Grand Master's Itinerary JANUARY 1988 16 Annua l Retiring Masters Banquet, 49th Masonic Disuict 22 Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabeth town 23 Meeting Pennsylvania Youth Foundation, Elizabethtown 27 Lodge No. 756, Presentation of R. W. Junior Grand Warden, Harrisburg 30 Grand Master to attend Masonic Breakfast, Calvary Methodist Church, Harrisburg FEBRUARY 16 Presentation of new Disu·ict Deputy Grand Master for Masonic District "G," Philadelphia-Potter Lodge No. 72, Philadelphia 18 Past Master's Night, Lodge No. 464, H arrisburg 21-24 Conference of G rand Masters of Masons in North America, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 27 Lodge 346, Connellsville MARCH 2 Quanerly Communication of Grand Lodge, Corinthian Hall, Masonic Temple, Philadelphia
JANUARY THROUGH APRIL 3 Tall Cedars of Lebanon No. 56, Coatesville 19 Special Communication of the Grand Lodge for the purpose of Dedicating the Lodge Room, Lodge No. 536, Reynoldsville 25 Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown 26 Scouish Rite Seminar, Patton Campus APRIL 5 Lodge No. 244, Kittanning 9 Rainbow Honor Day for the Gra nd Master, A.A.S.R., H arrisburg 10 Grand Court Session, Order of the Amaranth 12 Lodge No. 135, I 75th Anniversary, Philadelphia 15 Committee on Masonic Homes, Elizabethtown 16 Masonic Congress Committee, Masonic H omes, Elizabethtown 19 Lodge No. 230, Philadelphia 21 Spring Mid-Atlantic Shrine Associa tion, Atlantic City. 23 Lodge No. 572, I OOth Anniversary, Orbisonia 24-26 Annual Grand Assembly of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters, Danville, Pennsylvania
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Volume ll, continued Covering the period from 1874, the year following the dedication of the Masonic Temple, to the bicentennial celebration of 1986, Volume II of The Master Builders contains many interesting details of the Fraternity's recen t history. Highligh ts include the interior decoratio n o f the Temple, the performance of many p ublic ceremonies tha t gained widespread appreciation by non-Mason s, the ebb a nd flow of members hip, p at riotic reaction s of Pennsylvan ia Masons in time of war, and the expansion of Masonic education. The modern period a lso exhibits many examples of Masonic charity, such as the establishment of residential facilities for Masons and their dependents. The textofVolume II is augmented by explanatory charts and tables, and a number of contem porary photographs are also included. Another of its notable features is a comprehensive index to both volumes.
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VOLUME XXXV
The Master Builders
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The Library & Museum T he Masonic Temple One North Broad Su·eet Philadelphia, PA 19107-2598
NUMBER I
Brother Arthur J. Kurtz, Begins Term as R. W. Grand Master of Freemasons in Pennsylvania
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Name
FEBRUARY • 1988
I
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Bro. Arthur J. Kurtz of Harrisburg, a retired president and former owner of Kurtz-Mayflower Van Lines, has been installed as the 99th Right Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging. Bro. Kurtz was elected to Freemasonry's highest office at the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge held in Philadelphia on December 2. He was installed as the top leader of the more than 190,000 Masons in the state at the Annual Grand Communication in H ershey on December 28. T he ancien t ceremony used to mark the beginning of the Grand Master's term, when fu ll authority and responsibility for the conduct of the Fraternity is placed in his care, was conducted at noon on the 28th in the auditorium of Founders Hall located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. T he new Grand Master succeeds Bro. Carl W. Stenberg, Jr. of Pittsburgh, who served as Grand Master during 1986 and 1987. Also installed were Bro. W. Scott Stoner of Lancaster as the R. W. Deputy Grand Master; Bro. Edward H . Fowler, Jr. of Pittsburgh, as the R. W. Senior Grand Warden, and Bro. George H. Hohenshildt of Mechanicsburg, as R. W. Junior Grand Warden. Bro. Arthur R. Diamond of Jenkintown was re-elected the R. W. G rand Treasurer and Bro. Thomas W. Jackson of Aud ubon was re-elected R. W. Grand Secretary. Bro. Kurtz was elected to the Grand Lodge line as R. W. Junior Grand Warden in December of 1982. He served as the R. W. Senior Grand Warden in 1984 and 1985 and as R. W. Deputy Grand Master in 1986 and 1987. Born in H arrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1919, the Grand Master · has been a residen t of Harrisburg all of his life, except while serving with the United States Army during World \1\far II. Educated in public schools of the city of Harrisburg, he also completed additional schooling at various service schools. An active civic leader, Grand Master Kunz served as a Board Member of the Harrisburg Kiwanis Club as well as being a member of the Harrisburg Executive Club, the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce and the Hill Business Men's Association. He was discharged from the United States Army as a Captain and holds the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Combat Badge with three battle stars. Bro. Kurtz is a member of Calvary United Methodist Church, a
Bro. Arthur J. Kurtz was installed as R. W. Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania at the Annual Grand Communication.
former member of the Finance Committee and the Pastoral Relations Committee of his church. The Grand Master was Worshipful Master of Robert Burns Lodge No. 464 in 1967; was elected its Represen ta tive in the Grand Lodge in 1968 and served as Treasurer of the Lodge in 1972 andl973. H e was appointed District Deputy Grand Mas ter continue~ on page 2