Volume 70 No 3 July 2005 WM Richard Elia neighborhood. Coordinated by History and both the Chamber and King Oscar Lodge #855, the afternoon Rededication of began in the dining room with a Jefferson display of old photographs and Masonic Temple original blueprints, and an intro- duction by the Jefferson Park Bruce Barnes, Editor Chamber of Commerce. The building was open for self- [NOTE: Much of the historical guided tours and the formal pro- information contained within gram for the afternoon began this article is courtesy of re- about 1:00 PM. After a wel- search done by Brother Eric come by the Chamber, and the Diamond of Oriental Lodge introduction of Brother Eric #33, AF&AM in Chicago. Diamond of Oriental Lodge #33, Brother Diamond is the web- AF&AM of Chicago, everyone master of Oriental’s website at moved up to the Lodge where he www.oriental33.org] gave a presentation about the On Sunday, May 14th 2005, the history of the building and took Jefferson Park Chamber of questions about both the build- Commerce sponsored a presen- ing and Freemasonry in general. tation on the history of Jeffer- son Masonic Temple attended Some Lodge, and by more than 140 Masons, fam- Building, History ily members, friends and resi- dents of the Jefferson Park (Continued on page 15) Inside This Issue . Letter From The East Page: 2 T H E H E S P E R I AN RI E S P H E T H E Sponsored Child’s Birthday Party Page: 3 Follow-Up: Toys for Iraq Page: 6 The Declaration of Independence Page: 8 Hesperia Lodge #411 A F & A M M & A A F Lodge #411 Hesperia Between the Ashlars Page: 10 Community Builder’s Award to Lori Cannon Page: 12 Masons Take To The Street Page: 22 Letter from the East We are pleased to bring you the July 2005 issue of “The Hesperian”. As you will read in this issue, our own Jefferson Masonic Temple has been refurbished and, with the help of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, rededicated. I would like to invite any our Brothers, family members and friends to visit on any meeting night and see the substantial improvements and changes. Although the stairs in the Lodge may be an obstacle to some of our Brethren, there is hope in site. As part of the remodeling of the building, Hesperians have already committed to contributing to the King Oscar Elevator Fund — keeping the funds on deposit at our bank to earn interest — until pledges from the other Lodges who use the building are received. Any Brother who wishes to make a personal donation, in any amount, will have their name added to a plaque by the elevator. Make your checks out to King Oscar Elevator Fund and either send them to us, or bring them to any meeting. More in the Lodge History article. I am always delighted when Lodge Brothers participate in outside events. In this issue is an article about Alma Montejano, Hesperia’s sponsored child’s birthday party. Alma was very happy to finally meet the men who are helping to nurture her and doing so much to provide for her upbringing, and education. Unfortunately, the 6th Northeastern District picnic has been cancelled, but the 5th Northeastern district has invited Hesperians to Bunker Hill forest preserve to enjoy theirs on Sunday June 24th — 10:00 AM on. Bring a salad or other dish. As you are aware, during July and August we traditionally have only one meet- ing, on the 2nd Thursday of those months. As a substitute to the 2nd meeting during July, you are invited to a BBQ at The Renslow Family home on Thursday, July 28th, beginning at 7:00 PM. Watch your mailbox for more details. This fall I would like to encourage our Brethren to come to Lodge early on the evening of Thursday, September 8th at 5:00 PM. Brothers who have not been to Lodge recently can see the newly remodeled facility, and play cards or checkers; I do not know how to play cards so maybe one of you can teach me. If there are seven or more Brothers available, I would like to use their experience to open Lodge early and then pause for refreshment at 6:30 pm. Those who wish to re- turn home before sunset would be free to do so. We will resume Lodge with those Brothers in attendance after dinner. Finally, Brethren, Hesperians accomplished something we’ve never done be- fore — we made it into the second round of the Erika Challenge! My compli- ments, and a hearty thank you, to all the Brothers who participated in both rounds for their participation. It could only be done with your assistance. Fraternally, Worship Master Richard Elia, Hesperia Lodge #411,AF&AM Page 2 HESPERIA LODGE #411 A F & A M Sponsored Child’s Birthday Party On Sunday, May 15th, ten Brothers from Hesperia Lodge #411, AF&AM of Chi- cago carpooled to the Masonic Children’s Home in LaGrange Illinois to celebrate the 15th birthday of our sponsored child, Alma Montejano. Because no birthday party is complete without the inclusion of friends, we asked Alma’s House Mother to extend an invitation to all of the other children at the Home as well, and supplied enough pizza, salad and soda for everyone. We arrived to find approximately 30 anxious kids, ranging in age from 4 to 17, waiting for us in the dining room. Worshipful Master Richard Elia presented Alma with a framed photograph of Hesperia’s Officers, taken at their installation, and, after introductions and a pre-meal prayer, we all got down to the business of (Continued on page 4) Hesperia’s Sponsored Child, Alma Montejano, lights the candles on her birthday cake at the party sponsored by Hesperia Lodge #411 on Sunday, May 15, 2005. It was her 15th birthday! Photo Courtesy of Rick Tamen Page 3 VOLUME 70 NO 3 (Sponsored Child’s Birthday Party—Continued from page 3) consuming almost 2 dozen pizzas, several gallons of soda-pop and a miniscule amount of salad. What none of us knew before our arrival was that Alma’s cousin, Maria is also a resident at the Children’s Home and it was her birthday as well! After dinner, as Alma and Maria put candles on their respective birthday cakes, one of Hesperia’s newest Master Masons, Brother Ralph Kipness, co-owner of the National Marionette Company of Chicago, gathered everyone up in a semi- circle at one end of the room and opened a very special trunk . Inside the trunk Marionette Lessons, given by Brother Ralph Kipness. You’re never to young to learn how to make a clown toss a baton! Photo Courtesy of Rick Tamen Page 4 HESPERIA LODGE #411 A F & A M (Sponsored Child’s Birthday Party, Continued from page 4) were several clowns, a ballerina, dragon and Pinocchio, all of whom joined Brother Kipness in providing entertainment for everyone as we consumed cake and ice cream. When Brother Kipness asked for an assistant, nearly everyone in the room raised their hands. Several children were able to get their first lesson in how to manipulate the airplane control and the strings that control the mario- nettes and allow them to walk, turn their heads, and, in the case of one of the clowns, control the clown’s ability to toss a baton. More than two hours after our arrival, both the children and Brethren of Hesperia posed for a group picture. After assisting in the clean-up of the dining area, every- one scattered to enjoy a couple more hours of playtime before getting ready for bed and school on Monday morning. Prior to our leaving, Alma gave those of us who were interested a tour of her cottage and thanked us for both her birthday pre- sent and the afternoon of fun and fellowship. Young and Old Have Fun Together! Kids and members of Hesperia who were still there after cleanup pose in the Dining Hall at the Masonic Children’s Home in LaGrange with Alma, Photo Courtesy of House Mothers at the Masonic Children’s Home VOLUME 70 NO 3 Page 5 Follow-up: Toys for Iraq An Iraqi soldier, assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Division of the Iraqi Army, hands out a new pair of shoes to an Iraqi girl during a joint patrol with US soldiers assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, May 19, 2005, near Balad, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey Hesperian’s were among the many groups and individuals who sent boxes of toys, clothing and supplies to our troops in Iraq. After seeing the article that appeared in last month’s Hesperia, many people donated things on their own as well. Here’s a thank you note received from Sgt Brad Lyga, son-in-law of Past Master David Grooms. [see The Hesperian, Vol 70 No 2 — April, 2005] “These items are some of what was donated by all of you. It was a very nice ex- perience considering how thankful the people were and how needed the items are. I still have items left and have been taking pictures so I'll share more, but thought it was nice that this article made it to the press. Again, thank you all for your sup- port.. Brad” HESPERIA LODGE #411 A F & A M Page 6 Brad’s wife, Tracy, went on to say: “The following list is not complete I am sure, but I wanted to make sure all of you knew about the items that were sent to Brad.