The Onion Creek Lodge no. 220 hosted a party this summer for the Masons. There was live music, a wonderful shrimp boil, and alot of family time. Everyone had a fun day at the home of Troy Shuggart. The meal was planned and prepared by Brother Ernest Owny.
Hill City Lodge no. 456 joined the other 7 Lodges in the district for a picnic at Lake Travis. It was a very well attended event. BBQ brisket and all the trimmings was served for lunch. Everyone enjoyed a fun day of fun and relaxation.
The Hill City Lodge no. 456 hosted a Family Night and ceremonial to honor recipients of the Grand Lodge Service award for 50 years of Masonic Service.
This year, the recipient of the Community Builder Award from Hill City Lodge #456 is Richard Bagdonas. Richard reflects several of the best and most noted characteristics of Austin through his work in technology, his commitment to serving the community and his being widely known for his genuinely caring, compassionate approach to life. Please take a moment to read Richard’s interesting bio below.
We will present the award to Richard, with his wife, Tina Schweiger, at an Open Called meeting of the Lodge on 19 April. It will be a Family night so please bring your family, friends and anyone who might be interested in learning more about, or joining, the Fraternity. As usual, dinner will be served at 6:30 and we will head upstairs about 7:30 for a short Open meeting.
Richard Bagdonas has been building technology and service companies for over 25 years with a focus on healthcare and hospitality integration since the early 2000’s, but he is far more than a technology creator.
To be sure, Richard’s technical career has had major impact in and beyond Austin. Back to 1987, the companies he has founded and grown include Voicer Technologies, SubtleData, SpeedMenu, Remote Operations, Mahana (acquired by Crunchtime last year) and several others. The jobs created by these companies and the wave he has created of innovation, productivity and leadership through the rest of the technology, healthcare and hospitality industries amounts to serving and building a rather large community, but it doesn’t stop there.
Richard created a national phenomenon on Thanksgiving in 2000 that began with his feeding a single homeless person in Austin a warm Thanksgiving meal. Since then the organization has grown to tens of thousands of volunteers serving meals in 5 states. This year the organization will feed 40,000 homeless individuals in our community and others. Richard remains involved in promoting this activity and inspiring the thousands of volunteers as Operation Turkey’s Chairman and Executive Director Emeritus.
For those who have the blessing of knowing Richard personally, and enjoying one of his famous hugs, it is easy to tell that he is one of the most genuinely caring people one might ever meet.
It is essential that Officers serving the Lodge be, or become, leaders, so it is inherent in the Lodge’s duty to see that every Mason serving as a Leader-Officer, or who wants to serve as an Officer, has every resource, opportunity and assistance to excel with confidence in those positions. Your principal officers are putting together a Lodge Leader-Officer Development Training program to inspire, enable and support the Officers, in the course of each Masonic year, to collectively make the Lodge better, stronger, bigger, and more appreciated by its members and in its community than it was at the beginning of their year.
The Worshipful Master has announced that all current officers are to participate. Any other Brothers interested in serving as a Leader-Officer in the future, or in helping to organize and delivery this training or serve as a mentor, are invited to contact the Junior Warden at dbjarrell@pristacorp.com or (512) 289-3986 participate
It is the sincere intention of your Worshipful Master and Wardens that this undertaking will enrich the Lodge while encouraging and preparing our Brothers to serve in the line of officers now and in the future.
Read more about this program here.
With tonight’s award ceremony of the Golden Trowel Award from Hill City Lodge #456, we wanted to share with all readers the background on this, the highest award that a Lodge can bestow upon a Brother Mason.
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Since its inception the Golden Trowel Award continues to be an exciting means for Lodges to recognize and honor distinguished members with an official award from the Grand Lodge of Texas. It is for use by all Texas Lodges. The Golden Trowel is the Lodge’s formal recognition of a Brother for his devoted service to Masonic principles in general or to his Lodge. It is intended for the Brother who, year after year, quietly, but actively demonstrates his devotion to the teachings of Masonry without thought of recognition or special honors.
Every Lodge has such members. They spread the living cement that builds our Fraternity into a true Brotherhood. You will find them at labor in the kitchens, on the work committees, in public office, on community projects, in service clubs, heavily involved in their church activities and in schools – anywhere that a true and steady hand of assistance is needed. It is to those Master Craftsmen that the Golden Trowel Award is designated as the highest award a Lodge can bestow upon an individual member. |
From the Texas Grand Lodge;
Our Golden Trowel Award originated at a place called “Armadillo Acres” – the get-away home, or country retreat of Past Grand Master Leonard P. Harvey. In the Fall of 1989 while at “Armadillo Acres” for a bit of a breather prior to the upcoming Grand Lodge session, Grand Master Harvey, Deputy Grand Master A.D. Hanna and Grand Senior Warden Fred E. Allen were discussing possible recipients of the prestigious Sam Houston Medal given annually to outstanding Masons. During those discussions, Deputy Grand Master Hanna opined:
“We are always giving special recognition to brethren on a Grand Lodge level, and I don’t understand why we can’t recognize deserving guys at the lodge level.” He mentioned that in nearly every lodge there are the rather obscure brothers who day in and day out do the “little things” for Masonry and for his lodge, and he does those things without expectation of reward or recognition. He went on to say those are the brethren who work in the kitchen, sweep the floors, do plumbing and carpentry work, mow the yard, plant and maintain flowers — and, yes – they are those who pick up the disabled and bring them to lodge meetings, see to the transportation and other needs of the widows and others who are less fortunate for one reason or another. While talking about his idea, Brother Hanna was sitting in “the red chair” twiddling between his fingers a small golden trowel that was given to Brother Harvey’s father-in-law several years ago when he purchased lots at a Dallas cemetery. The proverbial “light came on” and Brother Hanna said: “We can call it the “Golden Trowel Award.” That is the way it happened, and it has been carried forward ever since.
ON SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014 the Hill City Lodge No. 456 installed new officers for the Masonic year 2014/2015. how to get free backlinks . the installation was very historic because the installation was done by Grand Master, Jerry Martin in the House Chamber of the Capitol of Texas. It was a very enjoyable and remarkable event. The Hill City Lodge officers were installed as part of a joint installation of all lodges in the Masonic District 50 of Texas.
Installed officers of the Hill City Lodge:
WORSHIPFUL MASTER PHILIPPE DEWAILY
SENIOR WARDEN CHUCK STEWART
JUNIOR WARDEN CHARLES MADDOX
SECRETARY OSCAR ORUM, PM
TREASURER KENT KINCADE, PM
CHAPLAIN BOB WHEELUS, PM
SENIOR DEACON DON JARRELL
JUNIOR DEACON NICK MAULDING SR.
SENIOR STEWARD AARON EVANS
JUNIOR STEWARD ROBERT ESCHENBURG
MUSICIAN BRANDON JENKINS
MARSHALL HUNT ARMISTEAD
MASTER OF CEREMONIES W. PIERCE DARNELL
