THE MASTER’S GAVEL
THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF OGDEN LODGE NO. 754
Volume I, Issue I
¿From the Master’s Chair
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to our new monthly
newsletter. Ogden Lodge No. 754 has been fortunate in the last
few years, and we’ve enjoyed a period of growth. We’ve got a
lot of new members, and lots of new ideas—this newsletter is
one of them. One thing our lodge believes it can do better is in
communicating with our brethren what we’re doing. This
newsletter is one way of several we hope to use to get the word
out. What we want to create is a newsletter that our members
look forward to reading each month—something that is as
entertaining as it is informational. We’re going to try this
newsletter for a couple months, and see what the reaction is. If
you like it, be sure you let us know and we’ll keep doing it.
We’ve got a lot going on these days, and a lot coming up, and
we’d love for you to come join us. We’ve got our Third Annual
BBQ coming up on May 8th. Our BBQ has quickly become
one of our most popular annual events, so be sure to mark your
calendars for that one. We’ve also got a big day planned for
June 19th as part of the Village of Ogden’s 140th Anniversary
celebration. We’ll kick off with a pancake breakfast, and later in
the day we’re going to hold an IL-CHIP (Illinois Child
Identification Program). Later, we’re even going to participate
in the parade, and it’s the first time our lodge has done anything
like that in a long time. We invite all of you to come and join us
for the parade, and toss some candy to the kids. It should be a
lot of fun. Hope to see you there!
Sincerely & Fraternally,
Tim Nichols
Worshipful Master
May 2010
Ogden Past Master’s
Dinner
Ogden Lodge held a Past Master’s Dinner on February
29th. It was a well attended event, and there were ten
Past Master’s of Ogden Lodge in attendance and several
Past Masters from other lodges as well.
A remarkable meal was provided by our skilled culinary
expert Brother Doug Behrens. Those of you that
attended know what I mean (be sure to mark your
calendars, Doug will be cooking again at our Third
Annual BBQ on May 8th.)
The Past Masters of Ogden Lodge in attendance left to right:
Donald Hawkins, Brandon Lewis, Carl W. Lewis, Michael
Tucker, John Harrison, Loyal "Doc" Davis, Kent Nelson,
Denver Phelps, Robert Vilven, and current Master Clark
Timothy Nichols.
Our current Worshipful Master Tim Nichols welcomed
everyone and opened the after dinner program. He was
followed by our lodge Secretary Denver Phelps
(AADGM) who introduced our Past Master’s as Tim
passed out roses to their ladies. Senior Warden Todd
Creason gave a talk about the history of Ogden Lodge.
Of course, the only thing anyone is going to remember
about the event was the surprise visit from Brother
George Washington (portrayed by the Illustrious Bob
Blacketeer, 33º). General Washington gave a riveting
account of his life, the Revolutionary War, and his
Masonic affiliation. It was a memorable talk punctuated
by the presentation of the American flag. å
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 1
Who Is This Freemason?
Excerpted from Todd Creason’s book Famous
American Freemasons: Vol. I

The young man excelled at football. He played

center on offense and linebacker on defense for his South
High School team. After high school, his athletic ability
opened college doors for him—Harvard, Northwestern,
and Michigan State among them. Ultimately, he decided to
attend the University of Michigan.
While still in college at Michigan, he was offered
coaching jobs with both the Detroit Lions and the Green
Bay Packers. At $200 per game, coaching was a lucrative
job for that time—especially attractive since he had been
doing dishes at his Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity house to
earn money for school. Even so, he decided a formal
education was more important than a career as a coach and
stayed in school.
Treasured Library
The young man was a second stringer on the
University of Michigan. In both 1932 and 1933, the team
Collection Lost in Tragic
was undefeated in the Big Ten and won the conference
championships. The young man finally made first string his
Blaze
senior year and was voted Most Valuable Player for 1934. There was one sad note to an otherwise enjoyable Past
Unfortunately, that year the team lost seven of eight games. Master’s Dinner. It was an announcement made by
But the one game they won was a victory in more ways Worshipful Brother Denver Phelps. He said, and I
than one. quote to the best of my recollection:
Michigan was to play Georgia Tech; however, the
Georgia Tech players refused to take the field because “I don't know if you all knew it, but there was a
Michigan’s star receiver, Willis F. Ward, was African- bad fire in Royal last night. Some of you may have
American. When Michigan administrators caved in to noticed that Worshipful Brother Steve Hooper isn't
Georgia Tech’s demands and took Willis F. Ward out of here today. He had a bad fire at his house last
the game, the young man was outraged. He nearly refused night . . . in his library. He lost all his books. All
to play in the game, but then he realized that taking himself three of them. Two of them he hadn't even colored
out of the game would only hurt the team, so he played in yet. . .”
despite his anger about the situation. During the game, one
of the Georgia Tech linemen made the mistake of taunting Of course Worshipful Brother Hooper was actually
the University of Michigan players over their missing vacationing in Florida at the time. There was no fire at
“nigger,” and things got ugly. his house either, but those facts did not stop his
The young man and his teammates took a stand. dedicated friends and brothers from springing into
They blocked the Georgia Tech lineman so savagely that, action.
within a few plays, he had to be carried from the field on a
stretcher. It was the only game of the season Michigan At Ogden’s regular stated meeting on April 14th, during
won—a 9 to 2 victory. It was an early example of the kind a solemn moment, Brother Hooper was called to the
of character this young man lived by his entire life. å East, where Treasurer Kent Nelson presented him with
new coloring books and crayons.
Do you think you know who this Mason is?
Check your answer at the bottom of page 3 Of course, one lesson that all Masons can take away
from this is the guaranteed fact that if you miss a
meeting, a pancake breakfast, a dinner, or a degree, you
open yourself up for all kinds of mischief. å
“I have a tip that can take 5 strokes off
anyone's golf game. It's called an eraser.”

~Arnold Palmer
Loyalhanna Lodge No. 275
Pennsylvannia

The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 2

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
™ROADSIDE PICK-UP
MEET AT OGDEN LODGE
MAY 3 @ 6 PM
Ogden Lodge adopted the highway North and South of
town and several times a year we pick up the trash. Come
and join us if you like—you can keep anything you find.
™REGULAR STATED MEETING
OGDEN LODGE
SECOND WEDNESDAY (MAY 12)
Come join us at our monthly meeting.
™3RD ANNUAL OGDEN BBQ
OGDEN LODGE
MAY 8 4:30PM – 7 PM
Be sure to mark your calendars for this one! If you haven’t
been to our BBQ before, you’ve missed out. Bro. Doug
Behren’s BBQ is quickly becoming one of our most
popular events at Ogden.
™OGDEN’S 140TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
OGDEN, ILLINOIS
June 19
Ogden will host a pancake breakfast at the lodge between
6-10 AM. Later in the day, we’ll be holding a IL-CHIP
(Child Identification Program) between 11AM – 1PM.
We’re also going to participate in the parade—come out
and join us. It should be a lot of fun.
TO SEND ITEMS TO THE NEWSLETTER:
You can email items to our editor Todd Creason
webmaster@toddcreason.org, or call him with items at
(217) 260-1960. You can also mail items to Ogden Lodge
No. 754, Attn: Newsletter, PO BOX 74, Ogden, IL
61859. We also have a FaceBook page, and you can
contact us there as well. We welcome any and all
comments and suggestions about our newsletter. Thank
you!
EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m looking for photographs of our
old lodge building, inside or out, group photos, etc. If you
have any you would be willing to share, please contact me.
If it’s a group photo, let me know who’s in it. I’d like to
scan the photos, and then I’ll promptly return them. I’d
like to print some of these in a future newsletter. Thanks.
My wife told me the car wasn't running well
because there was water in the carburetor. I
asked where the car was. She told me, “In the
lake.”
~Red Skelton, 33º
Something New: Ogden &
Homer May Lodge Together
Two Joint Meetings This Summer?
Ogden Lodge and Homer Lodge will be seeking special
dispensation from our Grand Lodge to hold two special joint
meetings this summer—both to be held at Ogden Lodge.
Homer Lodge No. 199 requested use of Ogden’s building for two
of their regular meetings this summer—their lodge is difficult to
cool during the hot summer months. The members of Ogden
Lodge thought it might be interesting to try something different
and bring the brethren of both lodges together for two special
joint meetings over two months this summer, and Homer’s Master
Steve Hooper agreed.
One of the meetings would be held on Homer’s regular night (the
second Tuesday) and would be run by the Master and Officers of
Homer Lodge. The other monthly meeting would be held on
Ogden’s regular meeting night, and would be run by Ogden’s
Master and officers.
We think it will be a lot of fun, and we hope the Brethren of both
lodges attend these special meetings (and it goes without saying a
fine meal will be provided afterwards). More information will be
forthcoming as the details are worked out. å
Who Was That Mason? (Answer from Page 2)
The University of Michigan football player was
none other than Gerald R. Ford, the fortieth
President of the United States of America.
Ford became a Master Mason at Malta Lodge
No. 465 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1949.
He later joined the Scottish Rite of
Freemasonry, and received the 33rd Degree.
The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 3
 The Ogden Window
A Beautiful Piece of Ogden Lodge’s Past Restored
It’s nothing short of amazing that this beautiful stained glass
window from the old lodge building survived the 1996 tornado.
For more than a decade, it has been sitting in storage in a back
room of the lodge. In 2010, thanks to the help of several brother
Masons who helped repair and strengthen the piece, and framed
and lit it, this piece of our history has finally returned to a
prominent place in our lodge . . . a constant reminder of where
we’ve been, and the long history of Ogden Lodge. å

Ogden Lodge No. 754

PO Box 74
Ogden, IL 61859

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED X

The Master’s Gavel Ogden Lodge No. 754 Monthly Newsletter 4

THE GAVEL 5