Magazine the Official Publication of the Grottoes of North America M.O.V.P.E.R
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The GROTTOMagazine The Official Publication of the Grottoes of North America M.O.V.P.E.R. A Charitable Appendant Body of Freemasonry Dancing thru life with the Grotto! VOLUME 43 NUMBER 1 FALL 2013 SUPREME COUNCIL OFFICERS 2012-2013 DEPUTY GRAND GRAND MASTER OF GRAND MONARCH MONARCH GRAND CHIEF JUSTICE CEREMONIES GRAND TREASURER Otto Thiergart,PM Mitchell C. Weinsting, PM 33° David C. Blythe,Jr. PM. DDS Mark L. McCombs, PM Robert L. Jackson, PM, 33° 9195 Gulf Beach Hwy 4000 Brentwood Drive 10296 East Park Avenue 104 Sheffield Street 5617 Applewood Pensacola, FL 32507 Columbia, MO 65203 Houma, LA 70363 Bellevue, OH 44811 North Little Rock, AR 72118 GRAND VENERABLE GRAND CAPTAIN PROPHET GRAND ORATOR GRAND MARSHAL OF THE GUARD PAST GRAND MONARCH Michael E. Dempsey, PM Matt Wissel, PM, 33° Michael Hosler, PM Tali Atala, PM, 33° David Rebmann, PGM 5377 E County Line Road 9 Eldia Way, 2104 Eastbrook Drive 7974 SW 86 Terrace 112 East Margarete Camby, IN 46113 Eastham, MA 02642 Kokomo, IN 46902 Miami, FL 33143 Tremont, IL 61568 SUPREME COUNCIL HUMANItarIAN FOUNDatION 430 Beecher Rd Gahanna, OH 43230 Dianna Bristle .............................. Executive Director William Wears, PGM ....... Executive Secretary Emeritus Sandee Riggs ................................ Executive Assistant Robin Garrett .................................... Executive Assistant Linda Stratton ......................... Administrative Assistant Patricia Phillips ....................... Administrative Assistant Phone: (614) 933-0711 Fax: (614) 933-0481 Phone: (614) 933-9193 Fax: (614) 933-9098 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] * Website: www.hfgrotto.org Website: www.scgrotto.org * * Website addresses have been changed from .com to .org HUMANItarIAN FOUNDatION TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN - 2015 SECRETARY - 2017 TREASURER - 2014 1st VICE CHAIRMAN - 2016 2nd VICE CHAIRMAN - 2013 Charles H Ferguson, PM 33° Clayton E Simons, PGM, 33° Frederick Dawson, PM Donald LaBarre, PGM Shuards Sutherland, PGM 7621 Cindy Dr 1171 Peach Tree Rd 2502 Plymouth Place 15559 Ricko Ln. 270 Burlington Cres Benton, AR 72019 Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Pekin, IL 61554 Hayward, WI 54643 London, Ont., Canada N5Z 3G5 2 The Grotto Magazine GRAND Monarch’S MEssagE Greetings Prophets and Ladies, The Supreme Session in Nashville was the best one that I can remember. Past Grand Monarch Dave Rebmann, his Lady Liz, Dick Faust, Jim Bainter, and the Prophets and Ladies of Abbas Grotto need to be congratulated! Our theme for this year is “Dance thru Life with the Grotto.” Dancing does not mean that you are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers; it can be that you are the helpful facilitator who shows the way to peaceful resolutions of problems that come your way. When you dance through life, you smooth the way for yourself and others. In order to keep Grotto alive we MUST start paying more attention to bringing in new members. Membership is the key to our future. Speaking of keys, if a Prophet is a top line signer for three or four new Prophets, he will get a Gold Key; five or six new Prophets a Ruby Key; and, seven or more, a Diamond Key. These keys can be worn on your fez. Our membership year is from May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2014. Therefore, some of us are going to have to get really busy as our membership year is almost half over! Grand Monarch Otto Thiergart and his Lady Lois The Grotto charity is The Humanitarian Foundation. It is my intention to continue the Grand Monarch’s “Five for Five” Enchanted Lantern Program. If you were able to join Dave, congratulations. If you thought about it, 2013-2014 but didn’t get started, you can join our “5 for 5” with GRAND Monarch’S ITINERARY Otto. All you have to do is agree to buy one Enchanted ATTENDED AND UP-COMING EVENTS Lantern per year for five years. Or, you could see July 18-20 Northwest Grotto Association, Great Falls, MT Aug 23-25 Michigan & W. Ontario Association, Marysville, MI Lois and gift any amount to help the children. Our Aug 25-28 2013 Biennial Session, Scottish Rite, Washington, DC Humanitarian Foundation helps families with special Aug 29-Sep 2 Southwestern Grotto Association, Little Rock, AR needs children. In recent years the Grotto and Shrine Sep 18-21 Supreme Caldron Convention, Akron, OH have joined together to help children having their Cleft (Representative TBA) Lip and Palate surgeries done at a Shrine Hospital. Our Sep 19-21 Empire State Grotto Association, Troy, NY Sep 26-28 Florida State Grotto Association, Wesley Chapel, FL Dental Program will help to get their dental treatment Oct 3-6 Midwest Grotto Association, Indianapolis, IN completed so they can have their surgery. To date we Oct 9-12 Western Grotto Association, Pahrump, NV have helped over 200 children in this program. Oct 11-13 Pennsylvania Grotto Association, Erie, PA (Representative TBA) As we travel around the Realm, we look forward to Oct 24- 26 New England Grotto Association, Boxborough, MA seeing our many friends and making new ones. Oct 31-Nov 3 Supreme Council Board Meeting, Gahanna, OH Dec 20 Installation of Officers/Prophet at Sight, Dinar Grotto, Birmingham, AL Yours in Goodfellowship, Dec 31 New Year’s Eve Dance, Zelica Grotto, Pensacola, FL Grand Monarch Otto Thiergart This itinerary is subject to change. “Dancing thru life with The Grotto!” 3 AN IntroDUCTION to GM Otto THIErgart Otto Thiergart was born July 3, 1948 in Davenport, April 1990. In the Iowa to Connie Melendez Thiergart and Walter Carl Grotto he served Thiergart. His parents had six children: Charles, Marti as an Officer 1993 Otto, George, James and Bernard. to 1997, being the Otto grew up on a dairy farm 35 miles west of Monarch in 1997. Davenport. After High School he joined the Navy He then went on to “to see the world.” His first year of training was the Florida State Electricity and Electronics Schools, specializing in Grotto Association, communications. Then it was off to sea! After over serving as President three years at sea, he was able to get shore duty at NAS in 2004. He Pensacola. He arrived in May of 1972, met Lois within became involved nineteen days and they married ten months later. in the Southeastern Grotto Association, After working a year in sales, he went to work at the serving as Postal Service. In 1978 he and Lois started buying rental President in 2008. houses and Lois has been the property manager during In June of 2006 he these many years. After 30 years with the Postal Service was elected to the Grand Line of the Grottoes of North Otto decided to retire, travel more and help Lois. America. While working at the Postal Service he decided to go Otto has been instrumental in raising funds for the to college. He received his Associates Degree from Humanitarian Foundation and the George Washington Pensacola Junior College. Masonic National Memorial. He has served and enjoyed Lois, the love of his life, dance partner and work partner working with the Grand Line for seven years, and, have been members of the Unity Church of Christianity looks forward to serving you as Grand Monarch in the for 38 years. Otto has served on the Church Board for coming year. thirteen years, four of those as Board President. The things that bring him joy are Lois, his family, Otto and Lois are the proud parents of four children: Church, Masonry, friends everywhere, dancing, playing Mark, Michael, Matthew and Lisa. They have added six cards and watching sports. beautiful grandchildren: Christopher, Kelly, Jocelyn, Gabriel, Sierra, Windrem and great grandson, Noah. Otto Thiergart Otto joined the Masons in 1975, the Scottish Rite in April Grand Monarch 1976, the Shrine in November 1976 and the Grotto in “DancING THRU LIFe” PINS Lois and her Grand Line Ladies are “Dancing thru Life with the Grotto” by selling Dancer Pins to everyone they meet. Lady Lois’ goal is to raise $4,000.00 or more for Humanitarian Foundation to benefit Children with Special Needs. Pins are only $10 each! Lois says Otto’s theme of dancing through life is not about being Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers; it’s about smoothing the way for others. Every time you show a kindness or do something special to make it easier for one person or many people, you are “Dancing thru Life.” So let’s all work together and “Dance thru Life with the Grotto.” Let’s all support our Grand Monarch’s Lady Lois on her project when she visits your Grotto or Grotto Association! 4 The Grotto Magazine ProPHET REX ALLEN THE LAST OF HOLLYWOOd’S SINGING COWBoys MICHAEL G. WAHL, PGM, 33° GRAND HIstorIAN Records, which released his biggest hit, 1953’s “Crying in the Chapel”; the song peaked in the Top Five and reached the Top Ten pop charts. In the latter half of the decade, he made a number of albums composed of Western songs. During this time, he acted in 39 episodes of the television program Frontier Doctor. By the ‘60s, Rex Allen had re-signed with Mercury Records, which led to several minor hits and one major success — 1962’s “Don’t Go Near the Indians,” which returned the singer to the country Top Ten and the pop Top 20. During this time and the early ‘70s, he recorded albums for Disneyland, Buena Vista, and JMI. However, he was more prominent in this era as a narrator for many Walt Disney films and television programs, as well as a voice in several Disney cartoons. Better-known as the Arizona Cowboy, Rex Allen was the last of Hollywood’s singing cowboys. Between 1950 and Rex Allen was a Mason! When they learned he would be 1954, Allen starred in 19 movies for Republic studios.