On Thursday, May 4, the Lodge assembled and honored one of our Brethren for his 50 years of service to Masonry. The Lodge was opened on the Fellow-Craft degree and called to refreshment for this public ceremony.
The Secretary read the minutes of the Master Mason Degree held on November 11, 1955. It was a Past Master's night with more than 100 brethren present. The Worshipful Master then read a list of interesting facts from 1955.
The Worshipful Master then presented the Grand Lodge Award of Gold to Brother Thomas Hobert Chilton, Jr., according to the public ceremony of that degree. Brother Chilton and his wife Marilyn had travelled from California for this presentation.
Brother Chilton then addressed the Lodge. He said how pleased he was to be here and that he'd been thinking about this probably for the last fifty years. The reading of the minutes of his raising brought back many names he had almost forgotten. To him Mustard Hall and Masonry were almost synonymous. His association goes back even before his election by the lodge, probably for 60 years or more. He then shared with us his recollections of the old building and activities that he remembered from the old days, including that he had been a Senior Councillor in Mustard Chapter of DeMolay, and that there had been any number of social events for young and old at the Lodge.
Brother Chilton then outlined for us his Masonic family ties, which are extensive and have many Broad Ripple Lodge connections, one of which was of course his father, Thomas Hobert Chilton Sr., who was Master of Broad Ripple Lodge in 1961.
Finally, in thanks for all that the Lodge has meant for him over his more than sixty years of association with it, Brother Chilton and his lady Marilyn tendered to us a most generous donation, which will be applied to the Building Fund, and stated that he hoped to see us all here in 25 years when he plans to receive his 75 year pin.
It should be noted that a fine dinner of fried chicken was provided by the Junior Warden prior to the meeting. Dessert was home-baked cookies courtesy of Brother Michael DeWitt's lady Desiree.
Posted by Nathan Brindle at May 5, 2006 12:01 PM