News
Notice of passing of Ill. Br. Bill Southwell, 33°
Brethren,
The role of the workman has been called and, one Master Mason, Illustrious William “Bill” Southwell, 33°, IGH, has not answered to his name. He has laid down the working tools of life and with them has left that mortal part for which he no longer has use. His labors here below have taught him to divest his heart and conscience of the vices and superfluity of life, thereby fitting his mind as a living stone for that spiritual building, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Strengthened in his labors here by faith in God, and confident of expectation of immortality, he has been granted admission to the Celestial Lodge above. His Brethren mourn the passing of a great man and Mason.
Illustrious Brother William George Southwell, 33°, Inspector General Honorary, was born on March 8th, 1930, in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and passed to the Celestial Lodge in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on June 7th, 2021. Ill. Br. Bill was initiated on April 8th, 1970, passed to the Fellow Craft on May 20th, 1970, and raised a Master Mason on June 24th, 1970, in Waluga Lodge No. 181, consolidated in 2020 as Milwaukie Waluga Lodge No. 109 A.F.&A.M. of Oregon, he also held dual membership in the Research Lodge of Oregon No. 198. He served as Master of Waluga in 1994, received the Hiram Award in 2001, served as Treasurer of Waluga in 2007, and Senior Deacon of Research Lodge from 2013 to 2015, he received his Service Award for 50 years from the Grand Lodge of Oregon in 2020. He joined the Portland Valley of the A.&A. Scottish Rite of Freemasonry on November 4th, 1995, he was elected as a Knight Commander of the Court of Honour October 3rd, 2001, honored on November 3rd, 2001, and Coroneted an Inspector General Honorary 33° member of the Supreme Council in Portland Valley on September 8th, 2007. Ill Br. Bill was an active member of the Rite participating in many of the Degrees over the years and served as the Master of Kadosh for the Portland Valley’s Oregon Consistory No. 1 from 2001 to 2003. He is survived by his loving wife Alta.
Memorial service arrangements will be provided when available. In lieu of flowers, Ill. Br. Bill’s wife is asking for consideration of donating to either the Scottish Rite Speech & Language charity https://oregonscottishrite.wordpress.com/oregon-scottish-rite-speech-and-language-charity/ or the Knights Templar Eye Foundation https://www.ktef.org/
Oregon Scottish Rite Speech and Language Charity Valley Communication
Brethren,
The Oregon Speech & Language Charity is the Oregon Scottish Rite’s primary charity and was established in 1980 with the mission of helping language impaired children experience the joy of expressing ideas and being clearly understood. By partnering primarily with clinics on the campuses of the University of Oregon and Portland State University we are now able to serve over 3,000 children every year and we are growing with your help. This year our Charity is once again teaming with the University of Oregon and Portland State University to expand the coverage to even more children by serving rural areas of Oregon by means of Tele-therapy through local clinics. The value of this philanthropy has long been apparent. Tens of thousands of youngsters across the United States have been helped significantly. The Scottish Rite has achieved successes to advance children who might have remained educationally behind for a lifetime. With the assistance of this Charity they can now talk, read and lead productive lives.
Oregon children who are dealing with Stuttering, Aphasia, Autism, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and a multitude of other communication disorders can be assisted by the Oregon Speech & Language Charity by your generous gift. Be assured, all money given will be used by this charity to insure it stays in Oregon helping Oregon children and our administrative costs are less than 1% of our budget.
Please consider supporting the Scottish Rite Speech and Language Charity by providing a generous gift to the location noted below.
Charity Mailing Location:
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
Attn: Oregon Speech Charity
709 SW 15th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205-1995
Charity Phone: 541-515-1291
Secretary Email: s.r.speech.and.language.secretary@gmail.com
Charity Email: charity@orientsr.com
Donate: https://oregonscottishrite.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/speech-charity-donation-form-2020.pdf – to Download a Speech Charity Donation Form.
Charity sponsored Clinic, operated by the Portland State University Speech & Hearing Sciences Dept.
Website: https://www.pdx.edu/speech-hearing-sciences/oregon-scottish-rite-speech-and-language-clinic
Clinic Phone: 503-725-3070
Three new Knights at Medford KSA Chapter
Medford Valley Scottish Rite welcomes our three new Knights of Saint Andrew; Sir Knights Kent Clinkenbeard, Jim Pringle and Tracy Morton to our KSA Chapter.
These three Squires have been in waiting due to the COVID restrictions for a long period. With the lifting of some of these restrictions we were able to proceed with their advancement to Knights status for the Medford Valley KSA Order. After the Knighting Ceremony Sir Knight Jim Pringle was installed as Senior Warden for the Medford KSA Chapter. Special thanks to Past Venerable Master Sir Knight Michael Harder for performing the Knighting Ceremony last Monday evening.
119th Anniversary of the Cornerstone Dedication of the Portland Scottish Rite
At one-thirty o’clock pm on Thursday, June 12th, 1902, on the second day of the 52nd Annual Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Oregon, Most Worshipful Brother William E. Grace called the Grand Lodge from labor to refreshment, a Lodge of Entered Apprentices was opened in Ample form with the Grand Officers in position and procession was made, with the accompaniment of Oregon Knights Templar Commandery No. 1 and all totaled about 500 Masons to the northeast corner of an open field at the intersection of Morrison and Lownsdale street (now 15th Avenue).
There they dispensed with ceremonies to dedicate the Cornerstone of a soon-to-be stately Masonic edifice to be erected on the site and serve as the future home and first of its kind Cathedral style model of Scottish Rite Masonic buildings.
At the occasion, Ill. Brother William Fenton, 33º (then K.C.C.H.), provided the oration, its entirety is available in the Proceedings of the Grand Communication from 1902, provided here are some excerpts: “This is an epoch in ceremonial Masonry. It is also a day of reflection, re-examination of fundamental truths and consecration to new ideals. In the brief moment devoted to this service a mere outline of our thoughts can be expressed. This corner-stone is to perform a double purpose and to mark alike the foundation of a great temple builded of brick, mortar and the handiwork of man, and also an unseen house not made with hands, erected in the hearts and consciences of men, swift in purpose and sure of endeavor… The Masonic lodge is a changing and mortal constituency. Its membership comes and passes out and into the Eternal. Its officers serve their terms and succeed each other, and each year, decade and cycle new men pass over the threshold and enter from the outer door. The temple of yesterday, last decade and of a former generation endures. This corner-stone looks young and new today, fresh from the hand of its craftsman—but it was made in the crucible of the world and will endure until the day ’in which the heavens shall pass away with great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.’… This cathedral, builded by the hand of man, fashioned and adorned by the genius of his brain, will stand as a mute sentinel guarding the fame and glory of our noble order… Individuals, communities, states and nations pass away—their good deeds alone survive the defacing finger of Time. This cathedral shall outlive all that are now present, and into its open doors shall go the unnumbered brethren who follow us. It shall live as a memorial, a witness testifying of our sacrifice, our love and consecration.”
This June 12th, 2021, marks the 119th anniversary of the laying of our Temple’s Cornerstone by the Grand Lodge of Oregon; although we are unable to unite at this time for this recurrence it is hoped the Members of the Portland Valley will still celebrate its steadfast endurance and soon again resume labor in our historic temple. If you are so inclined please consider donating to the Temple Preservation Foundation. All funds donated to the Portland Scottish Rite Temple Preservation Foundation go to support the Foundation’s stated mission: “To solicit and expend funds to protect, preserve, maintain, and restore the cultural and structural integrity of the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Portland, Oregon.” The funds donated to the Portland Scottish Rite Temple Preservation Foundation are not used for the day-to-day operations of the facility or fraternity.
Erik Arneson and the Art of Memory 2021
The Oregon Consistory No. 1 presents a talk by Bro. Erik Arneson, 32° on the Art of Memory and its connection to Masonry.
Orient of Oregon 2021 Honours Ceremony date and location announcement
The Active Members of the Supreme Council will meet in Executive Session on Saturday, August 21, to conduct necessary business. Elections for the Knight Commander Court of Honour and the 33rd Degree will be conducted in normal fashion.
The Orient of Oregon Ceremonies of Honour for the Orient recipients will be held on Saturday, September 11th, 2021, at the Salem Scottish Rite Temple. The times of practices, Investitures, and Coronations will be announced after further event planning takes place. The traditional awards banquet will not be held at this occasion.
Portland Valley Sentinel Volume 19 May-June 2021
Oregon Freemasonry: The Pursuit of Light
Announcing the new Morals & Dogma Audiobook
Scottish Rite-SJ Members can now enjoy Morals & Dogma the Annotated Edition Audiobook FREE in the Members only section of ScottishRite.org. In this interview, Grand Archivist and author of the book Arturo de Hoyos discusses how the book came together and how serendipity brings us the full work on the anniversary of Albert Mackey communicating the degrees to Albert Pike.