The World's Oldest Man is a Freemason (and from Minnesota)

On September 21st, Brother Walter Breuning celebrated his 113th birthday and became the "World's Oldest Man."

Here are a few interesting facts about about Brother Walter:

Walter was born in Melrose Minnesota on September 21, 1886.

His earliest memory is hearing his Grandfather speak about fighting with the Union Army during the Civil War.

Brother Walter only had two jobs in his life. His first job he moved to Great Falls Montana in 1918 to work on the expanding railroads. He worked on the railroads for 50 years. When he retired he became Manager/Secretery of his local Shrine Unit. When he turned 99 he retired from that job.
Brother Walter is a 33 degree Scottish Rite, and all of his Masonic organizations are in Great Falls, Montana.

In the photo, Junior Grand Warden Tom Duffy of the Grand Lodge of Montana is presenting a George Washington gavel. The gavel is from Potomac Lodge #5 in Washington D.C.

The Grand Lodge of Montana plans to return to celebrate Walters 114th birthday. Walter said "OK Ill be here."

If you click on the link it will take you to a website developed by the Great Falls Tribune to comemmorate Brother Walters birthday. Its has a lot of nice photos and contains some of Walter's secrets to long living.

Oh by the way.....the retirement home that Walter is staying has 12 women who are older than Walter. It must be the water in Montana, huh?

New Jersey has a great idea..why cant we?

The Grand Lodge of New Jersey is using the current attention on Freemasonry from Dan Brown book "The Lost Symbol" into a positive experience for the local lodges and their communities. If you want more details just click on the image and read what the Grand Lodge of New Jersey is planning on doing.

Nothing is diffcult if your willing..............................

Its a Gala Event

On Saturday September 26th I attended the Minnesota Masonic Charities' 5th Annual Gala.

This is our annual black tie fund raiser to support their many philanthropic programs. This year it was held at the historic Landmark Hall at the Minnesota Masonic Home. The staff put in extra thought and planning to make this a memorable evening . They literally rolled out the red carpet for this event.

Heres a little background on just some of the programs that they undertake.

Elder Services- providing senior facilties and programs (we are probably one of the largest providers in Minnesota.)

Masonic Cancer Center-We are in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, for cancer research and treatment (we just gave/pledged 65 Million dollars for that purpose).

Scholarships-For 20 years Minnesota Masonry has provided college scholarships for graduating high seniors. Under the General Edward Waldon Scholarship, we also are providing educational assistance to the members of the Minnesota National Guard and Minnesota Reserve units who have returned from combat zones.

Providing support to Lodges and Chapters with their community outreach and youth programs.

Supporting the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society and Library, which is dedicated to the preservation of Masonic history and providing education and information.

This beautiful Masonic property is ideally situated on 80 acres on the river bluffs in Bloomington Minnesota.

For me it's a special place that is warm and welcoming. It's a place where old friendships are renewed and new friendships made. I'm glad that the Gala has come home.

FYI, the photo you see is a small foam rubber column that sat in front of us on the table that was a memento of the evening. It looks pretty nice don't you think? I took the photo -- something I enjoy doing.

The Lost Symbol in China

Dan Brown's latest novel has sold two million copies in the United States, Britain and Canada since the book was released on September 15.

The Chinese copyright belongs to the People's Literature Publishing . They are expecting that the Chinese edition is expected to hit the shelves in early 2010.
But Chinese Internet users won't have to wait much longer. The pirates are already working hard to exploit Dan Brown's popularity to make a profit.
It is believed that the book has been "crowd-sourced" translated. The prologue and several chapters of the Chinese translation is already on the Web. It has been reported that the English version of the book has been scanned and put into a PDF format for unrestricted downloading. This is on a Web site as well.
( I was able to find Web sites that may have had the books but it was in Chinese so I was unable to verify this information).
These actions in my opinion seriously infringe on Dan Brown's copyright and damage China's reputation to protect intellectual property rights.

The Three Lost Symbols By Dan Brown to be Released

These are the three Covers of Dan Brown's new book to be released September 15th."The Lost Symbol."

Directly to the left, is the cover meant for Great Britain, Australia, and Hong Kong.

The top cover is destined for Germany, and Europe in general.

In the middle is the North American cover.

This is information I figured out for myself, so I am anxious to see if the covers are distributed in the countries as I have deducted.

I sincerely hope that those of you who have been waiting to read the book get a copy and a comfortable place to sit and the time to enjoy it. I hope to hear your thoughts and share your joy.

Personally, I have enjoyed the hype that has surrounded this book and have been trying to prepare the Masonic leadership for any fall out or benefits.

And with a smile on my face I have reflected this whole time upon the words of that great Master Mason P.T. Barnum said..

Today is the Birthday of a Great American

Today is the Birthday of a Great American, Master Mason, Patriot, and first Civil Rights Leader. Grand Master Prince Hall. Grand Master Prince was born on September 12, 1735.

Prince Hall was born into slavery but eventally became one of Bostons most prominent citzens during America's revolutionarry period. He was the founder of the "African Lodge of the Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons of Boston...the world's first lodge of black Freemasons.

Until today there has to my knowledge been no memorial deserving of Prince Hall. The Members of the Friends of Prince Hall Memorial Fund Committee is working to change that. They held a dedication cermemony on the Cambridge Common (Massachusetts) in honor of Prince Hall's birth and to pour the foundation of the monument. Click here and go to their website and see what the plans are, learn more about Prince Hall and take the opportunity to make a donation to honor a Great Mason.
There are 47 Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the United States with 300,000 Brothers worldwide who share that lineage.

The photo is of Grand Master Prince Hall's grave, which is located at Coops Hill Burying Ground, Boston Mass.

I plan on writing a more fitting article covering in more detail, the life and accomplishments of this honorable, progressive, memorable leader of the early Freemasons.

George Washington University Seeks to put a Masonic Lodge on Campus

A group of George Washington University Alumni with Support of the University President Emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg are looking to start a Masonic Lodge on Campus.

The University of George Washington is located in Washington D.C. It was started in 1821 by Congress but the University traces its orgins to FreeMasons. There are approx. 9,700 full time students studying 87 Academic Majors. Various Masonic organizations continue to support the college in various ways.

George Washington University looks like an exciting place for Masonic Lodge. When the college newspaper publishes that the Alumni and college President follow the teaching of Freemansonry that's a powerful statement to me. Click here to read the link for yourself.

Gee Wiz ...a Masonic Lodge on a college campus if they can do it in Washington DC....why can't we? in Minneapolis, Duluth, Mankato,St. Cloud, Winona, Moorehead, St. Paul. Think about it, won't you?

On Wednesday September 2nd, James von Brunn, the white supremacist, was charged criminally in federal court for the murder of Stephen Johns.The homicide took place on June 10th when von Brunn shot security guard Johns at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

During the 30 minute first appearance, von Brunn's own attorney requested that his client be evaluated to determine whether he was competent to stand trial. Even though von Brunn objected, Judge Reggie B. Walton granted the request.

FBI officials have stated that von Brunn acted alone and had no formal ties with any white supremacist groups. In my Law Enforcement circles we call him a "lone wolf ". Generally speaking, the lone wolf falls into several categories: religious extremists, political terrorists, people who have longterm mental problems, and finally, those workers who have rage in the work place and kill their co-workers (otherwise known as going postal).

The former PT boat captain was consumed by a lifetime of hate for Jews, Blacks, Freemasons, and government. On June 10th von Brunn had no true friends and nothing to lose. He arranged his finances and his funeral plans for what he thought was going to be a "suicide mission" at the museum. His goal was to kill as many people as possible.

The criminal charges that von Brunn was indicted on carry a possible death penalty if convicted.

Judge Walton set the next court appearance for October 14, 2009.

A special fund for the benefit of the Johns family has been established. Please click here.