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(20220928) HTI Update September 28 2022
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High Twelve International Update September 28, 2022 |
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Mark D. Nokes, HTI President and Lady Lisa Nokes President Message/Update Since being elected President of High Twelve International in June, we have had the opportunity to travel to several states: installing new members and chartering new clubs. We want to thank everyone for their wonderful hospitality, warm greetings and especially the great food along with the fellowship. We want to thank you for entrusting me to manage the affairs for High Twelve International for the ensuing year. With the help of my officers and you as members, we will grow our organization both in the United States and Globally where High Twelve is allowed to participate. We had the honor and privilege to attend the state convention for Illinois High Twelve and install their officers. We were joined by Past International President Mike Haxton and hie Lady Becky and Mike Clark, Wolcott Chairman. Brother Clark presented the Wolcott badges for each club depending on their average donation per member to The Wolcott Foundation. Illinois State High Twelve is raising money to donate a bench to be displayed at George Washington University to promote High Twelve and thank GWU for everything they do to help promote the values of High Twelve as well as our core Masonic values. While in Mattoon, I was presented with an High Twelve Apron; this apron will be handed to each newly elected President. We accepted an invite to attend the Annual Convention for Grotto in Cincinnati. It was my honor to be recognized at the convention and be seated at the head table along with the executive officers of Grotto International, Inc. Our very own from Florida, Brother Jeff Snyder was elected Grand Caption of the Guard. Brother Jeff is a member of the Tampa Bay Club. Brother Snyder invited us to Tampa Bay for the Florida State Grotto Association, where I had the opportunity to visit with Grand Monarch Michael Tomascin to exchange ideas how to work together and help each organization grow their respective membership. 2nd Vice President Eric Klienbach was able to join us in Cincinnati and Tampa. We traveled back to Kansas to attend their meeting and install their state officers. While in Kansas we had the opportunity attend the State DeMolay Conclave. We cannot express our gratitude to the Mom’s and Dad’s Advisors for everything they do for these young men. We have been invited back in October to talk about how Masonry has impacted our lives and promote High Twelve International. In Illinois, we have been busy visiting clubs, installing new officers. As a side note: the Ladies of Chi ILL are helping promote literacy for their own charity project. We encourage Clubs to get their Ladies involved. If you need any ideas, reach out to Lisa or me. While sitting in a Grotto meeting in the Chicago area, Prophet Roderick Brown from the Detroit area struck up a conversation about High Twelve. Next thing “WOW”! I get a phone call to be in Ferndale, MI to Charter a new Club. Done! Thank you, Brother Brown, and to your core of officers. See being initiative-taking and visible lead to this new club being formed. FYI I crossed the border into Canada to visit a few Brother while in Detroit: we have an opportunity for another international club. While in Florida along with Vice President Eric Klienbach we charted the Miami High Twelve Club. Thank you to Florida State Secretary Mike Hemphill, Vice President Chuck Lenders, and President Brian Zeppa for attending the Chartering & Installation. Thanks, Miami, for you for shirt. Also, during our visit in Florida, we had the opportunity to visit with Jim Hogg one of our Endowment Trustees. Many thanks to Vice President Roberto Sanchez for his worldly travels. Brother Sanchez has been instrumental in the formation of international clubs in Brazil, Mexico, and El Salvador. Well done, Sir! Vice Rick Santella has been busy keeping us visible in social media. Thank you! Also, Brother Rick and I will be traveling to several regions on the East Coast with the potential of new clubs. We are planning a trip to California to see if there is an opportunity to bring back the Association. I will be traveling to Ohio late September for their State Convention and to install their offers. Also, we will be attending the Grand Lodge of Illinois Annual Communication in October representing High Twelve International. Once again, thank you to everyone for your help. Your support is appreciated. If you need anything do not hesitate to reach out to one my executive officers we are here to serve and help High Twelve members, families , clubs, and associations. |
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Miami High Twelve Club #796
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From Secretary Tom and Treasurer Kevin: This year on the administrative accounting software side it was time to replace the outdated QuickBooks 2017 we were each using. The first attempt was exploring Quicken Home and Business and it was quickly found out that it did not meet the needs of both offices to access the same company file via cloud processing. The second attempt was a ‘free’ non-profit vesrion of NetSuites Accounting by Oracle. It did meet our needs to be on one system but being ‘free’ had many limitations with creating/printing and customization of forms, invoices, reports etc. Conversion started in March with a hard deadline of have the system up and running for the annual per-capita billing statement on 4/30. The billing side was utilized for the billing but there were a number of features that were left unresolved with no coding or training available from NetSuites. So, a final conversion to QuickBooks Online (subscription) was started in July that is currently being used by the secretary and treasurer. So, please be patient with us as we learn and make corrections to your club accounts. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thomas Brotherton, III Secretary |
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Florida Grotto State Association Grand Monarch Michael Tomascin |
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Florida State High Twelve President Brian Zeppa |
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We celebrated my daughter’s wedding in Appleton WI |
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Abiff Tri-City High Twelve Club #799 Detroit, Michican |
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Pennsylvania State High Twelve Quarterly Meeting |
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Miami High Twelve Club #796 – Miami Florida |
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Illinois State Association Annual Meeting and Installation |
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New President Apron |
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Grotto International |
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CHI-ILL High Twelve Club #791 |
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Kansas State Association President Phil Gicalone |
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September 4, 2022 To Our President’s Club Members, Well…. it’s September…. time for some last-minute sun tanning, barbecues, and end of summer vacations. I cannot believe how quickly this summer flew by, but the great news is our Masonic Bodies will start opening their doors and holding meetings. Time once again for sharing fellowship and camaraderie as only Free Masons can! It also creates an opportunity for you as a President’s Club Member to attend a High Twelve Club nearest you and experience all the benefits you are afforded; The sharing of a meal among Masons and their loved ones, a great program to keep you wanting to come back and of course supporting our Youth Groups and the Wolcott Foundation. I urge you to attend at least one meeting if you haven’t already to feel this for yourself and you’ll understand why you are a member of an organization that just celebrated its 101st year and has set the foundation for many of our young leaders who will one day set the pathways for our future generations! Please don’t forget I am always open to suggestions from our President’s Club Members as to what High Twelve International can do for you .Is there anything you want to see more of, or is there anything lacking? Please reach out and let me know. We are only as strong as our members and their enthusiasm so please help us stay on the right course! Lastly, we are in the final stages of our President’s Club Pin being sent to the manufacturer for production. We will let you know when they are in house ready for distribution so look for updates. I believe you will be very proud and excited to own one and display it proudly on your lapel. Please reach out if you need anything or want more information on what High Twelve International can do for you, and, how you can help us grow! Safe travels and God Bless! Rick Santella, |
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Our Third International Vice President, Roberto M. Sanchez traveled to El Salvador from September 1st to the 5th, 2022 to attend the Conference of Grand Masters of Central America and the Caribbean (COMACA). While there Roberto gave a brief presentation on High Twelve International, which piqued the interest of several Grand Masters who wish to bring our Order into their respective jurisdictions. Roberto also had the honor to charter and set to labor two Clubs that were approved by the executive board previously. Those being Mexico Club No.797 & El Salvador Club No. 798, which add two more flags under our international banner. We received petitions to charter 4 more clubs within Mexico and a request to form an Association in Mexico as well. The Grand Master of El Salvador honored both 3rd International Vice President Roberto Sanchez and Past International President Sid Leluan with a commendation from the Grand Lodge of El Salvador as well as COMACA. |
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Mexico High Twelve Club #797 President Wilheim Neiszer receiving the Charter from International VP Roberto M. Sanchez. |
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Ralph A. Clemmer, PIP, Pottsgrove High Twelve Club #321 Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand – Thomas Carlye Getting an idea should be like sitting down on a pin, it should make you jump up and do something – E. L. Simpson |
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August 9, 2022 President’s Club Members, HELLO and welcome to August !! Summer is almost over…can you believe how fast it’s going? Hoping you and your loved ones are enjoying this time and are in good health and spirits! We talk about High Twelve’s commitment to the Wolcott Foundation a lot, so, this month, I thought it best to let Wolcott speak for itself. Brethren…I present to you our latest impressive Wolcott Fellow recipient: Skyler Knight Rick Santella |
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Skylar Knight Skylar Knight graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Rollins College. During his undergraduate career, he served with local nonprofits through the Bonner Leaders Program, spearheaded the nonpartisan Democracy Project, and researched the impact of electoral rules on voters’ behaviors. With the help of the Wolcott Foundation, he then pursued a Master of Public Administration — with a concentration in International Affairs — at The George Washington University. While completing his studies, he worked for U.S. Representative Stephanie Murphy, Issue One, and The World Bank. Currently, Skylar is an Investigative Case Specialist for the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security. He was also recently selected as a Finalist for the Presidential Management Fellowship, Class of 2022.
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The Wolcott Foundation Inc. August 9, 2022 Brothers of Florida High Twelve and The Wolcott Foundation, I have recently received some questions about how The Wolcott Foundation benefits Freemasonry. The Wolcott Foundation was founded in 1960 by several well-known and outstanding Masons. These brothers were faculty members at various Ivy League Universities in Pennsylvania and nearby states. The purpose of the Foundation was to provide individuals with outstanding character and moral standards. These Wolcott Fellows were to work and influence government officials to follow the intentions of the Founding Fathers, whose Masonic backgrounds led them to the forming of a more perfect union for the benefit of its citizens. The written purpose of the Wolcott Foundation is and always has been as its founders intended.“To provide a moral compass to government.” Many early Wolcott Fellows in the 1960s had Masonic backgrounds as DeMolay or Lodge members or had families involved in Masonry. Over the years, it became harder to find individuals intending to make careers in public service who had direct Masonic backgrounds, and so that relationship became less frequent. Today, we still have students with Masonic backgrounds apply, and if they are found to be among the highest qualified applicants, they are often offered a Wolcott Fellowship. Recipients of Wolcott Fellowships know and understand that the Wolcott Foundation is a Masonic organization, and they often will relate their knowledge of Masonry in their application essays. In the past several years, we have had several of our Wolcott Fellows become Masons, or as in the case of one of our female Wolcott Fellows, she discovered that her grandmother had been in the Order of the Eastern Star. Today, she is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and is in line to be the Worthy Matron of her Chapter. All Wolcott Foundation literature, brochures, etc. clearly state that the Wolcott Foundation is a Masonic organization. What does Masonry get out of a Wolcott Fellow who may not become a Mason or a member of any Masonic organization? When a young man joins DeMolay, or a young lady joins Job’s Daughters, or Rainbow Girls, it is rarely with the intention of joining an adult Masonic organization in the future. They join to learn leadership skills and improve their self-confidence and their interpersonal skills to make them more successful in their studies and prepare them for wherever their future takes them. The same is true with the Wolcott Foundation. Our Wolcott Fellows share a passion for public service and their goal is to serve the citizens of the United States in the foreign service, or federal, state, or local government. Wolcott Fellows are required as part of their Fellowship agreement to serve a minimum of two years in approved non-political George Washington University in Washington, DC has a Masonic Lodge building just one block from the main campus buildings. Fraternity Lodge No. 54 is made up of current and former students, faculty, and administrators at Gorge Washington University, and is a vibrant, active Lodge. Many of the administrators the Wolcott Board of Trustees communicates with on a regular basis at George Washington University have been or are members of the Masonic Fraternity. The High Twelve Club in Washington, DC, is made up of almost all current or former faculty or administrators at the University. This club is a prominent Wolcott supporter and contributor. Masonry is not a reciprocal organization. We do not expect a payback for the charity and community service we perform on a regular basis. We take an obligation to aid and assist wherever, and whenever we can to help our fellow humans. We don’t expect the local students many of our clubs help with scholarships to become a member of the Craft. We just want to help them succeed in life and become good solid citizens, and maybe they will “pay it forward” to help others as well. I hope this clears up some of the confusion as to the purpose of the Wolcott Foundation. The Foundation has the same purpose in its charity work as a Masonic Lodge, and that is to help individuals become better in life, thus providing our country with outstanding leaders and citizens. Please access the Wolcott Foundation website at http://www. I am also attaching the latest Wolcott Foundation Brochure to this email for your use. Please print it out and read it. If you have any further questions, please contact me at: Michael E. Clark-Chairman/CEO |
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To those members who responded in the affirmative (ordered) to the poll requesting a 2023 Pocket Planner, they were mailed 1st Class to you on September 9th. As of 10/4 there has only been a 19% return donation rate, please take a few minutes to make your out your donation check and return in the self addressed envelope! There will about a dozen available through the website merchandise page, when they are gone, they will not be reordered. We are pleased to fill a need for these Brother’s and Thank You! Kevin Hokerk-Robinson, Treasurer. |
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From the HTI Secretary – Thomas Brotherton, III Just a reminder to all Secretaries – it is the time of year that many clubs will be installing new officers! Remember to fill out the F-200b Online Club Information form! Now is the time to order the custom dues card for your members, please don’t wait until the last minute to order! Provide the period they are good for. With the change in officers order a Past Club President certificate (provide year(s) or any other of the available certificates to honor those members deserving recognition. |
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Also, consider one of the following merchandise items as thank you gifts for officer’s or members:
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New item: President’s Club 5/8″ member lapel pin
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BRETHREN, I thought this was valuable information to share. Brother Jeff Snyder submitted his monthly report and I noticed his report showed an addition of new members. I asked him how this came about and this is his response. New ideas and efforts can reap great rewards. I would love if you could email me some of your success stories as well so I can share them with the other Clubs and State Associations! Rick Santella Greetings! We have taken a novel approach to High 12 by creating a “Beer Tour” club that goes to a different brewery in the Tampa Bay area each month (there are over 40 in the area). When we meet we do our business meeting right away and leave anything else (celebrations, sickness and distress) until after we close. This allows a more relaxed atmosphere to chat and talk about the our club, the community, Wolcott Foundation, and anything else that we can think of. The secretary continues to take minutes, but the craft does not see it as a “regimented meeting” like Blue Lodge. We polled the new and old members who like this style of meeting. Families and friends are always welcome, and being in a new brewery each time, we have met other Masons who have shown interest and eventually joined. I hope that helps. Respectfully and Fraternally: |
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Sept 13, 2022 At the stated meeting of the Tri Cities Masonic High Twelve Club #700, Bro Albert Wiggers was presented his International Endowment Fund Certificate by President Lee Stroman symbolizing his support for the International $100,000 Endowment program. Bro Al is the first of the club to become a member, but will likely not be the last as several members requested applications, and a motion was made and passed for the club to join as well. |
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CHI-ILL High Twelve Club #791 – Recap of Sept 2022 Meeting We meet at the world infamous Hi View Restaurant in Villa Park IL. We had 19 in attendance. Interestingly enough, Hi View has been the home of DuPage High 12 Club since 2008. I am glad we didn’t get into a turf war! Our speaker was Nancy from the Hephzibah Children’s Association. Her appearance was thoughtfully set up by the Biundo family. What a presentation! We learned a ton about the Foster system and I think we found some areas we as members of the Masonic family can pitch in. To learn more about Hephzibah please go to this link. https://www.hephzibahhome.org/ Dues Members who were at the meeting had the ability to pay their dues in person and receive their dues cards. Zelle, Cash or check are the best ways to pay. For everyone that didn’t pay at last night’s meeting you will be getting a notice and I would like to wrap up anything outstanding by the Oct meeting. Also any officer that did not pay for their jewel please fix this ASAP. Wolcott Foundation We raised $105 to the Wolcott Foundation by passing the school house. In Wolcott news we also have a new Zone Rep in Michael Clark from Grand Rapids, MI. We are overjoyed to be working with him. Youth Group Outreach Brian Schreader Chapter of DeMolay will be hosting a really cool event where you get to decorate and then Smash Pumpkins on Sunday Oct 9th, 2022. 12 Noon to 6pm @ Stadium Club 4740 Vernon Ave McCook IL. This is a fun and unique event hosted by an up and coming chapter. The Chapter is looking for donations to help this event at $100 per club or body. If everyone can send $5 or $10 to bastreasurer@hotmail via Zelle with CHI-ILL High 12 in the donation line we can get this done very quickly. Recent Member Accomplishments Ruben Valadez took a new position at Sullivan’s House in Naperville. Mark Victoria & Amanda Victoria were recently initiated into the Eastern Star. Stephanie Kwilosz became a full fledged advisor for Bloomingdale DeMolay. Timothy “Papa Bear” Blythe is now the 1st VP of the Illinois High 12 Assc. Marty Kwilosz is the new 2 year Trustee for the Royal Arch Masons Charitable Foundation. Jose Moreno is excelling possibly better than ever at the sport of Bocce in the special olympics. Joe Malatia is growing his Kilt Empire by the second. Mark Nokes is kicking butt in the role of International President. Patrick J. Robin was elected to Illustrious Grand Marshall of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons State of Illinois. Joy Lugo is the Charter Mighty Chosen One for the new CHI-ILL Daughters of Mokanna. Joey Biundo is doing great as a Bloomingdale DeMolay officer. Timothy J Ward is the new Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council Cryptic Masons State of Illinois. Leo Biundo is making great strides in recovery. Alvin Mac is well on his way to becoming a Pilot. Chris & Christina Nygren welcomed a brand new healthy baby boy. Kimberley is secretly suspected of being the real Monarch of CHI-ILL Grotto. It’s Brandi’s Birthday! Happy Birthday Brandi! Upcoming Schedule Mon Oct 10th, 2022 – Elmhurst Lodge – Dinner Catered by Fire Water BBQ @ a cost of $25 per person – Speaker Juan Tapia will be covering his Ghost Hunting adventures. Mon Nov 8th, 2022 – American Tap 701 W Lake St Addison IL 60101. Speaker TBD. Sat Nov 20th, 2022 – CHI-ILL Visit to South Suburban High 12 Club @ The Chicago Heights Moose. |
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From the Secretary, Thomas Brotherton, III September 21, 2022 I hope this email find you and your loved ones well. I am emailing all of our Association Presidents and Secretaries as well as Club President and Secretaries to keep you posted on the administrative side of High 12. Our next “Ask Tom” Session will be Sunday October 9th from 3:00pm to 5:00p EST. We will go over having your events posted on the High 12 Web page, answering your questions, filing online forms and this will give you a chance to reach out and get ideas from other clubs as well as give High 12 some ideas to better help you and your club. The zoom link is below. Speaking of Posting events, you will see on our home page under the event section the dates and cities of our Mid-Year Governing Board Conference as well as our 102nd Annual Convention. International President Mark Nokes has chosen Tampa Bay, FL for the Mid-year and Rosemont, IL. for the 102nd Convention. Both locations are within 5 miles or less for major airports, and Brother Mark has alot of great things planned for both. As a reminder, Association Presidents are Governing Board Members and are expected to attend both the Mid year as well as the Convention. I also want to let you know start ordering your dues cards as soon as possible if you have not already. We do not automatically send them as I can not remember every clubs “Official Year”. Some clubs are calendar year, some are by Per-capita Year, and some follow the fiscal year. High 12 International will print and send your clubs dues cards to you at no cost to your club. This is one of the items that is included in your clubs annual per capita. All dues cards will come with your member’s name, membership number, club name and membership status. When we ask about custom, that means how toy want the period of time entered. Default will always be the following year entered. Also speaking of custom forms at no cost to your club, all of our forms are printed in house and sent to you. If you would like to see what the certificates, cards or forms look like here is a link to the samples . When you fill out the forms order be sure to add all the information (ex. Names, Topics, & Dates) . We also have 2 new forms for your club to honor that new Worshipful Master, High Priest, Thrice Illustrious Master, Potentate, Commander-In-Chief or any Masonic leadership roll. A presentation like this at his installation will bring recognition to your club and show all of those present how you are an Ambassador to High 12. Speaking of Ambassador, in our merchandise section you will see our new Ambassador coin that your club can present to those recommenders of a new member. (can be found on our merchandise page). Lastly as a reminder as we are coming out of our summer hiatus, the only form that we charge for, and that is due to the postage and the cost of its special envelope is a replacement Charter. In the past clubs and association’s lost their charter weather by accident, a family of a deceased officer mistakenly throwing it away, or poor choices. The cost is $25 for the replacement and that includes shipping. Join the “Ask Tom” Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 819 5226 0698 |
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Tampa Bay High Twelve Club #792 met at Big Storm Brewery for our monthly meeting. Seventeen were in attendance and we brought in two new members! 2nd VP Eric Klienbach was with us to bring information from International. Our club has been fortunate to be able to travel to different breweries and meet new people along the way. Today we met with a Master Mason from Massachusetts who had just moved to the area, noticed our High 12 banner, and came up to ask about our group. He is going to join a Blue Lodge in the area thanks to our hospitality. Tampa Bay High 12 continues to grow and prosper in the Tampa Bay Area spreading fellowship and information about our Masonic Fraternity. Michael Brown, President |
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Jeff Snyder. Past President Fellow High Twelvians, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and having meaningful memories with their families and loved ones! As I mentioned during our Annual Conference in Kansas, I look at each of you as High Twelve Ambassadors. It is up to each of you to spread the word, get in front of other Master Masons and let them know of all the benefits and fellowship awaiting them as High Twelve Members. It is thru your efforts we can take advantage of the outstanding opportunity staring at us to grow our Clubs and State memberships and prepare for a very successful High Twelve International Future. So, considering this, I have ordered hundreds of High Twelve Ambassador wooden coins to use. I ask that you hand these out to potential Members and tell them this coin allows them to enjoy one free lunch at your next meeting. This gives you the opportunity to share fellowship, a great meal, and let them experience for themselves the same fulfillment we all experience at each Club Meeting. These coins can be collected from your guest and reused repeatedly so…make sure to reach out to our International Treasurer Kevin Hokerk-Robinson to order some free of charge. This method is easy to use and gives us an opportunity to spread the word and grow our Clubs. I also view this as a sense of pride being able to present these coins and let our fellow Master Masons know that YOU are a proud representative (Ambassador) of an outstanding Masonic Organization! |
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Hello from Freeport High Twelve Club #43. Nothing new happening as Covid still a concern here. Not as bad as in the past, but still evident. Therefore, we haven’t had speakers. We recently had one member with Covid. We still meet weekly, on Thursday, for lunch. Our attendance is sporadic, as we can have 8 or up to 14 attendees (includes wives and widows). The first Thursday of every month is our business meeting along with a raffle (no money is involved). Mrs. Carson still provides the dessert. The pictures are: club membership and guests at a recent meeting; state president, Steve Pringle and Freeport President Gene at Steve’s recent official visit; state secretary, Charles Coffey and Freeport president Gene at a recent visit; and Mrs. Carson passing out the treat (cookies) to the members. (The cookies were very good!) Come and visit Freeport #43 any Thursday. We’re at Logan’s Bar & Grill, on Rt. 26 at the south edge of Freeport. Arrive at 11:45 or before and enjoy a delicious lunch. Just call ahead of time to let us know you’re coming. My number is 815-233-4310. Roger Carson, PSP, Secretary |
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Hello there fellow High Twelvians Bro. Charles Lindner…. aka Brother Chuck here…… As we get ready to close the year out…. I just want to say it’s been a Great year Masonically, In High 12 and across the spectrum of Appendant Bodies as a whole…. I want to direct your attention to new and fast growing High 12 Clubs popping up everywhere across the State Of Florida and the ever fast growing clubs Internationally as well. Florida I must say is on fire with new clubs starting up. As the 1stVP of High 12 State Association I am running for the High 12 Florida State Association President position. We have a strong great and steady officer line up. I had the Honor in my year as 1st VP to go to Mid Year Conference in Houston Texas, to also help constitute a new club down in Miami. My goal this coming year as President is to grow/ constitute 6 new clubs .. yes, that’s right I said 6 new clubs though out the state and to visit all the clubs across the state and also b at some of the New clubs constituted internationally as well. To see the High Twelve state Association continues to run smoothly without any hiccups along the way. I sincerely hope all Brother’s and sisters, of our clubs take care of themselves while we all endure Hurricane Ian. Fellow High Twelvians please be careful out in the world we live in. Be Blessed! Fraternally Bro. Chuck |
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The Villages High Twelve Club No. 674 The club had a very active 3rd quarter. Events included ice cream socials for The Villages Blue Lodge No. 394 and The Villages Shrine club. This effort netted 3 new Members for the club and possibly two more as we are waiting on their petitions. Membership now exceeds 30 Brothers. Our picnic was held in Fruitland Park on September 11th with 22 Brothers, Lady’s and Guests. Both the State Association President and State Association Secretary attended the event with their Lady’s There was a tribute to our service men and women plus all the first responders for the 9/11 tragedy and attack on this country. Future events for the Club will be a Widows luncheon on October 5th. Each Lady was sent a special handmade invitation prepared by my Lady Diane. Their lunch will be paid for through sponsoring Brothers. Each will receive a special gift to be presented by 2nd Vice President Michael Freach. Gifts consist of a Widows pin, a scroll (pictured below) and a pocket size flashlight (you are the light of our lives). December features the Village elementary choir singing Christmas carols. |
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Picnic: State Secretary Michael Hemphill and Ceal |
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Burger flippers and dog rollers |
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A presentation to Past International President and Club member Mervyn Harris will be at either the November or December meeting. |
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The Villages Masonic High Twelve Club #674 has a full slate of officers to be elected at the November meeting and installed at the December meeting. Installation to be performed by State Association President Brian Zeppa. |
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Highland Lakes High Twelve Club #566, Palm Harbor, Florida Our club has been meeting monthly at Eve’s Restaurant in Oldsmar, Florida since the pandemic ended. The food is very good here, probably the best of any restaurant we’ve eaten at. Since going dark for the summer, we have received word from the restaurant management that we might have to start ordering off the menu instead of a set list of five specials to order from. The snag for the restaurant is they can no longer provide the specials at the $15.00 price point. We will look elsewhere for a new venue. At the April 5, luncheon, we were honored by a visit from Eric Klienbach, 3rd Vice President, High Twelve International. Eric gave a short talk on the upcoming officer elections for High Twelve international, the High Twelve ring which is now available for sale and other merchandise including a tie and scarf. The club tries to have entertainment at our monthly meetings with either a speaker or musical entertainment. In addition to our monthly luncheons, the club also holds a board meeting, usually face to face at the Vice President’s house. At the meeting, the executive officers can discuss financials and other matters which help to keep the club on an even footing. We have inducted two brothers into our club which is very encouraging for our future, and it looks bright at the time of this writing. Don Robinson, Club Treasurer and Past Florida State President |
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Eric Klienbach Our Annual Convention seems like it was so long ago even though its only been a few short months. I traveled to Cincinnati Ohio and attended Supreme Grotto with our new elected President Marks Nokes. While there we discussed the possibilities of several new High 12 Clubs including our newest Int’l club in El Salvador. We met with both the president and 1st VP of Florida high 12, members from Chicago Ill, Lake Worth Fl clubs as well. Traveled to Ft. Myers Fl to visit club and present James Hogg his Badge as our newly elected Endowment Trustee. Traveled to West Palm Beach for a joint dinner Sem-in-ole Grotto and Lake Worth High 12 club Traveled to The Tampa Bay Club and installed Mike Brown as president and his officers present Met with the administrator for the FL Masonic Home about reinstating High 12 Club there Met with the past Grand Master of N.C. decision about High 12 clubs and the way their ‘Code’ is written it does not allow for Masonic Clubs that collect Dues to operate in their jurisdiction Attended GMOV in Gainesville FL; several conversations were started as a result of wearing my High 12 Int’l Collar. Possibly 3 new club soon in Florida from this visit. Attended a Table Council in Sanford FL; again, wearing my collar conversations ensued. Possibly 2 new clubs in Fl soon Attended Fl State Grotto Assoc. convention along with Pres. Mark Nokes. Conversations about High 12 followed with interest in new Clubs in Texas, Tennessee and Sarasota, Florida. Meeting in Ft Myers with Mark Nokes and James Hogg to discuss the High 12 Endowment. Participated in the installation of new members and new club in Miami Fl with President Mark Nokes. Also in attendance From Florida State Assoc. Pres. 1st VP & State Sec. We do need prayers in Florida as several members of our Ft Myers Club have been greatly impacted by the recent hurricane Respectfully Submitted Eric Klienbach ‘Be the Spark for new members and new clubs’ |