I joined David D. Mattock (87) after arriving here because they needed help. I reached out to brothers that I knew in Europe and that's how we started building our Lodge up financially, and by do- ing things in the community. We remained one of the most respected Lodges up and down the jurisdic- tion. The Past Grand Lecturer was a member of our Lodge, and he was elected Grand Master (CA) be- fore me. We also had a Past Grand Master out of Alaska as a member of our Lodge. I was Senior Dea- con when PGM Martin Tennyson was a member as well. Unfortunately, they are all deceased, but good men and they are the most influential men in my life. Another influential person that I didn ’ t mention was Howard Woods out of Arkansas, I don't know if you ever heard that name before. Some old - timers like me who remember him. He was the third Past Grand Master that I knew was made Emeritus. In other words, they don't lose the title of “ Most Worshipful ” when referenced. Daniels out of Maryland was given the title Emeritus and so was Brother Foster out of North Carolina. In the California jurisdiction, PGM Harold D. Mural had head for history, I used to call him the “ Praying Grand Master. ” Needless to say, I have met a number of brothers over the years that have rose to senior positions in Masonry and some of them have been my Kappa Brothers. I am glad I was able to witness and contribute to their success. SGIG Matthews : Can you tell us a bit more about that structure of the or- ganizations that you were a member of? Like, do you re- member any of the leaders from your Lodge in Berlin? SGIG Blue : Steve Starks would be one and was here in Sacramento at one point. He my Wor- shipful Master when I left Berlin, but he has not been active in Masonry for a few years. We were both part of the same outfit in Berlin. Steve Starks was very influential in my Masonic journey and in my personal life. Mat- ter of fact we went for the same job at in Berlin, which he eventually got. When they first started “ race rela- tions ” in the mili- tary or whatever that they used to refer to it as back then; we would have an officer and a noncommissioned officer (NCO) that dealt these issues with the units. Steve wound up being the race relations coordinator, and his official title escapes me. But they had them in the Army and the Air Force back then. I don ’ t know the whole story of why he left Masonry, but he started to fall back around 1974. Even today many circumstances cause people to rethink their role in the order, COVID, finances, time etc. Maybe his was a victim of those circumstanc- es. Masonry can do a lot of good, you know, but it can also put stress on the individual and their fami- lies, especially when the wife is not in the OES or the Daughters of Isis (the Auxiliary to the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and South America and its Jurisdictions (A.E.A.O.N.M.S.), Inc.) or anything. It is also about what you want to invest and get in return from the fraternity. That's why I used to work two jobs, I even bagged groceries in the commissary, so I did what I had to do to not just become a card - carrying emblem wearing Mason. When I first got here in Sacramento. I was asked a question one night, when we were doing a Master Masons Degree at the Odd Fellows Hall in Sacramento. Bro. Si Wahab took notice and asked
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