Naphtali Lodge #25 Installation of Officers

From left to right, Right Worshipful Brother Russ Tinker, Worshipful Brother John W. Ratcliff, Right Worshipful Brother Fred Statler, Jr and Worshipful Brother Tommy Hamlet.


Katie Solomon


Part of the mural in the grand lobby of the New Masonic Temple


My wife Terry and myself in front of the George Washington statue.


With my son Alex


Alex and I in front of an impressive Masonic statue


My daughter Lauren and I.


My Dad and my daughter.


Myself in front of the Temple


Dad, Alex and I


Dad, Alex, and I


On the steps of the Temple


The front of the Temple building.

Today I was installed as the Worshipful Master of Napthali Lodge #25. This is my first time as master and it was a great ceremony. My installing team included Right Worshipful Brother Russ Tinker, Right Worshipful Brother Fred Statler, Jr and Worshipful Brother Tommy Hamlet.

I was especially pleased to have my wife, son and daughter there as well as my Dad. A number of friends came downtown as well.

Once I was installed I gave a speech I prepared last evening. So I have some kind of content to share, I will post here the complete text of my short speech.

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I would like to thank you all for coming here today, I am deeply honored by your presence. I would like to share with you how it is that I became a Freemason and how I am today the Worshipful Master of Napthali Lodge.

Late in 2005 my neighbors decided to move away to Michigan. This was a big life change for us as well them, because our families did most of our recreational activities together. I suddenly realized that I didn’t have any good friends close by to hang out with. As I wondered how I was going to make some new friends the thought occurred to me that if the only criteria I had for meeting new people was whoever happened to buy a house next to mine my options were pretty limited.

This seemed like a pretty poor way to find a new friend that you could feel a close personal bond with that would last a lifetime. This was just about when Time magazine did a story about how the Freemasons, a traditionally closed and secretive society, was opening up and encouraging new members to join.

Now, I had never heard about Freemasonry in my life. I didn’t know anyone who was a Freemason, and no one in my family had been a member either. I had no opinions about Freemasonry, not positive, not negative; it was simply something I had never thought about; until now. I knew my father had been a member of the Eagles, another Fraternal organization, and I did know about the Lions club and the Rotary club as well. So, I started doing some research into Freemasonry and the more I read about it, the more it seemed to match my personal beliefs and sense of morality as well.

At Christmas I asked my Dad what he thought about the Freemasons and he told me that they were the best organization to join; that is if you could even get in at all. So, I sent an email to the Grand Lodge of Missouri through their website. A few days later a man named Chris Newbold gave me a call on the phone and set up an interview. After we met I filled out a petition and handed it in. The next week two men from the lodge came to my home to ‘investigate’ me. These men were very impressive and we had a thoughtful conversation at the kitchen table.

Just a few days later a bunch of men met inside a building and had a choice of dropping either a white ball or a black cube to vote for me to be a member of their lodge; based solely on the recommendation of the three members I had previously met. I was elected to become a member of the lodge and shortly thereafter I received my first, second, and third degree ceremonies which, to be frank, I didn’t understand much of at all.

What struck me the most was the fact that nearly 40 strangers gave up their entire evening to perform my third degree ceremony. My mentor and friend Right Worshipful Brother Russ Tinker made a point to act as King Solomon for my third degree. When it was over, and I looked around, I realized that I was no longer going to have any difficulty making new friends; friends with shared interests, of good character, and bound by the strongest principles of morality in how we conduct our lives.

Once I was now a Freemason for real I went out and bought a ring and some stickers for my car. I wasn’t quite certain what else I was supposed to do. As I went back to our meetings most of the time we just kept conducting the same three ceremonies over and over again that I still didn’t quite understand. I set out for myself to understand these ceremonies and started reading books, a *lot* of books. In all of my reading I learned a great deal about the history of Freemasonry and, most importantly, its crowning achievement in embedding Freemason principles into the framing documents of this nation after the Revolutionary War.

The more I read about Freemasonry the more it confirmed in me that the principles for which it stands are in perfect concert with my own beliefs. Still, I didn’t entirely understand the ritual. So, next, I decided I would start learning ritual. Which I did and, today, I know enough ritual to make myself generally useful during degree work. I have memorized the words and I find great pleasure, satisfaction, and harmony when performing it with my brethren.

Still, I wanted to do more in Freemasonry. In April of 2006 I attended an event at Troy Lodge #34. While I was there I was rather shocked when I saw one of my neighbors from down the street walk in; it seems I had known a Freemason after all. Worshipful Brother Dave McNeil, twice Past Master of Troy Lodge, lives just down the street from me and I have known him for years as the lead singer in the band Max-Thrust. I think Dave was more surprised to see me than I was to see him. He asked me if I knew anything about DeMolay and he encouraged me to get my son Alex involved. Just one week later the entire chapter was going to be attending State Conclave, their one major event of the year. I was overwhelmed by the event and my son had so much fun he definitely wanted to stay involved. Since then I have taken over for Dave McNeil and I have watched our group of young men grow and mature these past two years.

I thought Freemasonry was just for some old guys to meet in secret and eat pie but here I finally began to understand that Freemasonry comprises an entire community. It involves the whole family and can support their development is such a positive way. I have seen our young men in DeMolay grow and mature, gaining confidence in themselves and growing in leadership skills. I have also become involved in the Wentzville Rainbow Assembly which is sponsored by my lodge. This group of young ladies, some of whom are here today, are models for how young women should conduct themselves in society.

By now I was entirely satisfied with my involvement in Freemasonry but still I wondered where is the mystery that is so often alluded to in our teachings. One afternoon at a Rainbow Girls event in Saint Charles I was talking to my friend Dad Tom Thomason when he mentioned the ‘big temple’ downtown. The more he described the place the more intrigued I became.

I tried to research it on the Internet but I could find no information whatsoever. I did finally learn that they meet once a month on the 3rd Thursday, but that is all I knew. At the time I was employed by a company that is located just a few blocks away, so it was easy for me to come by after work. The day I showed up I walked to the front of the building trying to figure out a way in. The giant doors were obviously locked so I decided I would walk around the building until I found an entrance. I had a choice; I could have walked to the left, or to the right. Unfortunately, I chose to walk to the left. I traveled all of the way around this massive structure until I finally arrived at the east entrance, literally a bit winded from the walk.

At the east entrance I found a door that was open and I took that as a promising sign. This was the first time I had ever visited another lodge alone and I was more than a little bit nervous. I walked into the foyer and came to a locked door. I was looking around for a way to get in and just as I saw a note that said I was supposed to press a buzzer, I heard the door unlock. I wondered, how did that happen when I hadn’t even pressed the buzzer yet? That was when I noticed a security camera pointing right at me. By now my thoughts were starting to race. This finally seemed like one of those mysterious and secret societies I had heard about before. I walked down a long hallway, passed an incredible statue, and turned the corner. I was now in the grand entrance hall, but everything was dark. As I kept wandering aimlessly a man stepped around the corner and asked ‘May I help you?’

I was very nervous now, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I was even where I belonged. He asked, “are you here for the meeting?” Relieved, I said yes and he led me into an ancient hand operated elevator. Once I came off the elevator I walked into the most incredible lodge room I have ever seen in my life. I was greeted by the Secretary, Worshipful Brother Jesse Jannusch, and I was quickly made to feel welcome.

This was the first time I had ever visited another lodge but, since then, I have visited two lodges in Paris, as well as in Florida, San Francisco, and Seattle. Even though the ritual was incredibly different at every place I went, what was always the same was the incredible sense of camaraderie, welcome, and brotherhood I felt even though I had walked into the lodge as a complete stranger.

As I learned more about the history of this building as well as the history of Napthali lodge I became very inspired. Napthali Lodge was established in 1939, making it 168 years old! This building is 80 years old this past year. All totaled there were 45 founding members of this facility including
18 Blue Lodges,
3 Royal Arch Chapters,
1 Council,
3 Commanderies,
15 Eastern Star Chapters and all the Masonic Grand bodies in the State of Missouri, as well as the Grand Lodge. At one time thousands of men and women met in this building every month.

President Harry Truman held his private offices here when he was Grand Master of the State of Missouri and Charles Lindberg received his Fellowcraft degree here as well.

Today Napthali Lodge is the only remaining blue lodge to still meet in this building. It is difficult to get people to come all of the way downtown for a meeting and we have struggled to keep the lodge going at times. However, I feel strongly that Freemasons meeting here are the lifeblood that keeps this building alive. Over the past two years there has been steady growth at Napthali Lodge. Both Right Worshipful Brother Chris Neubold and I have made a commitment to keep the lodge alive for at least the next two years. Also, thanks to the untiring efforts of the members of the Temple Board we continue to be able to meet in this grand facility. There is hope that some real progress may be made in the near future to help preserve this Historic Landmark, and the future of this lodge, for years to come.

I thank you all for coming, and I am incredibly pleased to be appointed the Worshipful Master of this prestigious lodge.