TRESTLE BOARD

September 2015
Vol. XV

Issue VIX

Happy Labor Day 2015

September 7, 2015

LEESBURG LODGE No. 58

FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS OF FLORIDA
200 Richey Road
Leesburg, Florida 34748
Phone: 352-787-5696
Email: leesburglodge58@centurylink.net
Meets the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of Each Month at 7:00pm
Chartered January 15th, 1868

Committees for 2015

Officers for 2015

Worshipful Master
Senior Warden
Junior Warden
Treasurer
Secretary

Bro. Ron Glover..874-9504

Br. Jeff Lamb (Sherri).... .753-0277
Br. Wayne Reynolds.(Linda)407-484-0096
WLarry Duff (Brenda)..874-2164
W Hank DeBerry (Paula)..... 430-0238
Lodge ........................... .787-5696
Br. Ed Spencer..324-2134
Br. Pedro Arroyo (Marcia)386-804-2043
Br. James M. Thomas...568-1554
Br. Norman Novis (Alona)...409-7669
WJim Angelos 255-1724
Vacant
W John Haas (Tina).360-9114
Vacant
WHank DeBerry (Paula)...330-7311
Vacant
W Larry Duff (Brenda).874-2164

Senior Deacon
Junior Deacon
Senior Steward
Junior Steward
Tyler
Chaplain
Marshal
Organist
Lodge Instructor
Lodge Historian
Librarian
Trestle Board
Trestle Board Printing
Lodge Web Mail

WHank DeBerry (Paula).. 330-7311

Leesburg Printing .. 787-3348
leesburglodge58@centurylink.net ............

Living

Affiliated

Past Masters

Past Masters

Board of Relief
Chairman WMRon Glover, Jeff Lamb, Wayne Reynolds
Lodge Property
Chairman Jeff Lamb, WDon McIntyre, WJim Angelos,
W John Haas, WMRon Glover
Finance - Investments & Budget
Chairman Jeff Lamb, RW Ken Graves,
WTom Russell, WLarry Duff, WJohn Haas
Vigilance
Chairman WJohn Haas, WBob Browning, Jeff Lamb,
Charity & Scholarships
Chairman WJohn Haas, Sec. WHank DeBerry, Ed Spencer
Education
Chairman WHank DeBerry, WMRon Glover, Jeff Lamb

Charles Porter
1959
RWRay Richardson
1969*
William Ed Davison
1974
Robert H. Smith
1977
RWColin Crews
1980^*
H. C. Connell
1985
RWTheodore Jansen 1986*
Michael Dozier
1988
John H. Meier V
1989
Jay A. Frizzell, Jr.
1992
Raleigh Sorenson
1993/1994
Don Barfield
1996
Tom Russell
1997/1998/2002
Mervyn Harris
1999
RWKenneth Graves
2000*
RH Thomas E. Beach 2001
Robert H. Browning 2003/2004
RWDennis Ricker
2005/2007^*
Roland P. Gibson
2006
Bill Green
2008
Richard Ecott
2009
Donald McIntyre, Sr.
2010
Randall Jesmok
2011
Larry Duff
2012
Jim Angelos
2013
John Haas
2014

MWJoseph Brearley
Henry DeBerry
Jack Delauter
Robert C. Gleckler
Robert Kennedy
Clifford Moore
Frank Peregrin
Glenn A. Reynolds*^
Edwin Robbins
Robert L. Welch
Forest Case*
Wayne Parks
Fred Lint
Raymond D Trudeau
John R. Haas
Gary Towne
^ Past District Instructor
* Past DDGM
# Past Grand Master

Lodge Mentors
Chairman WLarry Duff, WHank DeBerry, all Past Masters
Catechism
Chairman WDon McIntyre, Sr., WBob Browning, Jeff Lamb
Petitions Investigation
Chairman WMRon Glover, WLarry Duff, W Hank DeBerry
Investigations Interviews
WM Ron Glover will appoint as needed
Funeral
Chairman WJim Angelos, WBob Browning, Ed Spencer
Activities & Awards
Chairman WM Ron Glover, WJohn Haas, Jeff Lamb,
Wayne Reynolds
Officers meet at 6:00pm, first stated meeting, Committee Chairman
meet the second meeting of each month for business and planning.

18th Masonic District

DDGM

RW Alan Heist

407-718-5841

District Instructor

RH Ed Mayfield PDDGM 352-751-3532 2

LIGHT FROM THE EAST

WM Ron Glover

Unfortunately I have two deaths to report to the Brethren. On August 14th, the Craft lost MW John R. Givens, who served as Grand Master of Masons of FL in 2003. A Masonic service was held on August 20th at the Ocala Scottish Rite Masonic Center. Leesburg Lodge lost one of our
Brothers as well as we were informed by his family that Brother Jack O'Connell passed away. His family did not request a Masonic Service. Please
keep the families in your prayers.
September is upon us and the year is two-thirds of the way over already. I would like to remind everybody that Friday, September 25th is
the official visit of MW Steven P. Boring to the Grand 18th Masonic District. Clermont will be hosting the visit this year. The reception starts at the
new Clermont Community Center at 5:30 with supper to follow at 6:30. The meeting will be held down the street at Clermont Lodge at 7:30 PM
It looks like we are going to be putting on a EA and MM degree shortly. During our monthly Masters & Wardens meeting it was discovered that there are several lodges in the district that need to put these degrees on as well, so it looks like we will be having some joint degree work
coming up in the near future.
The District's raffle for the Glock 42 .380 is still ongoing with the drawing scheduled to be at the next Masters & Wardens meeting which
will be in Wildwood on September 16th. For those unaware the raffle tickets are $10.00 and the prize is a Glock 42-.380 with 2 factory magazines,
an extended magazine with finger rest, and a 20 round box of Critical Defense ammunition. If anybody is interested in tickets you can see either
Hank or myself at our first meeting on September 1 st or call the Lodge.
I would also like to encourage our Brothers to try and attend the Rainbow Girls meeting at Mt. Dora Lodge at 7:00 PM on September
14th . The Rainbow Girls can always use the support and love having visitors. Dress is coat and tie for all meetings. There is a bonus treat for any
that can attend this meeting because thanks to donations to our youth groups from across the district, our own Secretary, W Hank DeBerry, will be
participating in an Ice Bucket challenge. For you Brothers that have been waiting to see Hank doused in ice-water, now is our chance!
I am happy to announce that we are adopting a teacher again this year. We are supplying Mrs. Elizabeth Carlson a special needs educator
at Beverly Shores. We have purchased and donated Mrs. Carlson with almost $300 worth of supplies and snacks that she needed for the kids. I
think this is such a great cause and I thank the Brothers of our Lodge for allowing us to continue with this great charity again this year.
In closing, I need to discuss the state of our Sunday Dinner fundraisers. I would like to take a moment to thank the Brothers and their
families that have been helping in the kitchen this year. Your support has been outstanding and there is no way I can thank you enough for everything that you have done. I would also like to thank all the Brothers and their families that do come and support us by purchasing the dinners. I fully
understand that there are other obligations such as family, church, and work that may make it difficult or impossible to attend. With that being said,
there has been a decline in the attendance over the last couple of years and it has come to the point that there are going to have to be some serious
decisions made for next year about the number of dinners we can offer. For example, the Sunday dinner in August resulted in a net loss of $50. The
kitchen crew shows up early in the morning to start preparing the food and after cleaning the kitchen and dining hall it is after 2pm before some of
us leave. That's not counting the time our JW Wayne Reynolds puts in ordering and receiving the food and supplies or the time that some put in on
Friday or Saturday evenings to help decorate. That's also not figuring in the amount of energy we consume in running the equipment and AC for the
dinners. It's not all about our time though. I know I speak for everybody in the kitchen in saying that we enjoy the camaraderie and fellowship that
we get from each other when we come together for these events. We don't mind putting in the time but it's not fair to us or more especially the
Lodge for us to hold these fundraisers only to lose money. Some of the poor attendance could be due to some of the Brothers being gone for the
summer. This is all going to have to be discussed. There are thoughts of, if not going away from the dinners, to maybe only having dinners once
every 3 or 4 months to coincide with special events. This is your Lodge Brothers so if you have any ideas or thoughts, please let us know.

Chaplains Corner
As the Master noted above, we have had two Masonic Brothers go to that Celestial Lodge above to be
with the Great Architect. I have recently learned of another Brother who passed back in November of
2013. We just found this out Brothers, because everyone assumed we knew about it. If we arent told
then, how can we know. One of the saddest duties of a Secretary or a Master of a Lodge is to make the call to
the loved ones during their time of grief. This duty is made harder if they are not told and the family thinks we
have forgotten them. We havent forgotten, we were never told. Brother James Trucks passed on November
21, 2013 and he was a 55 year Mason raised right here in Leesburg Lodge back in 1959. I wish I could have
met him and asked him about our Lodge back then. Be at Peace Brothers and tell your families to let us know,
so we can show our Fraternal Love for you at your time.
3

From the West

From the Secretary

Bro. Jeff Lamb

WHank DeBerry
Brothers I would like to thank you for the
responses some of you have given to the recent letter
I sent regarding the By-Law change that is coming
up for vote. There has been some confusion about
why it is needed. The change to our By-Laws is
strictly a housekeeping problem. The Grand
Lodge voted in 2014 to change the Per Capita for
each member from $14 to $20 and change the wording to say plus the per capita instead of including
the per capita and here is where it got crazy. Over
200 Lodges thought just like we did, that the GL was
going to change our By-Laws automatically. This
was not the case! By Masonic Law in the Digest,
only the individual Lodges may change their ByLaws and there is a procedure for this that must be
followed. That procedure says we must write the
change, read the change, vote to send the change on,
then send a letter (which you all got I hope) and then
at the next Stated Communication, vote again on the
resolution to change and it must pass by a 3/4 favorable margin. This is NOT a dues raising issue! The
dues this year will be the same as they were last
year! No one is trying to pull the wool over any
eyes and sneak in more dues. Okay enough on that.
I want to congratulate Fellow Craft Brother
Jayson Wood on passing his catechism and we are
trying to get a Master Mason degree put together
quickly so he can be raised. Also will be needing to
get an Entered Apprentice degree ready very soon
because we have Mr. Johnny Sutton to bring in. We
need to keep bringing more members into our Lodge
and lets get more active! We have had really poor
attendance at the last several breakfasts and dinners
and I know it wasnt the food because those meals
were delicious!
Once again I will be having the sad duty to
bring before the Lodge several Brothers who have
not paid their dues for the year 2015. The By-Laws
of our Lodge states that dues are due and payable on
or before the 27th of December which is the end of
the Masonic year. Notice is then given at three and
again at six months that a Brother is past due on his
dues. If he doesnt respond or come forward with a
just reason why he has not paid them he may be suspended for non-payment at the discretion of the
Lodge by a vote at the first Stated Communication in
September. These are not my rules Brothers, anyone
may read them and I will be happy to provide a copy
of them at any time.
Until next time Brothers, safe travels to those
who will be coming back into Florida and Fraternal
Best Wishes to all.

From the South

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

September 2015

Bro. Wayne Reynolds

Sept. 1 - Stated Communication - 7:00 PM

Sept 5 - First Saturday Breakfast - 8:30-10:00 AM
Sept 9 - Open Books/School of Inst. - Tavares - 6:30 9:00
Sept 13 - Second Sunday Dinner - 11:30-1:00 PM
Sept 14 - Rainbow Mtg - 6:45 PM - Mt Dora - Ice
Bucket for Hank
Sept 15 - Stated Communication - 7:00 PM

Sept 16 - M & W/ Memorial Lodge - The Villages 7:30PM

Sept 16 - Raffle Drawing at M&W Mtg.
Sept 25 - Grand Master Visit 18th District- Clermont5:30PM sign-in; 6:30 PM Supper; 7:30 PM
Meeting

Once again Brothers and Sisters we ask that you please

DO NOT drive on the grass
next to the Lodge parking lot.
It is leaving ruts in the
ground and they are hard to
mow over. Thank You!
-Yard Maintenance Guy5

Masonic Education Worksheet

Name(s) of Those Who Attended:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________
Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________
Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________
Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry
with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com,
hdeberry@embarqmail.com or place them in the slot on the Secretarys door.

Name(s) of Those Who Attended:

____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________
Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________
Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________
Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry
with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com, or place them in the slot in the Secretarys door

Name(s) of Those Who Attended:

____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Date(s) Attended: _____________________________________________________________________
Function/Activity/Training/Etc. Attended:
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Number of Hours Involved:______________________________________________________________
Location of Activity: ___________________________________________________________________
Please leave completed slips on the Secretarys desk at the Stated Communications, or email W. Hank DeBerry
with this information at hdeberry@embarqmail.com, or place them in the slot in the Secretarys door

Leesburg Announcement Forms

Please Print Clearly

Event:_________________________________________________________
Date (s):__________________________ Time:_________________________
Description/Comments____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
For further information contact:____________________ at ________________
Submitted by:_____________________________________________________

Leesburg Announcement Forms

Please Print Clearly

Event:_________________________________________________________
Date (s):__________________________ Time:_________________________
Description/Comments____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
For further information contact:____________________ at ________________
Submitted by:_____________________________________________________

2014 TRESTLE BOARD SPONSORS

YOUR NAME HERE - INDIVIDUAL OR COUPLE FOR ONLY $20.00
Current year or any part thereof - HELP US KEEP YOU INFORMED!
John Dean

Hank & Paula DeBerry

Larry & Brenda Duff

Jim Angelos

William & Sharen Aston

Joe Schlegal

Suzanne Mina

John & Tina Haas

Jim & Becky Campbell

Richard Follett

Ed Spencer

George A. Brown

Bob & Carolyn Browning

Ken Graves

George Shoemaker

Betsey Jordan

Bill & Sharon Staple

RW Ed Mayfield

Gary & Alberta Grimes

Dennis & Ginny Ricker

Ronald J. Glover

Ronald W. Glover

Ed Spencer

Charles and Marlene White

If you would like to be a sponsor in 2015, please see the secretary with your donation. Your
donations are applied to the monthly mailing costs of the Trestle Board, we need 60 sponsors to
cover the yearly mailing costs. Sponsorship is $20.00 for the year or any part thereof. Our Goal
for this year is 60 sponsors. Please consider a sponsorship.
"You get out of Masonry only what you put in it."

RAINBOW
ASSEMBLY
No. 79 at Mt. Dora

HIGH TWELVE
Meeting Times & Locations
Hawthorne Masonic High Twelve No. 547 Meets at 11:00 a.m. on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday
of each month at Golden Corral, 1720 Citrus
Blvd. (Hwy 27/441) Leesburg, FL. Tel: 352-728
-3911.

Lets not forget

the young Ladies of our
local Rainbow Chapter. They need our support.
We should also remember they are the future of our Ladies organizations and future leaders
in our communities. Meetings are at 7:00pm on the
2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at Mt. Dora
Lodge.
Know a young Lady who might want to join,
you can contact Chapter Mom Debbie Dyer at 407908-6973 or Chapter Dad Warren Shippee at 321689-6661.

Tri-County Masonic High Twelve meets 10:30

a.m. 1st Wednesday of each month at La Hacienda Recreation Center, The Villages. Reservations for lunch due by the Thursday before the
meeting, call Rita at 750-5561.

Real joy comes not from

Well done is better

ease or riches or from the

than well said.

praise of men, but from

doing something worth-

Bro. Benjamin Franklin

while.
Sir Wilfred Grenfell
Attend a meeting and be impressed.

18th MASONIC DISTRICT LODGES

Stated Communication Meetings
Leesburg No. 58
Umatilla No. 65
Clermont No. 226
Eustis No. 85
Villages No. 394
Tavares No. 234
Wildwood No. 92
Groveland No. 190
Mt. Dora No. 238

DEMOLAY
CHAPTER
At Eustis

1st and 3rd Tuesday

1st and 3rd Monday
1st and 3rd Monday
2nd and 4th Monday
2nd Monday
2nd and 4th Tuesday
2nd and 4th Tuesday
2nd and 4th Thursday
1st and 3rd Thursday

Lets also not

forget the young
Men of our local DeMolay Chapter.
They also need our support. We should also
remember they are the future of Masonry and future leaders in our communities. Meetings are at
7:00pm on the 1 and 3rd Mondays of each month
at Eustis Lodge. Know a Man who might want to
join, you can contact Granddaddy Philip Paul at
407-832-8771. Attend a meeting and be impressed.

Have YOU Traveled Lately?

HELP BY SUPPORTING OUR

MASONIC YOUTH
9

Scottish Rite

September Birthdays

www.OcalaSR.com or www.SROrlando.com

Sept 1 - Robert Humiston

Sept 2 - Ed Rucinski
Sept 3 - Jay Rubin
Sept 5 - Stan Westfall
Sept 7 - Bob Welch
Sept 8 - William Fortin
Sept 11 - Claude Locke
Sept 12 - Glen Bryan
Sept 16 - Jimmie Weekley
Sept 22 - Terry Shook
Sept 22 - Howard Seeberg
Sept 23 - Douglas Hasley
Sept 25 - Charles Strickland
Sept 25 - Wayne Reynolds
Sept 26 - Chris Ball
Sept 27 - Don Gregory
Sept 30 - George Shoemaker
Sept 30 - Terry Carter
Sept 30 - Mayo Griner

Ocala Scottish Rite meets the first Monday of each month,

at 7:30pm.at Ocala Scottish Rite Center, 3632 NE 7th Street, Ocala,
Fl.
Orlando Scottish Rite meets at 1485 Grand Road, Winter
Park, Fla. on the 4th Friday of each month, except, November,
which is on the third Friday and dark in December, meetings at
7:30pm.

York Rite Bodies

A Continuation of the Blue Lodge
www.flgyr.org
Ocala York Rite Bodies Meetings at Belleview Lodge No. 95
Ocala Chapter No. 13 - Meets Second Wednesday of January,
March, May, September and November beginning at 7:30 PM.
Ocala Council No. 22 - R&S Masters - Meets Second Wednesday of February, April, June, October and December beginning at
7:30 PM.
Ocala Commandry No. 19 - Knights Templar - Meets on the
fourth Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM.
Lake/Sumter York Rite Bodies - Meetings at Leesburg Lodge 58
Eustis Chapter No. 33, Meets on the first Wednesday at 7:30
PM
Golden Triangle Council No. 28Royal & Select Masters Meets first Wednesday at 7:30 PM.
Chapter and Council will alternate on who begins first.
Triangle Commandery No. 38 Knights TemplarMeets on the
second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM, except in July and
August.

Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter No. 84

Lady Paula DeBerry PM Worthy Matron
W Hank DeBerry PPWorthy Patron
Lady Orrissa Maurer PMSecretary
W Robert Welch PGP Treasurer

Attention Brothers and Sisters! The Chapter

will be dark in the months of July, August and
September. The Only thing going is the Proficiency class and the Rob Morris picnic both on
August 29th.
10

Editors Note: All articles and information must be received by the editor
prior to the 23rd of the publishing
month for inclusion in the next issue.
Articles can be e-mailed to:
leesburglodge58@centurylink.net

,.

From The Treasurers Desk

Like any good Masonic journey, there comes a time when we are given a good dose
of Masonic light. Sometimes, that light is more revealing than we would like it to be,
and it shows us the truth about the paths that we have chosen. And, while the truth
can shake us to our very foundation many times, it will ultimately lead us to where

we need to be.
We know there are challenges before us. As Masons and leaders, we know action will be needed. We
know things will need to be done. This is part of our journey. When history takes a look at what was done,
the question is How do you want it to judge you?
As your Treasurer it is my duty and responsibility to keep you apprised of the financial status of our
Lodge. At each Stated Meeting (First & Third Tuesday of each month 7:00pm) I do so when called upon
by the Worshipful Master. Ive noticed, of our 223 members, Im speaking to the officers and ten to fifteen
members of our lodge on any given night.
Our current financial balances are such that we have again needed to draw funds from of the Investment funds to meet the operating costs of the lodge to get through the rest of the year. Financial support from
the Kitchen Account appears to be 50% from previous years as our Kitchen is operating at a loss through the
first eight months of the year. Our Charity Funds are meager at best, less than $500.00.
Did you know that it costs the Lodge $111.00 per day to keep the Lodge open? Did you know that
our membership dues are woefully short of the funds needed?
Why is this? Of our 223 members, 153 pay the full dues noticed to them ($86.00 lodge dues + $20.00
Grand Lodge per capita tax for a total of $106.00). We have some members who only paid $100.00, your
Lodge will have to make up the $6.00 difference. The remaining members fall into the 50+ year status, have
acquired perpetual memberships and emeritus members. Of the 153 members, several have not responded to
the dues notices sent out in October of 2014 which were payable by January 1st, 2015, thus a current loss
of available funds and the inability to accurately budget, plan and project available funds for the rest of the
Year.
It really is nice to know how much money is available when preparing a yearly budget or the potential status of what one considers as possible funds.
Our Monthly 1st Saturday breakfasts and Monthly 2nd Sunday dinners attendance is substantially
down. The loss of attendance and subsequent revenue has a direct impact on our operating funds as historically we have transferred funds from the kitchen account to the General operating account during the year.
Why, one very voiced opinion is It keeps the dues low.
Why is attendance down? I cant tell you, no one has told me or any of the other officers, it must be
one of those masonic secrets. How can a problem be fixed if one doesnt know what the problem is?
Is this article leading to a recommendation of a dues increase? Yes it is. Please, continue to read.
A Past Masters dinner was held during my year as Worshipful Master (2012), I was asked by a Past
Master, How many members does the Lodge I have, I replied 277, he replied I remember when we had
almost 400. Today, that number is 223. Fraternally are we failing? Is it more important that we labor only to
pay the bills and keep the doors open?
Another Past Master once said to me during a conversation, that he felt an allied body should separate
itself from Freemasonry, the lodges are not making enough Masons to draw membership from. My reply
question was As a member of this Lodge is it not your duty to help make Masons thus the Lodge having
membership for the allied body to draw from? Going back to previous paragraph, if we had 400 active and
participating Masons we probably wouldnt have any financial or membership problems. But we dont.
Dues is what pays the bills and financially keeps us going. Other funding such as the Kitchen or special events are funds that we should use to fulfill our obligations when a Brother, his wife or widow, or a
child is in need. Other funds are also how we give back to our community, gives us name recognition to attract likeminded men into out Fraternity. One of the beauties of our Fraternity . you are free to disagree.
To all outward appearances, it seems that the enjoyment of fellowship, commitment, learning and
purpose of local lodge masonry may not be as great anymore. All of us came to the Lodge searching; as we
go forward we must not let that search be in vain, for it takes all of us to continue the existence of our Lodge.
You should be demanding that which you came seeking and what was offered is provided. It does though
require your participation, where needed to achieve this.
11

NPD (Non Payment of Dues) suspensions appear to be 6 - 8 this year. Why, could it be Value. What
value to you get out of the Lodge? Youre somewhere reading this article, in your easy chair, at the kitchen
table, maybe on the porcelain throne, you paid for that object and you put an effort into obtaining it and in a
manner that pleases you to get value from it. What do you put into the Lodge to get value? Why not the same
for your Masonic Lodge?
I believe there are many aspects to masonry. Two of which are the business and fraternal sides. I believe that the business side (keeping the doors open and the bills paid) has overtaken the fraternal side
(membership personal growth and development) and this needs to change. I believe if we refocus and take care
of the fraternal side the business side will for the most part take care of itself through membership growth.
From the business side we are in pretty good shape, for now, questionable, for how long if we continue to pull
funds from our investment account; fraternally that remains to be seen.
Our attendance at stated meetings has dwindled; degrees even less, participation in our Mentors Program, Catechism instructions, investigations and petitions committees, and the list goes on, is still done by the
same few. I have searched and failed to find in any Masonic writings or in the Digest of Masonic Law, that
there is a point in Masonry that your labors (efforts) stop. Masonry is a continual growth of oneself and sharing that growth with a fellow Brother, that is how we make good better.
Since its inception on January 15, 1868, Leesburg Lodge No. 58 has celebrated a legacy unlike any
other. Its a legacy rich in history and ancient traditions - upholding three values that are the heart and soul of
all men: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. Leesburg Lodge No. 58 characterizes itself with discipline, honor,
esprit de corps, and an unquenchable thirst for more light, or do we?
A look around our building one sees the current level of OUR Lodge, one also sees OUR history,
GROTTO (gone), Leesburg York Rite Bodies (gone), Leesburg Shrine Club (gone), Leesburg DeMolay
(gone), Leesburg Rainbow Girls (gone), Amaranth (Gone), Leesburg Hi-Twelve (gone).
We have the capacity to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of our Masonic beliefs
and teachings or has apathy taken a foothold. The question is poised - What today is the common spirit existing in the members of Leesburg Lodge No. 58 towards inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and the strong regard
for the honor of our Lodge and Freemasonry.
I encourage you the membership to attend our meetings and activities, interact with the officers and
brethren, and access each for their commitment to you the membership, our Lodge, our Masonic ideals and
values and themselves. It is you, who will decide the continued existence of Leesburg Lodge. It is you who
will decide, by your actions or inactions, if Leesburg Lodge goes the way of those Masonic bodies who have
passed before.
Freemasonry is a sacred retreat away from the outside world where we live our day-to-day lives. The
Lodge is meant to be different from that world. In the outside world men are separated by politics, religion,
property, money, status and you-name-it; in the Lodge that is all cast away, we meet on the level. In that outside world men solicit members into their own like minded groups; in the Lodge we do not. The Lodge should
not be made up of groups of members but one membership group. In that outside world men are egotistical,
materialistic, domineering, and self serving; in the Lodge we should experience the death of the ego, the materialism, the urge to dominate, the selfishness and realize the birth of the spirit, the spirit of Freemasonry. In
that outside world men are too busy to join and be active in a fraternity; in the Lodge some men, somehow,
find that they really do have time for their local Lodge, for Freemasonry; others just fade away and contribute
nothing and get nothing from their Lodge, or from Freemasonry.
My Brothers, COMMUNICATION is the key to success. It is important to communicate any concerns
that you may have, so that problems or issues that may arise, solutions can be found.
Back to this question, Is this article leading to a recommendation for a dues increase? Yes it is. I will
be presenting a Resolution, come to your Lodge during a stated meeting, hear it and discuss it.
Respectfully and Fraternally;
Brother Larry D. Duff
Past Master - 2012
Leesburg Lodge No. 58 F&AM

12

Pictures from around the Lodge

Once again the Brothers of Leesburg Lodge were pleased to be able to support a local
teacher in the coming year. Mrs. Elizabeth Carlson who teaches special needs children
at Beverly Shores Elementary received a table load of supplies for her year.

Worshipful MasterRon
Glover and Mrs. Elizabeth
Carlson

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Pictures from around the Lodge

Some of the Lodge Officers with their wives at the presentation of the school supplies.
Left to Right W. Hank DeBerry ; Paula DeBerry; W.M. Ron Glover; W. John
Haas; Tina Horvath; Elizabeth Carlson; Bro. Rich Follett; Tonda Stockwell; Brenda
Duff; W. Larry Duff

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Parting Shots
Mediocrity in Masonry . . .
Shame on us!
BY: ROBERT G. DAVIS, 33*, GRAND CROSS

One of the questions that occasionally eats at me when I am driving home from a Masonic event,
degree, or function that has been woefully mediocre is how our members can sit through such Masonic
happenings month after month and still believe our fraternity is relevant and meaningful to men s lives?
How honest are we in claiming we make good men better while persistently repeating practices and behaviors which are so distinctively average, or worse?
Self-improvement involves some form of positive change. It requires some level of progress; entails some elevated sense of being. Explain to me how a lodge facilitates self-improvement by offering
its members a venue that doesnt feel any different when they are inside the lodge than outside of it.
Perhaps many of us come into Masonry looking for nothing more than fraternal association. But,
if thats the case, it ought to be the best fraternal association we have ever had!
Once we encounter the preparation room, or make our progress through the degrees, it is hard to
dismiss the awareness that we are engaged in something wholly different from our other community experiences. We quickly learn that Masonry has a higher calling which requires that we make an ascent
into the very center of our being.
An endeavor of such high importance and due solemnity is not a run of the mill undertaking. It
becomes clear there is nothing mediocre about Masonry. So why do we make it that way?
Heres the problem. Accepting mediocrity in our lodge practices is the same as living a mediocre
life. By making un-extraordinary acts and behaviors our ordinary practice, we entrap ourselves from
knowing how precious life really is. We dont use opportunities that come our way as a means of expressing how special we really are. Instead, we walk the walk with the rest of the herd and soon find
ourselves in such a deep rut of limitations we lose sight of our own value. We become trapped in mediocrity.
Regrettably, this too often seems the condition in which lodges, Scottish Rite Valleys, York Rite
Chapters, Councils and Commanderies find themselves. When nothing extraordinary, educational, insightful, compelling, intellectual, contemplative, spiritual, or fraternal occurs in our private, sacred, fraternal spaces, then we become only another ordinary, average, run of the mill, dime -a-dozen organization. It is hard to see how this kind of Masonry takes good men and makes them better.
It is not the kind of Masonry we should want to share with our friends.

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Parting Shots
I believe that if we truly want to move from the square to the compasses, we have to dare to be
different. And we cant dare to be different by following someone elses expectations. When a lodge
does the same thing year after year, it is accepting by default someone else s expectations. There is
nothing creative, inspiring, or different about parroting ritual, paying bills, and going home. That s doing only what many others have done before us.
To distinguish ourselves among men and organizations, we first have to perceive in our own
minds that we have something to do which will ultimately set us above the average. We start by thinking about the choices before us.
Do we choose what is safe rather than what is right? Do we only do things right, or do we do the
right things? Do we set out on a new path, or take the same old, comfortable way? Do we bring credit to
our teachings, or debit them as ideals of the past? Do we become the examples that young men want to
emulate, or do we seem to them as just another group of ho hum guys?
You see, the choice always controls the chooser. To be exemplary men, or an exemplary organization, we have to be exceptional in our awareness of who we are, what we are here to be doing, what
we know, and how we practice what we know. We have to have the courage to be different from the rest
of the crowdnobler in our expectations and more refined in our state of mind.
Because thats just the way Masonry is.
He who wants milk should not sit himself in the middle of a pasture and wait for a cow to back
up to him.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

REMEMBER YOU'RE A MASON

When the pressures of recession
Make us concentrate on greed,
Take heed, a worthy Mason
Cares about another's needs;
Don't let pressures of the moment
Make your obligation sway,
Stop and help a fallen brother
Or another by the way;
What you give is like a bubble
Whenever you assist,
What it costs in time and trouble
Is, soon after, never missed;
Brother, bear that obligation
You accepted on your knee,
It's in direct relation
To your own security;
Never hesitate, my brother
Square your actions now and say,
"I'll remember I'm a Mason,
"And behave like that today;"
"With regard to human kindness
And the 'Golden Rule', I pray,
I'll remember I'm a Mason...
And behave like that today."
Author unknown
16

SUNDAY DINNER
Leesburg Lodge No. 58
Sept 13, 2015
Menu
Meat Loaf or Baked Chicken
with mashed potatoes, gravy and
Green beans

Salad, Desserts both ( Sugared and Sugar free),

Drinks (Iced Tea, Coffee or Lemonade)
$8.37 + .63 tax - Adults, under 14 - $3.72 + .28 tax

11:30 AM until 1:00 PM

Please call the Lodge at 787-5696 or sign the guest list in the lobby
and provide the number attending with you,. This ensures enough food is purchased and prepared for all.
ALL MASONS, their families and friends are invited to our Monthly
Second Sunday Dinners and First Saturday Breakfasts
Help support your Blue Lodge, IT IS where all other Masonic Bodies Begin.

Future menu suggestions are always welcome!

Introducing 2015 Chef Crew

JW Wayne Reynolds
SS James Michael Thomas
JS Norman Novis
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NONPROFIT
US Postage
PAID
Permit#1040
Leesburg,, FL
34748

Leesburg Masonic Lodge No. 58 F&AM

PO Box 985
Fruitland Park, Florida 34731
leesburglodge58@centurylink.net

Celebrating 147 years (1868 2015)

in Leesburg, Fla. The Lakefront City

SUNDAY DINNERS
11:30 a.m. TO 1:00 p.m.
Menu items: June 14, 2015

Meat Loaf or Baked Chicken

Mashed Potatoes w/gravy and Green Beans
Garden Salad, Desserts (Sugared & Sugar-Free)
Coffee, Iced Tea and Lemonade
$8.37 + .63 tax per person, Children under 14 years of age $3.72 + .28 tax

PLEASE call the Lodge at 787-5696, or sign the guest list in the foyer, provide the
number of guests attending with you, this ensures enough food is prepared for all. ALL MASONS,
their families and friends are invited . Menu suggestions welcomed, just fill out a comment card.

Dont forget to call

or sign -up!!!

1st Saturday Monthly Coffee Klatch & Breakfast

8:00am to 10:00am
Eggs (cooked to order), Pancakes, Waffles, Bacon, Sausages
(Pattys or Links), Breakfast Potatoes, Grits, Sausage Gravy, Biscuits, Toast
Coffee, Orange Juice $5.58 +.42 sales tax per person
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