James Noah Hillman

Most Worshipful James Noah Hillman - Past Grand Master -Grand Secretary Emeritus

1883-1959

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”.  Thusly did Dr. James Noah Hillman, all the days of his life.  This epitomizes our remembrance of him.

His greatness lies in his humility, for indeed, he “walked humbly in the sight of God”.  Many, varied and far reaching were his contributions to our times, and yet each seemed to reflect his passion for those other indispensable characteristics of a “real Free and Accepted Mason”:  that “he did justice and loved mercy”.

The good Doctor, so recognized by two outstanding colleges, was a brilliant scholar, careful historian and beloved educator.  Though by intellect, personality and training, he could vie with the greatest in the fields of education, religion and fraternal endeavor, yet, he never lost the common touch, and the humblest was made to feel at home in his presence. He wrote well and spoke fluently.  His diction was perfect, yet his approaches to the problems before him were simple and understandable to all.  His addresses were “homey” and had a great warmth of expression.

Deeply religious, a devout preacher without a parish, he conscientiously practiced his faith, maintaining always a gracious tolerance for the beliefs of others.  He was respected because he respected the rights of others to live their lives according to their own dictates, although they might be contrary to his own, and loved more, because he loved others in spite of their weaknesses and imperfections.

We, who saw him bear the crushing blow of the loss of his namesake; the unkind thrusts of the thoughtless; the accolades of men of every race, creed, color and station in life, found in him the character of an outstanding gentleman, a true nobleman of our time.  A man of deep convictions, he fought for principles and would never compromise when they were at stake, although quick to accept the majority point of view, when basic morality was not involved.

Most Worshipful, Most Excellent and Illustrious Brother Hillman was proud to be considered a true fraternalist.  To him, obligations were to be lived in letter and in spirit; full meaning of our philosophy was to be interpreted; our history was to be accurately recorded, but above all, brotherhood was the more important.  Magnetic, he drew men to his heart, and sent them on with a new conception of brotherly love.  Generous to a fault, he illustrated daily the deeper meaning of relief.  Truth was a practice and not a theory in his life.

He lifted up his eyes unto the hills, whence came his strength.  He loved the hills and as lofty were his ideals, and so, it seemed so appropriate that the mortal of him was laid tenderly to rest close by the college that he served so well in the mountain empire of Southwest Virginia, even as he willed it.

His whole life had been lived in preparation for that day when he would be called to the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens where he now resides, but he bequested to those of us who are in this mundane sphere for a time, a new conception of the potential of life.

The Grand Architect of the Universe especially blessed those of us, who were permitted to walk a while with this great soul, and in his passing, earth will the poorer and heaven, the richer be.