May is upon us; can summer be far behind?

On April 16, 20 of our Ladies and Brethren attended the annual meeting of the "646 Club" (William L. Elkins Lodge No. 646 Ladies Night). Wor. Thomas J. Miller, his officers and Brethren made sure that our trip to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania was a most enjoyable weekend. I hope that our Ladies Night in October will be equally enjoyable.

The beginning of May finds our calendar a bit less hectic than we have experienced up to now. This month, we have two degrees to confer; see the Trestleboard. On May 12, at our first stated communication for the month, we will observe Armed Forces Night. Wor. Frank W. Harris, III, President of the National Sojourners and Marine Corps Colonel (Ret'd.), will be our speaker on "Freemasonry and the Military." At our May 26 stated communication, Rt. Wor. William Adrian Brown will provide us with another surprise which he has unearthed in his research into historical records of Alexandria Lodge No. 22, the City of Alexandria and related subjects. At our monthly celebration of Masonic birthdays, Bro. Gordon Thomson will be honored by presentation of his 50 year Service Award.

We are pleased that our beloved Secretary, Rt. Wor. Godfrey Pierpoint Runaldue, is at home mId on the road to recovery after six weeks in Alexandria Hospital. Additional good news -- Bro. Dean Bradley Thomas has also returned home, after a year in which he was in Fairfax Hospital several times and in a nursing home in the intervening periods.

On a sad note, however, Bro. Godfrey feels that in the best interest of his health, he must resign as Secretary. This means that we must have an election for that position at our stated communication on May 12.

Also on May 12, we will vote on a proposal to change the Lodge By-Laws to delete the second stated communication in December which usually falls in Christmas week. The result of such action would mandate that our annual election be held on the second Thursday in December. Additionally, we will vote on changing the starting time for the stated communication on the observance of George Washington's birthday from 4:00pm to 4:30pm. The current wording of Article I of the By-Laws and the wording of the proposed changes are included in this Bulletin.

May 6 and 7, all officers are expected to attend the William Hiram Wood Masonic School which will be held at Sharon Lodge in McLean.

More good news! We have just learned that the Grand Lodge Committee on Work will conduct a Ritual School at Fork Union Military Academy July 20-23, 1994. This School replaces the Southwest and Bridgewater Masonic Schools which were discontinued several years ago. Alexandria-Washington Lodge had a long history of very active participation at the Southwest School, and for many years, we consistently took the award for most Brethren participating. I look forward to a large Alexandria-Washington contingent at Fork Union. Wor. Jim Stone (Tel. 703-323-8334) will be coordinating our participation. Make your reservation with him or with the Master.

One of our Craft's most visible civic activities is our Child ID Program. More and more, we are being asked to provide this service at schools, shopping malls, community fairs, etc. The next major Child ID Program will be at the Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival, June 11-12. We can expect more than 1000 children over those two days. Plan to participate in this activity. Say "Yes" when you're asked to join in. You'll find it very heart warming as you help us "get our light out from under the bushel."

The annual William Hiram Wood Masonic School (sponsored by Districts 1-A, 1-B and 54) will be held at Sharon Lodge on Friday and Saturday, May 6 & 7. All Master Masons are invited to attend these schools; Lodge Officers are required to attend. Also, the semi-annual business meeting of the Masters & Wardens Association of Districts 1-A & 1-B will be held at Mt. Vernon Lodge on May 25.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Frank R. Dunaway, Jr.
Worshipful Master

REMINDERS

QUADRENNIAL TRIP TO LIBERTY LODGE: Planning Meeting set for Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 PM in the Alexandria-Washington Lodge Room at the GWMNM. Rt. Wor. Bob Swiger, has reserved our bus and we'll depart from the GWMNM at 8:00 AM on September 16 for Beverly, Massachusetts. Come to the planning meeting to learn all the details of our trip. We already have 10 reservations, so get yours in soon if you want to go with us.

HELP NEEDED: Our Junior Steward, Bro. Bob Watkins has taken a new position in Russia. We need to fill his shoes. Brethren who are willing to assist Bro. Philip Hays in this most important job should call the Master or Bro. Hays who will be pleased to explain the duties and help you get started.

BLOOD PROGRAM NEWS. When you donate, don't forget to tell our Blood Coordinator (and Junior Warden} Bro. Mark Underwood; he will enter your donation for credit to the Lodge. We expect to earn the Levy Award again this year.

LIFE MEMBERSHIP IN PERPETUITY: The LMIP program provides an opportunity to help ensure that our Lodge has a stable income in years to come. The LMIP one-time payment for A-W 22 is approximately 16 times our dues (some odd pennies for insurance makes it $563.52}. Your LMIP contribution endows your Lodge with an annuity equal to your dues amount forever, even after you are called to the Celestial Lodge.

ST. JOHN'S DAY CELEBRATION: Alexandria-Washington Lodge will observe Saint John the Baptist's Day on June 24, 1994 at Gadsby's Tavern and Christ Church. This will follow the format of last year , with a Masonic Banquet; the subject of the program will be the Holy Saints John. Bro. Mark Underwood, our Junior Warden, is in charge of this event.

PROPOSED BY-LAW CHANGES

Article I of By-Laws as currently adopted. Proposed changes affect underlined sections:

ARTICLE I

The stated communications of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No.22, A.F. & A.M shall be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, except on the 4th Thursday of November: on December 27th, (the anniversary of St. John the Evangelist), at 7:30pm o'clock except when a Public Installation of the Officers is to be held; and at 4:00pm o'clock on the day observed by governmental regulations or the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association in celebration of George Washington's birthday, except when such dates fall on a Sunday, the stated communication shall be held on the Saturday before or the Monday following.

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If these changes are adopted, the underlined portions will be changed as indicated in the following paragraph:

ARTICLE I

The stated communications of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No.22, A.F. & A.M shall be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Alexandria, Virginia on the 2nd Thursday of each month: on the 4th Thursday of each month except November and December and on December 27th, (the anniversary of St. John the Evangelist), at 7:30pm o'clock except when a Public Installation of the Officers is to be held; and at 4:30pm o'clock on the day observed by governmental regulations or the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association in celebration of George Washington's birthday except, when such dates fall on a Sunday, the stated communication shall be held on the Saturday before or the Monday following.

+ STATED COMMUNICATIONS - second and fourth Thursday except Thanksgiving; Observance of George Washington's Birthday and Installation on Saint John Day, December 27th.