The December 20, 2007 meeting was an emotional one. Following a brief formal meeting in the Lodge room, we adjourned for dinner in the hall. After dinner, the Worshipful Master, assisted by the District Leadership Team, presented “years of service” awards to two very deserving brothers.
W... David Stanley, DSA received his pin and certificate from Grand Lodge for 25 Years of Service.
| R...W... Stafford Willis received his 50-year pin and certificate.
The brothers expressed their appreciation to the Lodge for the ceremony. Brother Willis delivered a couple of moving anecdotes, depicting Freemasonry in action. Both brothers are also previous recipients of the Dedicated Service Award. |
From the East
Brethren,
It is difficult to believe that almost a year has passed since I was installed as Master of Clinton Lodge. When I look back at this last year, however, I realize that we continue on a journey of rebirth and renewal that I know my successor will carry on and build upon.
There are no words to adequately convey the overwhelming gratitude and the fellowship that I feel towards this Lodge, not only to its brethren but to their wives and families for their generosity, hard work and support. Those of us who “get it” know that this is what Freemasonry is ultimately all about.
Please know that I do not plan to fade away, nor do I plan to ride into the sunset. I owe the brethren of Clinton Lodge a debt, and I shall repay that debt by pledging my continued support to my successor, his line and to the Lodge itself in their continuing efforts to build not only their Lodge here on this world, but that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Fraternally,
R...W... Alan M. Valente,
Master
 Remember the Brotherhood Fund
Brethren,
Happy spring to you all. I hope your winter was a healthy and prosperous one. It is that time of the year when we, as Freemasons, again think about one of our core tenets – charity.
The Brotherhood Fund is winding down for the 07-08 year. We are not meeting our goal to date, in regards to the percentage of members contributing. If you have not yet given, this is your last opportunity for this fiscal year. Any size donation is welcome, needed and appreciated. Moreover, it will help Clinton Lodge No. 140 continue as one of our District’s highest contributors in term s of percentage of membership.
Mail your checks to “Masonic Brotherhood Fund”, PO Box 304, Waterford, NY 12188. If you want your donation to go to any specific area (Livingston Library, Masonic Benevolence Endowment Fund, etc.) be sure to mark that on your check. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Fraternally,
R...W... A. Richard Dzembo,
Brotherhood Fund Chairman
|
From the WMTA
Brethren,
As the summer approaches, the days get longer, the Lodge goes dark, and your Officers and Trustees get busy. We made improvements this winter by closing off some of the Lodge room windows and getting semi-permanent storms for the others. We have added an electronic thermostat to control the heat. These improvements should help stabilize our energy costs, which, as you are all aware, have skyrocketed.
This summer’s projects include finishing and painting the lodge room interior areas, windows, and window treatment of the remainder. The larger tasks include addressing those structural problems pointed out by an engineering study that was done, to bring our building up to safety and code requirements. Some of the problems listed have already been addressed, mainly on the exterior surfaces (i.e. pointing up brickwork and the chimney falling over). We now must fix the structural problems inside the building, mainly the missing and/or rotted floor joists, bearing beam and bearing walls in the basement of the original structure. In the dining hall, the roof and ceiling joists and rafters are undersized, and the bearing beam does not contact the ground. The Worshipful Master, along with members of the line, has volunteered to work on the bearing wall and joist problems over the summer. More volunteers are welcome; please contract John Gela or Rick Dzembo. The roof and ceiling deficiencies are still being evaluated. If anyone has any ideas on how to approach these deficiencies, please contact any of the WMTA trustees.
Our new sign and the W... David Blostein Memorial seating area will be completed this summer, and should make a nice addition to the gateway that Clinton affords the village of Waterford.
This brings us to that point which we all know, but don’t like to hear - the Lodge needs money, and volunteers, to make these necessary structural repairs. We again have a donor who will match all monetary contributions received from brothers, up to $10,000. This is a great opportunity to double the effectiveness of any donation you make to the Lodge. If you like, make checks payable to “The Friends of the Stewart House, Inc.,” a 501-C tax-exempt corporation set up to manage and maintain our historic building. If you don’t need or want the tax deductions, checks can be made payable directly to the “Waterford Masonic Temple Association.” Please mail your contributions to Waterford Masonic Temple Association, P.O. Box 304, Waterford, NY 12188.
With the continued support of the District and the brothers of Clinton Lodge, we have made great strides in bringing the hall up to 2008 standards. We must continue to make these improvements, if we are to keep our historic meeting place in a condition which will allow us to feel both safe and proud. To accomplish this we need the help and assistance of everyone, no matter what that assistance might be. We are not a large Lodge by membership. That means everyone’s help and input is very important. If anyone has any ideas, constructive criticism or questions please contact Staff or Rick at 273-1223. Thank you in advance for your support.
R...W... Stafford Willis &
R...W... A. Richard Dzembo,
Co-Chairmen Buildings and Grounds
|
