VOL CXVIII — NO. 2
^ Nortli Carolina
Mason
Official Publication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of North Carolina
Oxford, North Carolina
March/April, 1993
Annual Communication Time
For Grand Lodge
Raleigh — The 206“' Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and
Accepted Masons of North Carolina will convene April 20. All business sessions will be held
in Memorial Auditorium in downtown Raleigh. Tuesday’s meeting begins at 10 a.m. and
Wednesday’s kicks off at 9 a.m. Election of officers begins at 11 o’clock Wednesday morning.
Your lodge should soon receive formal notification along with credentials, documents, and
other important announcements about the meeting. You must bring these completed creden
tials with you and present them to the Credentials Committee. The committee may be found
at the Radisson Plaza Hotel on Monday afternoon and in the lobby of Memorial Auditorium
on Tuesday and Wednesday. DO NOT mail them to the Grand Lodge offices, present them in
person. The committee will furnish you with necessary materials.
Name tags and disposable aprons will be available in the lobby of Memorial Auditorium.
There’ll be a number of tylers outside the hall. They’ll expect you to give the them the Third
Degree pass as well as show them your current dues card.
There’s quite a bit to go through in opening the proceedings. The Grand Lodge officers will
be received. After Grand Master Ray Norris opens the meeting, past grand masters and
distinguished visitors from other states will be received. These VIPs will be introduced and
seated on the stage.
The first day’s business will, for the most part, deal with what has transpired over the past
year. Miscellaneous reports of committees and boards will be received. Some will be read,
others will simply appear in the Proceedings. Grand Master Ray Norris, and former Governor
and Grand Orator James G. Martin will address the Communication. Memorial services will
be conducted for those who passed away in the last year. Business may vary somewhat
according to special needs of the session.
Wednesday, the second day of the session, will begin at 9 a.m. and see more action. It’ll
be up to you to approve or reject the past year’s actions of the Grand Master, Judge Advocate,
Trial Commissions, Appeals Committee, and others. Their actions do not stand without the
approval of the delegates. You’ll receive and vote on the annual budget. Amendments to the
Code as well as resolutions with the weight of law will be considered. Grand Lodge officers
for 1993-94 will be elected. It is hoped that business will be finished by lunch time.
Installation of new officers will be later in the afternoon after the lodge is closed. It is
usually held about 2:30 at the Masonic Temple on Caswell Street in Raleigh.
The Annual Communication is NOT just for delegates and voting members of the Grand
Lodge. Every Mason in North Carolina is welcome and encouraged to attend. We hope to see
you there.
What Votes
Will We Face?
There are a number of issues to be consid
ered by the Grand Lodge this year. Some are
simple matters of form. Others would change
some basic tenets of the Craft.
You are urged to discuss each of them with
your Brothers at lodge. When deciding how
you think your delegates should vote at the
Annual Communication, please regard the
proposed amendments with the same serious
ness you would a candidate for the degrees.
Your votes should be cast for the good of
Masonry.
The following is a short summary of the
amendments to The Code to be voted on at our
1993 Annual Communication.
Black Cubes: One of the most entrenched
of Masonic rules is the ballot on membership
of a novice. A single black cube has long been
all that was necessary to reject a petitioner. A
proposed amendment would have us increase
that number to three. Those presenting the
issue contend that the “extreme ends of any
process are seldom the best method.” They
believe that many candidates don’t make it
because of a single vote cast in “ignorance,
fear, or hate.”
Opening Emergent Communications on
First or Second Degree: Another possible
amendment would alter the way we open
emergent communications. It proposes to al
low emergent communications called for the
purpose of doing degree work to be opened
and closed in the degree to be conferred. No
longer would we open a Master Masons’ Lodge
only to dispense with labor and open a First or
Second Degree lodge. The idea is to keep the
candidate included in the group. It would
make him the center of attention for the entire
evening rather than having him banished to
solitude while all the members exclude him
from opening and closing. Some say the time
savings would be a valuable by product on
those extra meeting nights.
Brother Windell Is Limbering His Fingers
Raleigh — Windell Cunningham has a regular place on stage in
Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium each April. Chances are you'll
hear him before you see him. He plays organ to help fill the time
it takes to get things done in such a big lodge room. It may not take
long for your junior deacon to get to the tyler, but it's a different
story in a room that holds several thousand. Come hear Windell’s
music at Annual Communication. He's just one of many new and
interesting Masons you can meet on April 20-21.
Annual Lodge of Sorrow: It has been
proposed that lodges be allowed to open and
close a lodge of sorrow once each year rather
than being required to do so before each
Masonic funeral service. Those making the
suggestion note that the graveside services
performed by Masons are one of our most
important opportunities to interact with the
See AMENDMENTS, Page 2
Con Man Still In State
In the last issue of The Mason we reminded
you about a con artist preying on Masons
around the country. Benny Webb, from up in
Yadkinville told us his story. Regrettably,
that wasn’t the last we heard of Leroy
Wilkenson.
In late January, he made at least two at ¬
tempts in the northern part of the state near
Interstate 95. David Faircloth, secretary of
King Solomon 56 in Jackson, and Albert Hill,
secretary of American George 17 in
Murfreesboro, were both called. Their homes
See SCAM, Page 6
A Message From the Grand Master
Our Youth — Our Future
The Masonic youth organizations of this Grand Jurisdic
tion have experienced a good year and are well prepared for
the challenges of 1993. The International Order of DeMolay,
International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, and Job’s
Daughters have met many challenges. New challenges were
recognized and many goals were accomplished. We applaud
the successes of our young people. We thank them for the
many efforts and contributions they have made to their
respective organizations. Their leadership has been wonder
ful.
It was indeed an honor and privilege to be in Fayetteville
with our future leaders at the Grand Master’s Class, Order of
DeMolay, January 8 and 9. The conduct and professionalism
of these young men were excellent. It was a joy and a very
rewarding experience to witness their outstanding leader
ship qualities during the business sessions. Their ritualistic
work during the conferral of the Initiatory and DeMolay
Degrees on a class of 21 young potential leaders was super.
They are sincere and dedicated young men, keeping alive the
high ideals of truth, liberty, democracy, and service that are
Ray Norris
Grand Master
central to Freemasonry. We were impressed.
The formal banquet on Saturday evening was exciting and
very impressive with over 200 youth and adults in atten
dance. It was heartwarming to see our young people from
many geographical locations within the state come together
and enjoy a fun-filled weekend. Several awards and honors
were presented to young men, women, and chapters for their
many outstanding accomplishments during 1992.
Under the leadership of State Master Councilor Colin
Vance of Burlington, the North Carolina State Association
of the Order of DeMolay is off and running. A new chapter
is being organized in Fayetteville. With the help of the
present chapter in Fayetteville and the many Master Masons’
who support them, the new charter, no doubt, will be forth
coming. This is the first new chapter in North Carolina for
the year 1993. With the 1993 goals of Brother Colin, his state
officers, and the team work of DeMolay and Advisors state
wide, additional chapters will be established this year. Many
inquiries have been made from Masonic districts around this
Grand Jurisdiction. We expect the lodges and other Masonic
bodies to support our young people and bring about a growth
never before experienced in North Carolina.
See GRAND MASTER, Page 3