As I look back over the last
30 years I have lived in St. Louis, I find that I have come full circle in some
areas and traveled straight ahead in others.
In order to try to keep this
simple, I will start with the Circle and go to the Straight ahead at the
end.
You see my first
introduction to Masonry was through some of the men that I worked with who I
later learned to be AF&AM Masons.
These men always had my back
when racial problems came up for me and some times, they would have my
front.
After a few years of this,
they told me that they were Masons and asked if I was interested in joining
their Lodge. I told them after
having to deal with racism 8 hours a day for 5 days a week I was not interested
in dealing with racism after work.
Later after they realized
that I was not going to change my mind about joining the AF&AM Masons they
told me about Prince Hall Masonry and that racism would not be a problem for me
there.
Well, I did think about
joining Prince Hall Masonry for a little while and then forgot about it.
Yes, you guessed it, about a
year later, a friend of mine gave me a petition for membership into Prince Hall
Masonry, and all he told me is that he thinks there is something in Prince Hall
Masonry for me.
Well, now it has been over 3
years since my AF&AM friends at work started talking to me about Masonry and
now my friend after work turns out to be a Prince Hall Mason and gives me a
petition.
Here I must say that
sometimes I am a little slow about some things but I am not stupid about
anything. I decided that it must
have been meant for me to be a Mason so I filled out the petition and turned it
in.
In 1980, I became a Master
Mason and later that year I joined the Order of Eastern Stars.
In 1981, I became a Royal
Arch Mason, a Knight of Jericho, a Knight Templar, and joined the Order of
Cyrene.
In 1982, I became a Scottish
Rite Mason.
In 1983, I became a
Shriner.
In 1985, I received the
Honorary 33 Degree, which completed all the degrees I could get in Prince Hall
Masonry in Missouri.
After all this there was
still one thing that I wanted that I could not get and that was to be able to
sit in Lodge meeting with the Brothers that first introduced me to Masonry and
were the main reason that I finally did join.
Then in the late 1990�s, I
bought my first computer and ventured out into the World Wide Web. There I found Masonic groups where a
Mason was a Mason. It was in the
GLOBAL FRATERNAL NETWORK that I came to know and chat with a couple of Brothers
by the names of Wilfred G. Soutiea, Jr. and Joseph Smith. However, I still could not sit in Lodge
meetings with them.
From there, I started
joining Masonic Research Groups where we could meet outside of Lodge
meeting. Through these groups, I
started traveling around North America for Conventions. It was at the Philalethes Society
Convention in Toronto, Canada in 2000 that I met Brother Dick Lodge from St.
Louis, Missouri. We then decided
that we were going to do all we could to be able to sit in Lodge meeting
together in St. Louis one day.
I
found out about Masonic Week in Washington, DC and in February of 2001, I
attended for the first time.
This is where I came to meet
a group of Brothers from the Fayette area, I was accepted as a part of the
Missouri Delegation, and I have been ever since. It was at this first meeting in
Washington, DC, that I met a lot of you.
I
am not going to try to name everyone that was there because that would be a list
of over 30 Brothers, but since some of you have become such good friends over
the years I will try to name the ones that I have worked with and became closest
to over the years. John Karnes,
Robert Bray, Marion Dey, James Haddox, Chris Jessen, Warren Oliver, Kevin
Sample, and James Wade.
The one sad part is that the
two Brothers that I became closest to are no longer with us. One is Brother Michael J. Butterfield
better known as �Remo� and the other is Brother Jake Jackobs of Charlies Angels
Degree Team. They were the type of
Masons I hope to grow up to become day.
I just wish that I could have had more time with them and that they were
here to see just how far we have come in such a short time.
By the time I left
Washington, DC, I was a member of several side groups. I found out later that this was just the
beginning of our relationship. In
2001, I found myself in the Order of Knights of Pythias and in 2002 in the
Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan.
I guess that you decided to give me a rest in 2003 because you let me go
all year without joining anything.
In 2000, the talks on
Fraternal Relationships started on the Internet between Brother Bill and
me. I informed Brother Bill that I
was not interested in talks as they had been going on and off for over 20 years,
but I was interested in taking some action on Fraternal Relationships. That was when I found out that Brother
Bill was also R.W. Wilfred G. Soutiea, Jr. Deputy Grand Master of the AF&AM
Masons of Missouri. Then after a
Board Meeting of the AF&AM Masons of Missouri he informed me that they had
voted to take action on Fraternal Relationships with the Most Worshipful Prince
Hall Grand Lodge of Missouri and I put him in contact with MW William H. Graham
then Grand Master of Prince Hall Masons of Missouri.
In 2001, both Grand Lodges
voted to enter talks on Fraternal Relationships with each other, but it was not
until 2002 that both Committees were appointed and finally met. On February 10, 2002, we met for the
first time and both Grand Lodges submitted Resolutions on Fraternal
Relationships. Both Committees were
in agreement with what each Grand Lodge was looking for, and the steps to be
taken to hopefully achieve recognition between both Grand Lodges. We voted to take the Resolutions
submitted and go over them, then meet again on March 3, 2002, at the AF&AM
Grand Lodge Building to draft a Resolution that would be submitted at our
respective Grand Lodge Session this year.
The Committee from Prince
Hall consisted of:
Franklin
Richardson, PGM, Chairman
William H.
Graham, PGM, Co-Chairman
A.C.
Compton, PGM, Member
Terry
Crowder, PM, Member
Byron E.
Hams, PM, Member
Charles R. Willis, Grand Master
The Committee from AF&AM
consisted of:
Wilfred G.
Soutiea, Jr., PGM, Chairman
Jimmy D.
Lee, Deputy Grand Master
Stanley
Thompson, Grand Senior Warden
Ronald D.
Miller, Grand Secretary
Joseph
Smith, District Deputy Grand Master
Glenn Means, Grand Master
I
finally got to meet Bill Soutiea and Joseph Smith face to face.
On March 3, 2002, at the
AF&AM Grand Lodge Building we met for the second and last time. After much brainstorming, and
discussion, the drafting of Resolution #04-2002 was completed. We had accomplished in a few weeks what
it had taken other Grand Lodges years to do. At the respective Grand Lodge Sessions
in July and September of that year, both Grand Lodges passed Resolution
#04-2002.
It was not until 2003, when
we finally got to sit together in Lodge meetings here in Missouri, I had no idea
that what I thought was the ending would turn out to be just the beginning.
In 2004, I wrote the
resolutions for Fraternal Recognition between both Royal Arch Grand Chapters
with the help of Kevin Sample.
Under the administration of Grand High Priest Delbert R. Gentry Kevin
Sample submitted the resolution for Royal Arch Grand Chapter, which was passed
May 14, 2004.
In addition, in 2004, I
wrote the resolutions for Fraternal Recognition between both Grand Commandries
with the help of Kevin B. Sample.
Under the administration of Grand Commander Thomas C. Yunick Kevin B.
Sample, Robert W. Schlichter, Thomas C. Yunick, and Jacob C. Baird, submitted
the resolution, which was passed May 15, 2004. In July 2004, under the administration
of Grand Commander Richard Richardson, I submitted the same resolution to my
Grand Commandery and it passed.
In November 2004, Grand High
Priest Walter W. Doyle sent me an invitation as Grand High Priest to attend an
Arching in Springfield, Missouri.
Myself and five of my Cabinet members attended. In March 2005, I sent Grand High Priest
Walter Doyle an invitation to attend my Official Visit in St. Louis. Grand High Priest Walter Doyle showed up
with 15 Companions, which included most of the Grand Officers of the Grand
Chapter of Missouri.
Under my administration as
Grand High Priest, the same resolution that was submitted to your Grand Chapter
in May 2004 was submitted to my Grand Chapter and was passed on May 13,
2005. Grand High Priest Walter W.
Doyle was present to witness the passing of that resolution and my re-election
as Grand High Priest.
In addition, in May 2005, I
attended Grand High Priest Walter W. Doyle�s Grand Chapter Session and I was
received as the Grand High Priest of the Prince Hall Grand Chapter of Holy Royal
Arch Masons of Missouri. It was at
this Session that newly elected Grand Master of the Grand Council of Cryptic
Masons of the State of Missouri, Robert H. Bray announced that the Council of
Cryptic Masons was now open to Prince Hall Royal Arch Masons to join.
On March 16, I was the guest
speaker at the Scottish Rite Club of St. Louis, Missouri, AF&AM. My wife and I attended the Installation
of Grand Officers of the Missouri Grand Conclave of the Order of True Kindred in
Kansas City, Missouri. While there,
we were invited to join the True Kindred and we received our first degree on
September 22, 2005 in Springfield, Missouri and the second degree on October 1,
2005 in St. Louis, Missouri. I have
submitted my petition to Jeremiah Council No. 48 of the Royal and Select Masters
in St. Louis and look forward to receiving my degrees on October 22, 2005.
Since that first meeting in
Washington, DC, I have come to know and find more friends here in the Fayette
area and I feel the need to name some of those Brothers.
Paul Cannon, Walter Doyle,
Donald Fairley, Teddie Harrison, Tom Gruis, Harley Keeton, LeRoy Loggins, Paul
Kawakami, Donald Maness, Lewis O�Neal, Timothy Terrell, Thomas Yunick, and
Howard Thacker.
If I have missed your name I
hope that you will understand that it is from my lack of memory and not my heart
for all of you are my Brothers in my heart.
On September 26th
and 27th I had the honor of attending your Grand Lodge Session and
the Missouri Lodge of Research for the first time. I had no idea that I had made for many
friends over the years until all of you greeted me at Session. It made me feel like I was at my own
Grand Lodge Session. I felt more
like a member than I did a visitor.
I
was impressed with the bonds of the York Rite Family as Grand High Priest Harley
L. Kropf of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Grand Master Robert H. Bray
of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons, and Grand Commander James E. Snavely of
the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, were almost always together. I set with them for most of the meals
where we were all in attendance.
Freemasonry is the only
place that I know of where I could have ever met such a circle of good men as
you. In addition, it was your
belief in the teachings of Freemasonry that has made it possible for me to stand
here before you tonight.
I
could go on for pages and pages of writing about the Brothers that I come to
know and the impact that they have had on my life, but that would only keep us
here all night. I hope that I have
given you enough to give you a good idea about how I feel, so I will start
drawing this to a close in a few more pages.
It has been through you that
I have learned the only secret in Freemasonry: The true meaning of �Friendship,
Morality, and Brotherly Love�.
Friendship is based on the internal and not the external of a
person. Morality is based on the
teachings of �GOD� and not the rules made by men. Brotherly Love is based on the belief
that we all are children of �GOD�.
I
do not know what the future holds for me, but I do know that the group of
friends that I stand before tonight is as good as it can get.
As I stand here before you,
all I can say is thank you, not just for the degrees, but most of all for your
friendship.
Now the year is 2005 and the
AF&AM Masonry I rejected in the past because of racism is now the AF&AM
Masonry I am joining because of Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.
Now I have traveled full
circle and as I stand here before you, I realize that I have gone way past my
wildest dreams of 25 years ago.
For now, I am truly a
Missouri Mason.
After taking all the degrees
I could in Prince Hall Masonry, I undertook the task of trying to learn all that
they could teach me.
The first thing I learned
was that I had lived my whole life in darkness and that if I ever wanted to be
able to see the light I would have to change my life in order to prepare myself
to receive that light.
Now that I have lived almost
half my life trying to live according to the teaching of Freemasonry. I realize that there is only one God,
one planet, and one race, the Human Race.
Theses are just a few of the
things that I have learned from you over the past few years and I hope that you
have learned the same from me.
1. The only thing that keeps us apart is
the �FEAR� of the unknown.
2. Either we can come together as the Human
Race or we can divide into different little groups and destroy each other.
3. To understand that it is our differences
that make us special.
4. To see what we have in common and use
that to bring us closer together.
5. To stand united as a member of the Human
Race to over come everything that stands in our path.
6. To see that it is an opportunity to lean
what we did not know from what makes us different.
7. To see what we have in common as a gift
from �GOD� to all humankind and not to any one race alone.
8. Not to stand divided over man made
rules, but to stand united in the laws of �GOD� for the human race.
In closing, I will leave you
with these few parting words.
If I am not all that you
expect of me, please remember that �GOD� is not through with me yet.
Yesterday, I was what I
was.
Today, I am that I am.
Tomorrow, I will be what God
makes me.
In Love, Peace, and Unity
yours.
Byron E. Hams
A
Lifetime Apprentice