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NORTH
CAROLINA
MASON
Official Publication of The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of North Carolina
VOL. XCVIII, No. 1
Oxford, North Carolina 27565, January, 1973
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR
Oxford — The State Historical Marker shown
above was placed by the State Historical Com
mission in 1936 and stands just outside the main
entrance to the Orphanage.
Oxford Orphanage Begins
Centennial Celebration
OXFORD—Next month Oxford Orphanage
will be one hundred years old and will begin
almost a year-long parade of events in ob
servance of a century of Masonic Love, dedi
cation and achievement.
The first Centennial event will be held on
February 24; a banquet in the main dining
room at the Orphanage attended by the
Grand Lodge family, the Governor of North
Carolina and other state officials.
Other events are still in the planning stage,
but of particular significance to Masons
throughout the state are the series of tours
which will commence on Sunday, April 29.
Superintendent A. D. Leon Gray is divid
ing the 383 lodges into area, or regional,
groups. On succeeding Sundays Masons from
each group will be invited to come to
the Orphanage, to join with the children in
attending religious services in the Oxford
churches and to share the midday meal with
the children. After the meal the group will
be divided into small parties and each party
will be conducted on a comprehensive tour of
the campus by one of the children.
Other Sundays will be set aside for mem
bers of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the
(Continued on Page Two)
Four Eastern Lodges Celebrate
A Century of Masonic Life
Last month four of our lodges observed Cen
tennials. Celebrating one hundredth birthdays
were Wilmington Lodge 319 at Wilmington on
December 8, Selmla Lodge 320 at Selma on
December 11, Eureka Lodge 317 at Elizabeth
City on December 15, and New Lebanon Lodge
314 at South Mills on December 16. All four of
them were chartered on December 3, 1872.
Previously reported in The North Carolina
Mason was the Bicentennial Celebration of St.
John’s Lodge 3 in New Bern last May 13 and
Lad ies Laden With Stats, I
Statutes, Status, Static
RALEIGH—The daily routine of the four
young ladies who work in the Grand Lodge
office building demonstrates there is more
truth than alliteration in the above heading.
They compile North Carolina Miasonry’s sta
tistics and keep abreast of its statutes, they
carefully record the status of each Mason,
and certainly they catch most of the static
that comes through the office.
The phone rings often at the Grand Lodge
office, most callers asking to speak with Grand
Secretary Charles A. Harris or with Assistant
Robert P. Dudley. In many instances the
caller’s question can be answered only by one
of those two, but in most instances the young
lady answering the phone has the desired in
formation at her fingertips and the caller
could save time and phone costs by posing
his question to her.
The ladies will not be able to help you with
questions concerning ritual and the like, but if
you need to know who was elected Junior
Warden of a particular lodge, or on what date
a certain brother died, or on what date a
candidate’s six months run out, or whether a
certain petitioner has even been rejected by a
North Carolina lodge, or what has happened
to a request for a demit; if you ever need
these or similar items of information, the
ladies are your quickest bet.
Each of the four women is responsible for
a designated portion of the routine workload
and she is expert in the matters assigned to
her. But each of the four also has a better
(Continued on Page Three)
the Centennial Celebration of Granite Lodge
322 in Mount Airy on October 21. This year
only two lodges become one hundred years old
and not until 1985—when there will be seven
—will we have more Centennials than last
year.
Grand Master Berl M. Kahn was featured
speaker at each of the December Centennial
observances. He told the more than 800 per ¬
Elizabeth City — Grand
Master Berl M. Kahn
addressing Masons and
guests assembled here
for Centennial Celebra
tion of Eureka Lodge
317 on December 15.
sons attending the meetings that he wished
the entire memberships of the four lodges
could have been present to witness the suc
cessful culmination of their dreams, hopes and
efforts. He cited the founding members as
Masons of vision who refused to get into a
rut. The Grand Master said we should use the
light of the past in our attempts to build the
future, stating that nothing happens until
someone lights a spark. He urged the members
of the four lodges to go forward into the
future—remarking that we are living in the
present, planning for the future, learning
from the past. Noting Masonry’s great age,
the Grand Master attributed the Fraternity’s
long life, at least in part, to the fact that
Masonry has no dogmas or creeds that divide
men; rather it unites them in Brotherhood
and Fellowship.
At Wilmington 319 Past Master Berry A.
Williams presided over the program, wel
comed the guests and mlade the introductions.
The Master, Clarence E. Hales, presented
Honorary Membership to the Grand Master
and 25-year awards to a number of mem
bers. Past Grand Master G. Dudley Humphrey
made the introduction of the Grand Master
(Continued on Page Two)