Installation of Officers

Wednesday night was a great night for Boggs Lodge, with a successful passing of the gavel from Worshipful Brother Lance E. Hill to the new Worshipful Master Ronnie Helmlinger and his line officers. Pictures of the new officers will be posted as soon as possible. Special thanks are in order to Installing Deputy Right Worshipful Brother J. Keith Bell, District Deputy Grand Master for the 15th Masonic District, Installing Marshall Worshipful Brother Don Roach, and Installing Chaplain Worshipful Brother Lowell D. Hill. These distinguished Masons did an exceptional job in discharging their duties.

Speaking of exceptional, new First Lady of the Lodge Judy Helmlinger deserves a special word of thanks for coordinating a wonderful dinner in the fellowship hall following the installation. Dozens of friends and family members attended, and the food and decorations were outstanding. The brethren are certainly looking forward to Judy entertaining at events throughout the year!

Worshipful Brother Lance E. Hill was presented both his Past Master's Jewell and Apron; the Jewell holding special signifigance as it is the jewell of his Grandfather Worshipful Brother Gerald R. Hill, Worshipful Master of Boggs Lodge in 1943 and 1944. The late WB Hill sat in the East during an extremely active tenure, raising 13 Master Masons in 1943 and another 13 in 1944! As WB Lowell Hill pointed out, that makes 39 degrees per year for two years straight!

WM Helmlinger did an excellent job of installing his officers with the help of the distinguished Masons mentioned above, and is looking forward to another great year of Masonry at Boggs Lodge. He hopes all brethren able will attend the next regularly stated communication in January.

New Website for Logan County York Rite Bodies

With BoggsLodge.org running smoothly, I turned my attention today to building a site for the York Rite Bodies in Logan County, particularly because so many Boggs members are involved in these appendant bodies. If you're interested in learning what's happening in LaFayette Chapter #60 Royal Arch Masons, Logan Council #85 Royal & Select Masons, or Bellefontaine Commandery #61 Knights Templar, just visit BellefontaineYorkRite.org.

A Couple of Notes for Your Calendar

Our Brothers at Bellefontaine Lodge #209, on their own very nice website, reminded me to post a few important dates for you to plan for:

JC Musser Work Day - January 12, 2008, 9:00am
Any one who is desirous of receiving instruction on degree work or needs help with their parts should attend. Work Day will be held at Chester Lodge #238 in Chesterville, OH. (Click here for a map to Chester Lodge)

15th Masonic District "Founder's Day Dinner" - January 18, 2008, 7:00pm
Join us for this celebration of the 200th anniversary of Freemasonry in Ohio. This event is open to all Masonic brethren and their families. The celebration is also open to non-Masons.
Tickets are $15 and must be pre-ordered (contact RWB J. Keith Bell or WB Chuck Wood for tickets.)

Masonic Scholarships Available
If you know of a student who is about to graduate high school or is currently enrolled in college, the 15th Masonic District is collecting applications for a $2,000.00 scholarship.
This scholarship is open to anyone, but preferably to a Master Mason or Master Mason's family member.
Applications must be returned to the Secretary by the last week of February 2008.

REMINDER - Installation of Officers WEDNESDAY

Tomorrow night, Wednesday the 19th, Worshipful Master Lance E. Hill will preside over his last regularly scheduled meeting, turning over the gavel to Ronnie Helmlinger and the new team of officers. The open installation is promptly at 7:30 in the Lodge Room, with a heartly meal to follow in the fellowship hall. All brethren, ladies, and friends are invited to celebrate with Worshipful Brother Hill, and to congratulate and welcome soon-to-be-Worshipful Brother Helmlinger!

Facts About the Dayton Masonic Center

Several Boggs brethren are also members of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Valley of Dayton, which hosts its annual reunions at the Dayton Masonic Center. The Center provides a list of facts and frequently asked questions to candidates as they join the AASR, and excerpts of the fact sheet are now available online. Some of the highlights:

- Opened in 1928, the Temple took two years and nine months to complete.
- Constructed at a 1926 cost of $2.5 million, today the temple would cost at least $40 million
- With 250 rooms, the Temple occupies 8.5 acres with 5 million cubic feet under roof
- The Temple used 1,700 tons of steel, 13,500 tons of gravel, 6,540 tons of sand, and over 70,000 cubic feet of stone with over 20 train carloads of marble
- The rooms are covered in over 5,000 yards of carpet, the electricians ran over 500,000 feet of wire, and the Masons (both operative and speculative) laid over 2 million bricks

You can read the rest of the FAQ's and Figures on the Masonic Center website.

Men of Boggs Standing Upright in Northern Forest

Tonight is the annual meeting of Ohio Northern Forest #188, Tall Cedars of Lebanon. Several brothers are involved in Tall Cedars, serving as officers. At tonight's installation, current Senior Deputy Grand Tall Cedar Right Worshipful Brother J. Keith Bell will advance to the post of Grand Tall Cedar, the presiding officer of the Forest. Also, Chief Ranger Worshipful Brother Charles Wood will advance to the post of Sentinel. These Masons have served with distinction, modeling the Tall Cedars Mission of "Fun, Frolic, and Fellowship." If you're interested in learning more about Tall Cedars and their support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, visit the Supreme Forest website. Brother Andy Vance and his lady Lindsay Hill were guests of The New Grand Tall and Sentinel.