As early as 1723, special ceremonies were used to install the newly elected Master of a Lodge. By 1792, there appears to have been a separate ceremony attended only by the retiring Master and the Past Masters. At this separate ceremony, the newly installed Master of the Lodge was obligated, given a sign in commemoration of that obligation and invested with a grip and word so that he could thereafter make himself known to other present and past Masters of Masonic Lodges.
By the time that this ceremony came to the United States, it had grown beyond an obligation, a sign, a grip and a word. It had become more like a degree. The intent was not simply to bind the newly elected Master with an obligation, but to teach him the course of conduct necessary to discharge his newly assumed duties as Master of a Lodge.
While our California Blue Lodge ritual does not include this degree, the lessons of this historical ceremony are too important to be abandoned. They have been preserved by the Southern California Past Masters Association. All new members of the Association participate in this ceremony, with some modifications. They take the Past Master’s obligation and receive the sign, grip and word of a Past Master. The ceremony illustrates certain lessons which a new Master should learn before he can preside successfully.
All Masters and Past Masters who have not yet joined the Association are encouraged to do so to share in this important, historical ceremony.
As early as 1723, special ceremonies were used to install the newly elected Master of a Lodge. By 1792, there appears to have been a separate ceremony attended only by the retiring Master and the Past Masters. At this separate ceremony, the newly installed Master of the Lodge was obligated, given a sign in commemoration of that obligation and invested with a grip and word so that he could thereafter make himself known to other present and past Masters of Masonic Lodges.
By the time that this ceremony came to the United States, it had grown beyond an obligation, a sign, a grip and a word. It had become more like a degree. The intent was not simply to bind the newly elected Master with an obligation, but to teach him the course of conduct necessary to discharge his newly assumed duties as Master of a Lodge.
While our California Blue Lodge ritual does not include this degree, the lessons of this historical ceremony are too important to be abandoned. They have been preserved by the Southern California Past Masters Association. All new members of the Association participate in this ceremony, with some modifications. They take the Past Master’s obligation and receive the sign, grip and word of a Past Master. The ceremony illustrates certain lessons which a new Master should learn before he can preside successfully.
All Masters and Past Masters who have not yet joined the Association are encouraged to do so to share in this important, historical ceremony.
PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES:
PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES:
SECRETARY
TREASURER
ASST. SECRETARY
PRESIDENT
Division 5
1st VICE PRESIDENT
Division 7
2nd VICE PRESIDENT
Division 9
MASTER of CEREMONIES
Division 8
STEWARD
Division 6
TILER
Division 5
CHAPLAIN
Division 6
SECRETARY
TREASURER
ASST. SECRETARY
PRESIDENT
Division 5
1st VICE PRESIDENT
Division 7
2nd VICE PRESIDENT
Division 9
MASTER of CEREMONIES
Division 8
STEWARD
Division 6
TILER
Division 5
CHAPLAIN
Division 6
2024 David Shampay
2023 Jeffrey Schimsky
2020-22 Michael Thibodeaux
2020 Maurice Sourmany
2019 Joseph Tabrisky
2018 Mark Pressey
2017 Geoffrey Holbrook
2016 Rusty Roten
2015 Brian P. Bezner
2014 James (Bill) Allen
2013 Westel R. Reed, Jr.
2012 A. Sherman Ostrom
2011 Christopher L. Holme
2010 Richard Dinsmore
2009 Lynn Wallingford
2008 Vernon M. Dandridge
2007 Albert Kellner
2006 Jack M. Rose
2005 Andrew D. Saar
2004 A. Bruce Ivie
2003 Thomas Jarrard
2002 David R. Doan
2001 Arthur H. Weiss
2000 Joseph A. Stouch
1999 Paul E. McCleary
1998 Larry Adamson
1997 Adam M. Martin
1996 Dennis C. Shaffer
1995 Frederick Kleyn III
1994 R. Stephen Doan
1993 Francis Russell Jr.
1992 Glenn D. Woody
1991 Robin Mansfield
1990 David Farlee
1989 Glen Neikirk
1988 Melvin F. Schuster
1987 Donald Nielsen
1986 M. William Holsinger
1985 Louis H. Lipscomb
1984 Richard C. Kelley
1983 Kenneth L. Hemphill
1982 Ronald L. Broaddus
1981 Delmer W. May
1980 Melville H. Nahin
1979 James F. Davidson
1978 Stanley L. Channon
1977 Harry L. Maynard
1976 Melvin A. Pixley
1975 G. Basil Gordon
1974 Ernest M. Newton
1973 Ray H. Paine
1972 Charles S. Barrett
1971 Wayne C. Bates
1970 Thomas Thurman
1969 Reginald Newman
1968 Paul R. Nichols
1967 Byron C. Morton
1966 Floyd O. Mason
1965 Jesse M. Sheegog
1964 Henry M. Welch
1964 John M. Gordon
1963 Milton H. Lang
1962 Louis H. Mahler
1961 Graham B. Palmer
1960 Ralph W. Collins
1960 Myron E. Smith
1958 W. Blair Gibbons
1957 Edward A. McMullen
1956 Guy B. Mize
1955 Ralph H. Head
1954 William J. Courtiour
1953 William J. Williams
1952 Leonard Grose
1951 Ernest C. Bashor
1950 Ralph C. Hine
1949 Ralph K. Pierson
1948 Winston E. Squire
1947 Louis C. Drapeau
1946 John R. Moore
1945 C. Stanley Chapman
1944 Ralph E. Smith
1943 Gustav A. Quick
1942 Lloyd C. Campbell
1941 Charles M. Scoville
1940 William L. Hovis
1939 Frank M. Smith
1938 Oakley K. Morton
1937 Frederick L. Johnstone
1936 Rollie W. Miller
1935 Frederick W. Kester
1934 J. Lynn Goode
1933 Earl Campbell
1932 W. Avery Miller
1931 Sidney K. Lehman
1930 Martin L. Griffith
1929 Lee T. Mullen
1928 L. Ludlow Haight
1927 R. B. LaFontaine
1926 Myron J. Newberg
1925 Edmund P. Ingmire
1924 Ralph A. Chase
1923 Henry D. French
1922 Clark H. Shaw
1921 William Rhodes Hervey
1920 Charles H. Ritchie
1919 Irving J. Mitchell
1918 Walter A. Lewis
1917 Charles E. Boag
1916 David J. Reese
1915 Lemel L. Test
1914 Samuel E. Burke
1913 Benjamin F. Bledsoe
1912 Jack Harlan Bean
1911 S. M. Puryear
1910 O. M. Robbins
1909 Dana R. Weller
1908 Dana R. Weller
2024 David Shampay
2023 Jeffrey Schimsky
2020-22 Michael Thibodeaux
2020 Maurice Sourmany
2019 Joseph Tabrisky
2018 Mark Pressey
2017 Geoffrey Holbrook
2016 Rusty Roten
2015 Brian P. Bezner
2014 James (Bill) Allen
2013 Westel R. Reed, Jr.
2012 A. Sherman Ostrom
2011 Christopher L. Holme
2010 Richard Dinsmore
2009 Lynn Wallingford
2008 Vernon M. Dandridge
2007 Albert Kellner
2006 Jack M. Rose
2005 Andrew D. Saar
2004 A. Bruce Ivie
2003 Thomas Jarrard
2002 David R. Doan
2001 Arthur H. Weiss
2000 Joseph A. Stouch
1999 Paul E. McCleary
1998 Larry Adamson
1997 Adam M. Martin
1996 Dennis C. Shaffer
1995 Frederick Kleyn III
1994 R. Stephen Doan
1993 Francis Russell Jr.
1992 Glenn D. Woody
1991 Robin Mansfield
1990 David Farlee
1989 Glen Neikirk
1988 Melvin F. Schuster
1987 Donald Nielsen
1986 M. William Holsinger
1985 Louis H. Lipscomb
1984 Richard C. Kelley
1983 Kenneth L. Hemphill
1982 Ronald L. Broaddus
1981 Delmer W. May
1980 Melville H. Nahin
1979 James F. Davidson
1978 Stanley L. Channon
1977 Harry L. Maynard
1976 Melvin A. Pixley
1975 G. Basil Gordon
1974 Ernest M. Newton
1973 Ray H. Paine
1972 Charles S. Barrett
1971 Wayne C. Bates
1970 Thomas Thurman
1969 Reginald Newman
1968 Paul R. Nichols
1967 Byron C. Morton
1966 Floyd O. Mason
1965 Jesse M. Sheegog
1964 Henry M. Welch
1964 John M. Gordon
1963 Milton H. Lang
1962 Louis H. Mahler
1961 Graham B. Palmer
1960 Ralph W. Collins
1960 Myron E. Smith
1958 W. Blair Gibbons
1957 Edward A. McMullen
1956 Guy B. Mize
1955 Ralph H. Head
1954 William J. Courtiour
1953 William J. Williams
1952 Leonard Grose
1951 Ernest C. Bashor
1950 Ralph C. Hine
1949 Ralph K. Pierson
1948 Winston E. Squire
1947 Louis C. Drapeau
1946 John R. Moore
1945 C. Stanley Chapman
1944 Ralph E. Smith
1943 Gustav A. Quick
1942 Lloyd C. Campbell
1941 Charles M. Scoville
1940 William L. Hovis
1939 Frank M. Smith
1938 Oakley K. Morton
1937 Frederick L. Johnstone
1936 Rollie W. Miller
1935 Frederick W. Kester
1934 J. Lynn Goode
1933 Earl Campbell
1932 W. Avery Miller
1931 Sidney K. Lehman
1930 Martin L. Griffith
1929 Lee T. Mullen
1928 L. Ludlow Haight
1927 R. B. LaFontaine
1926 Myron J. Newberg
1925 Edmund P. Ingmire
1924 Ralph A. Chase
1923 Henry D. French
1922 Clark H. Shaw
1921 William Rhodes Hervey
1920 Charles H. Ritchie
1919 Irving J. Mitchell
1918 Walter A. Lewis
1917 Charles E. Boag
1916 David J. Reese
1915 Lemel L. Test
1914 Samuel E. Burke
1913 Benjamin F. Bledsoe
1912 Jack Harlan Bean
1911 S. M. Puryear
1910 O. M. Robbins
1909 Dana R. Weller
1908 Dana R. Weller
©2025 Southern California Past Masters Association
All Rights Reserved
©2024 Southern California Past Masters Association
All Rights Reserved