Recorder's Corner
March 2010
Your entire Divan, plus Past Potentates Mark Terry and Terry Huff, went to Waco last weekend for Divan Mid-Winter. We had a great meeting and wonderful fellowship. I consider it a privilege to serve this fraternity and philanthropy in the capacity of Recorder, and I know all of your officers feel the same way as do their ladies, who all attended and kept us on the task at hand. Well, except for Mark Terry. All of us had to help with him. Just kidding, Mark.We have some activities in the near future for all of Maskat. I just peeked out my window at the snow, and I know the Grand Master of Masons in Texas is scheduled to visit Wichita Falls tomorrow [February 12th] to set the cornerstone at our new pavilion at the land on Hatton Road. He is a very busy gentleman this year, and we feel honored to have him visit in our fair city. By the time you read this, you will know whether we had to go to Plan B. I am not at all sure what that is!
The Nobility will go to Shreveport Feb 25-28 for the annual O.G. Trip. Your O.G., Dru Landrum, will walk there and back serving snacks and drinks on the bus. This is a worthwhile trip because we tour the first Shriner’s Hospital. As you probably know, first timers get to ride the bus “for free.” The hospital tour gives them an idea what this philanthropy is all about. It is also an inspiration to us old guys to see once again what we are doing for these children who really need our help. Makes you proud to be a Shriner! The other activities are for fun and fraternity, and there’s nothing wrong with that, either!
March 12 and 13 we will have the Annual Dead Cow Cookin' and Bean Fixin' Extravaganza at the Maskat land. The chairman is Noble Jim Griffin, and this is a sanctioned barbecue cookoff. The net proceeds benefit Shriner’s Hospitals For Children. It is an important event and a lot of fun. As Noble Joe Tom White might say, ’Don’t cha dare miss it’!
Speaking of "must do events," our Annual Hospital Benefit Golf Tournament, which is in its tenth year, is April 16th. This event was the brainchild of P.P. Don Wright, who has been its Chairman since we started it in 2001, the year after Don was Potentate. Terry Huff was Potentate in 2001 and asked Don to run it for a Hospital benefit. He agreed immediately even though he had never run one before! He had expert assistance to get him started, though. His late wife, Sharon Wright, had the expertise and knowledge to help him make the event a real success. If you play golf, this is one tournament you should play. If you don’t, there is plenty to do in preparation as well as the day of the event. If you sponsor a hole, you are contributing financially to the success of the tournament. Just ask, if you want to help in that way. If you want to physically help, Don will put you to work somewhere!
There are also many other activities on the horizon. Most of the Units have upcoming midwinter meets--read your Wildcat for time and place.
We also have TSA the first weekend in June in Fort Worth and the 74th Oil Bowl Football Classic here at Memorial Stadium the very next Saturday. Lots of good stuff to do! Hope to see you at some or all of these events!
Thanks for being a Shriner, and thereby making a difference in the lives of the children we serve!
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder
February 2010
Your new Divan Officers for 2010 are officially installed. Our thanks and congratulations to Mark Elgin for a job well done! Put your feet up and relax, Mark. You done good! Mark did have a small net loss in membership, but it was only seven members. We could have had a plus year for membership, but we had to suspend eleven members for non-payment of dues [NPD]. We had several deaths, one demit, suspended eleven members, and still came very close. I would say better luck next time, Mark, but you probably won’t be Potentate but once in your life. We have only had one Potentate serve two terms, and those years were back to back 1921 and 1922. Our first Potentate, Walter Cline, was that gentleman, probably because we were given dispensation one year and chartered the next. But that’s just a guess, it was before my time! Good luck to 2010 Potentate Bob Hamblin and his Divan
Despite the slight membership loss, Mark’s budget netted a gain of $45,000, so it wasn’t all bad. We hosted TSA for the second time in four years, and Texas Shrine Association not only knows where Wichita Falls is, they like coming here! We are fond of calling Maskat Temple "the mouse that roared." The other thirteen Texas Temples are larger, but we have more life! As Mark said last night, you, the Nobles and Ladies of Maskat, made it all happen with your hard work and dedication.
Congratulations to P.P. Ronnie James for the Cline Jewel Award, and to his Lady Colleen for being the first recipient of the Golden Fezzette Award! Potentate Elgin said he did not know what to call it; and, if it becomes a tradition, we are open to suggestions. We appreciate the efforts of these two wonderful people. Also a tip of the fez to Golden Fez recipient Ed Hall! Ed has been a Shriner over thirty five years, and an event doesn’t happen without his willing help. He helps everyone and every unit and he truly deserves the recognition!
We lost two Past Potentates in 2009 to the Black Camel: Nick Seitz and Tom Darling. Nick was Potentate in 1979, the year I entered the Shrine. Tom served as Potentate in 1980, so I have strong and fond memories of them. At that time, Maskat had more than three times our current membership! The membership trend has been downward since 1979, but with the quality young men we now have coming aboard, we could reach those heights again! We have had three plus years since then: 2001 with P.P. Terry Huff, 2003 with P.P. Harold Hawkins, and 2007 with P.P. Greg Stockton. But the trend has been down. To reverse the trend, we must have fewer visits by the Black Camel and recruit and retain members. It can be done. Masonry as a fraternity is slowly beginning to show signs of growth, and as you know, we are tied directly to Masonry. So work membership in the Blue Lodge and Shrine. We have the answer. It’s simple, but not easy! If it was, everybody would be doing it.
Happy Valentines Day Nobles and Ladies! With this much notice, you can’t say you haven’t been given a heads up. Buy your sweetie something and have a special day, or tell him or her you didn’t read my article.
As always, thanks for being a Shriner!
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder
January 2010
Happy New Year!! If you are like me, you have already broken some of your resolutions. I always make them, but most fall by the wayside. I am writing this in an attempt to meet a deadline, because there are too many distractions right now to squeeze this in. Something happening every night makes the season really busy!
We had Officer Elections at December Stated Meeting, and Noble Dru Landrum was elected Oriental Guide for 2010. Potentate Mark Elgin will become a Past Potentate on January 12th, when Dru is installed as O.G.! Our thanks to Mark Elgin for completing five years of hard work on our behalf! There were no other surprises, Bob Hamblin was elevated to Potentate, Terry Martin became Chief Rabban, Poney Thompson replaced him as Assistant Rabban, and Mark Reed became High Priest and Prophet. Jimmie Holland replaced himself as Treasurer and I am still your Recorder.
In other action, the Financial Advisory Board remained the same, with Nobles Bob Hogue and Dave Corbett agreeing to serve another term. The Nobility also voted to suspend fourteen Nobles for non payment of Dues effective December 31st. That is always a tough vote, but it must take place. Since the meeting, three of them have decided to ‘pay and stay’. So we have until December 31st to try to keep the other eleven. If you need names and phone numbers to reach out to one or more of these men, call the office! I know for a fact an appeal from a friend works wonders; the three men who stayed in did so because another Noble called them to encourage them. So make a call and make a difference!
We also initiated two New Nobles at Stated Meeting, Angel Lopez and Ron Stewart. When you see these gentlemen, welcome them to the Shrine. The Nobility voted to commit ‘up to $65,000’ to improving the property on Hatton Road by erecting a covered pavilion for use by the bands for Shrinefest and other events, and to be enjoyed by the membership for smaller gatherings.
I hope the Christmas Season gave you hope for the New Year; we all need that for a happy life.
As always, Thanks for being a Shriner!
The kids need you and we do too!
John Tunnell, PP Recorder
December 2009
This year is almost history, like it or not. I hope it has treated you well. The economic downturn has hurt a lot of people, and I’m sure quite a few of them are Shriners. I can’t tell anyone how to cope, but I wish I was eighteen again and had all the answers like I did back then! Now that I am officially old enough for medicare, I have a whole lot more questions than answers. Youth is wasted on the young, I can tell you that!
We lost some great Shriners in November, among them Noble was James W. Morgan and Past Potentate Nick Seitz. Nick was our Potentate when I came into the Shrine in 1979. I have fond memories of Nick and Ganel “back in the day.” They were a wonderful pair. Condolences go out to the family of James Morgan and to Ganel Seitz and her family for their loss.
We also gained a Noble in the month of November! Mike Frisinger joined our ranks at the November Stated Meeting; Ed Hall was his top line signer! Ed manages to get a couple of new members nearly every year. If we could all do that, I can assure you we would not have a membership problem. Mike brings our new member total to fifteen for the year, which is pretty good. But with 12 deaths thus far, 2 demits, and the 15 Nobles we are forced to suspend for Non Payment of Dues at the December Meeting, it is not good enough to give us a plus year for membership. We would have to salvage all of the Suspension List in order to have a “plus” year for membership, and that is simply not possible. If you know anyone on the Suspension List, which I read in Shrine last week, call them! The Imperial Potentate is sending them a letter this month, and anyone we can keep will help our bottom line in membership. Call Conner in the office if you want to see the list. A call from a friend can sometimes help.
Come to Stated Meeting in December! You get to vote for your officers for 2010, and as I mentioned above, it is our sad duty to vote to suspend those members who have not paid their dues. Of course, this is serious work. We have the opportunity at that time to elect the Oriental Guide, who will in all likelihood be our Illustrious Potentate in 2014. One Noble, Dru Landrum, has announced his intentions to run for that office, and as usual, we will take nominations from the floor if there are any.
Merry Christmas, and may you and yours experience the joys of the season.
And thanks everybody for being a Shriner.
The kids need you, and we need you!
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder
November 2009
At our October Stated Meeting last week, we presented pins to members who have reached a membership milestone. We started with the 25-year men and proceeded in five-year intervals until we reached the sixty-year members. I received a pin for thirty years of service to this great fraternity, and I am proud of that. You can bet I will be honored to wear that pin, as will be the other members who earned them. My good friend John Hatler also received a thirty-year pin. He began his Shrine journey a little later in life, but has made them quality years. When he and I came in together, he was in his sixties and I was thirty-four. He has been a great and very active Shriner ever since!
We had our Fall Ceremonial last night, followed by a Shrinefest Worker-Appreciation Party. We inducted into the Shrine an old friend of mine from the Elks, our newest Noble, Michael Alan Preston. He brings our grand total of new members for 2009 to fifteen! I listed the names of the other fourteen new Nobles in last month’s column. We may get a couple more before the year ends, so we do look good for new Shriners in 2009! Of course, it is difficult to have a real gain in member total when we factor in deaths and demits. Please Don’t Die!! STAY WITH US!
Of the men who have become Shriners this year, it pleases me to say many of them have already pitched in and become active, working members. Some began working hard for the fraternity-- even prior to their initiation! I need to thank Potentate Mark Elgin’s new father-in-law, Clint Cozart [Cathi’s Dad], and his band for the fine entertainment last evening for the Ceremonial/ Shrinefest Party. They helped make the occasion a real celebration!
November brings our Shrine Circus on the first full weekend: November 7th and 8th. This month (on Veterans Day), we also honor our Service men and women. I am sure you all know that my old outfit, the U. S. Marine Corps, celebrates its Birthday on November 10th. It was founded in Tun’s Tavern, Philadelphia, PA, on November 10th, 1775. When Jennifer and I visited Philadelphia in 2003, I specifically included on my "must see" list Tun Tavern and The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Alas, Tun Tavern no longer exists in any form, but the Grand Lodge is alive and well. I was literally stunned by its grandeur. If you have a bucket list, that stupendous edifice should be included.
Please stay healthy! The Flu Bug is hard at work in the U.S.A. If you get it, get treatment and stay home! We need you and we need you in good health!
I try to sign off the same way every time.
And thanks everybody for being a Shriner!
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder
October 2009
Every time I turn around it is time to write another article! Not that I mind that, but it seems like life is passing by with more speed than it used to. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with something you might find interesting.
We present membership pins in October to Shriners who have reached a milestone in their service. You will get a letter if you are scheduled to receive a 25, 30, 35, 40 etc. pin in Maskat Temple. If you don’t get a letter and think you are due a pin, please call the office. You may find it hard to believe, but we can and do make mistakes!
I am due to receive a thirty year pin, and I will wear it with pride! Seems like only yesterday that I became a Shriner. We were downtown then, with four floors and a wheezy old freight elevator. If you possibly could, you climbed the stairs! You never knew when you might be stuck between floors. The old place had character, but needed the sort of repairs that would cost as much as a new building! I’m glad we relocated. We finished the move out here in 1995, for those of you who don’t remember. Many of us weren’t even Shriners at that time, and this is the only place they can remember.
Speaking of newer members, we obligated six new Shriners at the September Stated Meeting, and fourteen for the year 2009! We have a full Ceremonial scheduled on October 17th here at Maskat, and we hope all of them can attend. It is an Open Ceremonial, wives and families are invited. Ceremonial is at 5:00pm, followed by a meal at 6:30 and a dance following that. We are combining the Ceremonial with the Shrinefest Appreciation Party for all workers at Shrinefest. The Ceremonial, food and fellowship is free, and many of our newest members actually worked the Shrinefest! If you can’t make the Ceremonial, please come for the food and fellowship starting at 6:30pm.
I am listing our fourteen newest Nobles for 2009: Tony Cope [January], Allan Godwin and J.W. Patterson [February], Brad Rodgers [March], Rusty Fenoglio and Joseph Jones [April], Jerry Sutton and Kevin Callahan [June], and Dane Beck, Danny Gordon, Gary Gregg, John Landrum, Scott McNeely, and Gary White [September]. Be sure and welcome our newest members, and thank you men for your commitment.
And thanks, everybody, for being a Shriner!.
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder
September 2009
I need to start by telling you, the working Nobility and Ladies of Maskat Temple, that the Shrinefest was a tremendous success! We made money and had a good time doing it [for the most part]. We do have some things to iron out, but I really feel good about it. I am not going to name names--there are too many of them. Shrinefest Chairman Mark Terry will probably have a long thank you list next month. Wild Fezzes, you came through for us again, with a whole lot of help from the Nobility!
The new policy for borrowing equipment seems to be working well. The tables and chairs really took a beating this weekend at Shrinefest, but they cleaned everything up when they returned it. Just remember to check everything out and in at the office if you borrow something for personal use. And return it like clean!
School started this week and summer is officially over, even if it is 105 degrees outside right now. Some of us go on Mark Elgin’s Potentate’s trip from August 29 to September 5, and I think everybody is ready to get out of Dodge City for awhile. If you can’t go, you will just have try to get along without us for a week. Cozumel is calling!
In October, we are presenting pins to our members who have reached a membership milestone. If you have 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60 years [or more] in this organization as of this year, call the office. We want to make sure we present pins to everybody who deserves one. This brings to mind Noble Maurice McCall, who passed from our midst last month after a brief illness. He was a great Mason and a Shriner for 61 years! We awarded his sixty year pin last October. Our prayers are with his family.
Nobles, if you move, please notify Maskat’s office ASAP. We request address changes from the Post Office, and they return your Wildcat to us for a fee of $0.50 per copy. Sometime it has your new address on it, sometimes it says “moved, left no forwarding address”. I know fifty cents isn’t much, but it adds up! Besides, we need to keep up with you, so inform the office if you move, even if it’s just across the street. I should have said Especially if it’s just across the street! It still costs us money!
Thank you for being a Shriner!
John Tunnell, P.P. Recorder