THE CORINTHIAN 93

Corinthian Lodge No. 93 A.F. & A.M.M · MOctober 2022

DEAR BROTHERS, a couple of you had requested a printed version of this newsletter, but this program is really not geared for printing and postage for it is really crazy, so please enjoy the digital version.

We interrupt this newsletter for two important reminders...

Harvest Home Day is Saturday, October 1st from 6 AM to 10 AM.

A grand time like no other, sponsored by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, 304 International Circle in Cockeysville. Dress is casual  with a pancake breakfast, contests and games, vendors of things Masonic, Maryland Masonic Museum displays, and Masons from all over Maryland. See "Brother Joe tells all" below for more information.

Widows/Past Masters Night is Wednesday, October 5th with a formal dinner at 6:00 PM.

We will honor the widows of our lodge with a special dinner at the Mt. Moriah Temple complex, then at 7:30, our Past Masters assume the chairs and entertain us with stories of their time in the East. See "Brother Joe tells all" below for more information.

Our 'first night back' from Summer is rated by all as 'fun night back'

First of all, it wasn't really a first night back from Summer. The lodge had been working without a break throughout the summer taking nine new Masons through the three degrees.

After dinner, we sat around talking together, finally solving many of the problems of the world.

We gave several visitors a tour of our temple meeting place before dinner, with one young man submitting his petition, thereby joining a previous petitioner for our next class.

Then at 6:30, after the blessing by Brother Roy Hodgson, PM, we sat down to an excellent dinner, with Brother Bob Ludwig procuring the most amazing fried chicken you ever tasted as the main course.

Brother Keith Huber, one of "The Nine" who also served our country in the Navy, was sporting a hat presented to him by his brother-in-law, PM John Reiter. 

On display that night were several interesting items from our lodge archives. Pictured below is the magnificent gold Past Master's jewel donated back to the lodge by

PM Harry Rollins, Sr.

Shore Shack becomes Much More Shack

View from near the creek of the rear of the Shore Shack with the sound of thumping crab mallets emanating from under the canopy.

Words cannot adequately express the absolutely delightful time we all had that day at WM Joe Frank and his lovely wife Karen's beautiful new shore home. So, we'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

Our gracious hosts, WM Joe Frank and Karen Frank.

Revelers gather under the canopy to get the crab feasting underway. Shallow Creek is in the background.

Corinthian Lodge No. 93-- Corinthian strong!

Chillin' out on the back porch deck to start the day. Everything was underway by 2:00 in the afternoon and apparently, it didn't end until the following morning.

WM Frank asked Robin Markel to help sell tickets. Here she's dispensing some to Brother Eric Fotis who got a bunch. 

Brother Ben Ludwig (far right) oversees one of the tables with (L to R) Brothers Rob Carlson, PM, Keith Huber and John Reiter, PM, carefully dissecting their dinner. The abundance of crabs were caught in the WM's own traps!

A great number of crabs mysteriously disappeared from this table. Could Brothers Les Hodgson, PM, Roy Hodgson, PM, Earl Henson, Larry Nowicki and friends possibly have had anything to do with it?

In the magnificently decorated adult beverage area of the shack, shots rang out multiple times as we celebrated the fellowship and brotherly love we share as Masons.

Brothers Les and Roy Hodgson, PMs, who are actually son and father, stay strong and party hardy right through a complete second shift of diners at their table. (See photo above.)

It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful day at the beautiful new "More Shack" on the shores of Shallow Creek.

We can hardly wait to do it again next year!

Corinthian members visit Mt. Ararat Lodge's 'Low Vale' raising

Mt. Ararat Lodge No. 44 is located just north of us in Bel Air. Their lodge building is undergoing renovation resulting in their not being able to access their lodge home at all.

So, what do you do if you have three candidates to raise? Of course, you hold a Low Vale (outdoor) Master Mason degree. And that's just what happened on Tuesday evening, September 20. Mt. Ararat raised three candidates in full form at the Havre de Grace Police Department Firearms Range.

Brother Joe Creamer, PM, was there to witness his buddy, Brother WM Rich Thurfield, PM, raise his buddy, Brother Matt Bowers. Four from Corinthian Lodge attended.

Pictured above (L to R) are Brothers Gary Norman, PM,

Roy Hodgson, PM, Gene Jyan, Rich Thurfield, PM

(and current WM of No. 44), Joe Creamer, PM,

and MM candidate Matt Bowers.

.

Our September 28 meeting took wing

A most grand competition it was.

Going in, all we knew was that September 28, our final meeting night of the month, was going to be "Wing Night." The anticipation in the room was palpable. Each competitor was confident. It would be up to the lodge brothers to judge the final outcome.

Pounds and pounds of delicious chicken wings and who would be judged the winner?

In the eastern corner was WM Joe Frank, "Shore Shack Joe," fresh off a resounding victory at the September 17 More Shack Crab Feast. In the N by NW corner was Brother Bob Ludwig, the current undisputed CL93 Champion of Fried Chicken. In still another corner was Brother PM Roger Dunn who came that night from the mecca of all great chicken wingers.

The crowd scurried to their tables at ringside to witness who would be crowned Grand Champion Chicken Winger Maker.

After the blessing, given by Brother Roy Hodgson, PM, we dove in.

Six trays of wings, labeled anonymously, were put in front of us to sample. There were myriad expressions of delight all around the room as each different wing had its own distinct flavor. It was a difficult challenge to determine which wing might be the best.

The contestants gathered in a spirit of friendly competition. (L to R) WM Joe Frank, Brother Roger Dunn, PM, and Brother Bob Ludwig.

Also, Brother Eric Fotis brought a special recipe chicken and Brother John Reiter, PM, supplied delicious apple pie and ice cream for desert.

Brother Les Hodgson demonstrates proper wing-eating technique as Brother Matt Ruth takes note.

The trays of wings were quickly disposed of by the brothers, an obvious indication of their excellently exquisite flavor.

But the question remained, Who, indeed, would be the Grand Champion Winger Maker? The crowd was all abuzz.

The results would be announced at the end of the lodge meeting, ending a night of frantic expectation. The esteemed judges had made their choice. Their decision was in.

And the winner...

We should have known.

On October 22, we'd be pleased to have you join us for a moving and exciting excursion to Washington, D.C.

Brother Gary Norman, PM, is organizing what should be a fantastic journey to two historic and significant Masonic icons on Saturday, October 22nd. We are extremely fortunate to have not just one, but both of these practically in our own backyard.

House of the Temple, Scottish Rite

Open to all our brother Masons from other lodges and their wives or significant others, we'll first be visiting the magnificent House of the Temple, headquarters of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, in Washington, D.C. It is one of the most beautiful Masonic buildings in the country.

The George Washington National Memorial

Next, we'll take the short ride over to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, built on the site originally proposed for the U.S. Capitol building.

The Memorial was one of the most expensive and monumental private efforts to memorialize the nation's first president, and represented a nationwide cooperation of Freemason lodges in its funding and construction.

Meeting time and place



We'll meet at 8:00 AM on Saturday, October 22, at Mt. Moriah Temple in Towson for some coffee and donuts, then the bus will pull out promptly at 8:30 for our nation's capital.

Right now there's still room to ride the bus (a spirited event in itself!). Tickets, including transportation and all tours, are $75 per person. Make checks payable to Corinthian Lodge No. 93 and mail to the lodge at 507 W. Chesapeake Ave., Towson, MD, 21204.

This would be a magnificent, awe-inspiring experience for anyone, but especially so for Masons. These two beautiful monuments of Masonry are drenched in Masonic and U.S. history.

To help with our planning, Brother Gary asks that you email him at glnorman15@hotmail.com indicating your intention to ride with us. You may click here to see the flyer describing details of the trip, or you may telephone Brother Gary directly at (410) 241-6745 for more information or any questions you may have.

Hereby and hereon announcing

the grand arrival of... 

Ian Shah Fuller

MSeptember 14, 2022

MWeighing in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces

MTaking up 19.9 inches of the crib

MSon of

MJunior Warden Justin Fuller, PP

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx(Proud Papa)

The name Ian is of Scottish Gaelic origin and is the Scottish version of the name John. It comes from the Hebrew name Yohanan meaning "God is gracious." 

'Freemasonry as an institution promises nothing. Absolutely nothing. But she returns with interest—compound interest— all that we commit to her care.'

-Rev. Dr. William Rocky Brown III

PM and WG Chaplain Prince Hall, GL of Pa.

We asked the following question of several brothers:

MWhat made you join Freemasonry and what did you expect?

From Brother Jason Smith, Senior Deacon

I joined Freemasonry because of the historical figures associated with the Fraternity. I thought if great men like George Washington and Ben Franklin, who were so instrumental and essential to the founding of our country, were Masons, then I wanted to check it out.

I don't have any family members or friends who were/are Masons, so I didn't have any expectations coming into the Fraternity and didn't try to research anything online. I wanted to enjoy the experience of going through the first three degrees without any preconceived ideas or knowledge of what might/will happen.

From Brother John Markel, one of "The Nine"

When I was 11 years old, our family went on a cross-country trip in our Buick station wagon that dad had rigged up as a camper. We ended our first night in Natural Bridge, Virginia, with nowhere to spend the night. My dad went into the gas station and when he came out, some stranger had us park in his driveway for the night. It turned out the stranger was a Mason my dad had somehow connected with. It was then I figured this Mason thing might be something special. 

My grandfather and a couple uncles were also Masons whom I admired, and all my life I thought, "I'd really like to do that and know what they know." But, I guess I never asked the right questions.

When I finally did, I was full of anticipation but completely unaware of what to expect. And I certainly did not expect all that would happen as I went thru the degrees-- and to go thru them with such a great bunch of eight other brothers.

My one and only regret in Masonry will always be that I didn't get involved in it sooner.

You're telling me even HE was a Mason?!

Elisha Hunt Rhodes

Anyone who has seen U.S. filmmaker Ken Burns’ epic PBS production The Civil War, will be familiar with the name Elisha Hunt Rhodes (1842-1917), as Brother Rhodes’ war diary was one of the chief sources quoted throughout.

In it, as an officer in the Union Army of the Potomac, he speaks of an incident at Gettysburg where he witnessed Union soldiers retrieve the body of a "Rebel" and provide a proper burial, as they had determined that the Confederate was a brother Freemason.

Rhodes stated that at the time, he didn't understand these actions. Within a year after that decisive battle, he joined the Craft while on leave at home in Rhode Island. He would soon understand.

Such was his dedication to Masonry that he rose through the ranks to become WM of Harmony Lodge No. 9 in Cranston, Rhode Island, then Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island during the years 1892 and 1893.

His diary, published by his great-grandson in book form, All For the Union, reflects Rhodes' attitudes about the Civil War, including his unwavering belief that the Union must be preserved, as well as his Christian faith and belief in God.

Brother Joe tells all

From none other than Brother Joe Creamer, PM, here's a list of some major events coming up in October.

For complete details and information on these and other items and events of interest visit The Trestleboard on our Lodge website.

Saturday, October 1 – Harvest Home Day

Held at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, it’s like homecoming for Maryland Masons and is always a blast. For a $5 donation (entrance fee), you get a collectible “penny,” all you can eat pancakes, coffee, sausages, and pumpkin pie. It all starts at 6:00 AM, but the sausages stop at 9. Dress is casual.

That day, the Maryland Masonic Museum will start its annual cycle with all new displays. There will be Masonic vendors with emblems for sale, and Masons from all over Maryland. This is a stag event. Non-Masons are welcome as long as they’re guys. The Grand Lodge address is 304 International Circle 21030.

Wednesday, October 5 – Past Master’s Night

At 6:00 PM, we'll have the Corinthian Lodge Widows join us for dinner. We always enjoy making them feel welcome.

Then at 7:30, Past Masters will assume the officer chairs and regale us with stories from their year(s) as Master.

Friday, October 7 – BINGO at Bonnie Blink

We try to do this at least annually for the residents of Maryland Masonic Homes (Bonnie Blink). Starting at 6:00 PM, and usually running an hour or two, this is a casual, family-friendly event. Bring the kids as we put them in charge of handing out to the winners the Lodge-supplied dollar bills.

Saturday, October 22 – Bus trip to Washington

We're planning another stupendous bus trip, this time to visit the House of the Temple, the headquarters of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, in Washington, D.C., and then to the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. (See the article above or click here to see complete information in the flyer.)

Wednesday, October 26 – Meet at Stumpy’s Hatchet House

In lieu of our regular meeting, we'll be sneaking off to Stumpy's in Towson Commons on York Road, to throw some axes. We’ve earned a break from the busiest lodge year in recent history. Grab your spouse and adult friends and toss some hatchets with us. We may challenge another lodge, so warm up some trash talk!  

Brother Creamer is the editor of The Trestleboard, a complete and in-depth news and information center where, for instance, the Worshipful Master announces ballots on new members. Plus, you'll find meeting changes, bylaw changes, and other "legal" disclosures that are pertinent to the entire lodge membership. You can access the latest issue of The Trestleboard by clicking here on the Corinthian Lodge website.

'You're always welcome to come down to visit our lodge web site!'

Or, you can visit us on Facebook...

(Just click the Facebook icon)

The flag pictured below was our nation's flag, with 30 stars, when Corinthian Lodge No. 93 was chartered on November 19, 1850.

Even though California had been admitted as the 31st state in September of that year, the 31-star flag was not made official until July 4, 1851.

Corinthian Lodge No. 93

507 West Chesapeake Avenue

Towson, Maryland 21204

443-377-1687

Corinthian93.com

Meets First and Fourth Wednesdays