The Trestle Board

of Smithfield Lodge #455, A.F.&A.M.

Post Office Box 821413, Fort Worth, Texas 76182 USA
Lodge telephone number: 817.656.2311
Best time to contact the Lodge: Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 6 PM and 9 PM

November, 1999

Congratulations to Brother Billy Campbell, Secretary, Past Master and Recipient of the Golden Trowel, who was awarded the rank and distinction of "Knight Commander of the Court of Honor" by the Supreme Council 33rd Degree of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

From the East

First, I have "A Brother's Errand" for each of you. I will be eternally grateful if you, your families and those with whom you pray would pay special attention to those mentioned in the "In Our Thoughts and Prayers" section of the Trestle Board as you make your devotions to Almighty God. In the Bible, it is said that "The prayers of a righteous man availeth much." Well Brethren, much is needed.
Last month, Worshipful Brother Reese Harrison, the Grand Orator, spoke to Smithfield Lodge. Brother Rickey Levings handled the stated meeting as I attended to my mother-in-law, who was ill. Thanks Rickey! This month, we received and read two petitions, and conducted one EA and two FC degrees. Congratulations to Brothers Powell and Levings on their purchase of Endowed Memberships from the Grand Lodge.
We had two successful Fund Raising projects lately. The one-day Yard Sale and the effort to sell foods at the Centennial Celebration at the Masonic Home and School went very well. My thanks to all those who took time out of their day to support the Lodge. Due to the construction at North East Mall, we will be unable to participate, as a Lodge, in the Mall Greeter program this holiday season. We are invited to help Hurst Lodge fulfill their commitments. The Lodge will receive a portion of the proceeds generated by this effort. Please consider helping out. We are open to ideas for a fund raiser to replace the Mall Greeter program.
We are beginning to see the need to repaint the Lodge building. We will be discussing our options over the next several months and will be looking for opportunities to increase the amount of money in the Lodge Building Fund to offset this cost. If you have input on this issue, please contact me or one of the Wardens. I also established a Golden Trowel Committee and made Brother Daryle Hester its chairman. I have asked the committee to make a recommendation to the Lodge in December. If you have someone in mind that you'd like to see honored, please contact Brother Hester or myself. The Trestle Board is in serious need of financial support. We will be unable to continue the Trestle Board, in its current form, after December. If you appreciate hearing about the affairs of the Lodge and want to help, please consider making a financial contribution earmarked for the trestleboard.
Thanks to the City of North Richland Hills and Tarrant County, we now have a paved drive and parking area that extends from Main Street to the entrance of the cemetery. Thanks to Brother Myers and Moak Surveying for providing the site survey for the driveway.

David Terrell, W:M:

From the West

It was nice to come to the Lodge and see the stove we received from the old Riverside Lodge building. It is a fine stove and will serve us for many years. It will cook a lot for food for our meetings. I would like to thank the brothers involved in putting the stove in place: Gary Spraggins, Bo Hestilow, and R.T. Koonce.
Well, I did it! It felt really good to come to the stated meeting and give our Secretary, Brother Campbell, the $500 to become an Endowed member. It's the best thing I've done because I am a young, as Master Masons go. I hope everyone considers doing this. Brethren, just think, pay $500 one time and not have to pay dues again. I expect the cost of an Endowed Membership to go up this year so this is a real good time to get this done.

Rickey Levings, S:W:

From the South

Brethren,

We have been busy this past month with degree work. Thursday, September 16, we initiated a new brother into the Entered Apprentice degree. On Tuesday, October 5, two brothers were passed to the degree of Fellowcraft Mason. The "cookout" at the centennial celebration of the Masonic Home and School was a great success. A great time was had by those that helped and worked and by those who attended. WAY TO GO, SMITHFIELD!! Our presence was noted and appreciated.
We had a nice turnout for our October stated meeting however, we had seats available at no charge. Thirty-two Masons attended. We received a good report about the yard sales the Lodge held during the past year. About $900 and one counterfeit $10 bill were received. Thanks to all that helped with the yard sales.
I want to thank Brother Jack Jeter for his kind comments on the Trestleboard and what pleasure he receives in keeping up to date about the doings at Smithfield Lodge #455 while vacationing in Colorado.
I'll leave you with "A Modern Fable". A Mason was hunting in the forest. A terrible storm came up. He looked for a shelter but there was none available. It was raining torrents. He crawled into a hollow log to escape the weather. It was a snug fit. The rain lasted for hours and the water soaked through the wood. As the storm abated the Brother tried to get out of the log but could not. He strained with all his strength but, to no avail. The log held him tight. Thinking he was doomed, his whole life began to unfold before his eyes and he became mindful of the mistakes he'd made. Of his many failings, one most painful was the remembrance that he had failed to pay his Lodge dues. This realization made him feel so small that he was able to easily crawl out of the log. The moral of this story: don't forget to pay your dues and wait until you get in a tight pinch.
Until next month, you Warden from Ohio,

James Allen, J:W:

From the Treasurer's Chest

Brother Myers was unable to provide an article this month.

From the Secretary

Brethren,

The final days of this year's Grand Lodge are approaching. We will change leadership, and look toward to the programs brought to us by our new Grand Master. The Grand Lodge will meet the first week-end of December. If you want to attend, I have pre-registration forms at the Lodge. If you want one, give me a call, or stop by the Lodge on any Tuesday or Thursday night. I have not yet received the proposed law changes for this year, but I expect them any day now. They should be interesting. Once again, we will have the 64th district breakfast on the Saturday morning of Grand Lodge. It will be held at the same place as last year [the VFW hall, ed.]. Come join us. We will honor the outgoing, and the incoming District Deputies, and their teams.
I have been pleased to see brethren purchase several new endowed memberships. Their names have been added to the plaque in the dinning room. Check for the added names.
We had a very good stated meeting last month. We look forward to your attending these meetings, finding out what is going on at your Lodge, renewing old friendships, meeting the new Master Masons, and seeing how the Lodge is getting along. We heard that Brother Ray Tomes PM, has had surgery. We hope he recovers soon. Janie might agree with that. I hear that Ray is not the best of patients. Good health soon, Ray.
On a personal note, the W.M. at Panther City Lodge has asked me to speak to is Lodge on November 16. They meet at the Masonic Temple. I will be speaking on "Having A Thankful Heart". It seems right for the season, does it not? If you have nothing to do, meet me at Panther City.
Congratulations to those who attended Richland Hills Lodge, and received certificates in the esoteric work. I heard that you were well prepared.

Fraternally yours,

Bill Campbell

Other Items of Interest

In Our Thoughts and Prayers ...

Brother Winston White, who is ill.
Brother Ray Tomes PM, who is recovering from surgery.
Brother Jack Lyons, who is ill.
Carolyn Trapani, Brother David Terrell's mother-in-law, who is ill.

Masonic Birthdays for November, 1999

The following brethren will observe their Masonic Birthdays in November. They were raised to the sublime Degree of Master Mason during this month.

F.M. Aldrich    11-21-69
P.L. Anderson   11-21-98
S.C. Bachman PM 11-18-93
J.M. Bone       11-12-98
M.D. Cumbie     11-27-62
J.K. Darnell    11-10-60
C.E. Dawson     11-12-59
J.L. Deford     11-16-71
E.C. Galloway   11-28-52
R.A. Gant       11-19-62
E.L. Hartsfield 11-19-78
J.D. Martin     11-08-62
B.G. McGinnis   11-29-66
D.W. Myers PM   11-20-85
H.L. Patterson  11-03-61
E.N. Peairson   11-06-79
J.D. Stapleton  11-18-65
M.E. Young      11-02-61

Congratulations Brethren!

For Your Consideration ...

I would like to congratulate Our newest Fellow Craft Masons on receiving their Fellow Craft Degree on October 5, 1999. Both of these brethren have worked diligently on their proficiency work in the preceding degree and I am sure they will work just as hard in this one. My apology to Brothers David Myers and Mike Haygood for their not receiving proper notice so that they could attend and be a part of this Degree. I know that it meant a lot to them. This was one of those moments where the brethren showed up and asked for their Degree that evening and received it by the brethren that were in attendance at Lodge that night.
“When a man thinks of our mortal lot - its greatness and its pathos, how much has been wrought out in the past, and how binding is our obligation to preserve and enrich the inheritance of humanity -- there comes over him a strange warming of the heart toward all his fellow workers; and especially toward the young, to whom we must soon entrust all that we hold sacred. All through these pages the wish has been to make the young Mason feel in what a great and benign tradition he stands, that he may the more earnestly strive to be a Mason not merely in form, but in faith, in spirit, and still more, in character; and so help to realize somewhat of the beauty we have all dreamed -- lifting into the light the latent powers and unguessed possibilities of the greatest order of men upon the earth. Everyone can do a little, and if each does his part faithfully the sum of our labors will be very great, and we shall leave the world fairer than we found it, richer in faith, gentler in justice, wiser in pity -- for we pass this way but once, pilgrims seeking a country, even a City that hath foundations.”
--J. F. N. September 7, 1914

Brother Gary L. Spraggins
Senior Steward

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Send your questions or comments to: David G. Terrell (smithfield455@fwst.net)