MIDDLETOWN MASONS Al Clark Reflects on Swigert Middletown Masonic Lodge Writer / Annette Skaggs Photography Provided
of the masonic scene and the Louisville community at large.
Masonic lodges have been around for hundreds of years. Members can include tradesmen, policemen, lawyers, chefs and even celebrities. Al Clark, the philanthropy committee chairperson for the Swigert Middletown Masonic Lodge No. 218 and a member of the masons for decades, shares with us some of the outreach projects near and dear to our local masons and their sisterly counterparts, the Eastern Star.
Clark says individuals can become a masons if they have family members who have joined, and a great approach for those who are interested is to ask an existing mason about the process of joining. The masons don’t solicit members. Clark’s own masonic lineage, which can be traced to England, is eight generations long, and his grandfather was a mason for 65 years.
A California native, Clark and his wife Jeannie found their way to Kentucky by way of his workplace, Greif Brothers in Columbus, Ohio. The company owned a location on St. Louis Avenue in Louisville, where Clark worked as a lumber salesperson back in 1987. Once the couple arrived here, they fell in love with the city and have been in Louisville ever since. In fact, Jeannie had a long career working with State Farm Agent Bob Blair as his office manager. They have become fixtures
Like many fraternal clubs, the masons are a secret society, but Clark is quick to point out that there is “nothing subversive” about masonry. Membership does involve secret handshakes and other components kept close to the vest, but one aspect of the masons that is not secretive is how much each lodge cares for its community. Fortunately for us, the Swigert Middletown Masonic Lodge is no exception. The governing body of the masons is the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, located
on Commonwealth Avenue. There are approximately 160 to 170 members, and meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of the month at the Swigert Middletown Hall. There is typically a dinner at 6 p.m., after which a meeting begins at 7 p.m. The dinner is not just for the masons. The ladies of the masons have their own group, known as Eastern Star. One could call it a ladies auxiliary, but it is every bit akin to masonry beliefs and precepts. The masons even offer youth organizations - Rainbow Girls and Job’s Daughters for young ladies, and the Order of DeMolay for young men. The Swigert Lodge has supported several organizations throughout the years including Make-A-Wish Foundation, local little league baseball programs, St. Mary’s Center on Aiken Road, and the Morton Center, which offers treatment for substance abuse. Clark says some of his lodge members, as well as some members’ family and friends, have benefited from the Morton Center.
26 / MIDDLETOWN MAGAZINE / JUNE 2020 / atMiddletown.com
