This WEBSITE is published monthly as an official publication of the
Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America.
Sid Cornelius Dorris III, Right Eminent Grand Generalissimo and Publisher,
Lawrence E. Tucker, Grand Recorder and Editor
5909 West Loop South, Suite 495, Bellaire, TX 77401-2402
(713) 349-8700 (telephone), (713) 349-8710 (facsimile)
E-mail: gr@knightstemplar.org
"Tell US What YOU THINK"
Joan B. Morton Assistant Editor
Mail materials and correspondence, to:
Editor, Grand Encampment of Knights Templar
Post Office Box 478448, Chicago, IL 60647-8448
phone and fax: (773) 489-0689
Material for the Grand Commanderies' two-page supplements is to be directed to the respective Supplement editors.
Supplement Editors are encouraged to create their own sites or submit "NEWS" to kych52va@aol.com
Address corrections from members are to be sent to the local Recorders LISTED HERE

DECEMBER: Christmas and New Year greetings from the officers and staff of the Grand Encampment! We have wonderful Christmas messages and greetings starting with the Grand Master's Message. For help with your plans for the Easter Service at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, click HERE. News from this early stage of the 40th Annual Voluntary Campaign for the KTEF starts HERE with a message from your General Chairman, Sir Knight T. Jeffery Conquest. KTEF club contributors and the status of the states follow. The magazine ends with biographies of two very accomplished Masons. Enjoy this edition and the holidays!

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Our Cross of Honor 2007 Recipients (48)
Membership Jewel, December Recipients
IN MEMORIAM
Christmas Message-2007 by Sk & Rev. William D. Hartman, KCT, REPGCPA
The Holiday Season by SK Donald C. Kerr, Pastor Emeritus, MD
A TOAST TO OUR MOST EMINENT GRAND MASTER & HIS RESPONSE
Great Christmas Messages from December Supplements-2006
Preliminary Easter - 2008
Per Capita Increase by SK LE Tucker,GCT, Grand Recorder
40th Voluntary Campaign Knight Templar Eye Foundation
"On the Masonic Newsfront"
Sir Knight Hugo Black by by Dr.Ivan M. Tribe, KCT, Kych, 33°
"There Goes a Man"by Dr. Stephen R. Greenberg KYCB, 33°

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Grand Master's Christmas Message - 2007
The thought of Christmas brings memories of our own childhood when life was simpler and the season seemed to last forever. The sounds of the Salvation Army bell ringing in front of nearly every store on Main Street, the electric train in the department store window circling what seemed to be the largest and most ornate tree we'd ever seen-these are with us again during this season.
We relive these scenes vicariously through the eyes of our children, our grandchildren, and even our great-grandchildren during Christmas. The thrill in a child's eye seeing the wonders of the season harkens to fond memories of special times we enjoyed when we were young and our only concerns were whether we'd get that special gift we'd written Santa about. Though commercialization of the holiday has it beginning shortly after Halloween, it serves us well in extending the most memorable time of the year.
Our excitement continues as we remember with our families the humble birth of a child in Bethlehem long ago. The Christmas Story is one of hope and goodness. It's a story that carries many important lessons that have application for all of us, today more than ever. We need but look, listen, and consider all the visions of hope it brings. As Grand Master and on behalf of a11 the Officers of your Grand Encampment, we wish you and your family all of the joys of the Christmas Season. The thrill of Christmas in the eyes of a child will surely bedew the eyes of the sternest Christian Warrior!

Merry Christmas

Sir Knight William H. Koon II, GCT
Grand Master

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Templary's highest award. . .Our Cross of Honor
The Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America presents the recipients of the Knights Templar Cross of Honor for the year 2007. These distinguished Sir Knights have demonstrated meritorious service and have been rewarded for it. The Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Encampment state that the Knights Templar Cross of Honor "shall be awarded only for exceptional and meritorious service rendered to the order far beyond the call of duty and beyond the service usually expected of an officer or member."
This year the Grand Commanderies have selected forty-eight Sir Knights to receive the coveted Cross of Honor.

Alabama Patrick Robert Donahey, Anniston No. 23 Arizona Roy Wilbur Boltz, Mohave No. 13 Arkansas George A. Nunnally, Rogers No. 24 California Rickey Owen Ward, Saint Bernard No. 23 Colorado Wesley L. Campbell, Georgetown No.4 Connecticut George James Cronk Stamford-Clinton No.3 District of Columbia Larry Thomas Caldwell, Potomac No.3 Florida Charles C. Cicero, Springtime No. 40 Georgia Craig Alan Haggas, St. Aldemar No.3Idaho Arthur L. Busacker, Gate City No.4 Illinois John R. Jorgensen, Austin No. 84 Indiana Wayne G. Williams, Raper No.1

Iowa William R. Kauten, Ascalon No. 25 Kansas C. E. Chuck Arens, Mt. Olivet No. 12 Kentucky James Roosevelt Pedigo, Glasgow No, 36 Louisiana Clyde Strout, Ascension No.6 Maine Edgar E. Carr, Jr., St., Aldemar No. 17 MassachusettslRhode Island John Lawrence Berini, Milford No. 11 Michigan John Andrew Hoyt, Battle Creek No. 33 Minnesota Alvin F. Bohne, Damascus No.1 Mississippi William Arlis Wheeler Mary Savery No. 14 Missouri Gayle Don Beden Ascension No. 39 Montana William L. Gamble, Miles No. 11 Nebraska Gail L. Twining, Jordan Tekamah No. 15

Nevada Raymond Cullen, Lahontan No.7 New Hampshire Raymond T. Robb, Mt. Horeb No.3 New Jersey Robert W. Bates, Cyrene No.7 New Mexico Mark Z. Oldknow, Santa Fe No.1 New York Carl L. Fisher, Tancred No. 80 North Carolina Raymond Charles Piasecki Griggs No. 14 North Dakota Curtis W. Stofferahn, St. Aldermar No.3 Ohio Jack J. Price, Wilmington No. 37 Gary Dennis Shoemaker, Columbus No. 69 Oklahoma Paul Timothy Currell, Elk City No. 22 Oregon Jerry C. Thompson, Washington No. 15 Pennsylvania Arthur W. Hutchinson, Jerusalem No. 15

South Carolina Bobby Joe Sprouse, Spartanburg No.3 South Dakota Donald C. Dummermuth, Cyrene No.2 Tennessee James Edward Harber, DePaynes No. 11 Texas Wiley Eugene Brookshire Lufkin No. 88 Lewis Bryan Williams , Sweetwater No. 89 Utah Lewis G. Webster, Malta No.3 Vermont William Howard Grant, Jr. Mt. Calvary No.1 Virginia Charles Jarrett Frame Fredericksburg No.1 Washington Bill Ray Wood, Columbia No. 14 West Virginia Clifford Dale Williams, Huntington No.9 Wisconsin Harold Charles Freid Eau Claire No.8 Wyoming Harlan H. Goodchild, Constantine No.9

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RECIPIENTS OF THE GRAND ENCAMPMENT MEMBERSHIP JEWEL

621-622. Chad E. Simpson, Columbus Commandery No. 69,
         Westerville, OH. 10-3-2007. Gewel and 2 bronze clusters)

623-624. Manfred Liehs, Watertown Commandery No. 11,.
         Pulaski, NY. 11-5-2007. Gewel and 1 bronze cluster

625-626. Andrew R. Jackson, Raper Commandery No.1,
         Indianapolis, IN. 11-2-2007. Gewel and 2 bronze clusters)
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IN MEMORIAM

Donald Lynn Smith
Texas
Grand Commander-1980  
Born: January 24, 1923
Died: May 13, 2007

Wesley H. Alexander, Sr.
Connecticut.
Past Honorary Grand Commander-2005
Born: May 27, 1927
Died: October 27, 2007

Stanley G. Laker
Oregon
Grand Commander-1988
Born: January 25, 1924
Died: November 4,2007

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Christmas Message-2007

by Sir Knight and Reverend William D. Hartman, KCT
R.E.P.G.C. of Pennsylvania and Chairman of the
Grand Encampment Committee on Religious Activities

The Christian Year begins with the season of Advent. This word advent comes from two Latin words which mean to look forward to, toanticipate something. This period of four weeks means that we are moving toward the celebration of the coming of God into our world.

One of our Advent hymns expresses this mood very well: "Come, thou longexpected Jesus, Born to set thy people free; From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in thee." (Charles Wesley)

The people of the Old Testament were aching for the coming of the Savior, the Messiah, for Emmanuel, God with us. They wanted a new beginning. They knew that something was wrong with their lives. They felt lilce they were prisoners to things as they were; they longed for God to "ransom captive Israel," to come and set them free. They wanted out of the old life and to begin a new life; an abundant life, a life free from sin. The prophet Zechariah (9:12) said, "Restore to your stronghold, a prisoners of hope."

The ancient Knights Templar knew what it was to be prisoners, during the Inquisition of 1307-1314. Many of them;. imprisoned, tortured, dragged before inquisitors; longed for freedom.

But while we may not be in a physical prison, many people today are in bondage to poverty, racism, sexism, and many other isms you can name. And at this hectic time of year, many people feel prisoners to the expectations of the holidays, prisoners to the things society wants to thrust upon us. Many feel captive to our culture of things and feel handcuffed by our habits. Many affluent Christians are prisoners of their own abundance. They can't live without all that they have acquired. And they can't stop acquiring more. How prevalent is the expression "shop till you drop"! Many are controlled by today's culture, are prisoners to it. You don't have to be in jail to be a prisoner. All you have to be is controlled by something or someone else. You are not in control of your own life. When Zechariah called the religious people of his day "prisoners," they knew, and we know, what he meant.

But notice, he called them "prisoners of hope." They were "locked" into hoping, into yearning, into desiring, into pleading. They were people who daydreamed about a new day and a new life. They dared to hope!

The theologian, Emil Brunner, in his book, Eternal Hope, has written, "Hope is a positive mode of awaiting the future... What oxygen is to the lungs, hope is for the meaning of life. Take oxygen away and death occurs through suffocation. Take hope away and humanity is constricted through lack of breath. No work of ours can be successfully performed without hope." Psalm 33 says, "0 Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you." (33:18). Psalm 43 admonishes us to "hope in God."

BUT HOPE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. To hope is fine, but to be locked into hope means just being in another prison. To be looking for a better tomorrow is fine, but it is not enough. When you know that you have been created for greater things, you are never satisfied with being anything less.

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, "that if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are, of all men, most to be pitied." (I Corinthians 15:19). Hope is fine, but there is more. And that is just what Christmas is all about. Our hope-the hope of the world-is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfills our most ambitious hopes. He is the hope of all the ages, of all our dreams, of all our yearnings. He, and He alone, can set us free from the prisons we are in. He has broken the chains that bind us to the. things of this world. He has ransomed our hearts from the prison house of sin, in which we have been held captive for too long.

God in Jesus Christ has visited and redeemed his people: He has set us free by visiting our earth and fulfilling our deepest hopes. Our hope is in Jesus: the One who is coming into the world, the One who has come into the world, the One who comes to set us free.

Pastor C. Thomas Hilton suggests we should sing another hymn at this time of year that is not normally associated with the Advent/Christmas season. Maybe we should sing with gusto: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand." (Edward Mote).

Reverend and Sir Knight William D. Hartman, KCT, KTCH, and R.E.P.G.C. of Pennsylvania, is Chairman of the Grand Encampment's Committee on Religious Activities. He is a member of Kensington-Kadosh Commandery No. 54, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. He resides at 951 Bridge Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124-1710.
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The Holiday Season
by Sir Knight Donald Craig Kerr
Pastor Emeritus

    Bring out the lights. Bring out the decorations. It's time for Christmas. It's time for Hanukah. Both events signify joy and hope and expectation, and without these times our world would be much more dismal and dour. We like to celebrate, and this season brings a special glow and wonder into our lives!
    Spiders are not everyone's most favorite creatures. Sometimes, however, they can be very useful. Why? Because it's holiday time, and there is a legend about a spider having to do with the newborn Jesus.
    Now, it is an old legend which tells that after the time Jesus was born, he was whisked off to Egypt to escape the fury of King Herod. While the holy family were on their long journey, they sought refuge in a cave. By some miracle, according to the legend, a spider during the night had spun a huge web across the cave's opening. Soldiers in search came to the cave, but seeing the spider's web across the opening, they were discouraged from entering. Hence, the tiny baby was saved from his would-be captors.
    As a result, "spider's web" came to mean "tinsel." While spiders do not attract our special attention, tinsel is the special touch of splendor that adds to our decorations.
    And just like the tinsel, Christmas and Hanukah put a special splendor around us. We see the world through a brighter vision. In a small way this holiday season help us walk through this world with a better sense oflove and compassion.
    This season comes into our normal routines and illuminates the kindness, good will, and generosity we want to feel about one another. We need what God does for us to save us from our own selfishness and to guide us toward that spirit of holiness that can bring peace to our world.
    So a Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukah, and God bless us all!
Sir Knight Donald C. Kerr is Pastor Emeritus, Roland Park Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, Maryland, a 32° Mason, Chaplain Emeritus of Baltimore Chapter, and a member of Beauseant Commandery No.8, Baltimore. He resides at 700 John Ringling Boulevard, Apt. E202, Sarasota, FL 34236-1586.
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Grand Encampment of Knights Templar
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA


THE APARTMENTS OF THE GRAND PRELATE
and
THE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
Year of our Lord 2007

To all Valiant and Magnanimous Knights of the Temple, wheresoever dispersed throughout Christendom Salutations and Knightly Greetings:
A TOAST TO OUR MOST EMINENT GRAND MASTER
The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Jesus was born Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem asking "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." When their search led to the Christ Child, Matthew states that they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And then, after they presented gifts to Him they departed for their own country by another way.
There is always a change of direction in life for all who encounter Christ and accept Him in faith. The goal of the Church down through the ages has been to point people toward Jesus Christ so that they may have that life changing experience. Following the lead of the Church it has been the hallmark of Templary to remind its candidates to wear its badge as a constant memorial to stimulate them to imitate the virtues of the Immaculate Jesus, who died so that they may live. In other words the goal of Templary has been to lead the perspective Knights to Christ so that they may thereafter walk in a new way.
Grand Master, we know that you have encountered the Living Christ and that it has resulted in that life changing experience for you and so we salute you and are proud to follow your leading in this Valiant and Magnanimous Order as we not only resolve to be defenders of the faith but as we also seek to carry out the mandate of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations.
Most Eminent Grand Master we offer you this toast and pray that God will bless, protect and embrace you with His love as you lead us into what we know will be a glorious and victorious future for Templary.
In His name,
The Committee on Religious Activities
Rev. William Hartman, P.C.C., Chairman
Rev, Robert J. Cave, P.C.C., Grand Prelate
(This toast was prepared by Reverend and Sir Knight Robert J. Cave, R.E. Grand Prelate)

GRAND MASTER'S RESPONSE
To the Grand Prelate, the Committee on Religious Activities and to all Sir Knights, wheresoever dispersed:
Greetings!
My thanks to the Right Eminent Grand Prelate and Committee on Religious Activities for a most meaningful toast.
As Knights Templar we celebrate the Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ. For Christians in general and Knights Templar in particular, the Christmas Season marks the beginning of the Greatest Story ever told. While we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we are moved by the gleam of excitement in the eyes of the children, a twinkle that occurs most often at this season. That gleam reminds us of our own childhood, and our hopes for a better tomorrow. While faith in our Savior will lead us to peace and happiness, let us not forget, the hope for future generations rests with those who follow us. The future is vested in those children whose eyes shine brightly with hope and enthusiasm. Hope and enthusiasm for a better tomorrow. Let us pray we set an example worthy of their emulation.
The officers and membership of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America join me in expressing our best wishes to you and your family this Christmas Season.
As we celebrate this holiday season, let us again celebrate what's right with Templary!
In His Service,
William H. Koon, II, GCT Grand Master
The foregoing Toast to the Most Eminent Grand Master and his response thereto are transmitted to you with the request that you extend an invitation through the proper offices to all Sir Knights within your jurisdiction to join in the sentiments thus conveyed at some convenient hour, on or near the birthday of Christ, commonly called Christmas Day, December twenty-fifth, in the Year of Grace 2007.
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Great Christmas Messages from December Supplements-2006
Christmas Musings
Sir Knight James M. Dykes, Jr.
Editor of Georgia Supplement-December 2006
Christmas! What a wonderful time of the year! So many thoughts and emotions come up as we prepare to celebrate a day set aside as the birthday of our Lord Jesus, the Christ. As Templar Knights, it is a most special day, for our purpose is to be active in service to Him whose birthday we celebrate.
We decry the commercialization of Christmas with the accompanying trivialization of its observance. The massive retail sales campaigns, the overabundance of snowmen, candy canes, Santas, and reindeer; all are a part of that secularization. In the midst of the hullabaloo we have to make time to think, to worship, and to remember the truth of the adage, "Jesus is the reason for the season."
All tied together in a bundle that we call Christmas are the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Advent is a time of preparation and includes the four Sundays preceding Christmas. This is a time of anticipation of the coming of the Lord. The ancient hymn, "0 Come, 0 Come, Immanuel," conveys the feeling of Advent perfectly. Then comes Christmas, not only the day of Christmas, but the days following through January 5. This is our time of celebration of the birth of our Lord. There are so many wonderful Christmas carols, but "Joy to the World" conveys the Christmas message. January 6 is Epiphany. "Epiphany" means "manifestation" and recalls the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem bearing the gift of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. That marvelous Epiphany carol, "We Three Kings," conveys the message well.
As you can see, we shortchange ourselves in our observance of Christmas using the secular calendar. The Gift that God gave in the Babe of Bethlehem changed the world and changed history. Each time we meet as Templars, we are affirming anew our devotion to that Gift and our service in the Name of the Gift. Especially as we meet in December and January, think of doing something special with your meetings. Singing the wonderful carols is most appropriate and a capella and off key is just fine. Make a gift in your Commandery's name to the Knights Templar Eye Foundation. Make another gift from your Commandery to a local charity. Have a special Commandery family meeting with a musician to conduct the singing. Instead of taking time away from Commandery for Christmas, bring Christmas into the Commandery, and rejoice together in the Gift of God's great love for us in Jesus, the Babe of Bethlehem.

Christmas Message
by Sir Knight and Reverend Daniel Williams
Grand Prelate of Florida-December 2006
A well known story tells us that a wise mother once noticed that her son had a noticeable ignorance of what it means to be thankful. She and his father watched as this selfish, self-centered son received money at his birthday, Christmas, and other special occasions only to take it for granted, never saying "thank you" and generally not showing any normal level of appreciation. Frustrated by the situation, they decided to teach him a lesson, and on his next birthday, they went all out. They hired a clown, had a big cookout, invited all of his friends to come to the house, but when the time came to open the gifts (always the most popular part of a birthday party for all of us), he was shocked to learn that all of the gifts brought by his friends were intended for giving to other friends. He sat, downcast, and watched his friends enjoy their new gifts, and seethed with anger at his parents for doing this cruel injustice to him on this special day in his life.
Later that evening after the guests had left, his parents sat him down and asked him how he enjoyed his birthday. He was honest in telling them that he was angry and hurt because of what they had done to him. They explained to him that they wanted him to understand the value of giving, and also that they loved him very much, but that they had been disappointed in his lack of appreciation for the wonderful things that others had done for him in the past. Then, they took him into an adjoining room where his birthday gifts lay waiting. It goes without saying that, the lesson having been learned, he was very thankful!
If you are hearing this story for the first time, you may have been thinking "that was cruel of his parents to do that to him in front of his friends, and on such a special day." But as we approach Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, our wonderful Savior, we have to be honest in saying that we do the exact same thing. Christmas shopping in America has already started, and some retail chains report that as much as 35% of their annual revenue comes from the Christmas shopping season, which traditionally lasts from Thanksgiving until Christmas. In this time, it is proper to exchange wonderful gifts with family and loved ones. Yet, it is highly improper NOT to bring gifts to the one whose birthday we are celebrating, as a gesture of thankfulness.
This should cause us to wonder, "Just what is the best gift to give to God?" In his second letter to the church at Corinth, a city known for indulgence and self-grat-
ification (somewhat the condition we find in America today), Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:4-5, "Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but FIRST gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God." His verses tell us that the best gift you can give the Lord is yourself. Notice also that they gave themselves to the Lord before they ministered to each other.
That, Sir Knights, is the way it should be. Before we can truly adopt an attitude of benevolence to others, we will necessarily have to learn to give ourselves as the gift. As we approach this season of love and sharing, before we stock up on useless trivia, much of which will not survive the coming year before being consumed or misplaced; let us with great sincerity commit to the giving of the best gift we could ever possibly give-the gift of ourselves. Ours is a fraternal organization that has long been committed to giving to others. Our reputation is well known and well deserved. But any organization is no more charitable than the members who make it up, so let this be our resolve during the coming Christmas season: to be men who with gladness and joy share themselves with others.
It is my wish that you and your family will enjoy a God-filled and Christ-centered holiday season, and may all of God's blessings richly fall upon you and yours. Most of all, may your family give unceasingly to the truly needy, and may we all live a life consecrated to God and our Savior his son, Jesus Christ, in the years ahead, thereby gaining for ourselves God's smile and approval as he says to us "Well Done, thou Good and Faithful Servant."
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PRELIMINARY EASTER-2008

The 78th Annual Easter Sunrise Service, sponsored by the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America, will again be held on the steps of the George Washington Masonic Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia, on Sunday, March 23, 2008, and will begin at 8:00 A.M. This Service will complete a memorable weekend of events in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., including delegation dinners, tours, and Masonic fellowship.
HILTON ALEXANDRIA MARK CENTER
The headquarters hotel will now be the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, Virginia, located approximately four miles from the memorial. Our special Knights Templar rate will be $100.00 per room, based on double occupancy. Parking will be $9.00 per night. Call the hotel to make your reservations directly at (703) 845-1010 or 1-800-Hiltons. (Mention Knights Templar.)
MEALS
A meal package is available for $40.00 per person, which includes Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast buffet. Order your meal tickets from the Grand Encampment office. Mail your check payable to the Grand Encampment to 5909 West Loop South, Suite 495, Bellaire, TX 77401-2402. Individual tickets may be ordered separately: Saturday dinner, $35.00; Sunday breakfast buffet, $15.00.
Note: The hotel and meal ticket cutoff date is February 10,2008. There will be no tlckets sold at the door.
GRAND COMMANDERS AND THEIR LADIES
Grand Commanders and their ladies are invited to attend the Saturday dinner, courtesy of the Grand Encampment. Prior reservation is required.
OUR GRAND MASTER
The Grand Master of the Grand Encampment, Knights Templar of the United States of America, Sir Knight William H. Koon II, and his officers will greet everyone at the Sunday breakfast.
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS
On Saturday, March 22, 2008, at 10:00 A.M., the Grand Commandery of Indiana will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery honoring their members who fell in combat as members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. They have again asked that everyone be invited to attend. Buses will leave the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center for Arlington National Cemetery at 9:00 A.M. Buses will unload at the visitors center for the short walk to the Tomb of the Unknowns. Buses will leave from the visitors' center at 11:00 A.M. to return to the hotel.
EASTER MORNING PROGRAM
The breakfast buffet will begin at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center at 6:00 A.M., Easter morning. The buses will be available to leave at 7:00 A.M. to take the Sir Knights and their ladies to the George Washington Masonic Memorial for the Sunrise Services. The buses will return to the hotel after the Service at approximately 9:30 A.M.
PARADE INFORMATION
The parade will form on the lane leading up the hill. Delegations will form according to their entry into the Grand Encampment, senior to junior, and markers for each will be in place. As in the last eight years, the Maryland delegation in their black plumes will appear before the formal parade with drummers and form a passion cross in the stands. The Grand Commandery of Maryland would also like to invite any of the other Commanderies which wear the black plume to get in touch and participate in the formation of the Cross. The parade will step off at 7:40 A.M., proceed up the hill, render "Eyes Right" on passing the Grand Master and his staff, and then proceed into seats as directed. Formation of three squads each is suggested, as well as at Secure Swords, in order to avoid bunching up on top of the hill. Colors will Right Flank at the podium and column Left and column Right and post the colors as directed. Parking for cars and buses is available at the top of the hill next to the Memorial. However, no vehicles will be permitted up the roadway after 7:30 A.M.
OTHER DETAILS
Delegations desiring to make any special group arrangements should call the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Delegations staying at other hotels or motels must provide their own transportation or meet at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Recognition is given to the Grand Commandery having the most Sir Knights in uniform in the parade and to the Grand Commandery having the highest percentage of its members in uniform in the parade. Prior to the service, Kena Shrine Band will provide music beginning-at 7:30 A.M. Easter selections will be played as the parade moves out following the Assembly bugle call. The Right Eminent Grand Prelate, Robert J. Cave, will conduct the Service.
Reservations should be made for rooms, meals, and any other activities by February 10, 2008.
GRAND COMMANDERIES ARE REQUESTED TO APPOINT A DELEGATION CHAIRMAN AND NOTIFY GRAND RECORDER LAWRENCE E. TUCKER, 5909 WEST LOOP SOUTH, SUITE 495; BELLAIRE; TX 77401-2402, TELE PHONE NO.:(713)349-8700; FAX: (713) 349-8710, E-MALL: gr@knightstemplar.org in order to receive information concerning this event and to facilitate adequate planning!
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PER CAPITA INCREASE
There has been some confusion concerning the per capita increase effected at the 2006 Session in Houston, Texas. A notice of the increase was sent to all Grand Recorders in October 2006, and a notice, was placed in the November 2006 issue of the Knight Templar magazine. Here follows a brief account of the events leading to passage of said increase.
     Discussions about eliminating "fund-raising" (cards, notepads, labels, calendars, etc.) began following the 2003 Triennial Session in St. Louis, Missouri. The possibility of replacing "fund-raising" with a per capita increase was discussed at the Grand Encampment Department Conferences in the fall of 2004 and spring of 2005. During the Department Conferences in the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006, the question was asked, "Do you want to replace 'fund-raising' with a per capita increase? and if so, how should it be phased in?" All attendees were asked to share their thoughts, and all were given ample opportunity to do so. At each and every Department Conference, the majority of attendees agreed with the following suggestions:

Replace "fund-raising" with a per capita increase
.Make it even money (whole dollars)
.Do not phase it in over time, and
Ask for enough of an increase to last 15 to 20 years

On Monday afternoon, August 14, 2006, a presentation was made at the 63rd Triennial Conclave in Houston, Texas. The PowerPoint presentation showed historical financial and membership trends apd projected trends. The proposed per capita increase was presented as a separate issue from the proposed 2006-2009 Budget. Substantial discussion followed the presentation. The question was called from the floor. The Finance Committee's recommended per capita increase passed by both a "show of hands" and by a written ballot. The vote was taken twice to:insure correctness and fairness.
     In summary, the voting delegates of Grand Encampment, after being duly informed through the Department Conferences over a two-year period, voted in the same manner they have since at least 1937, to adopt a per capita increase. Everything was done in compliance with our Constitution and followed the precedent for passing per capita increases going back 70 years.
     I hope the above explanation is clear. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to the Grand Recorder's Office.
Fraternally,
Lawrence Eugene Tucker, GCT
Grand Recorder
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Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc.
1000 East State Parkway, Suite I
Schaumburg, IL 60173-2460
Phone: (847) 490-3838
Fax: (847) 490-3777
www.knightstemplar.org/ktef


A Message from Sir Knight T. Jeffery Conquest, KCT
General Chairman of the 40th Annual Campaign for the KTEF,
Trustee of the Board of the KTEF, and P.G.C. of Indiana
Greetings, Sir Knights:
Greetings, Sir Knights:
At a couple of Department Conferences, it was brought to my attention that many Sir Knights are unaware of how to sponsor patients for eye care. In response to several requests, I have included in this article "How to Sponsor a Case Through Your Foundation." Hopefully, even the most experienced sponsoring Sir Knights will take something away from refamiliarizing himself with this information.
     I want to thank all those who have supported the Voluntary Campaign with their generous contributions and passion for curing eye disease. However, during this season of thankfulness and giving, please don't forget those who are less fortunate than we are, and please continue to support your Eye Foundation.

Authorization of and Payments on Cases

All applicants for financial assistance from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., must be sponsored by a Sir Knight, The sponsoring of a case is not a responsibility to be taken lightly, nor is it a task of insurmountable proportions. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring Knight Templar to personally interview the applicant or the applicant's family in order to acquaint himself with the case and to complete and return all necessary forms to the Foundation so that we may issue authorization for our financial assistance. These forms must be received at our office at a date prior to the date of surgery as we cannot authorize funds for surgery already performed. Emergency cases are limited to accidental injuries or those conditions requiring immediate surgery. In the event emergency authorization is required, you can contact our office at (847) 490-3838 for verbal authorization prior to proceeding with the surgery. A written application must then be submitted promptly for final authorization.
     Upon receipt of a completed application, we will review the case to determine the financial eligibility of the applicant. If the applicant is found to be within our eligibility requirements, we will proceed to issue written authorization which will be necessary before we are able to process any statements received pertaining to that case. If the case is denied, we will contact the sponsoring Knight Templar and inform him of this fact. (continued in January 2008)
        T. Jeffery Conquest, P.G.C.
        General Chairman of the Campaign
        Trustee of the Board of KTEF
Sir Knight Conquest resides at 1903 Somersworth Drive, San Jose, CA 95124.

A Special thanks to Edward H. Fowler, Jr. Provincial Grand Master, an the officers and members of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the United States of America for the Royal Order of Scotland for their generous donation in the amount of $5,000 to the Knights Templar Eye Foundation

The Staff of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation
Wishes for all of you:
A Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

NEW CONTRIBUTORS TO KTEF CLUBS

Grand Master's Club

No. 5,134-Bernard W. Frost (MARI)
No. 5,135-Gary R. Wallace (TX)
No. 5,136-Ruth E. Rodnet (VA)
No. 5,137-Kenneth E. Story (AR)
No. 5,138-Frank J. Moesle (OR)
No. 5,139-Paul E. McElwain (CA)
No. 5,140-Joan M. McElwain (CA)
No. 5,141-Bruce L. Davis (FL)
No. 5,142-Mrs. Johan Reynolds (VA)
          in memory of J. Paul Reynolds
No. 5,143-Grand Commandery of Ohio (OH)
          in honor of Bruce D. Basil
No. 5,144-Walter D. Hanisch (GA)
No. 5,145-Edwin M. Lindke (TX)
No. 5,146-in memory of
          William E. Copenhaver (VA)
No. 5,147-John T. Guy, Sr. (GA)
No. 5,148-Miles Scandrett (CA)

Grand Commander's Club


No. lO2,634-Robert B. Hodge, Jr. (OK)
No. 1O2,635-Gary R. Wallace (TX)
No. lO2,636-Kathryn W. Foy (PA)
No. lO2,637-William G. Eissler (PA)
No. 1O2,638-Alvin Wayne Cook (TN)
No. lO2,639-Gregg P. Bonham (TX)
No. lO2,640-Raymond D. Steele (VA)
No. lO2,641-Charles E. Davis (VA)
No. 1O2,642-Ralph Workman (IA)
No. lO2,643-RichardA. Wesner (SC)
No. lO2,644-James C Schaub (PA)
No. lO2,645-Gerald Roy Tretheway (MI)
No. lO2,646-Wayne E. Price (VA)
No. lO2,647-Bobby G. Watts (KY)
No. lO2,648-Kenneth F. Klimek (MI)
No. lO2,649-Thomas G. Little (VA)
No. lO2,650-Bill Cantwell (OK)

Contributor to the 33Degree Club
James A. Fields, Jr., 330 (VA)
in honor of George B. Dungan, Jr., 33Degree

Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc. 40th Annual Voluntary Campaign
Campaign report by Grand Commanderies for KTEF Officers and Trustees
for the week ending November 9,2007. The total amount contributed to date is $118,587.60.

Alabama $   30.00 Arizona    20.00 Arkansas   400.00 California 17,293.45 Colorado    43.00 Connecticut    30.00 District of Columbia 100.00 Florida 320.00 Georgia 430.00 Illinois 4,913.20 Indiana 5,480.58 Iowa      1,655.00 Kansas 50.00 Kentucky 4,449.00 Louisiana   4,500.00 Maine.  30.00 Maryland 788.28Michigan 1,156.00 Minnesota 47.40 Mississippi 90.00

Missouri    335.00 Montana 1,000.00 Nebraska 90.00 New Hampshire 35.00 New Jersey 100.00 New York 1,395.00 North Carolina 1,080.00 Ohio       5,526.00 Oklahoma 1,411.15 Oregon 1,850.00 Pennsylvania 9,544.00 South Carolina 2,430.00 Tennessee 813.47 Texas      2,439.45 Utah        30.00 Virginia    4,900.00 Washington   10.00 Wyoming     440.00 Miscellaneous43,332.62

A Recipient of KTEF Assistance Writes:
Thank you for everything you have done for me! I can see colors now, and I'm very grateful. It is like someone put a bright light on the world!
Thank you so very much.
Louisville, Kentucky

Knights Templar Eye Foundation Grant Presented to Dr. Saravanan Kolandaivelu of West Virginia
Late summer 2007 Sir Knight Vaughn Shafer, Mid-Atlantic Department Commander, traveled to West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. With the assistance of Sir Knights Ed Moss, Eminent Commander, and Steve Junkins, Recorder, of Morgantown Commandery No.8, he presented a check in the amount of $25,000 to Doctor Saravanan Kolandaivelu to further his research into Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), which is a familial disease that causes loss of vision at birth or complete visual impairment within a year of birth.

In the picture, left to right, are Sir Knights Ed Moss, E.C. of Morgantown No.8, and Vaughn Shafer REDC, Mid-Atlantic; Doctor Kolandaivelu; and Sir Knight Steve Junkins, Recorder of Morgantown No.8.
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Romanian Sir Knights Attend Grand Commandery of Ohio

Front row, seated, left to right: Ned E. Dull, Most Eminent Past Grand Master; David D. Goodwin, Right Eminent Deputy Grand Master; Bruce D. Basil, then Right Eminent Grand Commander of Ohio; Stefan Masu, Grand Inspector General for Eastern Europe; William H. Koon II, Most Eminent Grand Master; Sid C. Dorris III, Right Eminent Grand Generalissimo; ana Lawrence E. Tucker, Right Eminent Grand Recorder.
Back row, standing, left to right: Florin Masu; Sorin Marica; Robert J. Cave, Right Eminent Grand Prelate; Gabriel Gherasim; Mihal Bugaru; Catalin Gariuta; and Franklin C. Boner, Right Eminent Department Commander, East Central Department.

Sir Knights of Chincoteague, Virginia Select Minister for Holy Land Pilgrimage-2008
October 21, 2007, the Sir Knights of Island Commandery No. 34, Chincoteague, Virginia, and Sir Knight Jack K. Cadden, Chairman of the Holy Land Pilgrimage Committee of the Grand Commandery of Virginia, gathered at Christ United Methodist Church. There they presented a certificate from the Grand Commandery of Virginia to Reverend Travis DeLoach, the minister of Christ United Methodist Church, showing that he was selected to be a part of the next Holy Land Pilgrimage, which is planned for 2008.

In the picture the Sir Knights are shown with Reverend DeLoach, third from right. (submitted by Sir Knigh,Jack K. Cadden, Chairman of the Holy Land Pilgrimage Committee of Virginia)

EYES ACROSS AMERICA Now Focus on "Some of Our Business"by Dr. James N. Karnegis Trustee of the Board of KTEF and R.E.P.D.C.
That jingle, jingle, jingle sound you heard was not Pennies from Heaven but Dollars from Heavenlies.
The Social Order of the Beauceant, S.O.O.B., orginally known as "Some of Our Business," held their Annual Assembly in Topeka, Kansas, from September 23 to September 28, 2007. It was reported that during the past year the S.O.O.B. had donated to the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., a total of $48,897.55! What is also eye-catching is that this super organization of benefactors at the present time has 95 Assemblies comprised of 4,850 members. This works out to about ten dollars per member nationwide!!
The S.O.O.B. has long opened its purse to the KTEF, and its generous service in opposing blindness seems to continue unabated. Notably, 15 constituent Assemblies each gave $1,000.00 or more. These asemb1ies were:

Dodge City No. 12, Kansas - $3,930.00 Hyattsville No. 221, Maryland - 3,000.00 Westminster No. 245, Maryland -  2,752.00 Denver No.1, Colorado - 1,933.00 Los Angeles No. 42, California -  1,703.36 San Antonio No. 159, Texas - 1,656.70 Long Beach No. 39, California - 1,566.19 Shreveport No. 60, Louisiana 1,380.65

Paradise No. 250, California - 1,257.34 Everett No. 242, Washington - 1,160.00 Concordia No. 216, Kansas -  1,050.00 Orlando No. 256, Florida - 1,032.00 Austin No. 125, Texas - 1,004.00 Omaha No. 91, Nebraska - 1,000.00 Reading No. 117, Massachusetts - 1,000.00

The Social Order of the Beauceant is the largest organizational supporter of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, and since June 1, 1979, it has contributed a grand total of $1,276,656.23.
Clearly, S.O.O.B. stands out on battling eye diseases. If the references to the acronym were not apparent, please look around. Perhaps you may have seen but not recognized the S.O.O.B.'s.
Sir Knight James N. Karnegis, M.D., Ph.D., KCT, GCT, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation and a R.E. Past Department Commander, North Central, of the Grand Encampment. He resides at 20975 Bonanza Boulevard, Elkhorn, NE 68022-1838.

Unique Meeting of Scottish Rite Masons Proves a Success
Lexington, Massachusetts: More than 3,500 33° Masons and their ladies gathered in the nation's capital recently for a unique meeting of Scottish Rite Masons.
For the first time since their founding in the early 1800s, the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions met in joint session. Sharing the platform were the leaders of the two Scottish Rite Supreme Councils in the United States; John William Mc Naughton, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, and Ronald A. Seale, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction.
Those in attendance included Grand Masters from the Grand Lodges in most states and 46 representatives from Scottish Rite jurisdictions around the world.
Although many events during the week-long, meeting in Wasnington, D.C., were held jointly, each jurisdiction independently conferred the 33° on a limited group of Masons who were selected for dedicated service to Scottish Rite Freemasonry or service reflecting credit upon the Masonic Fraternity.
The meeting concluded with a joint gala banquet at which former U.S. Senator and astronaut John Glenn was presented the Gourgas Medal from the Northern Jurisdiction. Glenn is among a group of 36 distinguished Masons who who have received this award since its creation in 1938. The medal ,is given in recognition of notably distinguished service in the cause of Freemasonry, country, or humanity.

News from Long Beach No. 39 California, S.O.O.B.

For the second time Mrs. Jack Gaskins, shown above, of Long Beach Assembly No. 39, S.O.O.B in California, has presented to the Miller's Children's Hospital of Long Beach, California, over one hundred crib size and twin size quilts and additionally, small pillows (used after surgeries). Also delivered were "preemie" caps made by another member, Mrs. O. Reed Bollin.
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Official Supreme Court Portrait of Justice Black
as painted by his grandson, Jon Black
Sir Knight Hugo Black
Thirty-Four Years on the Supreme Court, Sixty-Four-Year Mason"
by Dr.Ivan M. Tribe, KCT, Kych, 33°
        As of 2007,  three of the longest  serving judges on the U. S. Supreme Court, John Marshall, William O. Douglas, and the subject of the following sketch, Hugo Lafayette Black, have been Masons  Marshall and Black each spent thirty-four years on the federal bench while Douglas was there for thirty-five. Several other Masons with long years of court service include Joseph Story, John McLean, Stephen Field, Willis Van Devanter, and Potter Stewart. The years encompassing Sir Knight Black's tenure, 1937-1971, coincided with of the most significant decades and decisions of the twentieth century.
        Hugo Lafayette Black was born near Harlan in Clay County, Alabama on February 27, 1886.
At the age of five, his parents William and Martha Toland Black moved into the county seat of Ashland where they operated a general store. He attended school at what he once described as a "primitive sort of academy" known as Ashland College. An older brother, Orlando Black, had become a physician and Hugo was also slated for a career in medicine at the Birmingham Medical School. However, after a year, he changed his mind and switched to law school at he University of Alabama. He graduated with an L. L. B. in 1906 at the ripe age of twenty. He returned to Ashland and opened a law office over a store, but Ashland was the seat of a small rural county and the clients few. Like a lot of young aspiring professionals, youthful barrister Black joined the local Masonic lodge, Ashland Lodge No. 356. Barely of lawful age, he received his Entered Apprentice degree on March 23, 1907. On April 12, 1907, lodge brethren passed him to the degree of Fellowcraft, and two weeks later, Hugo Black was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
        In his law practice, business remained minimal, however and shortly after, the store and law office went up in flames.  Lawyer Black used the fire as an excuse to move his legal practice to growing southern metropolis of Birmingham, the industrial capitol of the Deep South. He also moved his lodge membership to Birmingham Temple No. 636, on January 16, 1908, where it would remain for the rest of his life.
        Lawyering paid better in Birmingham and Black was elected a police court judge in 1910. After four years, he became Jefferson County Solicitor. During the next two and a half  years he held this position, Black continued with additional Masonic work. In the York Rite he joined Mineral City Chapter No. 101, Royal Arch Masons. Brother Black was advanced to the honorary degree of Mark Master and inducted into the Oriental Chair of Past Master on May 13, 1915; received and acknowledged as a Most Excellent Master on May 27; and exalted a Royal Arch Mason on June 2, 1915. That fall he took the Cryptic degrees in Woodlawn Council No. 71, R. & S. M. A year passed before he became a Knight Templar, taking all the Chivalric Orders on October 13, 1916 in Cyrene Commandery No. 10. At some point, he also joined the Scottish Rite bodies in Birmingham and became a noble of Zamora Shrine Temple. Described as "a great joiner"" Black belonged to numerous fraternal groups and seems to have been most active as a Knight of Pythias where he served a term as Grand Chancellor of the Alabama K. of  P. Some years later one of his fraternal memberships would came back as a major embarrassment.
        When the U. S. A. entered World War I in April 1917, Hugo Black answered the call. He became a Captain in the 81st Field Artillery stationed first at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia and then at Chattanooga, Tennessee. After his discharge the young attorney entered private practice and prospered. One observer termed him the master of the "soft question that provokes the wrathful answer." Labor law and personal injury cases became his specialties. In 1921, he married Josephine Patterson Foster. The couple became the parents of three children, Hugo, Sterling and Josephine. After thirty years of marriage, Josephine Foster Black died and in 1957, Black married Elizabeth DeMeritte.
        In 1921, lawyer Black defended a prominent Ku Klux Klan member accused of shooting and killing a prominent Birmingham Catholic. At the trial, Black allegedly sought to discredit Catholic prosecution witnesses by appealing to anti-Catholic prejudices among jurors. His client was acquitted, but the lawyer became somewhat tainted as anti-Catholic. He also joined the KKK himself, becoming a member of Robert E. Lee Klan No. 1 in Birmingham from 1923 until 1925. In 1926, he addressed a large Klan meeting. This association with the Klan, however brief and inconsequential it may or may not have been at the time, later came back to haunt him.
        In 1926, veteran two-term Senator  Oscar Underwood--a member of Birmingham Fraternal Lodge No. 384--decided he would retire. Hugo Black filed for the seat and won a tough primary besting three opponents. His supports ranged from the labor unions to the Ku Kluxers. Some scholars believe that the Klan support may have been crucial in providing him with the winning margin. With a weak Alabama GOP offering little more than token opposition, Black cruised to a nearly 81% landslide victory in November. He would win a second term in 1932, garnering some 86.3% of the vote.
        As a Senator, Black first turned to the Muscle Shoal controversy where he joined forces with maverick Republican George Norris as a proponent of public power at that site. He gained national attention for his efforts investigating perceived scandal in awarding air mail contracts, which ultimately led to the Black-McKellar Air Mail Act of 1934. With the national victory of FDR and the coming of the New Deal, Black generally showed himself to be a loyal New Dealer, although he opposed the National Recovery Act (NRA) and correctly pointed to some of the problems that ultimately helped put its ambitious program on the scrap heap of history. He also became and enthusiastic proponent of wage and hour labor legislation. Generally speaking, he gained the most prominence from his participation on various Senate Investigation panels and committees. He also enthusiastically supported failed FDR's Supreme Court Reform plan, bitterly denounced by conservatives as the "court packing" bill. Perhaps for this reason, on August 12, 1937, the President nominated him for the Supreme Court replacing the retiring Brother Willis Van Devanter of Acacia Lodge No. 11, and one of the sharpest conservatives on the High Court.
        Unanimous confirmation of Senators to the Federal Bench had long been the custom in the Senate. However, Hugo Black ran into unexpected difficulty. Criticism came from both parties, primarily for two reasons. Some of his biggest critics were fellow Masons. Republican stalwart Warren Austin of Vermont raised the issue of eligibility since Black had recently voted to increase salaries of Federal Judges. A more serious question raised by Democratic Senators Edward Burke of Nebraska and Royal Copeland of New York concerned the Ku Klux Klan membership. The unanimous approval Black had sought went down the drain, but Hugo Black ultimately won confirmation by a comfortable vote of 63 to 13.
        Observers thought Judge Black might have kept a low profile in his early months on the bench, but that was not to be the case. In his first eight months on the court, he handed down thirteen dissenting opinions which were hailed by the New Republic, but met with frequent criticism by columnist Marquis Childs. In time, the controversies surrounding Black faded somewhat as other liberal justices joined him on the high court such as Felix Frankfurter and Brother William O. Douglas,  although he still dissented a great deal. Generally speaking Black demonstrated nearly consistent devotion to defense of free speech and civil liberties. In the 1944 case of Korematsu vs. United States, he wrote the majority opinion sustaining arrest of a Japanese American who resisted internment. But as the civil rights movement gained strength, Black nearly always stood on the side of African-Americans in such cases, a position that often placed him in opposition to his former Caucasian constituents back in Alabama. In fact, Hugo Black, Jr. ultimately chose to leave his home state. The senior Black, did however, dissent in the ruling that declared state poll taxes unconstitutional.
        During the years associated with the liberal decisions associated with "the Warren Court" Black generally sided with the liberal majority. These included the several cases involving the separation of church and state. He also formed part of the majority in the Miranda decision which required persons to be informed of their rights,  prior to their arrest.
        Yet on other cases, Black's opinions seemed more in line with conservative positions. For instance, he did not oppose capital punishment. Furthermore, he did not believe that non-speech actions connected with "free speech" were constitutionally protected. Numerous examples to support this belief can be cited. Even though a protester was entitled to free speech on government property in Adderley vs. Florida (1966), this Black held that this did not immunize him from prosecution for trespassing. Dissenting in the case of  Tinker vs. Des Moines (1969), he disagreed with the majority view that the wearing of armbands was protected under the free speech clause. Black wrote "While I have always believed that under the First and Fourteenth Amendment neither the State nor the Federal Government had the authority to regulate or censor the content of speech, I have never believed that any person has a right to give speeches or engage in demonstrations where he pleases and when he pleases." Likewise he did not believe that flag burning or profanity printed on jackets constituted free speech. He argued that the latter "was mainly conduct and little speech." Generally speaking, the judge found the civil disobedience and protest marches that characterized the late sixties as highly unsettling and that they undercut the fabric of democracy and society.
        Justice Black also dissented in the landmark case of Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). He wrote "I like my privacy as well as the next man" but "unlike my brethren, I am simply unable to find a constitutional right to it." This was the decision that marked the court's move in the direction of a "right to privacy" that ultimately led to the controversial Roe vs. Wade (1973) judgement (Black was retired and deceased by the time this case came to the court in 1973). Generally speaking, Black held to the judicial philosophy that if the constitution guaranteed a protection, all well and good. He did not however, believe in granting constitutional protection if there was no such meaning in the document. In this circumstance many legal scholars today would classify Black in what has become known as the "originalist" school. Or to use his own words, he held that judges ought to "support the Constitution as written, not as revised by the Supreme Court from time to time."
        At the age of eighty-five, Judge Black entered Bethesda Medical Hospital on August 28, 1971. He resigned from the Supreme Court ten days later and died on September 25, 1971. Over a career that encompassed forty-six years of significant national service Sir Knight Hugo Lafayette Black had made his mark as a Senator and Associate Justice. Subsequently laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery, he was later honored with his picture on a 1986 stamp and having a new Federal Courthouse in Birmingham named for him. Men and Masons can take pride in his achievements.
        Further Note: There are several biographies of Justice Black, but the best for general readers is probably Tony Allen Freyer, Hugo L. Black and the Dilemma of American Liberalism (1990). For his Masonic records, I am indebted to W. Bro Jerry Underwood, PGM of the Grand Lodge of Alabama and of Sir Knight Hiram O. Williams, Jr. of the Alabama Grand York Rite Bodies.
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"There Goes a Man"

Dr. Parker Paul McKenzie 1897-1999
by Dr. Stephen R. Greenberg KYCB, 33°
Though not widely recognized, a special Freemason is deserving of a salute in America. He is Dr. Parker Paul McKenzie. He was born to humble Indian parents on November 15, 1897, in a Kiowa Indian camp situated in an area of Oklahoma south of the village of Mountain View. He was raised among a group of people who were hindered by much illiteracy. Among them there was but little communication except for the use of signs and crude drawings to express their inner thoughts and feelings.
     His boyhood was spent largely in hunting, fishing, and farming. He received no formal education. The young boy gained his first knowledge from the Kiowa people as he traveled with them through the forests and fields of his native land.
     As young Parker Paul McKenzie approached maturity, he became cognizant of a need for a system of written language which would form a permanent archive of the tribe's own existence.
     With great personal effort, he taught himself to gain fluency in the English language. When he believed himself sufficiently prepared, he set about building his skills in grammar and syntax, enabling him to develop an alphabet and true word formation. These tools assisted him in the formation of a written language for his people, enabling them to preserve and transmit their tribal customs into a body of literature.
     During his early adult years, Parker became attracted to the philosophy promulgated by Freemasonry. He was initiated into Anadarko Lodge No. 21 in Oklahoma on January 20, 1925. He became a Fellowcraft Mason on February 20, 1925, and was raised to Master Mason on May 26 of the same year.
     With many years of devoted service to his Craft, this good Brother received many honors, but one exceeded all others in 1976 when a host of his Brethren and many of his friends gathered around him to witness the conferral upon him of a pin marking fifty years of love and devotion he held for his beloved fraternity.
     With such recognition, Brother McKenzie continued with his efforts to expand the traditions of his Indian people. His remarkable labors in the field of linguistics attracted the attention of the professionals at the University of Colorado, and he was invited to this university to continue his studies on this subject. Working there, he added much knowledge to this field. His studies were carefully executed with such a high degree of accuracy that his work became a standard resource for scholars worldwide. The University of Colorado awarded Brother McKenzie the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1970.
     This good Brother subsequently became a consultant at the Smithsonian Institute in the department of linguistic studies. His scholarly approach in these matters led to a fuller appreciation of the thoughts, ideas, and mythology of native Americans.
     He served, also, in several state historical societies where his unique abilities helped to create a great living resource of Indian culture.
     Brother McKenzie was a powerful motivating force for many young people, especially among native Americans whose pride and educational values were synchronous.
     Dr. Parker Paul McKenzie died during his 101st year on March 5, 1995, at Mountain View, Oklahoma, his first home.
He was the oldest member of the Kiowa Nation at the time of his death, thus bringing to a close a life, humbly begun, which ascended to great heights. The great achievements of this man made him a towering human spirit and gave us the privilege of calling him "Brother."
     Perhaps, his life story is best expressed with the same words once spoken of the great German philosopher, Goethe: "There goes a man."

Sir Knight Stephen R. Greenberg, KYCH, 33°, is an E.P.C. of Mizpah Commandery No. 53 in Oak Lawn, Illinois; an E.P.C. of Joliet Commandery No.4 in Joliet, Illinois; and an affiliate Past Commander of St. Elmo Commandery No. 64 and St. Bernard Commandery No. 35, both in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the Committee on History of the Grand Commandery of Illinois, a past member of the Knights Templar Educational Foundation in Illinois, and Chairman Emeritus of the Cryptic Council Nursing Scholarship Foundation Screening Committee of Illinois. Dr. Greenberg is an Associate Professor of Pathology (retired) at the Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, Illinois. He resides at 418 Huron Street in Park Forest, Illinois 60466.
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<BGSOUND SRC="http://www.knightstemplar.org/music/begginingtolookcmas.mid">
"Ir's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"