Calendar
SEPTEMBER
Sept 10 Kick off Dinner Steak Bake
Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Program to follow
Guard’s Club meeting following program
Sept 17 L-O-P Rehearse 5th degree 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 22 Children’s Dyslexia Center, CNY
Timothy O’Connor-Slater Walk-A-Thon @ Oriskany OES Campus
Register 9:30 a.m. / Walk 10:00 a.m. / Chicken Bar-B-Que 11:30 a.m.
Sept. 24 All Officer’s Meeting Training Session
Meeting 7:30 p.m. / Refreshments to follow
OCTOBER
Oct. 01 Executive Committee Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 08 L-O-P Rehearse 5th degree 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 20 White Hat Presentation Dinner
Social 6:15 p.m. / Dinner 7:00 p.m. / White Hat presentation to follow
Oct. 22 L-O-P Meeting 7:30 p.m.
Confer 4° “Secret Master” / Confer 5° “Perfect Master”
Refreshments to follow
Oct.29 C-P-J Rehearse 16th degree 7:00 p.m.
Consistory
Brothers,
Do not forget the steak bake on September 10! This is a good time to bring a Brother Mason to experience the fellowship we share in the Scottish Rite. Get your reservations in--and remember, your guest Brother looking at Scottish Rite is the guest of the Valley. I invite all the new 32nd Degree Brothers to use this event to share your excitement with your lodge brothers.
We also have the Learning Center Walk-a-thon coming up in September 22. Brothers, the funds we raise it this event helps the center and its students greatly. Your involvement makes a difference!
I congratulate you, my Brothers, for making the Valley of Syracuse shine at Council of Deliberation in July. (Council of Deliberation is the Scottish Rite equivalent of Grand Lodge, in case our new brothers did not know.) There are two awards for membership recruitment. One Valley had the highest number of new members--and the highest percentage of new members, and it was the Valley of Syracuse. Job well done!
I thank the Brothers who worked Masonic Safety ID at the State Fair on Scottish Rite Day. We typically see 2500 to 3000 people in that one event, and have the chance to show a large crowd who and what Freemasons really are.
The 33rd Degree Brothers of the Valley have attended Supreme Council and are pleased to welcome the latest Brother to this degree, Illustrious Milo Peterson. Milo has done much quietly in the background to make the work of our Valley and the Rite much smoother. Well done, Bro. Milo!
Ill. Lynwood Bennerson, 33°
Commander-in- Chief
Chapter
Greetings,
I hope everyone survived the extremely hot and dry summer we had. One nice thing about the grass going dormant is that my lawn mower was well rested.
Congratulations are in order for the Valley’s newest M.S.A., Melvin Sitts. Mel received this prestigious award at this years’ N.Y.S.C.O.D. I was glad to be at the Dinner to see Mel presented with this, the highest honor that the New York State Council of Deliberation can award.
This year we are looking at a trip to The Valley of Norwood for some of the Degree work. They have traveled to Syracuse and Utica last spring so a road trip might be great fun.
Brothers Ill Gary Hartman, 33’ and George Laird III, 32’ both had some extensive surgeries this summer. Let’s hope they continue to improve and join us in fellowship soon.
I want to thank all the members of the Valley and their ladies for the time they gave of themselves for the Safety ID Program at the New York State Fair this year. It is a very rewarding program and we have fun doing it.
I am looking forward to seeing my Brothers at our programs this coming year which by the way will be the 200th Anniversary of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America.
Fraternally,
Lawrence W. Egnaczyk, 32°
Most Wise Master
Council
Greetings Brothers.
I hope you all had a wonderful summer and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with your families and loved ones.
The NYS Council of Deliberation was again held in Syracuse this year. On Friday evening, our Brother Thomas Santmyer, 32° was presented the Distinguished Award for Military Service. Saturday’s program following breakfast was the 4° presented by the Valley of Binghamton, followed by the 9° by the Valley of Schenectady, and the 16° presented by the Valley of Buffalo. The Ladies were treated to a Luncheon Cruise on Skaneateles Lake, and the threat of rain didn’t dampen their spirits. The COD business meeting followed lunch. A special presentation by Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33° Active Deputy for NYS, awarded our own CIC Ill. Lynwood W. Bennerson, 33°, with a special Spirit of Brotherhood Award. The evening ended with the formal banquet and the MSA Award Ceremony where Brother Allan J. Ferguson, 32° was awarded this honor.
Congratulations go out to Milo J. Peterson, DSA who was recently coroneted as 33° Honorary Member of Supreme Council at the Supreme Council Session held in Cleveland, Ohio in August. There will be a White Hat Presentation Dinner for Milo in October.
The coming year in looks like it is shaping up to be another exciting one as we head into Scottish Rite’s 200th Anniversary. The Valley will be starting out the year with our annual Kickoff /Brother Bring a Brother Dinner on September 10th. This event will be featuring a Steak Bake, get your reservations in.
Dave Barnello, 32°
Sovereign Prince
Lodge
The time has come for us to resume our labors. I hope you all had a very pleasant summer, be it a very hot and dry one. The good news was that you didn’t have to mow as often, the bad news was that you had to watch your lawn turn from a lush green, to a golden brown.
A sincere “Thank You” to all, along with their family members, who took time out of their busy schedule to work at the Safety ID booth at the NYS FAIR, on Scottish Rite Sunday.
A hearty “Congratulations” goes out to two of our Brothers who received special recognition at the Council of Deliberation; D.B. Melvin W. Sitts, 32° MSA, who received hid MSA designation, and Rev. Allan J. Ferguson, who was named from the Valley of Syracuse to receive the MSA at COD in 2013.
Please plan on attending our “Kick Off” Steak Bake On September 10. It’s a great time to see old friends and catch up.
The LODGE OF PERFECTION will be conferring the 4°, 5° and 14° this year. We will be looking to cast the 5° and I urge any of our new members who would like to take a part in this degree to contact either myself (439-0057) or the Valley office (452-7976) for more details.
See you at the Kick Off dinner.
Fraternally,
DB Gary Kall, 32°
Thrice Potent Master
Notes from the Children's Dyslexia Center
What a wonderful time we had at our Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 5th. Your own Lynwood Bennerson was our guest speaker and we were pleased to have all but three of our children attend with their families (very proud families I might add). All of our tutors were present as well with our four scholars who achieved their Certification in the program.
Another great thing about this year’s ceremony was that we celebrated the “graduation” of two of the young men who had attended the program for two years. You should know that both tutors for these children are members of the Masonic community; John Peschel and Sharon Williams. Your support and their work brought about wonderful results for these young men.
Unbelievably, we are at the end of our summer program. This year we had seven continuing children participate and two young ladies who have completed their two years and chose to come for the summer program to gain more reinforcement. This is the lowest attendance for our summer program to date but we will begin the fall will a roster of eleven returning children and twelve new children.
We will have six of our certified tutors returning in the fall as well. We have also started a new class of five scholars who will begin tutoring in the fall.
It has been a very busy and fulfilling year and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Annual Timothy O’Connor-Slater Walk-a-Thon on Sept. 22nd. It will also include a Chicken Barbecue and we are planning a Bake Sale and Can & Bottle Drive as well. Your participation will be greatly appreciated and you can visit the Center at the same time.
As always, thank you so much for the interest and support which has brought us to such a great place.
Linda Martin, Director
Email- [email protected]
Phone- (315) 736-0574
Mail- Children’s Dyslexia Center- CNY
PO Box 638
Oriskany, NY 13424
Hospitaler
Brother Sublime Princes,
I thank you for the support you have given to the Hospitaler’s Fund throughout the past year. I felt proud of our newly-knighted Brothers at the 150th anniversary when they requested we do a collection for the Hospitaler. Such support shows zeal to live up to our Masonic obligations to care for one another.
The Brothers in this Valley are doing great and small things to show their care for one another and the world. I tip my hat to Bro. William Beveridge 32° for the kind of outreach that reveals the soul of our Craft. Bill owns the Little Caesar’s franchise in Cortland and stepped up in a moment of need. The Little Caesar corporation has a mobile pizza kitchen it takes to soup kitchens and disaster areas to help feed the hungry. This special unit came to Cortland to serve the soup kitchen, but it broke down before serving the meal. Bro. Bill responded to the call to help the corporation and the community meet its mission. Well done, Brother!
Another Brother of this Valley received the first Edward G. Gilbert award from the Council of Deliberation for exemplifying the Masonic obligation to care for another Mason. Illustrious Lynwood Bennerson 33° has worked diligently and quietly to make life better for at least one brother Mason. I am proud for and of our Commander-in-Chief in all that he does.
Finally, Supreme Council created a Youtube video you should take the 20 minutes to see. It explains the Supreme Council’s version of the Hospitaler’s Fund, known as the Almoner’s Fund. The history and nature of the care we give one another is the subject of the video. Search youtube.com using the keyword: CaringForEachOther to find the piece.
Allan J. Ferguson, 32° DSA
Hospitaler
Guard’s Club Meeting
This is an open letter message and invitation to all members of Central City Bodies, AASR, Valley of Syracuse. My Brothers, your assistance is needed.
The Valley of Syracuse has always been very proud of the Degree Work performed by the members of our Valley. It is plain and simple. We need additional Brothers willing to join our degree presentation teams. We need individual willing to learn speaking parts. We need individuals who are willing to participate in a degree presentation filling non-speaking parts. We need individuals willing to work in the robing room and setting up the Lodge Room for degree presentations.
You are invited to attend a meeting of the Valley Guard’s Club following the Steak Bake Outing on September 10, 2012. Hear what your degree directors have to say and if you are able to lend us assistance planning and performing the degrees planned for 2012-2013 volunteer to assist them.
Our 2011-2012 Degree presentations were excellent. Many favorable Comments from the members of our last class provides testimony to that fact. Supreme Council continues to work to modernize our degree presentations each year. There are many new parts to learn and new characters to portray as your Valley and Scottish Rite Masonry moves into the future.
Please attend the meeting, hear what our plans are for 2012-2103 and join with us to present our degrees in the coming year.
Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°
Valley Secretary
AN INVITATION TO A STEAK BAKE
To all of our Masonic Brothers who are not members of the Scottish Rite. Supreme Council, 33°, A.A.S.R., Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A., celebrates 200 years in 2013. Be a part of something very special in Scottish Rite Masonic History. Join Central City Bodies, A.A.S.R., Valley of Syracuse in 2012-2013 and be a member of our Supreme Council’s 200th Anniversary Class of 32° Scottish Rite Masons. As a special gift, all new Scottish Riters created in 2012-2013 receive an attractive commemorative jewel to wear from our Supreme Council.
Contact Ill. Robert M. Tyrrell, 33°, Valley of Syracuse’s Membership Committee Chairman or call the Valley of Syracuse office (452-7976) to obtain additional details about how to become a Scottish Rite Mason. If you are currently a Master Mason thinking about becoming a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason you are invited to attend our annual Fall Outing and Steak Bake Monday evening September 10, 2012 as a guest of Central City Bodies, AASR, Valley of Syracuse. What is required to attend? Call the Valley of Syracuse Scottish Rite office at 452-7976 to make your reservation and join us as a guest for dinner. Come to the dinner and enjoy an evening of Masonic fellowship.
Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°
Valley Secretary
2013 Burns Supper
A great time was had by all last January when we hosted our first Robert Burn’s Supper at Coleman’s Irish Pub. We have a Saturday January 26th date penciled in for the 2013 Supper.
Coleman’s will be a little too small if we exceed the number we had then so I am trying to get a preliminary head count so we can figure out where to hold it next January.
Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested in attending the 2013 event in January.
Rick Powell
SEPTEMBER
Sept 10 Kick off Dinner Steak Bake
Social 6:00 p.m. / Dinner 6:30 p.m. / Program to follow
Guard’s Club meeting following program
Sept 17 L-O-P Rehearse 5th degree 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 22 Children’s Dyslexia Center, CNY
Timothy O’Connor-Slater Walk-A-Thon @ Oriskany OES Campus
Register 9:30 a.m. / Walk 10:00 a.m. / Chicken Bar-B-Que 11:30 a.m.
Sept. 24 All Officer’s Meeting Training Session
Meeting 7:30 p.m. / Refreshments to follow
OCTOBER
Oct. 01 Executive Committee Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 08 L-O-P Rehearse 5th degree 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 20 White Hat Presentation Dinner
Social 6:15 p.m. / Dinner 7:00 p.m. / White Hat presentation to follow
Oct. 22 L-O-P Meeting 7:30 p.m.
Confer 4° “Secret Master” / Confer 5° “Perfect Master”
Refreshments to follow
Oct.29 C-P-J Rehearse 16th degree 7:00 p.m.
Consistory
Brothers,
Do not forget the steak bake on September 10! This is a good time to bring a Brother Mason to experience the fellowship we share in the Scottish Rite. Get your reservations in--and remember, your guest Brother looking at Scottish Rite is the guest of the Valley. I invite all the new 32nd Degree Brothers to use this event to share your excitement with your lodge brothers.
We also have the Learning Center Walk-a-thon coming up in September 22. Brothers, the funds we raise it this event helps the center and its students greatly. Your involvement makes a difference!
I congratulate you, my Brothers, for making the Valley of Syracuse shine at Council of Deliberation in July. (Council of Deliberation is the Scottish Rite equivalent of Grand Lodge, in case our new brothers did not know.) There are two awards for membership recruitment. One Valley had the highest number of new members--and the highest percentage of new members, and it was the Valley of Syracuse. Job well done!
I thank the Brothers who worked Masonic Safety ID at the State Fair on Scottish Rite Day. We typically see 2500 to 3000 people in that one event, and have the chance to show a large crowd who and what Freemasons really are.
The 33rd Degree Brothers of the Valley have attended Supreme Council and are pleased to welcome the latest Brother to this degree, Illustrious Milo Peterson. Milo has done much quietly in the background to make the work of our Valley and the Rite much smoother. Well done, Bro. Milo!
Ill. Lynwood Bennerson, 33°
Commander-in- Chief
Chapter
Greetings,
I hope everyone survived the extremely hot and dry summer we had. One nice thing about the grass going dormant is that my lawn mower was well rested.
Congratulations are in order for the Valley’s newest M.S.A., Melvin Sitts. Mel received this prestigious award at this years’ N.Y.S.C.O.D. I was glad to be at the Dinner to see Mel presented with this, the highest honor that the New York State Council of Deliberation can award.
This year we are looking at a trip to The Valley of Norwood for some of the Degree work. They have traveled to Syracuse and Utica last spring so a road trip might be great fun.
Brothers Ill Gary Hartman, 33’ and George Laird III, 32’ both had some extensive surgeries this summer. Let’s hope they continue to improve and join us in fellowship soon.
I want to thank all the members of the Valley and their ladies for the time they gave of themselves for the Safety ID Program at the New York State Fair this year. It is a very rewarding program and we have fun doing it.
I am looking forward to seeing my Brothers at our programs this coming year which by the way will be the 200th Anniversary of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America.
Fraternally,
Lawrence W. Egnaczyk, 32°
Most Wise Master
Council
Greetings Brothers.
I hope you all had a wonderful summer and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with your families and loved ones.
The NYS Council of Deliberation was again held in Syracuse this year. On Friday evening, our Brother Thomas Santmyer, 32° was presented the Distinguished Award for Military Service. Saturday’s program following breakfast was the 4° presented by the Valley of Binghamton, followed by the 9° by the Valley of Schenectady, and the 16° presented by the Valley of Buffalo. The Ladies were treated to a Luncheon Cruise on Skaneateles Lake, and the threat of rain didn’t dampen their spirits. The COD business meeting followed lunch. A special presentation by Ill. Peter J. Samiec, 33° Active Deputy for NYS, awarded our own CIC Ill. Lynwood W. Bennerson, 33°, with a special Spirit of Brotherhood Award. The evening ended with the formal banquet and the MSA Award Ceremony where Brother Allan J. Ferguson, 32° was awarded this honor.
Congratulations go out to Milo J. Peterson, DSA who was recently coroneted as 33° Honorary Member of Supreme Council at the Supreme Council Session held in Cleveland, Ohio in August. There will be a White Hat Presentation Dinner for Milo in October.
The coming year in looks like it is shaping up to be another exciting one as we head into Scottish Rite’s 200th Anniversary. The Valley will be starting out the year with our annual Kickoff /Brother Bring a Brother Dinner on September 10th. This event will be featuring a Steak Bake, get your reservations in.
Dave Barnello, 32°
Sovereign Prince
Lodge
The time has come for us to resume our labors. I hope you all had a very pleasant summer, be it a very hot and dry one. The good news was that you didn’t have to mow as often, the bad news was that you had to watch your lawn turn from a lush green, to a golden brown.
A sincere “Thank You” to all, along with their family members, who took time out of their busy schedule to work at the Safety ID booth at the NYS FAIR, on Scottish Rite Sunday.
A hearty “Congratulations” goes out to two of our Brothers who received special recognition at the Council of Deliberation; D.B. Melvin W. Sitts, 32° MSA, who received hid MSA designation, and Rev. Allan J. Ferguson, who was named from the Valley of Syracuse to receive the MSA at COD in 2013.
Please plan on attending our “Kick Off” Steak Bake On September 10. It’s a great time to see old friends and catch up.
The LODGE OF PERFECTION will be conferring the 4°, 5° and 14° this year. We will be looking to cast the 5° and I urge any of our new members who would like to take a part in this degree to contact either myself (439-0057) or the Valley office (452-7976) for more details.
See you at the Kick Off dinner.
Fraternally,
DB Gary Kall, 32°
Thrice Potent Master
Notes from the Children's Dyslexia Center
What a wonderful time we had at our Recognition Ceremony on Tuesday, June 5th. Your own Lynwood Bennerson was our guest speaker and we were pleased to have all but three of our children attend with their families (very proud families I might add). All of our tutors were present as well with our four scholars who achieved their Certification in the program.
Another great thing about this year’s ceremony was that we celebrated the “graduation” of two of the young men who had attended the program for two years. You should know that both tutors for these children are members of the Masonic community; John Peschel and Sharon Williams. Your support and their work brought about wonderful results for these young men.
Unbelievably, we are at the end of our summer program. This year we had seven continuing children participate and two young ladies who have completed their two years and chose to come for the summer program to gain more reinforcement. This is the lowest attendance for our summer program to date but we will begin the fall will a roster of eleven returning children and twelve new children.
We will have six of our certified tutors returning in the fall as well. We have also started a new class of five scholars who will begin tutoring in the fall.
It has been a very busy and fulfilling year and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Annual Timothy O’Connor-Slater Walk-a-Thon on Sept. 22nd. It will also include a Chicken Barbecue and we are planning a Bake Sale and Can & Bottle Drive as well. Your participation will be greatly appreciated and you can visit the Center at the same time.
As always, thank you so much for the interest and support which has brought us to such a great place.
Linda Martin, Director
Email- [email protected]
Phone- (315) 736-0574
Mail- Children’s Dyslexia Center- CNY
PO Box 638
Oriskany, NY 13424
Hospitaler
Brother Sublime Princes,
I thank you for the support you have given to the Hospitaler’s Fund throughout the past year. I felt proud of our newly-knighted Brothers at the 150th anniversary when they requested we do a collection for the Hospitaler. Such support shows zeal to live up to our Masonic obligations to care for one another.
The Brothers in this Valley are doing great and small things to show their care for one another and the world. I tip my hat to Bro. William Beveridge 32° for the kind of outreach that reveals the soul of our Craft. Bill owns the Little Caesar’s franchise in Cortland and stepped up in a moment of need. The Little Caesar corporation has a mobile pizza kitchen it takes to soup kitchens and disaster areas to help feed the hungry. This special unit came to Cortland to serve the soup kitchen, but it broke down before serving the meal. Bro. Bill responded to the call to help the corporation and the community meet its mission. Well done, Brother!
Another Brother of this Valley received the first Edward G. Gilbert award from the Council of Deliberation for exemplifying the Masonic obligation to care for another Mason. Illustrious Lynwood Bennerson 33° has worked diligently and quietly to make life better for at least one brother Mason. I am proud for and of our Commander-in-Chief in all that he does.
Finally, Supreme Council created a Youtube video you should take the 20 minutes to see. It explains the Supreme Council’s version of the Hospitaler’s Fund, known as the Almoner’s Fund. The history and nature of the care we give one another is the subject of the video. Search youtube.com using the keyword: CaringForEachOther to find the piece.
Allan J. Ferguson, 32° DSA
Hospitaler
Guard’s Club Meeting
This is an open letter message and invitation to all members of Central City Bodies, AASR, Valley of Syracuse. My Brothers, your assistance is needed.
The Valley of Syracuse has always been very proud of the Degree Work performed by the members of our Valley. It is plain and simple. We need additional Brothers willing to join our degree presentation teams. We need individual willing to learn speaking parts. We need individuals who are willing to participate in a degree presentation filling non-speaking parts. We need individuals willing to work in the robing room and setting up the Lodge Room for degree presentations.
You are invited to attend a meeting of the Valley Guard’s Club following the Steak Bake Outing on September 10, 2012. Hear what your degree directors have to say and if you are able to lend us assistance planning and performing the degrees planned for 2012-2013 volunteer to assist them.
Our 2011-2012 Degree presentations were excellent. Many favorable Comments from the members of our last class provides testimony to that fact. Supreme Council continues to work to modernize our degree presentations each year. There are many new parts to learn and new characters to portray as your Valley and Scottish Rite Masonry moves into the future.
Please attend the meeting, hear what our plans are for 2012-2103 and join with us to present our degrees in the coming year.
Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°
Valley Secretary
AN INVITATION TO A STEAK BAKE
To all of our Masonic Brothers who are not members of the Scottish Rite. Supreme Council, 33°, A.A.S.R., Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, U.S.A., celebrates 200 years in 2013. Be a part of something very special in Scottish Rite Masonic History. Join Central City Bodies, A.A.S.R., Valley of Syracuse in 2012-2013 and be a member of our Supreme Council’s 200th Anniversary Class of 32° Scottish Rite Masons. As a special gift, all new Scottish Riters created in 2012-2013 receive an attractive commemorative jewel to wear from our Supreme Council.
Contact Ill. Robert M. Tyrrell, 33°, Valley of Syracuse’s Membership Committee Chairman or call the Valley of Syracuse office (452-7976) to obtain additional details about how to become a Scottish Rite Mason. If you are currently a Master Mason thinking about becoming a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason you are invited to attend our annual Fall Outing and Steak Bake Monday evening September 10, 2012 as a guest of Central City Bodies, AASR, Valley of Syracuse. What is required to attend? Call the Valley of Syracuse Scottish Rite office at 452-7976 to make your reservation and join us as a guest for dinner. Come to the dinner and enjoy an evening of Masonic fellowship.
Ill. James D. Swan, Jr., 33°
Valley Secretary
2013 Burns Supper
A great time was had by all last January when we hosted our first Robert Burn’s Supper at Coleman’s Irish Pub. We have a Saturday January 26th date penciled in for the 2013 Supper.
Coleman’s will be a little too small if we exceed the number we had then so I am trying to get a preliminary head count so we can figure out where to hold it next January.
Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested in attending the 2013 event in January.
Rick Powell