May 2005

When Worshipful Brother Chester R. joined Euclid, he donated 2 clocks he made to the Masonic Temple Association to auction off to help raise funds for the Temple's maintenance. These are beautiful wall clocks. One has a Scottish Rite Eagle in the center made out of individual pieces of various colored woods and is a real work of art. The other has a circular brass surround with various hand engraved Masonic tools to indicate the hours. Both clocks have individually handmade clock cases and are very pleasing to behold. Tickets are $5.00 each and can be had from our treasurer W.B. Al S. or W.B. Roger C.

We are all very fond of Worshipful Brother Roger. There is no question that he makes the best waffles and pancakes in the world, and I can speak with some authority on this. We even have brothers from other lodges show up to our therapeutic coffee and donut hour just to have a Br. Roger Breakfast. It's that special and that good.

Today (2/12/05), Br. Roger did not make either pancakes or waffles. He made eggs and sausages. Many of us were crestfallen having looked forward to pancakes and waffles for over a week. I think Br. Roger should realize that some of his brothers don't appreciate surprise and change. We get enough of that outside the Temple. Some of us think that it should be pointed out to Worshipful Brother Roger that just as the sun and the moon are constant in their course through the heavens, rising and setting with regularity, so should we emulate and pattern our lives with an equal regularity and certitude. Which means that next week, there better dang well be pancakes or waffles on the table.

Well, it's been pretty dry here this Fall and early Winter. As a matter of fact, it has been the warmest winter on record with temperatures averaging in the 50s during the day. But today it is snowing and about 11 degrees above zero. In other words, it is the Great Falls you probably remember. One of our out of town brothers said he liked visiting Great Falls, but he wished there wasn't so much wind. I said to him I'd like to be 20 again, but that ain't gonna happen either. Wind is just one of those "givens" for Great Falls.

The brothers have been pretty active and have been having a great time with one another this year. Below is just a sampling of what goes on, and we hope that you take as much pleasure in reading about it as we have had in experiencing it. As always, we wish you were here.

Our last meeting in January saw the initiation of three new brothers into our august fraternity. They are listed here in alphabetical order.

Robert Joseph K. He is 47 years old and is a local restaurant manager. He is originally from Wyandotte, Michigan.

Justin Todd M. He is 22 years old and is serving in the Air Force out at Malmstrom. He is from Kingston, PA.

Gregory Lewis T. He is also 22 years old, and serves in the US Air force police. He hails from Cheverly, MD.

We had an unexpected pleasure of a visit from Br. Clayton W. at our Saturday Coffee and Donut Hour on January 30th. Br. Clayton now lives in Mesa, AZ; and came up during the worst of our winter when temps were running down to 40 below. As always, it warmed us all to see him; and we gave him plenty of good natured abuse to make up for the time he has been gone. Of course, he gave as good as he got. I've only now come up with some good retorts to what he said and will have to wait for his next visit. Very frustrating.

Br. Clayton came to pick up a friend's dog and car who ended up in the hospital down in Arizona. The friend's wife was staying with Br. Clayton and his wife Shirley during his illness. Their dog had been in a kennel up in Cut Bank for over 3 weeks and they were quite anxious over its well being. So Br. Clayton came up to get it, and bring his friend's car down so they could get around if they needed to.

Brother Kevin A. and his family (who are currently stationed in Italy) made a television appearance back in Great Falls over the holidays. KRTV aired video Christmas cards from servicemen and their families stationed overseas wishing folks back in their hometown a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Br. Kevin chose Great Falls to send his holiday wishes. You can imagine the shock some of us had sitting in front of our TV with a bowl of popcorn and all of a sudden seeing Br. Kevin. He looked good. The weather in Italy seemed very balmy and pleasant considering what we are currently enduring back in Great Falls. Probably explains why he is enjoying it so much.

Our second annual Euclid Lodge Thanksgiving Dinner was held on November 25th in the Temple Dining Room. Once again, Worshipful Brother Roger outdid himself with a fine meal assisted by our Worshipful Master's Keith's wife, Candace. Miss Candace was raised on a farm and is a very fine cook. It certainly explains our Worshipful Master's portly appearance. Steve Duba and his lovely wife also brought some very good dishes, and Brother Dan Schulz brought a very nice and unusual sweet potato casserole.

Needless to say, the meal was excellent and one of the brothers pronounced it one of the finest Thanksgiving dinners he has ever had the pleasure of eating. The green beans in mushroom sauce with a crushed potato chip topping was nothing short of superlative. Besides the good food, there were games and movies for the kids, pool for the grownups and lots of talk and laughter. It was a very good time.

Worshipful Brother Roger began our Lodge Thanksgiving dinner last year, and people who have come have truly enjoyed it. It is hoped that we will continue with what is a most welcome and needed tradition. Unfortunately, we didn't get the word out soon enough this year to let people know we were putting it on again. But, we hope to be more timely for next year.

Brother Henry L., who is from Indianapolis, Indiana and a member of Centre Lodge #23, F&AM, has been warmly welcomed as a new brother into Euclid Lodge. Junior Deacon Br. Tom L. found him wandering about in the darkness and thought he had better bring him home to us. Br. Tom and Br. Henry work together out at the air base. Already he fits in perfectly.

Brother Chester R., who is a past master of San Diego Lodge #35, and current Worshipful Master of Montana's Bannock Historic Lodge 3-7-77, was made an honorary member of Euclid at our October 19th, 2004 meeting. Worshipful Brother Chester spends his summers here in Great Falls, and is very active in Scottish Rite, and has pretty much made Euclid his Blue Lodge hangout when in town. He and his wife winter in their home in San Diego.

Br. Marty E., our Senior Deacon, actually hails from Ohio. At our September 21st meeting, Worshipful Brother Tom Duffy, who is our Most Worshipful Junior Grand Steward of the Montana Grand Lodge, honored Br. Marty with a certificate commissioning him as Grand Lodge Representative to Ohio, and presented him with a distinctive medal indicating his exalted position.

Br. Alan F., who is our Junior Deacon, was also presented by Worshipful Brother Tom, his certificate and medal as Grand Lodge Representative to the Grand Lodge of Iceland at our October 19th meeting. There was some speculation later whether Br. Alan requested Iceland either because he might have family there, or because he heard the girls were cute. Many of us suspected the latter.

Euclid has more Grand Lodge Representatives than any other Lodge in the state. These are voluntary positions entailing corresponding with the respective Grand Lodges in order to build and maintain brotherly good will and friendship between the Grand Lodge of Montana and the Grand Lodges they are appointed to. For a number of years, the Montana Grand Lodge has had a difficult time finding men to fill these positions. Under Worshipful Brother Roger, brothers were encouraged to step up and perform this task.

Worshipful Br. Bill B. is our new lodge instructor replacing Worshipful Brother Dave B. who stepped down due to health reasons. We are fortunate in that both Brothers are very much a Mason's Mason, and perform with great diligence and beauty any degree work assigned to them.

During his tenure as Master, Br. Bill traveled to many lodges to perform degree work. In addition, the Grand Lodge called upon him and Euclid to do the third degree section for the Grand Lodge's Occasional Lodges held around the state. Br. Bill's Dad, who is also a brother of our lodge, is not doing very well and this has taken a lot of Brother Bill's time. Still, we are very grateful for what he has been able to spar us, as we are most fond of him.

The festive holidays spirits were certainly merry at our Lodge Christmas Party. Br. Shane, our Brother Steward, saw to it that there were table decorations of holly and candles to set the mood. Br. Tom L's wife Lisa, who is hands down a fantastic cook, made us a "to die for" apple pie, plus cheese cakes, and chocolate chip cookies with a Snicker bar surprise in the middle of each. There was plenty for everybody in spite of the fact that it was so good, there were some anxious moments when we thought there would not be enough for seconds and possibly thirds.

The brothers shared jokes, and stories about what they were getting for their wives, kids or grandchildren; and what their holiday plans were. Afterwards, many of the brothers played pool and sang Karaoke. All of us hoped for a little snow over the holiday. Which the next day, actually showed up.

It is very cost efficient to post our Lodge Newsletter on the web. For less than the cost of mailing one issue, we can pay for the entire Lodge website for a year. The savings to the Lodge is fairly substantial. With the proposed increases to the cost of a First class stamp, it makes web publishing even more attractive and practical. Plus we have the advantage of being able to provide a more accurate calendar that the brothers may access on a more timely basis.

However, we realize that many of our brothers and widows do not have internet access. So we will be sending them four times a year, a printed copy of what you will be seeing here. Within the next few weeks, we will be sending out to our brothers and widows, a letter informing them of the existence of our new Lodge website, explaining the changes, and providing a form they can send back to request a printed copy of the newsletter in the future.

In the future, we also hope to offer a secure sign-in where only the brothers and widows of Euclid may access the newsletter on line. In other words, the newsletter will not be available to the public. Brothers wishing to submit items to the newsletter may email them directly to the webmaster@euclidlodge.com. As always, we encourage our out of town brothers to send us word on how they are doing, what they are up to, and what's going on. Even if it is only a line or two. Current or interesting photographs of the brothers are always appreciated and will be posted with their permission.

The Lodge received an early Christmas gift on Saturday, Dec. 4th, when a brother donated a brand spanking new Karaoke machine at the Saturday Coffee and Donut Hour. It has been much needed for sometime. It is not uncommon for the brothers to break into song while playing billiards. The problem was, outside of a few lines, no one always knew all the words. Now we do.

We are having more fun with our Karaoke machine. The brothers take turns singing in between pool games. Some of them twist the lyrics a bit. It is hysterical. Br. Marty gave us a good country step dance when Br. Dan was singing. Br. Alan sang "What a Wonderful World" and if you closed your eyes, it sounded just Like Louie Armstrong, very well done. Worshipful Brother Floyd sang a Peggy Lee favorite entitled "Fever". I know plenty of men in York Rite that would have paid good money to see that. Brother Hank brought down some new songs at our Dec. 7th meeting, so our repertoire is growing.

At first, some of the brothers were a little shy about singing. But when they saw the gusto with which a few of the brothers approached it, they soon lost their inhibitions. Now, we have upwards of 4 brothers singing at a time. One doing the melody and three doing back-up. Sometimes, all three will do the melody, and sometimes, every body in the place is singing the melody. Brother Anthony said the only thing we lack is some cold Root Beer.

Our Worshipful Brother John Thompson passed away on Tuesday morning, October 5th, 2004. His funeral service was held on Friday, Oct 8, 2004 at the First Presbyterian Church. Worshipful Brother Roger Cathel performed the Masonic portion of the memorial service.

Brother John was born on June 28, 1919 in Gary Indiana. He served three years with the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific. He worked for Sears for 27 years before retiring. He was both a Deacon and Elder in the Presbyterian church. He was raised on Dec. 3, 1960 in Great Falls Lodge 118, served as Master of that Lodge, and then joined Euclid when that Lodge folded in 1992. He was Worthy Past Patron of Helen C. Roberts Chapter #71 of OES; an active member of York Rite, and with his wife Elsie, very active in both Jobs Daughters and Rainbow Girls.

Brother John was held in great esteem and affection by all of us. He was a gentle soul with a good heart. He was our Tyler for many years and a honorary Past Master of our Lodge. Whenever and wherever you met Brother John, he was always happy to see you; and equally, you were always delighted to see him. It may be said to his credit that he loved a good piece of pie. I have always thought this a mark of quality in a man's character, and he was among the very best. Although he had been ill and is finally released from the suffering he endured, he will be greatly missed by all of us who valued him as a Brother and a friend.

Our Worshipful Brother Jim Ben Urton passed away on August 29th in Youngtown, Arizona. He was 88 years old and a fifty year member of Euclid Lodge. He was born on May 5th, 1916 on his family's homestead in northwest Choteau county. He attended MSU and St. John's University in Minnesota. It was there he met his wife Alice. He was a medic in the Army Air Corps for four years in World War II. After the war, he and his wife worked the family farm. He was raised in Euclid Lodge on April 20th, 1954 and served as Worshipful Master of Euclid in 1967. He was a Past Patron of Olive Chapter, No. 10, Order of the Eastern Star; a longtime member of York Rite; a member of the Shrine; and played in the the Great Falls Shrine Bagpipe Band.

There was a special memorial service for Brother Jim held on October 30th, 2004 at the First United Methodist Church.

Worshipful Brother Floyd N. has been undergoing a difficult bout of chemotherapy and is not feeling all that good. If you get the chance, a kind and cheerful greeting from his Brothers no doubt would be greatly appreciated.

Worshipful Brother Dave B. has also been undergoing chemotherapy. It has been hard on him, but he is looking much better and we have great hopes for his improvement. He was down for Coffee on Saturday (2/12/05) and had that old sparkle in his eye.

Worshipful Brother Chester R. has not been feeling very well, and remained here in Great Falls for the winter rather than traveling south to San Diego. We hope he is feeling better and look forward to his return to Lodge.

Br. Rod J. recently had microscopic surgery done on his knee. He was down to coffee at the Lodge on Saturday 1/8/05. He's moving around pretty good. Br. Anthony, our editor, inquired of Brother Rod if he was in much pain, and was disappointed to learn that he wasn't.

Worshipful Brother Charles B. has recovered from his bout with an infection in the hospital. His son-in-law Worshipful Brother Bill H. now says he will be residing in a rest home in his home town of Choteau and added that visitors would always be welcomed and appreciated.

Brother Marty has a girlfriend. There must be something about being appointed a Grand Lodge Representative that women find irresistibly attractive because both he and Br. Alan ended up with girlfriends just after receiving their Grand Lodge appointments. To his credit, Br. Marty has been smart enough not to bring her down to the Lodge so we could meet her. Although, when she makes the mistake of calling him during Saturday Coffee and Donut hour, we are not above making smooching sounds and giving him a bad time afterwards.

Brother Alan too has finally got himself a girlfriend. Some of us were surprised but none of us ever lost hope that it would happen. She is a very nice lady and treats him pretty good. At least we haven't noticed any bruises on the exposed areas of his body. So this is encouraging. She has a brother who is also a brother Mason. So we're thinking that maybe on the 32nd or 33rd date, he might get his first good night kiss with, of course, her (and our) brother monitoring the proceedings.

Brother Dan Schulz, who never seems to get mentioned in this newsletter, unless his mother sends down one of her famous and much appreciated rum bundt cakes, is mentioned here now only because his mother (whom we really should make a member of the Lodge if we could) has once again sent down another rum bundt cake for all the brothers enjoyment:...... and enjoy it we did!

Our Brother Tracy L., who now lives in Georgia and is a member of Tyrian Lodge No. 111, sent us a few pictures of himself which have been posted on our photo page. He says he is doing well and is now an officer of his Lodge. No doubt he will make a very good master.

Brother Shane is addicted to Ebay. He picked up a Masonic tie-tac that lights up light like a Christmas tree. Now Br. Shane stands about 7 foot tall or so it seems. So we figure we could just stand him in the corner of the Lodge with his glowing tie-tac during the holiday meetings. That way, we can save on the expense of a tree.

Worshipful Brother Bill B. decided to finally grace us with his presence at our last lodge meeting. Although, he did arrive late, and mumbled some excuse which none of us paid any attention to. Still it was nice to see him. His business takes him to Missoula quite a bit. He mentioned at the Master's Table over Coffee and Pie, that when he is in Missoula, he'll attend Lodge down in Victor. This didn't go down well with some of us on hearing that. It's like he admitted he was sleeping around on us. I suppose we'll get over it.

Our Lodge Secretary Brother Glenn and his wife Miss Pauline celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at a surprise party this past Sunday, Oct. 17th, held at their church: Christ United Methodist Church. Both Br. Glenn and his wife Pauline have led and continue to lead very active lives. Br. Glenn worked for over 44 years for Insurance Services Offices and was an active volunteer in Boy Scouting, the Masons and Christ United Methodist Church. Miss Pauline juggled homemaking, leadership in Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H, Drum and Bugle Corps while working in admissions at both Columbus and Montana Deaconess Hospitals.

As you may remember, Br. Kevin A. took a transfer to England with the Air Force. Well, on the way there, he received a promotion and was reassigned near Pisa, Italy. Br. Kevin had lived in England before, was very fond of the place, and was really looking forward to returning. He also felt it would be a good experience for his children to spend a few years in a foreign country. So Italy was a bit of a surprise. But Brother Tom L. reassured us that Br. Kevin, his wife and kids, really do like Italy and were quite happy with the change.

Junior Warden Tom L. and Senior Deacon Marty E. were recently posted to an undisclosed location in Russia serving as weapons inspectors for a month. Br. Tom said they really enjoyed their time there and became very fond of the Russian people. He also said the Russians make some of the best chocolate in the world, and brought to the Lodge some of the white chocolate he had bought in Moscow for all the brothers to have a taste. It was truly excellent. Br. Tom said the country is very beautiful, and where they were posted, the landscape reminded him a lot of Virginia with very lovely forests.

Brother Huff H. has informed me that he is finally finished working on the new addition to his house. He implied there may be other stuff to do, but as far as he was concerned, he was finished. This has been almost a year and a half project. He now plans on devoting himself to what he truly loves: playing the bagpipes in the Shrine band. He gave a lesson to Brother Alan F. during the Master's table after our first meeting of the new year. It was the first time many of us ate ice cream to the accompaniment of highland pipes. They gave a particularly unique and colorful rendition of Scotland the Brave. Well.... we think it was Scotland the Brave. Well... at times....it sounded like Scotland the Brave.

Br. William S. is to be transferred to Texas with the Air Force. We were all very sad to hear that since he is an expert at making home made beer and wine, and we feel we are loosing a valuable resource here. His wheat beer is legendary. However, as despondent as we are, he is happy. It is a promotion, and he will be working as an instructor at an Air Force school. Plus, he'll be a lot closer to his folks who live in Louisiana.

Our Secretary, Br. Glenn and his wife, traveled up the Al-Can highway in June to Anchorage, Alaska to attend the high school graduation of their grandson, of whom they are very proud. Br. Glenn said he could have bought several round trip air tickets with what they spent on gas. Still, the trip was enjoyable. He said he didn't get any deep sea fishing in this time. Just as well, cause we don't allow any fish stories being told in a Lodge dedicated to Truth.

Worshipful Brother Al J. got married in a private ceremony at the English Lutheran Church here in Great Falls this past August. In spite of no invitations being sent out, the Church was packed to the rafters will well wishers. W.B. Roger said it was a lovely ceremony and the couple looked very happy. Brother Al and his bride have been friends for over 50 years.

Worshipful Brother Tom D. and Br. Jerry H. from Cascade Lodge have been working very diligently on the new roof for the Temple. They are 1/3 of the way done. Br. Tom says they are using a new and improved sealer that should last 20 years, and will save us about 15 thousand. Considering the increase in heating and electricity costs for the Temple, this was welcome news. Both of these Brothers deserve many thanks for their generous, selfless and untiring service to the Temple and the Craft.

Brother Kelly J. and his wife Miss Susan made a special trip up to Great Falls to visit the Brothers at the Lodge early this summer after his return from the Iraq. While here, he became a life member of Euclid. It was certainly good to see a Brother again whom we are all fond of. We were all glad and thankful he made it home safely from Iraq.