October - December 2013

Volume 1, Issue 17 Valley of Newport News, Orient of Virginia, AASR

2013

The Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite

100th Year Anniversary Celebration

October 27, 2013

Valley of Newport News

Ill. James D. Cole, 33º Sovereign Grand Inspector General of Virginia

Ill. Jack L. Smith, IGH Personal Representative of the SGIG in Virginia

Ill. Adrian L. “Pete” Eure, IGH Secretary for the Valley of Newport News

Ill. Danny O. Belott, IGH Assist. Secretary for Valley of Newport News

Ill. Gerald E. Burks, IGH Treasurer for the Valley of Newport News

Bro. Harold C. Joyner, KCCH Almoner for the Valley of Newport News

Ill. Jack L. Smith, IGH Chairman of the Trustees

Newport News Lodge of Perfection

Ill. Danny O. Belott, IGH Venerable Master

Newport News Chapter of Rose Croix

Bro. Harris T. Luscomb, III, KCCH Wise Master

Newport News Council of Kadosh

Ill. George A. Hollingsworth, III, IGH Commander

Newport News Consistory

Ill. Jimmy C. Willis, IGH Master of Kadosh

Knights of St. Andrew

Bro. Page S. Neale, Jr., 32º Venerable Master

Chartered October 12, 1912

Upcoming Activities

October 22 - Knights of St. Andrew Feast

6:30pm (29th Degree Practice after Feast)

October 23 - Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite

Stated Meeting 7:30pm (Dinner @6:30pm)

October 25-26 - Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite

Fall Reunion

October 27 - Valley of Newport News Fall Reunion

Ring Ceremony and 100th Anniversary Celebration

November 13 - Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite

Stated Meeting 7:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm

November 26 - Knights of St. Andrew

Stated Meeting 7:00pm

December 11 - Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite

Stated Meeting 7:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm

December 18 - Valley of Newport News Annual

Christmas Dinner and Musical Presentation

Happy Holidays &

Happy New Year !

Our stated meetings are held on the fourth

Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm. A

deliciously prepared Dutch Treat dinner is

served at 6:30pm prior to all meetings w/e of

July & August. The Ladies of the Scottish

Rite meet at all meetings w/e of the July &

August Stated meetings.

Editor: Bro. J. Richard Rawls, KCCH

Asst. Ed.: Ill. David A. Burkus, IGH

Offices: 65 Saunders Rd.

Newport News, VA 23601 Phone: 757 599 6617

Fax: 757 599 0021

Email: nnsrtemple@verizon.net

Please support your Blue Lodge, your

Scottish Rite and all other Masonic Bodies

you are a member of.

They all need your support.

Page 2

Inside this Issue

Page 2 - Upcoming Activities

Page 3 - Personal Representative

Page 4 - 100th Anniversary Committee

Page 5 - “From the Secretary”

Page 6 - Venerable Master’s Message

- Knights of St. Andrew

Page 7 - 2013 Orient of Virginia Honour Men

Valley of Newport News:

http://newportnewsscottishrite.org

Orient of Virginia:

http://www.orientofvirginia.org

Page 3

Valley Personal Representative Message Ill. Jack L. Smith, IGH

In Your Service,

Jack Smith

Brethren,

As your new Valley personal Representative, I bring you warm greetings and my

heartfelt appreciation for the support and many well wishes extended to me during this

transition period. Thank you!

I also want to extend a special thanks to my predecessor, Ill. Clifford Alan Parker, 33o

IGH, Orient Personal Representative, for his Leadership and many contributions to the

Valley of Newport News.

Moving forward, I encourage the participation of all our Brethren in the daily activities

of the Valley, to fellowship one with another, and to enjoy all that Scottish Rite

Freemasonry has to offer. Each Wednesday at 11:0am, Brother Nick Raffaele prepares a

lunch for all who wish to attend. Brethren, it is a great time to meet and greet!

Congratulations to Ill. Harold Cooley Joyner, 33o IGH and Ill. Hassel (Pete) Johnston,

33o IGH on their coronation during this Biennial Session of the Supreme Council in

Washington D.C., August 27, 2013.

I would also like to congratulate Brothers Steven Franklyn Dowd, KCCH, William

Wilson Green, KCCH, Ryland Vincent Mundie, KCCH, Patrick Craig Murphrey, KCCH,

Page Simpson Neale, Jr., KCCH, and William Franklin Overby, KCCH on receiving their

Knight Commander Court of Honour in Roanoke on September 27, 2013. Thank you for

your dedication to the Rite!

Brethren on a very serious note: Our Masonic Center is now approx. 26 years old and

having been reactive rather than proactive over the years, we are now faced with aging

equipment i.e., HVAC systems, a roof needing repair, social hall floor and ceiling tile

replacement and many other concerns. I therefore, request a proactive concerted effort by

all to raise the necessary funds to restore our Masonic Center to a reliable condition.

I have established a Committee, known as the “Masonic Center Restoration Program

Committee” chaired by Brother Paul E. Lubic Jr, to brainstorm and implement ideas and

suggestions to raise the necessary funds. Ideas and suggestions are not limited to the

committee but to every Scottish Rite Brother in the Valley of Newport News.

Questions, suggestions and ideas may be directed to Brother Lubic or me. Your support

and enthusiasm is greatly appreciated.

Working together as a team we can and will rise to the occasion, to meet our goals and

objectives.

Page 4

Well, October is almost here!! Why is that exciting? Well, on October 27th, our Valley

will be celebrating our 100th Anniversary as a Valley. In 1913, we started just as a Lodge of

Perfection, but over time we were “chartered” to start holding meetings in the other three

bodies. In that time, we have moved from downtown Newport News to St. Tammany Lodge

No. 5 to our present building. What? You have never heard of these items before; well then

come to our celebration ceremony on October 27th to hear more about our history.

We are delighted that our Grand Master, Most Worshipful and Illustrious Louis

Kerford Campbell, IGH; Sovereign Grand Commander, Ill. Ronald A. Seale, 33°; and our

Sovereign Grand Inspector General and Most Worshipful James D. Cole, 33°, will all be in

attendance for our celebration. So come on out, meet and greet them.

We have done well raising money for our reception, which will follow the ceremony,

but we still need to raise more. We still have commemorative coins @ $10 each and golf shirts

with the commemorative design on them @ $40 each. We will have lapel pins available on the

day of the celebration, so buy a coin to ensure you get a free lapel pin. We are also putting

together a 100th Anniversary Commemorative Annual/Yearbook style book. The book will be

11” x 8.5”, bounded, and approximately 100-125 pages. We will include our history (more of

the items that were noted above), history of our Scottish Rite Ladies, and Knights of St.

Andrew. The book will have plenty of lists (as addendums) and photos of our Honour men and

current members/wives. It will definitely be a treasured item. The cost is still unknown at this

time, but we are anticipating around $10 each…well worth the cost. The books should be

available on or around our December stated communication.

Our last fund raiser is to help offset the cost of the books & reception by asking for

sponsors for our book. We are planning on putting advertisements in the back of the book and

a sponsor page. For the advertisements, $100 will purchase you a full page ad, $50 will buy

you a ½ page ad, $35 will buy you a ¼ page ad and a business card size add for $25. Sponsors

(your name listed in the book as such) are Platinum ($100), Gold ($50), Silver ($25), and

Bronze ($10). If you would like to do either, please contact Ill. David Burkus, IGH, @

valight.editor@gmail.com or send a check to our Secretary with it made out to “Valley of

Newport News AASR”. Please ensure your name is listed the way you would like it in the

book and if it is an advertisement, please provide a contact name and phone number, in case

there are any questions.

Thanks for all of your support and let’s have a great anniversary celebration.

News From Your 100th Anniversary Committee Ill. David Burkus, IGH

From the Secretary’s Desk Ill. Adrian L. Eure, IGH

Ill. Adrian "Pete" Eure, IGH Secretary

Page 5

Freemason Network: www.FreemasonNetwork.net

Update your Scottish Rite Information: http://update.scottishrite.org

Pay your dues online: http://renew.scottishrite.org

Brethren of the Valley of Newport News,

The Supreme Council is later this year mailing out the 2014 dues notices. Please as soon as

you get your 2014 dues notice, please remit your dues to the Secretary. As you know, it’s

your dues that keep the Scottish Rite in good standing – paying our utilities, maintenance on

the building, lawn maintenance, Supreme Council assessments and other items that must be

paid. So, look at your dues notice and send your dues to the Secretary. If you have any

problems with your dues, please notify the Secretary and let’s get the problems settled. Our

numbers are slowly getting less and less. Deaths, demits, and suspensions are taking a toll on

our membership.

When you pay your dues and receive your dues card, you will notice a change! Your dues

card will be plastic and it will be issued for use for several years. Every year after 2014, you

will receive a yearly sticker to put on your dues card to keep it up to date. The Supreme

Council says that this will cut the cost of mailing out new dues cards each year. So, this is a

new system and we hope you like it and it works.

We had a great Annual Golf Tournament and raised $11,000.00 for the ODU Childhood

Language Center. Ill. James Freeman and all the members of his committee deserve a big

“WELL DONE”. Great job, guys!!!

We are getting ready for our Fall Reunion and as of today (9/24/13) we have twenty (20)

petitions that we are processing. This will be a great Reunion for our 100th Anniversary. We

are planning a special Reunion and Ring Ceremony for the Fall Class. Mark your calendars

and plan to be present for our Reunion and Anniversary Celebration.

Remember, this office is here to serve you!!! Call us at 757-599-6617 or visit the office –

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9:00am to Noon.

God Bless!!! See you at the next Stated Meeting.

Brethren,

Please join with me in congratulating our newest recipients of the 33° Inspectors General Honorary: Ill. Hassel (Pete)

Johnston, 33°and Ill. Harold Cooley Joyner, 33°. Congratulations also to our new recipients of the 32° Knights

Commander Court of Honour: Steven Franklyn Dowd, KCCH, William Wilson Green, KCCH, Ryland Vincent Mundie,

KCCH, Patrick Craig Murphrey, KCCH, Page Simpson Neale, Jr., KCCH and William Franklin Overby, KCCH.

Please mark your calendars for our November and December meetings. To avoid conflicts with the Holidays, our

Stated meetings these two months will be on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.

Our Annual Valley of Newport News Scottish Rite Christmas Party will be held on Wednesday December 18th. Cost

will be $10.00 per person and everyone is invited. Ill. Jim Freeman, 33° IGH and his family will provide our musical

entertainment for this event. Dinner and music for only $10.00…what a great deal !

Thanks to everyone that has supported me and the Valley of Newport News this year.

Venerable Master ‘s Message Ill. Danny O. Belott. IGH

Fraternally Sir Knight Page S. Neale, Jr., Venerable Master

Page 6

Brethren, the hot days of summer are in our rearview mirror and the cooler days of fall are upon us. This is my

second most favorite time of the year. As in the spring time with all of God’s miracles of new beginnings, flowers

blooming, trees budding, and grass growing, the fall season is the time for them to change and “pull back” so to

speak. The beautiful colors of fall are yet another reminder of His great design. I hope that all had an opportunity to

take some vacation time with your family and/or friends this summer.

As all Sir Knights know, this has been a very busy year supporting the Valley of Newport News with taking up the

money, serving and clean up for the Third Friday night dinners. The Knights continue to welcome members and

guests to our stated meetings, sell and take up dinner tickets, and assist with clean up.

All “Black Hats” that may be interested in joining with us, please let us know. We seek individuals who we

believe want to work and support the Valley, but we don’t always know your intent. Please let a Knight know if you

are interested in our organization and assist in providing support to the Valley. Being a member of the Knights of

Saint Andrew is one of the best ways of being active in the Valley.

Important up-coming dates of note are as follows: Oct. 22nd, Feast of Saint Andrew, Oct 23rd Valley Stated, Oct.

25th and 26th Fall Reunion, Oct. 27th Ring Ceremony, Nov. 13th Valley Stated, Nov. 26th KSA Stated and Election

of Officers, Dec. 10th Valley Stated. There are other opportunities such as the Christmas dinner and the Country

breakfast possibly.

A special thank you goes out to Sir Knight Nick Raffaele and Rt. Wor. John M. Yoksza for providing and cooking

the meal for the Feast of Saint Andrew.

In closing, I want to take just a moment to thank all the Sir Knights of Saint Andrew this year for their untiring and

unselfish help in not only supporting me but the Valley of Newport News. As you know this has been a very, very

busy year and without you and your willingness to work hard, some things simply would not have been

accomplished. The Valley of Newport News thanks you and I thank you, it has been an honor and pleasure to have

worked with you and served as your Venerable Master.

Knights of St. Andrew Page S. Neale, Jr. 32o, Venerable Master

Fraternally, Ill. Danny O. Belott, Venerable Master

Page 7

IGH 33rd Degree Elects – Virginia for 2013 Michael Robert Aulicino Alexandria Jorge Ignacio Franchi Alexandria

James Arville Loudermilk II Alexandria Michael Arthur Riley Alexandria

Edward Titus Conner Danville Robert Roy Eckenrode Lynchburg

Hassel Johnston Newport News Harold Cooley Joyner Newport News

Peter Joseph Gordon Norfolk Philip Jay Taylor Sr. Norfolk

Foy Alvin GreenwoodJr. Portsmouth Ronald W. Rowe Portsmouth

Gray Wilfred Bradford Richmond Jeffery Eugene Hodges Richmond

Edward Francis Swansey Jr. Richmond Percy Wootton Richmond

William Marvin Keyser Roanoke William Anthony Parks Jr. Roanoke

KCCH –Elects- Orient of Virginia for 2013 Allen Dale Beckner Alexandria David Benjamin Browning Jr. Alexandria

Keith Gregory Gawrys Alexandria Raymond Lee Lambert Alexandria

Thomas Gayle Little Alexandria Hector Nibaldo Mujica Alexandria

Philip Niemann Rhodes Alexandria Richard Edward Saunders Alexandria

Howard Michael Sobel Alexandria John Thomas Tillery Alexandria

James Leslie Hodnett Danville James Terry Ley Danville

Edgar Leroy Little Jr. Danville Fletcher Bangs Watson IV Danville

Kenneth Lee Frederick Lynchburg William Bradley Gardner Lynchburg

Matthew Victor Gibson Lynchburg Raymond Thomas Heinrich Lynchburg

Steven Franklyn Dowd Newport News William Wilson Green Jr. Newport News

Ryland Vincent Mundie Newport News Patrick Craig Murphrey Newport News

Page Simpson Neale Jr. Newport News William Franklin Overby Newport News

Lawrence Wayne Crocker Norfolk Christopher Winston Douglas Norfolk

Robert Paul Kaylor Norfolk James Horatio Pate Norfolk

Samuel Grant Welty Norfolk Phillip Lewis Williams Jr. Norfolk

Ney Calloway Austin Portsmouth Jeffrey Charles Flowers Portsmouth

Roy Allen Myers Portsmouth Major Green Stephenson III Portsmouth

William Oscar Watson Portsmouth Charles Thomas Batten Richmond

Harvey Lee Fleshman Richmond Daniel Louis Freye Richmond

William Robert Heltzel Richmond Terry Francis Hilton Richmond

Roy Michael McKenney Richmond Robert Canter Puffenbarger Richmond

John Douglas Runnett Richmond Jeffrey Donald St. Onge Richmond

James Thomas Wadkins III Richmond Fredric Evans Dooley Roanoke

James Ernest Glovier Roanoke Jasper E. Reynolds Roanoke

Robbie Lee Robinson Roanoke Robert John Rohrback Roanoke

Congratulations to the 2013 Honour Men in the Orient of Virginia

Orient of Virginia 2013 Honour Men

Nonprofit Organization

U. S. Postage Paid

Newport News, Virginia

Permit No. 54 Valley of Newport News

Orient of Virginia

65 Saunders Road

Newport News, Virginia 23601

Return Service Requested

Our Departed

Brethren

Their spirit to God,

their memory in

our hearts.

Augustus Dean Church, 32o May 19, 2013

Carroll Ellet Allen, 32o

June 1, 2013

Milton Lowell Thomas, 32o

September 12, 2013