My Brethren:

I want to thank all those who helped our Lodge so much last month in making our George Washington Birthday Celebration a successful and memorable event.

As you can see by this month's Trestleboard, we have a backlog of candidate work and your attendance on any or all of these communications will be appreciated.

At our first stated meeting on the 13th, we will honor the Past Masters of the Lodge. Our speaker of the evening will be our own Rt. Wor. Brother Charles Vincent Brewer, Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. Brother Brewer has done some extensive research on "Masonry during the Revolutionary War" and I am sure he will have some interesting information for us on this night.

Wor. Brother Harold R. Cumbee will be in charge of the program at our stated meeting on the 27th. There are many relics of our Lodge which are not on display in the Memorial, which though not directly associated with Washington, will, I am sure be of interest to all who attend this communication. Harold has done a magnificent job of cataloging all of the miscellaneous relics and mementoes of the Lodge and I thank and congratulate him for his fine work.

I encourage all of our members to travel with the Officers to Henry Knox Field Lodge No.349 on Tuesday the 25th for the Annual Joint Communication of the Alexandria Area Lodges. There is always an evening of good Masonic Fellowship at these visitations and I hope you will be present on this evening to be recognized as a member of our Historic Lodge.

Brethren, I must appeal for more attendance, by our members and Officers, at the meetings of the DeMolay Chapter which we sponsor. They meet on the 2nd. & 4th. Saturdays in the North Room of the Memorial at 7:30 PM. The purpose of DeMolay is to advise and teach these young men the very principles on which our own organization is founded. If you can give of some of your time to help these boys, please call our Brother Angus Lamond at 683-1010, he is the Chapter Dad.

Keep in mind our trip to Toledo, Ohio on May 2nd to visit Rubicon Lodge No.237 and raise one of our candidates. Wor. Brother Ed Gondella and Brother Dennis McCraney are handling all arrangements for this trip. Please let them know early if you plan to make this trip with us. We will take colonial costumes for the degree team to wear.

I congratulate Brother Wardell Thomas on his fine work as Chairman of our Lodge sick committee. If anyone hears of any of the brethren or widows of brethren who are sick, please contact our Brother Thomas at 548-6682.

We are attempting to reorganize our lending Library and I request all members of the Lodge to check thru their books to see if they have any books belonging to the Lodge Library which are overdue and please return them to the Lodge. Also, we are always acceptable to donations of any books on Masonry to our Library.

Our Stewards are to be commended for the excellent refreshments they are serving at the conclusion of our meetings, keep up the good work Jim and Bob.

Our Grand Master's theme this year is "Understand your commitment to Excellence" and I know of no better way to do this than by attending the meetings of your Lodge on the nights when the degrees are being conferred to "Relearn" the lessons of Freemasonry by listening to the beautiful teachings of our Virginia Ritual.

Our annual area conference on Masonic Education will be held Saturday the 22nd at the Scottish Rite Temple on Braddock Road from 11 :00 AM until 4:00 PM. This is a must meeting for all the elected Officers of the Lodge if we are to again receive the Noah Hillman Award this year. All Master Masons are encouraged to attend this area conference.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Donald M. Robey
Worshipful Master

CANDIDATE INSTRUCTION - Every Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:00 until 9:00 in Alex-Wash Lodge Room.

YOUTH MEETINGS AT GWMNM - Alexandria-Washington Chapter, Order of DeMolay meets in North Room 2nd and 4th Saturdays at 7:30 P.M. All Master Masons Are Invited to Attend.

March 12, 1925 - The master spoke of the Institution of John A. Lejeune Lodge No.350 and Henry Knox Field Lodge No.349 which had been held and which had been attended by the Officers and many of the member of this Lodge.

March 26, 1925 - Most Worshipful Brother Charles Hilliard Callahan was officially received by the Lodge as The Grand Master of Masons in Virginia.

March 11, 1875 - Messers J. C. Conners and Kosciusko Kemper were separately introduced and initiated as Entered Apprentices.

March 25, 1875 - Wor. Brother Franklin L. Brockett presented to the Lodge in behalf of Dr. William Gregory, a profile likeness of Wor. Brother Elisha Cullen Dick, deceased, and Brother George W. Rock presented from Dr. Gregory a Masonic ball ticket once the property of his deceased Grandfather.

Right Wor. Brother William A. Moore, D. D. G. M. was then formally introduced and after receiving the honors of the Lodge, proceeded to address the brethren upon the duties and obligations of the Craft in an earnest and instructive manner.

On Motion, resolved that the Steward be directed to purchase shades for the gas fixture in the Lodge Room.

March 1, 1825 - Mr. F. M. Leopoldo of Brazil was initiated as an Entered Apprentice, Brother Roche Galvon also of Brazil was examined on the Catechism of the Entered Apprentice Degree and Brother Leopoldo wishing to be advanced, was balloted upon and permission being granted they were both passed to the Second Degree in Masonry.

March 10, 1825 - Mr. Thomas W. Newton was initiated as an Entered Apprentice and Brother Roche Galvon after being examined as a Fellowcraft was raised to the S. D. of a Master Mason.

March 17, 1825 - Brother Newton was examined as an Entered Apprentice and Passed to the Second Degree and then he and Brother Leopoldo were both Raised to the S. D. of a Master Mason.

March 26, 1825 - No business appearing before the Lodge it was closed in Ancient Form and Harmony.

Note: Apparently the Candidates in those days did not have to be instructed in their knowledge of the Degree to be advanced to the next degree as is done today. Some of them received their entire three degrees in less than two weeks, yet some took as long as four months and were examined on each degree.

Dennis Ramsay, was born in Alexandria, in 1756; entered the Revolutionary War as a Captain in the Virginia Continental Line, served with distinction, and at the close of the War held the rank of Colonel. He was a zealous Mason, and became a member of the Lodge in 1783, and for upwards of twenty years was one of its officers. He was present at the Funeral Lodge of Washington, Dec. 16, 1799, and was a Pallbearer at the Funeral on the 18th. He died at Alexandria, September 10, 1810, aged fifty-four years. (Note: His son Wor. Brother Robert T. Ramsay was Master of the Lodge in 1837. )