MASONRY  IN  NORTH  DAKOTA

Chapter 18

PROMINENT MASONS OF NORTH DAKOTA

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TO SELECT LESS THAN a dozen men as the prominent Masons of North Dakota, from a period of seventy-five years, does not permit of even a good sampling of the excellent crop produced in all that time. Hundreds of others have been mentioned elsewhere in this volume and we must content ourselves here with brief stories of a few significant characters.

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Dr. Henry M. Wheeler

            To go back to territorial days, before the organization of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota in 1889, there was Dr. Henry M. Wheeler, physician and surgeon at Grand Forks, who was elected and installed as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Dakota in 1887 and served for one year.

            Dr. Wheeler was raised in Social Lodge No. 48 at North-field, Minnesota, and affiliated with Acacia Lodge No. 15, now No. 4 at Grand Forks in 1881, serving the lodge as worshipful master in 1883, 1884 and 1885. He was a life member of his lodge and died in Grand Forks April 13, 1930, at the age of seventy-six, a fifty-year Mason.

            It is significant that during the fourteen years of the existence of the Grand Lodge of Dakota, M.'. W.'. Brother Wheeler was the only member of a lodge located in the present confines of North Dakota who was elected Grand Master. The fact that in 1889, when the territory was divided, there were seventy-three chartered lodges in South Dakota and twenty-six in the north; that transportation facilities were poor; and that the settlers had little commercial intercourse; made it improbable that conditions would change in the foreseeable future and the division into two Grand Lodges, at that time, was a happy circumstance for all concerned.

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Dr. James W. does

            When the separation of the two Grand Lodges was completed it was Dr. James W. Cloes, a dentist from Jamestown, who was chosen to become the first Grand Master of the new Grand Lodge of North Dakota in 1889. He came to Jamestown Lodge No. 19, now No. 6, in 1883 and served as worshipful master in 1887 and 1888. His original lodge was Crescent No. 322 at Grandville, Michigan.

            Little is known about M.'. W.'. Brothers Cloes and we quote from a brief history of the organization of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota.

            "Brother Cloes was a dentist by profession, a very fine man in every way and a splendid Mason. He later left for the Pacific coast and died there some years ago." (Tacoma, Washington, April 7, 1919).

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David S. Dodds

            The first Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota was R.'. W.'. David S. Dodds of Lakota, a true and tried Master Mason at the time he was elected to this high office at Mitchell, South Dakota, in 1889.

            He was born in Girvan, Scotland, March 28, 1845, and came to Salina, Kansas, where he was raised in Salina Lodge No. 60. He later moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, and affiliated with Acacia Lodge No. 15, now No. 4, and in 1886 we find him practicing law at Lakota and a charter member of Euclid Lodge No. 84, now 24. He was the moving spirit in the founding of this lodge and served as its first worship master in 1886, continuing through 1889 and again in 1896. He also had served Acacia Lodge as master in 1881. He passed away from tuberculosis in San Francisco, February 14, 1902.

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 Frank Jared Thompson

            "Everybody in the city of Fargo knew Frank J. Thompson. If one had asked the smallest boy on the street who was Frank Thompson, he would have instantly replied: 'He's a Mason and stays at the Masonic Temple'."

            Thus wrote the Fargo Forum concerning M.'. W.'. Frank Jared Thompson in the years between 1890 and 1910, when as Grand Master and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota, he most certainly was the best known Mason in the state and unquestionably stayed at the Masonic Temple in Fargo.

            His life and accomplishments were so identical with those of his successor, M.'. W.'. Walter Lincoln Stockwell, as Grand Secretary and Grand Librarian, that one seemed to be the complete counterpart of the other and surely it appeared as though M.'. W.'. Brother Thompson had "come to prepare a place" for M.'. W.'. Brother Stockwell. Probably nothing could have been further from his intention.

            Frank Jared Thompson was born August 23, 1855, at Rockford, Illinois, received his education in Marshall and Jackson, Michigan, where he was admitted to the bar. He came to Fargo, Dakota Territory, in 1878, forming the law firm of Krogh and Thompson in 1881. The partnership was dissolved in 1892 when M.'. W.'. Brother Thompson became Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge. He was married in 1882 to Miss Elmadine Bissonette, to whom were born two children, Jaredine Mason and Jack Dacotah. He served in the state legislature in 1889-1890.

            Briefly stated, Brother Thompson's Masonic history was as follows: He was raised in Shiloh Lodge No. 8, now No. 1, at Fargo, February 18, 1881, which he served as worshipful master from 1884-1890, and as secretary from 1892-1910.

            In the York Rite he was a member of Keystone Chapter No. 5, R.'. A.'. M.'. and its secretary from 1894-1910; of Fargo Council No. 1, R.'. & S.'. M.'. and its first illustrious master; and of Auvergne Commandery No. 2, K.'. T.'., its eminent commander, in 1909, and recorder from 1902-1910.

            In the Scottish Rite he became a member in 1886 and received the thirty-third degree, honorary, in 1888. He was secretary of these bodies from 1895-1901.

            He became a member of El Zagal Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S., in 1890, was illustrious potentate from 1893-1898, and recorder from 1899-1910.

            He was initiated in Mecca Chapter No. 5, O.E.S., in Fargo in 1893.

            In the Grand Lodge A.'. F.'. & A.'. M.'. of North Dakota, M.'. W.'. Frank Jared Thompson was Grand Master in 1890-1891; Grand Secretary from 1892-1910, and Grand Librarian from the date of organization, in the '90's-1910. He was also Fraternal Correspondent in the Grand Lodge of Dakota in 1888 and 1889, and in the Grand Lodge of North Dakota from 1893-1895.

            He served as Grand Secretary of the Grand Chapter R.'. A.'. M.'. from 1894-1910, and as Grand Recorder of the Grand Commandery K.'. T.'. from 1892-1910.

            M.'. W.'. Brother Thompson was identified with many enterprises connected with the welfare of Fargo and of North Dakota. He was for a long time a member of the school board in Fargo and while a member of the state legislature was chairman of the Committee on Judiciary. He also held the position of Assistant Attorney General of the state.

            He was in charge of the administration of the Fargo Public Library from the time of its installation until his death, and we have seen that he was the founder of the Masonic Grand Lodge Library located in the Masonic Temple at Fargo. He was also the first president of the North Dakota Library Association and of the Public Library Commission, both of statewide influence, in which his services were of incalculable value. It was said of him that he viewed all questions of administration from the viewpoint of the public as well as of the librarian.

            Above all, M.'. W.'. Brother Thompson was a student and made many deep investigations. Among other things he was a graduate Doctor of Osteopathy and studied medicine and surgery. He delved into the occult and the more mysterious the subject the more interesting it became to him. Indeed it is rare to find a more thoroughly informed man than he on many topics.

            M.'. W.'. Frank Jared Thompson passed away quite unexpectedly at his home in Fargo, Friday morning, February 25, 1910, from a heart attack. He was buried from the Masonic Temple with full Masonic honors and hundreds came from far and near to pay their final respects to one of the greatest Master Masons they had ever known.

            In speaking of him, M.'. W.'. James W. Foley, Past Grand Master and North Dakota's poet laureate, has said: "His was a soul whose waters ran deep and were clear and pure and refreshing. His counsels were wise, because his knowledge was thorough. His friendship was sincere, because his nature was free from guile and hypocrisy. His labors were unremitting, because his love for the institution and its craftsmen was earnest and steadfast. His speech was direct, because his heart was single and true. He had the imagery of the artist; the delicate insight of the poet; the broad charity of the lover of mankind; the undisturbed and patient understanding of the philosopher. He loved life and his fellows. He ornamented and adorned the spheres in which he moved. He sowed in brotherhood and fellowship; he reaps in our abundant tears, our boundless regret, in the dew of love and sympathy that moistens the eyes of his brethren, and enriches their hearts with blessed understanding of his virtues and good qualities.

            "To his soul, peace and gladness and the truth he always sought; to his family, the sorely stricken ones, love, sympathy and the blessing and strength of the Father Almighty; to his brethren, the glory of his example; to his memory, a perpetuity of the grace and sweetness that hallow it now."

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James McDonald

            "Every human life is a romance. Some chapters are lively; many are commonplace; others are stained with tears. The world reads here and there, summing up the whole, too often in the final chapter.

            "This is Past Grand Master James McDonald's story, told in his own way out of the experiences of eighty-six years of living. I have endeavored to present it as he told it to me, leaving to the imagination the rich burr-r-r of his Scottish tongue.

            "Mr. McDonald approached the task reluctantly. This is easily understood. He lives more in the present than in the past. This state of mind explains his keen interest in men and events of today. Underlying this is an inherent modesty.

            " 'It's too much like blowing my own horn,' he blurted out to me.

            " 'But, Mr. McDonald, your Masonic brethren want the story,' I pleaded. 'You are their senior living Past Grand Master. You alone can tell it.'

            " 'I know. They've been after me for some time.' The gray eyes looked shrewdly into mine. 'I'll bet Walter Stockwell's at the bottom of this,' he exploded.

            "I ignored that. 'Now, if it were a sketch, I could write many things about you,' I said.

            " 'What would you say, for instance?' he demanded.

            " 'I would begin by stressing your understanding of the brotherhood of man, as exemplified in your visits to Masonic homes, where there are sick and discouraged, erring and broken-hearted widows, and orphans. . .'

            "He interrupted me there. 'I guess I'd be doing that whether they were Masons or not.'

            "Thus, little by little, the narrative has written itself. Looking retrospectively at life through kindly tolerant eyes, Mr. McDonald's memoirs unconsciously reflect his own fine character."

            In this way, Mrs. Grant S. Hager of Grafton began the story of their long time neighbor and friend, M.'. W.'. James McDonald of Grafton, then eighty-six years of age, for the Christmas 1933 edition of the East Gate Messenger, official publication of East Gate Lodge No. 120 of Fargo.

            Now for the story as an historian must tell it. James McDonald was born February 14, 1847, in Westmeath Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, and during his early life engaged in farming and lumbering along the Ottawa River in Eastern Ontario. In 1883 he married Mary Elizabeth Kennedy at Pembroke, Ontario, and to them were born three sons and three daughters. One son, Grant, was sacrificed to World War I.

            It was in 1882 that Jim McDonald and a friend, Tim Haley, had come to Dakota with a man named Bill Tierney, taking a shipment of horses to Manitoba. But Jim and Tim, liking the country around Grafton, got off the train there while Tierney went on with the horses. Grafton, in 1882, was a boom town on the Grand Forks to Winnipeg line of the Great Northern Railway, then in process of construction. Finding two hotels for sale, across the street from each other, Jim purchased one, naming it the Ottawa, and Tim purchased the other, calling it the Oriental. The next year Jim went back to Pembroke, was married and returned with his bride to Grafton, where they lived for the rest of their lives. One of their first investments was in a farm south of town, with an adjoining tree claim, on which Jim planted the trees along the road. Thus, the hotel and the farm sustained them and kept them busy for many years.

            Brother James McDonald was made a Mason in Pembroke Lodge No. 128 of Ontario, May 5, 1881, affiliating with Crescent Lodge No. 36, now No. 11 of Grafton, February 8, 1884. He served as worshipful master in 1890, 1908 and 1909 and was elected a life member January 28, 1922. He was senior warden in 1889 and represented the lodge at Mitchell, South Dakota, when the Grand Lodge of North Dakota was organized. His graphic story of the presentation of the Grand Lodge jewels, by South Dakota to North Dakota, on that occasion, is recited in Chapter Seven of this History.

            In the other bodies he was the organizer and first High Priest of Grafton Chapter No. 9, Royal Arch Masons; charter member and commander of St. Omer Commandery No. 6, Knights Templar; member of the Scottish Rite; member of Kem Temple of the Shrine; and member and patron of Mizpah Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star.

            It was on June 14, 1893, at Devils Lake, that M.'. W.'. James McDonald was installed as Grand Master of Masons in North Dakota and in speaking of their entertainment afterwards, he facetiously remarked: "They gave us a wonderful time but I guess it broke the Devils Lake lodge entertaining us, for they never wanted us to come back."

            As the years went by, M.'. W.'. Brother McDonald's greatest interests seemed to center around the lodge and Crescent Cemetery, which was owned and maintained by the lodge. One of the best ritualists in the northeastern part of the state, he travelled much over the district with the Grand Lecturer and was always ready to assist. In Crescent lodge there was no duty he could not perform. He was the first to call upon the sick, the needy or the distressed and his hand was ever stretched forth to lift them from their fallen estate.

            It was in Crescent Cemetery that his life work found its fulfillment, as one of the founders, as president for many years and as the designer of much of its beauty and charm. It was through his effort that the beautiful Memorial Chapel was built on the grounds and which should be named for him.

            And so he lived and on Wednesday morning, March 3, 1937, at the age of ninety years, he slipped away and was buried with Masonic honors in the cemetery he loved so well. Just three weeks previously Masons had come from all over North Dakota to greet him on his birthday and he had bid them all, "farewell."

            His creed was expressed by his beloved friend, the poet and Past Grand Master, James W. Foley, in the words often repeated by Jim, himself: "I have within me a soul, wonderful and God-like, more precious than any jewel, capable of the divinest achievement. I will not debase it nor disgrace it. I will not shame it nor profane it, but I will hallow it and cherish it and have it with me through life—clean, aspiring and unafraid. And at the end I will surrender it, manfully and without fear, to whatever state or change may be its destiny." How beautifully he fulfilled that destiny is well known to all who were associated with him.

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 Walter H. Murfin

            During the first half of the twentieth century no Master Mason in North Dakota held closer to its precepts or practiced its teachings more completely, at home and abroad, than did M.\ W.'. Walter H. Murfin, Grand Master in 1927-28.

            Born March 7,1881, at Atchison, Kansas, his family moved to Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, in the late nineties. From that place he entered the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1902. He then took up the study of law, receiving his degree in 1907. During this time he also devoted himself to newspaper work in Minneapolis, all of which assisted his well known facility in the use of the English language and helped to fit him for his useful life in North Dakota.

            After completing his course in law he came to Edgeley where he practiced for eight years. During that time he served as city attorney of Edgeley for four years and as county attorney of LaMoure County for two years. In 1916 he was appointed county judge and served until 1920. It was a county court of increased jurisdiction and he found his work interesting and beneficial. In 1920 he moved to Fargo and became a lumber broker, which business he followed successfully for thirty years.

            On September 29, 1915, Brother Murfin was married to Miss Nellie G. Bishop of Fargo, and two sons, Alfred T., and Walter B., were born to them. Mrs. Murfin was a teacher of music in the public schools, was active in club work and has been a wonderful helpmate to him through the years.

            Brother Walter H. Murfin became a Master Mason, June 28, 1905, in Cataract Lodge No. 2, in Minneapolis, and affiliated with Maple River Lodge No.^41 at Edgeley, November 24, 1908. He was Worshipful Master in 1912, and was given an honorary life membership March 14, 1951. He became a York Rite Mason before coming to North Dakota and assisted with the organization of Edgeley Chapter No. 22, R.'. A.'. M.'., and Adoniram Council No. 3, R.'. & S.'. M.'., at the same place. He also presided over each of these bodies. He is now a member of Auvergne Commandery No. 2, K.'. T.'. of Fargo and was a member of Zurah Temple A.A.O.N.M.S., of Minneapolis.

            He has presided over the Grand Chapter R.'. A.'. M.'. and the Grand Council R.'. & S.'. M.'. in North Dakota. He is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Grand Patron in 1916-17.

             M.'. W.'. Brother Murfin reached the pinnacle of his busy career June 23, 1927, at Minot when he was elevated to the enviable office of Grand Master of Masons in North Dakota, which he filled painstakingly and well. In 1928 he was appointed Fraternal Correspondent for North Dakota and he still continues to write his spicy comments on the proceedings of other Grand Lodges, to the enjoyment and satisfaction of his host of readers.

            Early in its existence he became interested in the work of the Masonic Service Association of the United States, then under the Executive Secretaryship of M.'. W.'. Carl H. Claudy, and later, under W.'. Brother John D. Cunningham, and served the association as commissioner of the north central district for many years. He is now retired as commissioner emeritus. For many years he has headed the work of soliciting funds from North Dakota Masons for the association's visitation program in Veterans' Hospitals and as might be expected, the attainment of North Dakota's quota of fifty cents per capita annually has led the Masons of America since World War II. He retired from his work in 1962.

            And so today M.'. W.'. Walter H. Murfin, at the age of eighty-two, a fifty-eight year Mason, much beloved by all who know him, still loves his Masonry and his Masonic brethren when he looks them in the eye, with a twinkle in his own, and says: "There never was and never will be a lodge as good as Maple River No. 41 at Edgeley."

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 Mark I. Forkner

            Few men were better known to the citizens of northeastern North Dakota in the first half of the twentieth century than Mark I. Forkner of Langdon; soldier, newspaper publisher, community builder and Master Mason. He was a leader for all that was good and wholesome in town, state and country and left an enviable record for all to follow.

            Born December 18, 1879, at Grand Meadow, Minnesota, of English and Scotch-Irish parents, he came with them to Aberdeen, Dakota Territory, in 1881, and began a hard struggle for existence on the prairies, where his father died in 1884. His mother moved to Wahpeton in 1891. There Mark attended high school and in 1898 enlisted with Company I of the First North Dakota Volunteers, was sent to Manila and took part in twenty-one battles and skirmishes during the Spanish-American War. He was discharged in 1899 with the rank of regimental Color Sergeant.

            Returning to Wahpeton, he began a career which he was destined to follow throughout his life and which brought him great distinction and satisfaction. Beginning in the newspaper office of Fred Falley, at one time secretary of state, he moved from there to the Breckenridge Gazette, thence to Morris, where for seven years he was with the Tribune and then the Sun. While there, we are told that "he sang in the choir and managed the baseball team."

            Mark returned to North Dakota in 1907 and June 27, 1907, he married Jeannette E. Braithwaite at Canton, South Dakota. She was a Wisconsin girl of fine attainments and their life together was most happy and fruitful. Three children were born to them, Adelaide, Richard and Alice, all of whom have found their niche in the world. Dick is still a partner in his father's business, as we shall see.

            By some portent of good fortune Mark was led to Langdon in 1908 to manage the Republican campaign of that year, but instead went to work for A. E. Lindstrom, owner of the Cavalier County Republican. In 1912 he and Bert E. Groom of Langdon, purchased the Republican and operated it together until 1925 when Bert moved to Fargo to become agricultural director of the Greater North Dakota Association. Mark purchased his interest and operated the paper alone until 1935, when his son, Dick, and Edward J. Franta became associated with him. In 1939 Mark Forkner sold his interest to his young associates, who formed an equal partnership which still exists.

             During his years of activity Mark had served two years as president and seventeen years as secretary of the North Dakota Press Association. It is most interesting to note how closely M.'. W.'. Brother Franta has followed M.'. W.'. Brother Forkner through the years.

            Brother Mark I. Forkner was made a Master Mason in Lebanon Lodge No. 34 at Langdon, on April 12, 1912, and served as worshipful master in 1917 and 1918. Always working for the good of the lodge, he was one of the leaders in promoting the purchase of the opera house in 1927, which was remodeled into the splendid Masonic Temple that it is today. For eight years he served District No. 3 as its District Deputy Grand Master and in 1925 he was appointed Grand Tyler by M.'. W.'. Theodore B. Elton. He was elected and installed as M.'. W.'. Grand Master of Masons in North Dakota June 19, 1934, and served the brethren faithfully and well.

            M.'. W.'. Brother Forkner was never idle and distinguished himself in other bodies of Masonry as well as in the Grand Lodge. He was a member of Grafton Chapter No. 9, R.'. A.'. M.'., Fargo Council No. 1, R.'. & S.'. M.'. and Gyrene Commandery No. 7 K.'. T.'. of Devils Lake. But it was in the Scottish Rite Bodies at Langdon that Brother Forkner found his greatest interest and delight. He was one of the leaders in the formation of the Valley of Langdon and was Master of the Lodge of Perfection in 1935. He received the honorary thirty-third degree in 1929, was appointed Deputy in North Dakota for the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction in 1941 and was elected Sovereign Grand Inspector General for North Dakota, Southern Jurisdiction, in 1943, which office he held at the time of his passing. He was also a member of Kern Temple A.A.O.X.M.S. at Grand Forks; St. Felix Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine at Fargo; and the Order of the Eastern Star at Langdon.

            Besides his Masonic activities, Brother Forkner "passed the chairs" in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the Knights of Pythias and was a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.

            In public life M.'. W.'. Brother Forkner never shirked a duty and in Langdon we find that he was active in the Commercial Club and the Old Settlers' Association. He was a director of the Greater North Dakota Association; he organized Company E, 2nd North Dakota Regiment before World War I and was offered its Captaincy, which he declined. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1932. He was a member of the Methodist Church at Langdon, served on the official board and sang in the choir.

            It was in April 1939, that M.'. W.'. Brother Forkner received one of the most deserved and appreciated assignments of his life at the hands of Governor John Moses—later to become Grand Master of North Dakota—by his appointment to a position on the State Board of Administration at Bismarck. It was at this time that he disposed of his business in Langdon and moved with Mrs. Forkner to Bismarck. In July 1939 he was elected chairman of the board and continued in that position until his death on December 1, 1947. Efficient in office, beloved by all, he finished his life as he had lived it, the master of himself, the servant of the people.

            Such a man was M.'. W.'. Mark I. Forkner. His kindly personality, his genial good humor, his sturdy manhood and his sterling character, based on integrity, unselfishness and deep religious faith, lie as the pages of an open book before us and we will not forget him.

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Charles M. Pollock

            M.'. W.'. Charles M. Pollock, Past Grand Master of North Dakota to the Masonic world; "Messenger of Good Will" to those who know him well; Tiny Tim to a circle of closest friends; and just plain Charlie to all the rest. These appellations properly describe the tall, heavy set individual, with greying hair, blue eyes with a twinkle, and an unforgettable smile, who has come and gone in Masonic circles, from Montana and Wyoming to Wisconsin and Minnesota by way of Manitoba, for so many years that he is undoubtedly the best known Master Mason in the midwest.

            This is just the beginning of his many attributes as man and Mason and they cannot all be chronicled here. However, a man in the Fargo area by the name of Pollock would not be true to the clan if he were not of a legal or judicial frame of mind, and it is in his profession as attorney-at-law that Brother Pollock has given unstintingly of his talents to the fraternity. It is remembered that at a recent annual communication of the Grand Lodge of North Dakota, when he arose for the third time to speak against different matters under discussion, he remarked: "If I continue in this manner, I will be known as 'the great dissenter.' "

            To the writer he will be gratefully remembered as the one who, as Grand Master in 1937-38, appointed us District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Forks district and we have been busy in the Grand Lodge ever since.

            Charles Martin Pollock, the first native son to preside over the Grand Lodge of North Dakota, was born at Fargo, January 14, 1891, the son of Judge Charles A. and Martha C. Pollock, and received his elementary and high school training there. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1912 with honors and also distinguished himself in football and rowing. When he attended the 50th reunion of his class at Madison in 1962, he was astonished at the changes in curriculum and student thinking since his day and told his classmates that the only things that had not changed were: "the hill behind the campus and the boathouse on the river."

            After receiving his law degree from the University of Minnesota, Charlie returned to Fargo and practiced law with his father until the latter's death in 1928. During part of that time his father was judge of the District Court for five consecutive terms. For nearly thirty years he has served as United States Referee in Bankruptcy for North Dakota and though he has attained the proverbial three score and ten years, he is still a very busy man.

            On September 1, 1914, Charles M. Pollock and Florence M. Sayle of Milwaukee were united in marriage. They were classmates at the University of Wisconsin and lived a most happy and congenial life together. Two children gladdened their home, Charles M. Jr., and June, who have now married and moved away. Florence passed away in the late fifties, indirectly as the result of a painful accident, and left many friends to mourn her loss.

            Recently, Charlie Pollock and Mrs. Stella McDonald of Devils Lake were married in St. Paul and she has come to gladden his home and enrich his social and Masonic life. She is a Past Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star in North Dakota and their already wide circle of friends grows wider day by day.

            Brother Charles M. Pollock became a Master Mason in Shiloh Lodge No. 1 at Fargo, March 29, 1918, and was worshipful master of his lodge in 1922. He was the first chairman of the Grand Lodge Trial Commission in 1923; was appointed Grand Tyler of the Grand Lodge in 1927 by M.'. W.'. Walter H. Murfin; and on June 16, 1937, he was elected and installed as M.'. W.'. Grand Master of Masons in North Dakota. His was a busy year as Grand Master and aside from visiting all neighboring jurisdictions, M.'. W.'. Brother Pollock travelled far and wide in North Dakota, attending well to the duties of this office and endearing himself to the members of his Grand Lodge.

            Brother Pollock also interested himself in the other bodies of Masonry, early taking membership in the Chapter, Council and Commandery of the York Rite. He became a member of St. Felix Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine in 1928, and was sovereign of the conclave in 1947.

            His chief activity has been in the Scottish Rite of which he became a member at Fargo in 1919. He served as Master of the Lodge of Perfection in 1928 and was a member of the Scottish Rite Board of Trustees for a number of years. He was made a thirty-third degree honorary at Omaha in December 1937. Following the death of M/. W.'. Mark I. Fork-ner in 1947, he was appointed Deputy of the Supreme Council A.A.S.R. for North Dakota, Southern Jurisdiction, which office he held until he was relieved in 1953 by M.'. W.'. Edward J. Franta of Langdon. He is also a member of the Royal Order of Scotland and of El Zagal Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S.

            An ardent reader of good books, he has presented many to the Grand Lodge Library for the benefit of others. A lover of people, he has counseled with many and has made their pathway less steep. A champion of justice and liberty, he has insisted on the right, in lodge and out, and his good work will linger long after he is gone.

            Such a man is Past Grand Master Charlie Pollock and from Grand Treasurer Ed Grafton and Grand Chaplain George Sloan of Montana; to Past Grand Masters Bill Douglas, Bill Lawrence and Walter McDonald of Manitoba; to Ed Simon, Ray Cummins and Einar Johnson of Minnesota; to Past Grand Master Bob Gollmar and Grand Secretary Paul Grossenbach of Wisconsin; to Past Grand Master William Moseley Brown of Virginia; to Past Imperial Potentate Hubert M. Poteat of North Carolina; to Past Supreme Commander John H. Cowles, and to Past Executive Secretaries of the Masonic Service Association Carl H. Claudy and Jack Cun-ningham of Washington, D. C., come examples of undying friendship which are indicative of the wide expanse of his outreach.

            But to be in a small group with him is to know him best. It was a privilege most rare, in the early fifties, when "Chief Panty Waist" Claudy, "Tiny Tim" Pollock, "Eli" Pond and "Johnny" Hepburn—an ancient rancher from Paradise Valley—gathered on several occasions at Blue Lodge, the summer cabin of Brother Claudy, in the Gallatin Mountains, north of Yellowstone Park, for rest and recreation. By day we tramped the mountain paths, visited with friends and rested. Then, one day each year, we climbed the east slope of Mt. Emigrant and there in the pines on Six Mile Creek we opened and closed a lodge of Master Masons. At eventide we sat on the porch and watched the full moon come over the saddle of Mt. Emigrant, while "Panty Waist" and "Tiny Tim" expounded the truths of Masonry as only they could do. Surely those were the days when "men drew the things as they saw them, for the God of things as they are."

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Bernhard G. Gustafson

            It was in the early fall of 1940 that a young, energetic, kindly dispositioned individual, by the name of Bernhard Gustaf Gustafson came to the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks as associate professor of chemistry in that department of the Liberal Arts College. He immediately made himself known, with his family, at Plymouth Congregational Church and in Acacia Lodge No. 4 and thenceforth the Gustaf-sons were among friends. If their progress since then has appeared to be phenomenal, it has been because they are that kind of people and to some extent because their friends love and trust them.

            A native of North Dakota, Ben was born at Foxholm, northwest of Minot, September 8, 1903, the son of Samuel A. and Clarabelle 0. Gustafson. He received his elementary and secondary education in the public schools of Denhoff and Turtle Lake, later graduating from Jamestown College with the degree of Bachelor of Science. He now holds a Master of Science degree from the University of North Dakota and has done some work toward a Doctorate in the same field.

            July 18, 1928, Ben G. Gustafson and Ruth L. Correll were married at Jamestown, where she had also been educated with him at Jamestown College. A lovely and talented young lady, Ruth has been a perfect partner for Ben, and their home has always been a "Mecca" for their countless friends, young and old, throughout the years. Two fine children, Bernard Gilbert and Lorna Gail, were born to them and received most of their education in Grand Forks, including the University of North Dakota. Both of them are now married.

            Ben began his teaching career at Cleveland as superintendent of schools, going from there to Steele and then to Linton. It was at Linton that he first saw Masonic light, April 25, 1933, and he served as worshipful master in 1937. From Linton he went to the Bottineau School of Forestry as instructor in chemistry, coming to the University of North Dakota in 1940, in the same capacity, except as associate professor.

            His outstanding ability as an organizer and planner for development and expansion caused President George W. Starcher of the University to shift him, in the late fifties, to the position of director of the Extension Division of the University of North Dakota and it is understood that his success in this department has surpassed all expectations. His work has been especially noticeable at Williston where he has organized the equivalent of a junior college and at the Grand Forks and Minot Air Force Bases where the need of high school instruction seemed most necessary. During the school year of 1961-62, 1800 students were reached, with a tuition income of $200,000.00, which has more than justified the program.

            Brother Gustafson's Masonic career has been correspondingly eventful and successful. As stated above, he was raised in 1933 at Linton and was master in 1937. He was made a life member of Linton Lodge No. 98 in 1960. While at the School of Forestry he affiliated with Tuscan Lodge No. 44 at Bottineau and transferred his membership to Acacia Lodge No. 4 at Grand Forks April 24, 1942. He served that lodge as worshipful master in 1947. He was appointed District Deputy Grand Master of District No. 14 in 1938, and was chairman of the Grand Lodge Committee on Grand Master's Address and Reports of Other Grand Officers from 1941-1950.

            In June 1950 Worshipful Brother Ben G. Gustafson was recognized for his true worth by M.'. W.'. Harlow L. Walster, Grand Master, who appointed him Grand Tyler of the Grand Lodge. Coming from him, as Dean of the School of Agriculture, at the State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, to a member of the faculty at the University of North Dakota, this was a gesture of friendliness which was commendable and appreciated.

            M.'. W.'. Bernhard G. Gustafson was elected and installed as Grand Master of Masons in North Dakota June 17, 1959, and it is safe to say that the year that followed was probably the busiest and the most satisfying he had known. In addition to his busy schedule at the University, he fulfilled every duty as Grand Master punctiliously, attending all district, area and state meetings, as well as national and international conferences. He made one hundred visitations and addressed such out of state audiences as the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, Winnipeg, the Midwest Shrine Association at St. Paul and the Imperial Shrine meeting at Denver.

            At his Grand Lodge Communication in June 1960, his appointments were approved; his educational program was adopted; and fifteen amendments to the by-laws were accepted. Among the latter was one which had baffled the Grand Lodge since the repeal of prohibition in North Dakota and under which no prosecutions had taken place since 1938.

            Under this by-law, a Master Mason was guilty of un-Masonic conduct if he engaged in the sale of alcoholic beverages, and, as such sale was legal in North Dakota the Masonic law was not enforced. Determined to bring the matter to an issue, M.'. W.'. Brother Gustafson mailed his edict to all worshipful masters in the state to the effect that, if the bylaw was not enforced, every offending master would be removed from office forthwith. Amendments repealing the bylaw came flocking in and it was repealed. If courage is an attribute of a Grand Master, M.'. W.'. Brother Ben was amply endowed. Incidentally, either this question does not exist, or has been repealed by similar action in a large majority of the Masonic jurisdictions in the United States today. However, this fact does not minimize the situation as it existed in North Dakota in 1959-1960.

            In other fields of Masonic work, Brother Gustafson has shown his interest, though lack of time has hampered his activity there. He is a member of the Chapter, Council and Commandery of the York Rite; Kem Temple of the Shrine; the Red Cross of Constantine; and the Order of the Eastern Star. He has also served as sovereign of the Red Cross at Fargo, as patron of the Star at Linton, and as associate patron at Grand Forks.

            Today M.'. W.'. Bernhard Gustaf Gustafson is less than sixty years of age and has accomplished more than many of us at seventy-five. He still appears hale and hearty, and his mind must work while he sleeps, as he is always "on the go" and knows where he is going. To us of the older school he is the epitome of the Master Mason and the leader of men which the world needs today. May even greener fields await him!