Dear Brothers,

I hope this finds you and your family well. The holiday season is upon us and the Masonic year is nearly half over! At least, at the time of this writing, we have been spared any significant amounts of snow in the eastern reaches of South Dakota.

I hope that some of you have been participating in Masonic education programs within your Lodges. There are so many articles written by Masonic scholars that I have only been able to read a tiny amount of them. Most of these papers make excellent topics for Lodge programs. I encourage you to work with your Lodge Masters to get this information out and “liven” up your meetings. If you are looking for ideas, give me a call.

Early November the Frontier Army Lodge of Masonic Research #1875 (FALMR) held their annual meeting at Ft. Sisseton. FALMR focuses on the involvement of the military in the development of Masonry in the American frontier, especially Dakota Territory. Vance Nelson, North Dakota historian for historic sites, spoke to the group about the development of military forts in the Dakota Territory and current efforts to reconstruct many of the buildings. This family event also included a dinner and musical entertainment (bagpipes). During this past year, FALMR members have conducted Masonic education programs at the North and South Dakota Grand Lodges, and participated in cornerstone laying ceremonies, Blue Lodge officer installations, and other activities, all in period uniforms. Check out the FALMR web site at: www.falmr.org . Perhaps you might invite a member to give an educational program at one of your Lodge meetings?

South Dakota State University is currently renovating one of the oldest buildings on the campus. Solberg Hall, built in 1901, housed at different times the engineering, physics and visual arts departments. The building was named after Halvor Solberg, Head of the Engineering Department in those early years. Poking through the Brookings Lodge files, I found Halvor’s petition for the degrees of Masonry. I think I will dig some more………..this could be an interesting story!

On behalf of the officers of the South Dakota Lodge of Masonic Research, I wish you a happy holiday season and a great New Year!

Fraternally,

Doug McFarland Worshipful Master