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Masonic Village at Dallas Celebrates First Phase
The Masonic Village at Dallas celebrated the construction
of the first phase of its retirement community on July 29 when
Ronald A. Aungst, Sr., R.W. Grand Master, and the Grand Lodge
Officers performed a datestone ceremony at the site of the Walther
Apartments, named in memory of Capt. F. W. Walther, USN-Ret.
The late Frederick W.
Walther was a well-traveled,
career Navy officer and a 58-year
member of Mitchell Lodge No.
296, Jenkintown. He had planned
to move to the Masonic Village
at Dallas, and gifted a charitable
bequest through his will to benefit the retirement community. His
son, Attorney Bro. Bernard Walter, George M. Dallas Lodge No. 532,
unveiled a naming plaque for the building following the datestone
ceremony. Dignitaries from Luzerne County and Dallas Township,
Irem Shrine members, representatives from local Masonic lodges and
other community leaders also attended the ceremony.
"My father treasured the traditional values of the founding fathers of our country, many whom were Masons," Bro. Walter said. "He wanted to surround himself with a like-minded fellowship. When we learned about the coming Masonic Village at] Dallas, we were overjoyed. It offered everything he wanted, including a comfortable and attractive living environment, compatible companionship, access to medical facilities, proximity to family and substantial personal independence."
A tour of the apartment building followed the ceremony. The
first residents of the new apartment building are expected to move
into their new homes in November.
The datestone ceremony is an ancient and symbolic ceremony
performed by Freemasons during the construction of a building.
The rituals of the ceremony have remained the same since
President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the
Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 1793.
Sycamore Square Datestone
A Datestone Ceremony was held for the Sycamore Apartments
at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown on Friday, Sept. 14. Music
was provided by the Masonic Villages' Men's Chorus and Bro. John
E. Goodman, Grand Lodge Organist. Special recognition was
given to the future residents of the apartments in attendance.
The Sycamore Apartments have been provided in memory of
Bro. Arthur T. Ibbotson, Pennsylvania Meridian Sun Lodge No. 2,
Philadelphia. Move-ins are scheduled for the beginning of 2008.
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