1700 South 340th Street February A.D.

2020
Federal Way, WA 98003-6833 A.L. 6020
253-838-0543 -- TFM302@q.com Issue XLII
This month’s issue:
Visit us on the web at www. mcelroy302.org

- Thornton F. McElroy Lodge No. 302 F & AM –

Worshipful Master: Jeff Smith

From the EAST:  Latest thing I heard is that the Krucible Lodge Charter turn-in is cancelled
due to Covid-19.  Just so everyone knows.  
We received a letter from Sound Transit today advising us that they MAY take part or
all of our property for their transit depot.  What I need from one of the brothers in this
lodge is for someone to step up and communicate with them.  Here are some E-mail
addresses they would like us to use:
For Briefings, omfsouthpropertyownerbriefings.as.me  
For E-mails:  OMFSouth@soundtransit.org.  For project background:
 soundtransit.org/omfs.
To sign up for project alerts:  soundtransit.org/subscribe.  The letter is on the
computer desk in the lodge library if you wish to drop by and read for yourself.  
Not much has been going on.  We got together on the first Wednesday and did what
we could.  Paid bills....aren't those always around.  Still can't do any ritual, but it was good
to see some friendly faces.
Some folks are beginning to receive Covid-19 inoculations.  I'm sched for March and
my wife on 02/10/21. So, hang in there Brethren.  We'll beat this yet.

From the Senior Warden Wayne Mandeville

Hello Brethren, I hope everyone is well. I apologize for missing the last couple
of months of the Trestle Board. Life can take hold and take charge for sure. A
New year and fingers crossed this will be a good one and we will be able to meet
again soon.
The important thing I wanted to talk about is our future. We are having a hard
time finding Brothers to take officers positions in hopes of a time where we can
meet in person again. Alternately, we find other ways to meet including
continuing Zoom or other ways to maintain our Fraternity. I being Sr. Warden, have started
planning for my year if elected. I have lots of plans (expecting to be able to have activities) to
get our Brothers back spending time together. There are Lodges that are still prospering and
spending time together. Men are still wanting to be a part of our Fraternity, and we need to try

tf

 and remember the reason we wanted to be Masons to begin with. The one thing Ive always
heard from all my Brothers is that their coach and mentor was so hard on them and made them
work for everything they got. Why aren't the new Masons still taught like that? It should be
hard, we should have to work for it and it should take months for each degree. There is so
much to learn.
Stay well Brethren…

From the Junior Warden WB Jerry E. Whitney

Another month has rolled by with the same results as last month. Lots of boredom.
Been working on my stamp collection after about 20 years of neglect. Some of the
stamps I do not every remembering using. Just like masonry. If you learned the
ritual once and have not used it much of all it is soon forgotten. Since we cannot
open a lodge ritualistically it is very easy to forget what the wording is. Getting older
does not help anything either. Which is why we NEED younger masons to step into
the various officer roles. You can learn the new position now so that when we are
able meet again in person you will be able to step right into that spot. Please let me
and the Worshipful Master which role you would like so that we do not have everyone trying
for the same position. All positions except Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, Senior
Deacon, and Marshal are open.
You cannot change the way things are going if you never attend the meeting, if you
never get involved. At the very least attend some of the Zoom meetings so we, the existing
officers, know what you look like so when you do attend, we do not think it is someone who
just wandered in off the street. I for one, need to meet or see someone several times before
I remember who they are.
The Zoom Lodge get together is ID is 362 478 6166 The passcode is 633207.
Monday morning get together Zoom is ID 927 523 2363 Passcode tfm302.
Hope to see many brothers at these sessions.

- Pyramid Court No. 88 Order of the Amaranth -

Royal Matron: Emily Hoffman
Royal Patron: Bill Vidunas
Secretary: Lyndsay Sherfield 253-486-4251

 Wow, just like that we are already into February. Hope you all are well. 
  There has been several emails forwarded in the last few weeks so please make sure your
email & other contact info is up to date with our Court Secretary. Dues cards went out so if
you haven't received them please let our Court Secretary know so we can make sure to get
them to you. Along with due reminders and/or life member dues cards our Court Secretary
included a request that since we we not able to do our traditional fundraisers that, if you
are able to, send in a donation to the Court. Thank you to our Honored Ladies & Sir
Knights that did send in a donation, it is much appreciated! 
   Would also like to send a grateful thank you to our Royal Matron HL Emily Hoffman,
Treasurer HL Joan McIntyre, Grand Royal Matron Donna Hoffman, & Secretary HL
Lyndsay Sherfield for their time & hard work on the Annual report. 
  We will have a Zoom social meeting on our regular meeting night so keep an eye out for
the invite in your email inbox. Our Court Secretary tries to send it out a few days before &
then again the day of the meeting to keep it fresh in our minds. Those of us that have
attended have enjoyed being able to connect up with each other. So please do join in the
fun!

  Much Amaranth Love,

 Pyramid Court 

- Pyramid No. 257 Order of the Eastern Star -

Worthy Matron: Helen Van Allen 253-709-2354
Worthy Patron: Allan Moulden
Secretary: Laura Vogel 253-831-3219

From the Secretary’s Desk

Here goes another month with the same as the last.  I sure hope all are
well and getting along ok.  This family of mine is doing fine and keeping
watch on the other members.  We did have one of my daughters father
-in-law die….and six months before him, his wife.  They had been married
a good number of years.  It does seem when one of the couple dies, the
other seems to follow not too long after.  I can relate to that.  Ruth and I
have been married 62 years (soon 63) and were she to die before me I
would find it really difficult to carry on.  But, hopefully that is a few miles down the road. 
    I was reading about 7 brothers who were Masons.   Yea. The famous Ringling Brothers
Circus family was composed of seven Masonic brothers.  An observant Mason will readily
notice this when viewing pictures of the brothers (individually and as a family) at Ringling
Brothers Circus Museum in Sarasota, FL., Proudly wearing Masonic pins and jewels.
     The seven sons of German-born harness maker August Rungeling (original spelling)
founded the circus in `1884.  They were all members of Baraboo Lodge No. 34 in Baraboo,
Wisconsin.   All joined the Lodge between January, 1891 and March 1891.  (Only once did
two of the brothers join at one meeting)
     Minutes show that on one special meeting of Baraboo Lodge in April, 1891, the regular
officers opened Lodge, and then all seven brothers took chairs for the remainder of the
meeting.
     Their father was raised in August 1891.
     The siblings transformed their small touring company of performers into one of
America’s largest circuses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1919, the Ringling
Brothers Circus merged with America’s other leading circus troupe, Barnum Bailey, and
became a staple of the entertainment world for some 98 years, until its last circus
performance in 2017.
     Now, anyone know where we can find seven brothers for our lodge?   They don’t have to
even be real brothers.  We sure could use more members.   Maybe, once this mess is over.  I
just don’t think shutting down as much as we are doing, is that important.  I keep in touch
with my two home town lodges in North Carolina and they have meetings and are bringing
in new members each month.  Yes, they do wear a mask.  So could we.
     Well, that’s all folks.  Take care of yourself and family and like Roy Rogers would say,
“May the good Lord take a liking to you.”

From the Building Superintendent

Building super:  Nothing special to report this month.  Just doing the usual things like getting my
butt kicked by a plugged drain out in the driveway.  Have to dig the router gear out and get after it.
 Would like it above 40 degrees and not raining.  How's my chances????

South King Tool Library News

We had a paper shredding and electric/electronics recycling event Saturday.  They had to bring a
second shredder truck and there were a LOT of people.  It was drive through only and we really had
our work cut out for us.  Some estimates are that about a 1000 folks showed up.  We ended up with
a 1/2 ton pick-up full of cardboard to sell.  It was a huge success!.

From the Desk of Wayne Mandeville

M⸫W⸫ Elwood Evans
1865-1866

It is difficult to get away from Elwood Evans while reading about the political history of
Washington Territory. Born in Philadelphia December 29, 1828, he was appointed by
President Millard Fillmore as Deputy Collector of Customs under Simpson P. Moses and
opened their office in Olympia on November 15, 1852. Admitted to the bar shortly after
setting up shop, Evans became one of the Territory!s earliest lawyers. His initial stay in
Washington Territory was brief, in late 1852 he went to Washington, D.C. to campaign for
the creation of a territory separate from Oregon. Evans served as an aide to Gov. Stevens
during the overland expedition to Washington Territory in 1853. He served as the Chief
Clerk of the House during the First Session (1854) and was later elected to fill an unexpired
term of a House member. At the same time he filled the role of Thurston County School
Superintendent. An active member of the Whig Party, he led his colleagues into the newly

formed Republican Party by the end of the 1850s. In January 1859 he was instrumental in
the incorporation of Olympia and was elected the President (Mayor), serving 1859-1861.
Although Evans lobbied hard for an appointment to the office of Governor, he was never
successful. Yet he was frequently in a position to be Acting-Governor. He was made
Territorial Secretary during the Lincoln Administration and assumed the right to select a
public printer, and awarded the post to Olympian Thornton McElroy. Brother Evans served
as Master of Olympia Lodge No. 1 in 1864 and 1865, and would also be elected as Grand
Master in 1865. However, his path to the Oriental Chair could best be described as
circuitous. To quote from the History of Olympia Lodge: "At this particular period in the
history of No. 5 (remember that Olympia No. 1 was previously Olympia No. 5, under the
jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Oregon), it is quite apparent that sinister motives
actuated certain members in their ballots on petitioners. There was good material rejected
without apparent cause. Men of good reputation who had borne their parts in the struggle
against the Indians and were in every way good citizens, whose exclusion from the

Fraternity reflected little credit on the guilty ones. As an evidence, Elwood Evans was
rejected twice before admission.”

In 1868 he would return to public service as Chief Clerk in the House, and made valuable
contributions in compiling the Code of 1869. He was elected to the House in the
mid-1870s, rising to the office of Speaker. He apparently took over the office of Territorial
Librarian simply to move the facility to the capitol campus. It was during this time he
seriously started compiling his history of the region, as Norman Clark observed, "Among
the most literate of the territorial barristers, his experiences left him with an intense
interest in the drama of those early years, and he had already presented manuscripts to the
most enterprising historian of the West, H.H. Bancroft of San Francisco.” After he
completed his Librarian term, he moved to Tacoma. In 1881he compiled, along with fellow
past Librarian John Paul Judson, the Laws of Washington Territory. He was elected as a
member of the First Session of the Washington State House.

Most Worshipful Brother Elwood Evans laid down his working tools on January 28,
1898.

TFM Temple Board:

In an attempt top keep everyone better informed as to what is happening within TF McElroy
lodge we are adding a comment by the president of the Temple Board, Scott Kissler.

Here is my first contribution ever to the trestle board, and at the same time my first time
addressing the brethren as the president of the Temple Board.  So I suppose I should
introduce myself. For a long time I was known as "Joy's dad" at our Monday morning coffee
and doughnuts, when we still had them in our dining room. That's how I came to know
Masonry, Our senior warden Wayne Mandeville invited me to coffee, and I just kept coming
back because my daughter Joy loves "old fashions" both the doughnuts and the guys! 
Flash forward three years and now Joy's in school, and my son Wyatt joins me for our
virtual coffee that I have taken over for the past few months. We buy our own doughnuts
now. I am in my second term as Senior Deacon, I was the secretary of the temple board last
year, and just last week was elected the new President. Assuming it is accepted by the
lodge, however we can accomplish that with current restrictions.  The rise in my Masonic
career has been a bit more meteoric than I thought it would be, and I appreciate the
confidence and support of the board.  A fellow Mason I met long before I joined the craft
subscribed to the motto "Wherever there is confusion, there is opportunity".  So I am in
great shape starting my term in a state of confusion, during very confusing times. I look
forward to supporting our relationship with the tool library, and I can't say enough about
how awesome our Worshipful Master has been with keeping the property serving the
community despite not being able to meet Masonicly. I look forward to seeing you all at
zoom coffee, and our stated zoom meeting, Be well!

Stay up to date all the time. Visit http://www.tfmcelroy302.org/events-calendar.html for all events.

 Pyramid Masonic Center

1700 South 340th Street, Federal Way, WA
253-838-0543 -- E-Mail: TFM302@q.com

Pyramid Court, Order of the Amaranth

Royal Matron: Emily Ho man Building Schedule, Maintenance & Superintendent
Secretary: HL Lyndsay Sher eld Worshipful Brother Je Smith
Julius A. Headen Lodge No. 102 Thornton F. McElroy Lodge No. 302, F & AM
Herschel Veal, Jr. vealh@gdls.com Worshipful Master: je Smith
Krucible Lodge No. 318 Secretary: WB Bill Vidunas
Worshipful Master: WB Kevin Blakeway Pyramid No. 257, Order of the Eastern Star
www.kruciblelodge318.com Worthy Matron: Ti Hendershot
Secretary: Laura Vogel 253-445-2669
Trestle Board Editor
WB Jerry E Whitney jrwitnee@comcast.net

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6
Coffee & Donuts Groundhog TFM 302 District 13 Zoom RWB Ed Wood
9 a.m. Stated SGW
Day Meeting Birthday
ID 927 523 2363 Zoom 794 9383 4110
Tacoma
Passcode tfm302 ID 362 478 6166
Scottish Rite
Pass 633207

7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Coffee & Donuts Triple Tau #66 Eastern Star Amaranth
9 a.m. Royal Arch 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. stated
Des Moines CANCELLED meeting
Masonic Temple CANCELLED

14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Valentine’s Coffee & Donuts TFM Junto
Da 9 a.m. Club 7 p.m.
ID 927 523 2363
Passcode tfm302

Presidents Day

ff
ff

ff

fi

 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Coffee & Donuts MWB Jim
9 a.m. Mendoza’s
289th Aniversary Birthday
of George
Washington
Birthday

28 Coffee & Donuts

7:00 PM 9 a.m. Zoom
ID 927 523 2363
TFM O cers Passcode tfm302
Mee ng

ti

ffi