themselves available for a grand office be openly tried under jurisdiction of Grand Lodge, and not behind closed doors in a subordinate lodge. It specified that all charges had to be handled by the Grand Lodge prior to the upcoming elections. This was why the order of business was such an important issue this year. Despite the Grand East's attempts to force the elections to take place earlier in the session, the Grand West insisted on the completion of all business (including the disposition of this resolution) before the elections were to be held. Passing the resolution made it effective immediately, which led to an immediate trial for RW Brad Billings on Saturday morning where they would have to explain everything to the Grand West. In a major development, negotiations went on between Billings and the Grand Lodge in which he dropped his defamation lawsuit against the GL in return for the dropping of all charges brought against him. By Saturday morning all parties had settled all charges, and Billings was permitted to run for grand Secretary - a position he subsequently won.

In other action, the Grand West also shot down a resolution to permit "one day classes" and the power to create a "Mason at sight" by grand masters. Other resolutions that passed:

• Approved the printing and display of lodge minutes an hour before opening a meeting for inspection by members for correction, and dropping requirement of the actual reading of the minutes;
• A special session of the Grand Lodge may be called by 50 or more lodges (this is a constitutional change that must hold over until 2025 meeting for final vote);
• Lodges may sponsor and permit the Boy Scouts to meet in their buildings;
• Restoration of the charter of Austin Lodge 12.

Ben Franklin was famously asked by a lady outside of the committee meeting in which the U.S. Constituution was drafted, "Well Doctor, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?" His classic response was, "A Republic, if you can keep it." Texas Masons seem to have taken that job of keeping their republic over a monarchy quite seriously this week.

Photos: My apologies for some missing photo credits. These were grabbed from various Facebook posts and text messages I was following all weekend, and I was unable to notate the sources at the time. Tough to do while driving. If I've used one of your images, let me know and I'll either credit you or take it down.

Midwest Conference on Masonic Education May 3-5, 2024 in Minnesota

by Christopher Hodapp

This year's Midwest Conference on Masonic Education will be held May 3-5, 2024 in Bloomington, Minnesota in and around the Masonic Heritage Center on the campus of the Minnesota Masonic Home.

Grand lodges all over the world have long realized the crying need to impart Masonic knowledge to our members. It seems that everybody knows that they're supposed to be providing "Masonic education" to Freemasons. But just how to you get knowledgable Masons who know (or understand) Masonic ritual, history, customs, laws, and all the other intellectual and cultural heritage we possess in our institution the proper tools and training to convert their knowledge and expertise into digestible lessons and into the brains of eager students? The best ritualists and historians don't always make the best teachers. Well, this year's conference will help provide some tools and methods to do just that.

Keynote speaker for this annual event will be Dave Baranek, former Aerial Combat instructor at the U.S. Navy's "Top Gun" Fighter Weapons School at Pensacola. His talk will center on "educating the educators," based on his 20 years of experience of teaching young pilots how to master the complex intricacies and develop the instincts needed for flying F-14 Tomcat planes. You can't get more different subjects than teaching Freemasonry and F-14s, but the methods of educating a widely disparate group of students in arcane subject matter are essentially alike. 

In addition to Baranek's keynote, other speakers and topics will include:

• Terry Tilton, PGM - "Masonic Education – Our Challenges and Opportunities"
• WBs Eric John Erfourth and Daniel Sherry - "MWB Ben Franklin’s Educational methodology and attitudes towards Adult education"
• WB Brad Phelps - "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Masons"
• Scott Wolter – "Templars, Masons & North America"
• Also speaking will be: Nick Settich, Brad Phelps, Markus Müller and Reed Endersbe

The event hotel will be the nearby Marriott in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

For a schedule of speakers, events, vendors and how to register, visit the conference website at www.mcme1949.org

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE (from their website)

The Midwest Conference on Masonic Education was formed in 1949 at a gathering of interested Masons from Illinois (including Alphonse Cerza) and Iowa. The outcome was to continue getting together by establishing its first Annual Meeting which was held in December 1950 in Cedar Rapids IA. The organization is comprised of a loose and ever-changing collection of Masonic educators from Grand Lodge jurisdictions located in  north central States and the Canadian Province of Manitoba. 

Member jurisdictions: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba. Other participants frequently include chairs of Masonic Education as well as Grand Lodge officers. 

What We Are About

The aim of the Conference is to promote Masonic Education, in part by providing a forum for educators to gather, freely discuss Masonic issues, socialize, and learn from sharing experiences while building beneficial relationships.


In addition, the Conference initiates special projects such as collecting data on educational practices across all North American jurisdictions, as well as encouraging Masonic research and writing by individual educators.

How We Function

The Conference meets once a year, usually in late April or early May, in one of the member jurisdictions. Responsibility for conducting the Annual Meeting rotates each year, eventually being hosted by all member jurisdictions before repeating.

A typical program schedule includes presentations by well-known Masonic speakers, experiential as well as scholarly participant presentations, roundtable discussions, and jurisdiction reports. Sufficient time is also arranged to provide informal chats among attendees. For more than a half century, our participants have expressed the view that our Conference is well worth the time, effort and cost in order to gain the many benefits from attending and participating.

Texas PGM BIllings Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Grand Lodge and 5 Officers

by Christopher Hodapp

(A brief post from the road as we pass through Gallup, New Mexico...)

As the clock ticks down to the GL of Texas annual meeting later this month, a new broadside has been shot across the bow of the Grand Lodge. Texas' Immediate PGM Brad Billings has just filed a $250,000 lawsuit in civil court for defamation of character, naming the Grand Lodge and five officers.

From the KWTX-TV website:

Bradley Scott Billings is seeking up to $250,000 in his lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Waco’s 170th State District Court, against the Grand Lodge of Texas, Timothy P. Simmons, Lance Lawrence Kennedy, George Clay Smith, Howard Bart Henderson and Russell Clay Brown.
Billings, who served as grand master from January 2022 to January 2023, alleges that the manner in which theft charges were initiated against him within the lodge has denied him due process, are false and defamatory and could hurt his chances to be elected grand secretary of the Grand Lodge of Texas at its annual meeting this month.

[snip]

Billings alleges in his lawsuit that he met “great resistance” from lodge members during his tenure as grand master.

“As the highest officer of the Grand Lodge of Texas who was elected by an overwhelming majority as the leader of an organization of 60,000 Texas men, the plaintiff undertook efforts to energize his constituents, raise money for the various charities supported by the Grand Lodge, and to modernize the operations and practices of the Grand Lodge,” according to the lawsuit.

A masonic trial was set for Jan. 6, 2024, with Brown being appointed “trial master” by Smith, the current grand master. Kennedy was appointed “prosecutor,” the lawsuit states.

Billings alleges in the suit that the charges do not meet the “certainty requirements” under Texas law and don’t sufficiently provide him notice of the allegations against him.

“Specifically, it does not notify such required information as from whom he is supposed to have stolen money, the amount of money stolen, and how the money was supposed to be appropriated,” the lawsuit alleges.

The defendants denied discovery matters to Billings, overruled his objections to procedural errors and ruled that Billings’ masonic counsel was disqualified from representing him, according to the suit.

They also denied his request to postpone the “trial,” Billings alleges.

Besides damaging his reputation and possibly costing him election as grand secretary, Billings also alleges the “allegations and potential conviction” make him ineligible for holding office and may cost him his membership as a Texas mason.

“The plaintiff is at risk of being found guilty of theft in violation of Texas law by a non-court body that does not have jurisdiction under Texas law to make such findings,” the suit claims. “The plaintiff has the risk of all the potential ramifications of being found guilty of a crime of moral turpitude and even possibly of a felony offense by a non-court body that is violating all constitutional and statutory rights that the plaintiff enjoys under Texas law.”

When the reporter tried contacting the grand lodge or Billings' attorney, no one would comment, so nobody's sayin' nuthin... 

AASR NMJ Past Commander David Glattly Speaks Out

by Christopher Hodapp

UPDATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024, 8:00PM: Several weeks after this story first appeared here on February 15th, the AASR-NMJ Supreme Council publicly released the findings of an independent financial audit, multiple independent investigations of the allegations made against David Glattly which led to his resignation back in 2022. The results of all of these inquiries refute Glattly's version of events that he posted here at the end of December, and corroborate the accusations against him made by the internal whistleblower in the Lexington office.

Please see: 

3/8/2024: AASR-NMJ Releases Results of Investigations Over Former SGC David A. Glattly

Also, please see my apology on March 10th for taking any side whatsoever in this matter:  My Deepest Apologies: Is Red or White Wine Best with a Plate of Crow?

---

UPDATED 2/20/2024, 4:00AM to include a leaked copy of the letter written by a whistleblower referred to in Glattly's statement: 

When Illus. David Glattly 33° was elected as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction back in 2017, it was expected that he would serve what has traditionally been a long term of office. He succeeded Illus. John McNaughton in the position, who had just kicked off what was to be "a new path" for the NMJ. That path began with an extensive demographic survey of American men to discover the public's awareness of Freemasonry, and that led to the creation of a unique advertising campaign to stir new interest in the entire Masonic fraternity.

Commander Glattly's first year in office introduced the "Not just a man. A Mason" ad campaign, and it has since been widely adopted by numerous grand lodge jurisdictions throughout North America, as well as by individual local lodges. Under his leadership, the NMJ assembled its own in-house video production unit, and in 2020 when the COVID pandemic suddenly shut down most large, public gatherings of any kind (like lodge or AASR Valley meetings and degree work), the NMJ went to work shooting high-quality video versions several of the Rite's degrees.

A new wave of excitement and enthusiasm swept across the AASR-NMJ. The advertising campaign succeeded at increasing membership at both the grand lodge and the AASR levels, while the Hautes Grades education program and the Rite's increased book publishing initiatives were all helping to retain – and even increase – membership for the first time in decades. The online streaming program, "Thursdays at the Rite", and the presentation of some degrees on video during online reunions kept members engaged throughout the COVID shutdowns. The NMJ's social media presence was extremely active all through the COVID mess, and the Glattlys were excited to start traveling again once restrictions were dropped.

But suddenly, at the August 2021 semi-annual meeting of the NMJ in Cleveland, Ohio, something surprising happened. After just four years in office, SGC David Glattly, suddenly and without warning, announced his retirement. (His brief farewell message was reprinted in the Northern Light magazine.) 

In his message, he explained that he and his wife Monica had both been hit with medical issues that would be problematic for his many duties and extensive travel schedule for the Rite. They decided they needed "a slower pace in life." He was succeeded in office by Illus. Pete Samiec 33°, who was, in turn, succeeded in August 2023 at the NMJ's meeting in Louisville by Illus. Walter F. Wheeler 33°. Meanwhile, the Glattlys retired to Florida, years before they had anticipated doing so. 

Monica Glattly tragically passed away last fall.

So what happened? Why did SGC Glattly suddenly leave office in 2022 with very little explanation, apart from his farewell message?

The short answer is that David was driven out of the office, despite his dedicated and visionary leadership and the successes it brought to the Rite. After two years of silence, he finally felt he needed to explain his version of what went on, unbeknownst to the membership and the Masonic world. The result is a ten-page document explaining his side of the story and his view of what really happened behind the scenes. It shouldn't be surprising that the accusations made and actions taken by several of the NMJ's trustees may very well have taken a serious toll on Monica's emotions and health and contributed to her premature death.

Glattly originally drafted his letter to be read at last August’s Supreme Council meeting in Louisville, but decided to hold it back until that meeting ended. He forwarded it to me several weeks ago, but our annual California RV excursion kept me busy and distracted, resulting in my tardiness in posting it.

Freemasonry, like so many volunteer groups, must rely on men who are either saints, or martyrs, or both — preferably both. The final lines of David's message are some of the saddest words I've ever encountered when it comes to Freemasonry, or ANY organization or company that requires extreme dedication and enormous amounts of time:

"Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer care."

I wish this phrase appeared in every Masonic officer installation ceremony just to remind our own leadership of just who keeps this fraternity alive from year to year, through thick and thin, in sickness and in health. So often we push men to the breaking point, and we throw them away at our own peril.

Click the pages below to enlarge them.

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UPDATED 2/20/2024, 4:00AM: A very wise friend and Brother has always said to me, "It's a mighty thin pancake that doesn't have two sides."  The AASR-NMJ has not made any of their documentation public, but David Glattly in his message refers to a letter of accusations against him written by a whistleblower and sent to the Supreme Council. In the interest of fairness, I attach the "other side of the pancake": below is a copy of that initial internal letter, which was publicly leaked last week on the Freemasonry Subreddit of the Reddit boards (Click images to enlarge):

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Family Of Murdered Texas Mason Suing Lodge For Negligence

Brother Robert Wise, 55, was killed in July after officer's installation

(Photos: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page)

by Christopher Hodapp

The family of a Texas Mason who was murdered outside of a Masonic hall following an officers' installation ceremony has just filed a civil lawsuit against McAllen Lodge 1110 alleging negligence.

Brother Robert Wise was shot and killed in the lodge parking lot the evening of July 10, 2023, allegedly by an anti-Mason named Julio Diaz, who actually shot a video of the murder as it happened and posted it to his social media page.

A story on the MyRGV.com website reads, in part:

The surviving family members of a McAllen Masonic Lodge member’s summer murder filed a lawsuit saying the organization should have known about what they say is growing anti-Masonic resentment across the country.

And Robert Wise’s wife and children said they should have known about 35-year-old Alamo resident Julio Diaz, who is accused of fatally shooting Wise, 55, and posting a video of the murder to social media.

His surviving family members filed a lawsuit against McAllen Masonic Lodge No. 1110 on Nov. 27, alleging their negligence killed Wise because they ignored what they call a national trend of vandalism and threats against Masons, and because they did not install a light and security camera system purchased in 2022 until after Wise’s murder.

They also allege that the organization failed to warn its members about Diaz, who was known to the organization, because Diaz allegedly committed an act of arson at a Weslaco Masonic Lodge, which the McAllen members frequented, according to the petition.

McAllen Masonic Lodge No. 1100 is located at 118 N. 11 Street.

Wise walked out of that building on July 10 after being a member for more than two years and after a ceremony where he was named a “Junior Deacon.”

Police allege that’s when Diaz fatally shot him.

[snip]

Following Wise’s murder, on July 28 at the McAllen Lodge, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez met with members and “stated the obvious.”

“At night, when one enters or exits the McAllen Lodge, the parking lot and surrounding area and the front of the building had no lighting. It was pitch black,” the petition stated. “The premises was unlit, unfenced, and completely unprotected from any trespasser at the time of Wise’s murder.

“The McAllen Lodge knew how vulnerable it and its members were, but did nothing.”

But even before this meeting, the petition says a popular blogger who writes about Masonic news, had been reporting that ever since the COVID lockdowns that “there has been an alarming increase throughout the U.S. and Canada in incidents of vandalism and arson against Masonic halls by admitted paranoid anti-Masonic extremists and conspiracists.”

(NOTE: I believe this is in reference to stories appearing on this website, which in no way could have predicted – or prevented – what happened. - CLH)

Then, on Dec. 6, 2021, the McAllen Lodge was vandalized and the location “became emblematic of the national trend on a local level.”

“Aware of the national trend and seeing it play out in their front yard, leaders of the McAllen Lodge pushed for the purchase of the light and camera system after this incident,” the petition stated. “Despite the full knowledge of the national and local trend of violence toward Masons, it took another act of vandalism in December of 2021 at the McAllen Lodge to prompt the purchase of a light and camera system.”

That happened sometime in 2022 when the McAllen Lodge purchased a light and camera system for about $2,000, according to the lawsuit.

“However, the light and camera system was not installed until months AFTER the murder of Robert Wise. In the wake of this security failure the criminal activity targeting the McAllen Lodge continued,” the lawsuit stated.

(NOTE: I have no way of knowing the veracity of these claims, but early reports immediately following the murder stated there was surveillance footage of the lodge's parking lot that provided details to law enforcement. The petition goes on to make the bizarre claim that the lodge wasted money on an entertainment event that would have been far more responsibly spent on security systems, as though lights and cameras could have in any way dissuaded the murderer from his premeditated action. - CLH)

On March 30, 2022, someone vandalized the location with graffiti that read “Sorcery against the Holy spirit and the human race must all be stoned to death.”

After that happened, the person who was the third in command sent text messages to the top two people in charge and the petition said nothing was done.

“Five months later, on September 15, 2022, the criminal struck again. The McAllen Lodge was vandalized, the front glass door smashed and fuel thrown into the building to start a fire,” the lawsuit stated.

After this incident, the petition said a high-ranking member on a state level sent out a message warning people to be vigilant and to secure the lodge building.

“Both the McAllen Lodge and the Grand Lodge had actual knowledge of the national trend and the specific threats to the McAllen Lodge,” the lawsuit stated. “What happened to Robert Wise was completely foreseeable and yet no action was taken.”

(NOTE: For decades, Masonic lodges have often received non-specific, threatening messages, accusing Masons of heresy, secret plotting, devil worship, mind control, and a raft of economic, political and religious conspiracies. Allegations like these date back as far as the early 1700s, and several states have reported numerous instances of finding anonymous warning letters plastered to lodge doors or stuck in mailboxes. It's infinitesimally rare for any actual harm or damage to come from these kinds of threats, but it's still unnerving to find them. Police won't act until an actual crime is committed, and judges often don't like sentencing obviously nutty people to jail time over their beliefs in conspiracies or overzealous religious beliefs. So what exactly is a lodge supposed to do when faced with these kinds of messages? – CLH)

The petition then cites two more arson attacks on Mason buildings on a national level and then another arson attack at the Llano Grande Masonic Lodge on Feb. 21 in Weslaco.

 

Julio Diaz remains held in the Hidalgo County

Adult Detention Center on an indictment charging 

him with murder and arson. He has a $1 million 

bond on the murder charge and a $5,000 bond

on the arson charge.

 

“This act should have prompted action. Julio Diaz, the alleged murderer of Robert Wise, videoed the Weslaco Lodge fire and uploaded it to his Instagram page,” the petition stated. “Now violence had a name and a face and it lived right next door. The McAllen Lodge routinely met at the Weslaco Lodge and Diaz knew it." 

 

[snip]

On Aug. 7, Masonic leadership finally ordered the McAllen Lodge closed permanently.

“Too little … too late. Robert Wise was dead,” the lawsuit stated.

Read more at the myRGV.com website HERE.

Reviewing this long, sad story tonight, my heart ached once again for Brother Wise's grieving family. Understand that I am in no way making light of his family's grief and loss. But there's no way the lodge should be blamed for his murder. The arson fires, graffiti, online threats and other hate-filled actions of anti-Masons around the world that have been spotlighted by this blog are infuriating to all of us. But when you consider the tens of thousands of local Masonic halls around the globe that have NOT been attacked in any way, trying to predict and prevent every four-alarm lunatic's deranged attacks ahead of time isn't possible, or even feasible. All the lights and cameras in the world wouldn't have prevented this horrible act of hatred and extreme religious zealotry.

Moreover, suing the lodge won't bring Brother Wise back to life, nor will it do anything to prevent future anti-Masonic attacks on other Masons.

So why the lawsuit? 

Many decades ago, my brother and I were ardent teenaged railfans, and we would travel far and wide to photograph and make audio recordings of trains. One particular trip, I had a new Super8 film camera with an especially wide-angle lens I wasn't quite used to yet. As a train came blasting out of a tunnel in rural Tennessee, I was crouched low on the ground capturing an incredibly dramatic angle of the action, while peering only through my viewfinder. My brother Mike suddenly realized with horror that I was mere inches from having my head ripped off by the locomotive's low-riding front step. He leapt over to me, reached down, grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, and hurled me out of its path at the very last second.

As we both lay on the ground gasping for breath, I wondered aloud if some slick lawyer might have talked our parents into suing the railroad, had I been decapitated by one of their trains, even if we were trespassing and I had clearly been a completely irresponsible moron. 

"No," Mike said, rolling it over in his mind. "This railroad is declaring bankruptcy. You never sue anyone poor."

"Who would they sue then," I asked.

"Why, Eastman Kodak, of course," he replied. "Kodak manufactured the film that went into your camera, and you wouldn't have even been here if it weren't for that damned film. Definitely Kodak."

UPDATE: Texas GM Smith Ignores Trustees and Removes Grand Secretary From Office

by Christopher Hodapp

Just a few days after The Texas Masons For Truth website reported on a failed attempt to remove Grand Secretary Justin Duty (photo above) from office at a called meeting of the Grand Lodge Trustees, Texas Grand Master G. Clay Smith apparently has now decided to ignore that Trustee vote and just go it alone.

The following story appeared today:

Information is fluid, but it is currently our understanding that Grand Master G. Clay Smith has removed Grand Secretary Justin Duty from office and instructed him to turn over his keys and passwords. A Form 1 has been filed and the Grand Master is expected to accept the charges. 

 

G:M: G. Clay Smith is taking these actions supposedly based on the issue of payroll deductions. The payroll company forgot to deduct for benefits in [Duty's paycheck], which was resolved and paid for last February.

We expect to hear about Grand Treasurer Rick Townsend’s removal in the coming days.

One source tells me that Townsend's office may have missed a due date for some sort of payment earlier in the year, and that this will be the justification for bringing Masonic charges against him.

Back in March, Smith had ordered an extensive audit of the Grand Secretary and Grand Treasurer, zeroing in on a fundraising event from 2022: proceeds came from the sale of a special limited batch of whisky that had been donated to the Grand Lodge for this purpose. According to the information surrounding the event, all sales were conducted outside of the purview of the Grand Lodge and were not held on Masonic property. It was conducted in strict compliance with Grand Lodge law and the laws of the State of Texas. GM Smith's investigation (conducted by just two members of the Finance Committee) found no errors or impropriety on the part of either office.

It's looking more and more certain that the 2024 annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Texas is going to be a grotesque bloodbath come January. None of this will be any good for Texas Freemasonry. A faction in the Grand Lodge regards Immediate Past Grand Master Brad Billings and the brethren who supported him last year as nothing but a noisy group of "frat boys" whose influence on the membership must be rubbed out at any cost. Billings has made his intentions of running for Grand Secretary this year known, and Justin Duty had intended to run for Grand Junior Warden. 

The trouble is that Billings and his team successfully brought new enthusiasm and positivism to Texas Masonry in 2022 that few others have in recent years, and their supporters aren't likely to just fade away. Removal from office, suspensions, expulsions – these types of actions frequently backfire when they're attempted, and martyrs have a funny way of outlasting their tormentors.

Texas: Attempt To Remove Grand Secretary Fails

by Christopher Hodapp

Backroom intrigues continue in the Grand Lodge of Texas as their annual communication approaches in January. The Texas Masons For Truth website is reporting on an unsuccessful attempt by current Grand Master G. Clay Smith and Deputy GM H. Bart Henderson to remove Grand Secretary Justin Duty from office prior to their annual meeting.

During the weekend of the Texas Grand Chapter and Grand Council annual gatherings, a closed-door meeting of the Grand Lodge Trustees was called by GM Smith to accuse the Grand Secretary of mismanaging his office, and to remove him from his administrative duties. A majority vote of the Trustees is required to do so.

According to the website story:

Multiple Masons reported shouting coming from the room. At one point, RW Duty was seen waiting outside the room, presumably because they were voting on the matter of removing him.

G:M: Smith is not acting alone. P:G:M Reese Harrison and Bro. Russell Brown are reported to have requested G:S: Duty’s removal after an audit found benefits not deducted from G:S: Duty’s paycheck. This clerical error was corrected as soon as it was discovered.

While Masonic political allegiances change, it appears the relationship between G:M: Smith and D:G:M: Henderson has remained strong throughout this year. With G:S: Duty outside the door, the remaining Trustees would have been the G:M: Smith, D:G:M: Henderson, G:S:W: Raborn Reader, G:J:W: Jim Rumsey, and Grand Treasurer Richard Townsend. 

 

G:S:W: Reader, G:J:W: Rumsey, and G:T: Townsend must have voted against for [the] removal to fail, but we are still gathering details.

We are acutely aware certain Past Grand Masters have continued to work behind closed doors to undermine the will of the Grand West.* 

• P:G:M: Terry Stogner, as seen handing charges to the Grand Master during an open installation of Grand Lodge,
• P:G:M: Wendell Miller, as a member of Brooklyn Lodge where the charges against P:G:M: [Brad] Billings were filed, and
• P:G:M: Paul Underwood, known to be conducting off-the-record investigations at the request of G:M: Smith

* The Grand West is an unusual term used by Texas Freemasons to describe the assembled voting members of their Grand Lodge when assembled.

What's behind all this smellodrama? It seems that Grand Secretary Justin Duty has the intention of running for election as Grand Junior Warden in January, and is seen by many as being aligned with Past Grand Master Brad Billings and current Grand Junior Warden Jim Rumsey. Billings himself is also rumored to be running for the Grand Secretary's position. So the political maneuvering this year has been an ongoing scheme to prevent the "Billings team" from even coming up for a vote.

I suspect that, if one were to poll all of the men who voluntarily demitted from Texas Freemasonry in the past year, you'd likely find that a large swath of them would tell you they left because of the ongoing political infighting and backstabbing going on within the officers of their Grand Lodge. Texas politics have long had an ugly reputation for viciousness – precisely the sort of thing that shouldn't be going on within Freemasonry. And the longer these attempts to subvert the vote of their members go on behind closed doors, the more collateral damage will be suffered by the fraternity as a whole.

There's a good reason why many grand lodge jurisdictions don't permit nominations from the floor and don't permit actually "running for office." Politicking always leads to factionalism. In many jurisdictions, a sitting grand master (or committee) appoints a man to the bottom of the grand lodge line and he advances through the chairs, just as in a Masonic lodge. Over the course of the next 5 to 7 years, long range plans have continuity, men grow into the job (or drop the ball) with several years that permit removal if he's just not leadership material or can't handle the time commitment. Sure, allegations of cronyism arise over appointments and the seemingly un-democratic election process. But I think I'll take that over these kinds of ugly backroom battles and political allegiances. Masons who occupy the dark squares of the tessellated floor eventually move on (or pass on), but they leave way too much blood on the carpet on their way out.

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Anti-Masonic Vandalism: Freemasons' Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland Damaged

by Christopher Hodapp

Historic Freemasons Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland was damaged last Tuesday when one or more unknown vandals smashed a window and damaged the building's exterior.

From a story in the Belfast Telegraph by Niamh Campbell:

It was reported that a window above a door at the property in Arthur Square was smashed sometime between 8.45pm on Monday evening and 11am on Tuesday morning.

A male was observed acting suspiciously in the area at around 10pm on Monday evening, and officers say they “would be keen to speak with him”.

The PSNI said he was dressed in a black hoody with the hood up, an orange top hanging below the hoody, grey bottoms, and that he was carrying a black bag.

The Masonic hall, adjacent to Victoria Square shopping centre, is home to dozens of Freemason Belfast lodges.

Posting on the Irish Masonic Network’s social media page, a member shared images of the vandalised building and stated: “With great sadness I have to report a sustained attack on Freemasons Hall Arthur Square.

After the Vatican issued a new statement in November reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church's rules forbidding their congregants from becoming Freemasons, there has been a major uptick in offensive online anti-Masonic commentary. There has already been a steady increase in reports of attacks on Masonic halls throughout the world in 2023 in the form of anti-Masonic graffiti, break-ins, arson fires, and other forms of deliberate damage. 

Belfast Freemasons Hall after its 2007 renovations

The Belfast Freemasons Hall was originally opened in 1870, and underwent a complete refurbishment in 2007. It is home to numerous Masonic lodges, appendant bodies, and the Donegal Masonic Club.

According to the Hall's website, the renowned Belfast artist John Luke was commissioned in  spring 1955 to execute a mural depicting “Solomon Building the Temple” in The Provincial Masonic Hall Rosemary Street. Measuring 31feet long and 7feet high, it was completed November 1956, and the artist was paid £375. In 2000 the mural was appraised at £3 million.

Police are continuing to investigate the case.