Chairman of the 35^th Anniversary Program 1982

Kabala Temple No. 177, Raleigh, North Carolina

    After careful observation, the five above-mentioned Masons under the Leadership of Leonard "Biggie" Ligon took the initiative and began to confer with Noble James T. Diggs who was the Imperial Chief of the Exalted Pass of the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine setting plans for "KABALA TEMPLE", in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    On July 30, 1947 a Report for Creation was submitted to the Imperial Council for the creation of twenty-seven Nobles at a cost of $8.00 each and a receipt was issued (NO. T-130). Names of potential Nobles were:

The First Nobility of Kabala Temple!!!!

    When the applications were submitted to the Imperial Council for the new Temple, Nobles James T. Diggs, 33° and Zack Alexander, 33° , Deputy Imperial Potentate of Charlotte, NC, Rameses Temple signed the Petitions for Creations. Noble Leonard Washington Ligon, Fred J. Carnage, Charles A. Haywood and Jesse Branch were created by Sethos Temple No. 170 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  A week later, these four Nobles, with the assistance of Sethos Temple No. 170, created in Raleigh, North Carolina the remaining twenty-three novices (listed above) as Prince Hall Shriners under Imperial Potentate Raymond Jackson.  Kabala Temple was granted a Charter on August 26, 1947 and has functioned with dignity for the past thirty-five years.  (Currently Kabala Temple has been in existence for 53 years.) The first Temple Officers were:

    The First Temple Recorders book was a Blue House Composition Book. The First Official Temple meetings were held in Haywoods Soda Shop in the 400 block of South Bloodworth Street.  Later the Temple was able to purchase the necessary paraphernalia and equipment for conducting temple business; if was then when they moved to the Masonic Temple Building on South Blount Street.

    Noble Nelson Lloyd Perry was instrumental in writing and heading up the first By-Laws committee and developing the original Constitution.  The Temple paid all incurred indebtedness immediately.  Nobles purchased regalia (Fezzes) and other items of equipment, contributed to the Blood Bank Program at Saint Agnes Hospital and to the Tuberculosis and Cancer Funds.

    Kabala Temple held the Deserts' Gala Day and Creation in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1950 and I quote from the Imperial Council Mid-Century souvenir brochure of 1950.

"The Gala Day Celebration at Raleigh, North Carolina,

next commanded our attention (Imperial Divan) and here

all the Temples of the Desert of North Carolina pooled their

forces to make the finest and largest Gala Day Celebration

ever to be held in any Desert.  We initiated 101 candidates

and the street parade and demonstration was something to

behold, it looked like a little Imperial Council Session."

    Kabala Temple has always has a good working relationship with the local community and on the State and National levels which enabled it to be successful in all areas of promotions.  Some early promotions were: the Buddy Johnson Band in concert, the late Philip Schyler in concert, the Sehah Jubilee Singers, the Hamptonians Choir, the First Jubilee Singers, the Amos Milburn Band, the Jimmy Lunceford Band, the SHAW Alumni Banquet, the Raleigh Man of the Year Award.  Visitations to various area Churches, Hospital visitations, the Annual Children’s Easter Egg Hunt, the Children’s Annual Christmas Party, Theatre visitations and the Thanksgiving and Christmas Cheer Basket Programs.  There were also monetary contributions to local organizations on an annual basis, including: the Mary B. Talbert Home, the Shelley School, the Shaw and Saint Augustine College and local YWCA and YMCA programs.

    Other pertinent facts are: First Shrine Temple in North Carolina to become a charter member of the NAACP and is still very active. First Temple to start an Annual Christmas Party for underprivileged children, Kabala’s Potentate Annual Ball serves as a model for other Temples in North Carolina.  Through the years Kabala Temple’s Foot Patrol Drill Team rated high in State and National Competitions and several years was the State Champion.  Kabala Temple was presented with a Second runner-up Queen’s Trophy in the National Scholarship and Beauty Pageant. The Temple has had several other winners in the State Pageant who went on to represent us in the National Finals.  Kabala has sponsored three outstanding local football players’ in the Shrine Bowl High School Games: Wake County Sheriff John Baker, Jr., Bo Bo Hinton and Pat White.  Baker and Hinton both went on into College and Professional ranks.  Kabala’s Junior League Baseball Team has won many baseball championships.  These are a few of he Temple’s highlights and facts.

Kabala Temple, in it’s efforts to achieve the highest ideals for all concerned, has been chiefly successful because of continued qualitative leadership. Those who have chaired the organization successfully in the past are: