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Our Famous Swagger

calo

Registered User
Do you boast about the number of famous and/or influential people that are/were members of the Craft, to the outside world?
Do you think it's important or even necessary to acknowledge that there are 'famous' Freemasons?

I'm curious because when I ask a guy what he knows about Freemasonry (and I always ask), a portion of the response is often, 'I know a lot of presidents are Freemasons". Others mention the Founding Fathers as well as famous people, John Wayne, Buzz etc.

I know it makes for 'fun facts' and advertising, especially to aspiring members, but do you think it helps a man decide that he wants to join?
Did having these illustrious people help you make your decision to join?
 

Custer148

Registered User
No. The only Masons (famous or not) that made any difference to me petitioning or not were my dad & granddad. My granddad was a 64 year Mason (1892 - 1979) & my dad now has 56 years behind him. Since I joined I have discovered 4 generations behind my granddad.
 

widows son

Premium Member
I think if one enjoys the works of a
Famous mason, it might make them think a bit differently about the craft.
 

rpbrown

Premium Member
Do I boast of them, no. Am I proud of them, yes.

When asked who influenced me the most to become a Mason, it was my grandfather way back when I was a youngster. He would always tell me to square my actions. I did not even know he was a Mason until after he had passed. I was given his ring and was told (by my grandmother) that I could not wear it until I was old enough to understand and had become a Mason.

By the way, my son was raised last week and I presented him with that very ring.
 

Benjamin Baxter

Moderator
Premium Member
I like the fact that famous men are and were apart of our wonderful fraternity. It makes good men better. The fact is great men are successful in many aspects of life. This could mean that they are successful in fame or notoriety, family or community life, or political aspirations. I would like to think that this fraternity helped them in there journey, if not only by making them better men. There achievements are still pretty cool, though you gotta admit.
 

widows son

Premium Member
Yep. Freemasonry provides tools. Working tools. Once a man decides he wants to utilize those tools, there is nothing in life he can't accomplish.
 

jwhoff

Premium Member
No, crooks have also been known to obtain the presidency! Pick a party, current or past, and there's a crook in the old woodpile somewhere.

No, too many "famous masons" of late were made masons on site without going back and learning their esoteric work. Hats off to Brother Shaquille O'Neil for doubling back and completing all his required esoteric work. "Shaq B nimble, Shaq B quick, Shaq B swept by the Dream Shake!

I have, however, been pleasantly surprised to find many of the famous masons to be men I admired from the profane world. Brothers Washington, Franklin, Voltaire, Bacon, Locke, Truman, Ford, Borgnine, and just tonight, General Norman Schwarzkopf.

Nope, I was most swayed by a long family tradition of masonry and all those oh-so-subtle masons who were always there for a fatherly guiding hand for a young man who's father had died shortly after his 14th birthday. They never brayed, pushed or pointed out, they were just there for an ever-so-slight guiding hand. And, I never new most of them were masons until I was raised and began to reflect on my personal history.

Included in that group was a U.S. congressman, a survivor of the March to Bataan and a brother master mason, who was always true to his close friendship with my father. He visited our home both before and after my father's death to check on us. God bless 'em all!
 
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THurse

Premium Member
My life was and is destined to be of the Craft. Meeting my mentor who is moulding me. I do the hard work in which I find wonderful. All of yourselves Brothers, helps and enlighten my mind, regardless of time served.
 

Brother JC

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
When someone I know extols the virtues of an historical figure, I will occasionly make a stage-whisper "Yeah, he was a Freemason." But I generally don't read off the who's who to people.

As for personal favourites; if I were to have two portraits of "famous Freemasons" in my home, it would probably be Teddy Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill.
 
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