HEATH MASONIC  CLUB

The following notes have been extracted from minutes of the Heath Masonic Club

13 April, 1965 thru 13 June 1967.

Members of this organization planned and organized the formation of Heath Masonic Lodge #771. 

1965

13 April 8  present  who heard R.W.Bro. Gene Galbraith explain the process to form a lodge,  establish by-laws, etc.  Lodge jurisdiction at that time was the local area only. 

20 April     7 present      Collected $20.00 to start a fund for postage, etc.  George Saad was selected Chairman, and  Noble Robertson was selected Secretary of the “CLUB”.  Decision to write 7 adjacent lodges stating our intent to form a new lodge.

11 May               Received necessary forms from Grand Lodge.  Started petition to get signatures of members for the new lodge.

18 May               42 names are on petition

22 June             Dorman Ritchey moved the lodge be named Heath Lodge. Approved.                                                             

                        Nominations for officers:
                         Master     Carl Feurriegel
                         S. W.           Rod  Swank
                         J. W.           R. Bert Hoback
                         Sec’y          Jack Shoenfelt
                         Treasurer     Dorman Ritchey
                         Approved.

Charter fee to be $20.00 ($5.00 due when a brother signs the petition).  Decided  to call  the  organization  “Heath Masonic  Club”.

20 July     15 present     Visits made to area lodges affected.  We invited Hebron Lodge and Center Star Lodge to be our lodge sponsor.  Decided  to  accept residents of Heath only at this time.  Jack Shoenfelt was secretary for this meeting and other meetings thru the 14 March, 1967 meeting.  

21 Sep.      14 present at meeting in Heath City Hall (the old building)     3 area lodges voted favorable, 2 negative, 1  will vote after Grand Lodge.

26 Oct.      13 present at Heath City Hall.  Statewide jurisdiction  failed at Grand Lodge.  Hebron Lodge votes against us.  The new Grand Master encouraged us  to keep trying.  He suggested that we approach  the  officers, Past Masters, PDDGM’s of lodges that turned us  down.  We asked for  a new petition to form a  lodge.  Bro. Swank moved that we form a committee to organize  a kick off  dinner meeting in December to start the new petition.  Bros. Swank, Conner, and Robertson  appointed. 

NOTE;  The minutes usually did NOT  indicate where the meeting was held. 

1966

11 Jan      13 present      Proposal to make 50 placards listing meeting time and place of Heath Masonic Club for distribution  to Heath Merchants.

?   Feb.     12 present      Dance postponed to March.  Letter will be sent to Newark Trust thanking them for use of their basement at the Round Bank.  Decided to write letters to all area lodges, Past Masters, and other illustrious masons  inviting them to our May meeting.

8 March     12 present     Dinner/dance arranged to be joint effort with NAFB Masonic Club.  March dinner/dance canceled-- lack of interest.  Each of us should invite five other masons  to our meeting.  Officer Nominating Committee appointed--Bros. Brannon, Lavender, and Losey.

12 April     12 present     Nominating Committee recommended  we retain the  same officers. Approved.  A letter will be mailed with a follow-up post card or phone call to area masons inviting them to our May meeting. 

10 May     28 present      Honored guests:  Fay Gullion, Sr Grand Deacon, Gene  Galbraith, DDGM, Stewart Sedgewick, PDDGM;  Fred Palmer.  Honored guests gave words of wisdom and their support in establishing a new lodge in Heath.  R. W. Bro. Gullion suggested we keep the petition open until September or until we  have  80-100 valid  signatures on our petition. 

14 June     8 present     Bro. Swank  suggested  that each member present take our petition for 4 days  and attempt to  get 3-5 signatures on it. 

12 July     4 present Continue circulating the petition and obtaining signatures.

10 Aug. 12 present Charter fee of $20.00 established  ($5.00 to be paid when signing the petition, the  balance payable when Grand Lodge issues a Dispensation).  Bro. Ritchey moved we establish  annual dues at $12.00. Approved.

13 Sept. Letter to be sent  to each member hoping  for a good attendance at our October meeting.   Bros. Burch and Shoenfelt to prepare  a  list of  “Answers to Probable Questions”. 

11 Oct.      26 present     71 names on petition--20 more possible.  Decided to present our petition to 6 affected lodges at their January 1967 stated  meeting.

  8 Nov.               Bro. Christy, W. Master elect of Crusader Lodge #720 invited  Heath Masonic Club  members to the joint installation of 3 Newark lodges 26 November.  

13 Dec      14 present 84 names on petition, 6-8 more  possible.  (Acme 13;  Newark 16;  Crusader 9, Jackson, 1).  A committee was assigned to attend respective lodges when vote is taken on our  application. 

1967

10 Jan          16 present     Reviewed assignments to attend affected lodges. 

25 Feb.      17 present      Five lodges voted;  3 approved:  1 no vote;  Hebron not voted.  We voted Heath Lodge jurisdiction would be within Heath city limits.

14 Mar     18 present      All 6 lodges voted:  5 yes;  1 no. We can now apply to Grand Lodge for a dispensation.  Bro. Swank presented the procedure (outlined by R. W. Bro. Galbraith in a lengthy letter) that we have to comply with before Grand Lodge in  October.  viz.:  obtain dispensation, appoint officers, assign and learn work for 3 degrees.

13 June     12 present      We need to call  all petition signers and urge them to attend the 11 July meeting in Center Star Lodge’s hall in  Granville.  Ralph Orr was selected Secretary.    Our bank account  was changed from Heath Masonic Club  to Heath Lodge U. D.  We decided to delay our request for a charter  until Grand Lodge in 1968.  Candidates raised while we were “under dispensation would be  charter members.  Proposed by-laws to be read  at July meeting;   to include meeting  night (first Tuesday);  annual dues $12.00;  Charter  fee $20.00;   fee for new members $99.00 ($78.00 for degrees, $20.00 for the O.M.H. ;  $1.00 for the George Washington National  Memorial in VA).  Affiliation fee will be the same  as dues.  Harold Hendrickson was appointed  tyler.

This  was the last  meeting  of the Heath Masonic Club.  The  next meeting would  be  the first meeting  of Heath Lodge  “UD” (Under Dispensation ) in Center Star Lodge #11 in Granville on  11 July, 1967.

Submitted by Sherwood A. Conner