Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 43
June 24, 2020
Alaska PGM 'Bo' Kline Hospitalized
by Christopher Hodapp
Word came late Wednesday night that RW John R. "Bo" Cline, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alaska and Past President of the Masonic Society, is in critical medical condition.
Bo's wife Beth sent out a message that he is in the Intensive Care Unit at the University of Washington Medical Center with acute leukemia.
According to Beth's message, Bo is "in critical condition but hanging in there. Please let the brethren know and keep him in your thoughts."
Indeed we shall, ...
June 21, 2020
Washington's Albert Pike Statue: After the Fall
by Christopher Hodapp
On Saturday morning, the fallen bronze carcass of Albert Pike's once noble statue in Washington, DC's Judiciary Square was ignominiously hauled away on the back of a flatbed truck to an unspecified location. Pike's figure was toppled and defaced by a mob of protesters late Friday night.
Art De Hoyos was interviewed on the local NBC affiliate in Washington DC on Saturday for his comments on the incident. Unfortunately, little of Art's actual interview actually made it into th...
June 20, 2020
De Hoyos on Pike: "The fruits of his labors live after him"
by Christopher Hodapp
As reported last night, the bronze statue of Freemason Albert Pike in Washington, DC was toppled by a mob of demonstrators, wrongly claiming it to be a 'Confederate monument.' Later reports detailed that the crowd (described as 'peaceful' in numerous reports all night) spent nearly two hours working to drag the Federally-owned statue from atop its tall stone plinth while scores of D.C. police officers stood by at their adjacent precinct building and just watched. Only after ...
June 19, 2020
Albert Pike Statue in Washington, DC Toppled, Burned By Protesters
by Christopher Hodapp
Fox5 TV in Washington, D.C. is reporting late Friday night that the bronze statue of Albert Pike in Judiciary Square has just been toppled and burned. Between 80 and 100 people were gathered around the statue shortly after 11PM when it was yanked off its pedestal and knocked to the ground. Once on the ground, the cheering crowd reportedly attempted to set fire to to it.
There really should be no surprise, since Popular Mechanics magazine helpfully published an article online ...
June 18, 2020
More Masonic Grand Lodges Issue Unity Statements On Protests
Joint unity statement from New York grand lodges
by Christopher Hodapp
In the wake of nationwide demonstrations, protests and rioting over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, several Masonic jurisdictions have issued joint unity statements from the 'mainstream' state grand lodges and Prince Hall Affiliated grand lodges. In addition to the District of Columbia and Missouri which were reported here previously, similar unity statements have been issued in New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and...
June 13, 2020
Sir Knight George D. Kivett, Jr. RIP
by Christopher Hodapp
"If you make a mistake, do it sharply."
These were the wise words of Sir Knight George D. Kivett, Jr., who is known far beyond the boundaries of Indiana for his long career as the Captain of Raper Commandery No. 1's Drill Team. It has been my great honor to have known this humble gentleman for nearly twenty years.
Sir Knight George D. Kivett, Jr., passed to the Celestial Lodge on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the age of 90.
George Kivett has been universall...
June 10, 2020
Joint Unity Statement Issued by Missouri Grand Lodges
by Christopher Hodapp
On June 9th, 2020, the Grand Lodge of Missouri and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Missouri issued the following joint statement:
The State of Missouri is suffering as are many states in our country. Unfortunately, it is not the first time there has been strife due to the inequitable application of human rights and varying treatments of various groups within our state and country. Those inequities are profoundly contrary to the principles of our Order.
Our Sta...
June 5, 2020
Arson Destroys Oklahoma Masonic Hall
by Christopher Hodapp
The Masonic temple of Wright Lodge No. 483 in Wright City, Oklahoma was destroyed Thursday night by fire.
According to a message from the Grand Secretary of Oklahoma, Bobby L. Laws, PGM, a "fire source" was thrown through the front window of the building. The arson attack reportedly happened at about midnight. The message states that the area Fire Marshall is looking into the incident. Photos of the damage have been circulated on Facebook today.
Wright Lodge 483 is chartered ...
June 4, 2020
Roundup of Vandalism and Damage to Masonic Halls During Week of Protests
Authorities guarding the area around Boston's Masonic Templeby Christopher HodappA string of reports are coming in about several Masonic buildings suffering damage or vandalism this week. Some are related to the ongoing protests and riots in the wake of the George Floyd death in Minneapolis, but others clearly are not. But what is remarkable is that, despite the widespread historic location of Masonic halls in downtown areas across the country and the high levels of damage for a week now in many...
June 3, 2020
Crude Bomb Found Outside of English Masonic Hall in Cornwall, England
by Christopher Hodapp
Seemingly unrelated to the U.S. protests over the past week, an incendiary bomb was found outside of a Masonic lodge in Penryn, Cornwall, England early Tuesday mor ning. According to a BBC story, the bomb squad from the Royal Navy were called in to defuse the crude device, which authorities said "represented a danger to themselves as well as the locality in which it was placed." It did not explode, and there was no injury or damage.
The Penryn Masonic Hall is home to The Lodg...
