Winter Issue 2018 9th Masonic Manhattan News Volume 50, Number 8

by Stanley Pratnicki

President Jack Lanzer called the meeting to orderat 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2017. The open-ing prayer was offered by District Deputy Peter Un-fried. Proper recognition was made to the DistrictDeputy and his Staff Officer, Robert Stein, as well as,Past GMCF Presidents Larry Wund, Kurt Ott, Wern-er Puckhaber, and Gottfried Schuebler. He also ac-knowledged Steven Schwartz, President of the NobleNinth, Paul Ottati, President of the Past Masters andGlenn Oppermann, President of the Past Masters.

President Lanzer next explained the circumstanceswhich led to GMCF’s designation as a Private ratherthan Public Foundation and the consequences of

this change. The change in designation is a result ofthe fact that the majority of GMCF income is realizedfrom dividends and interest earned from its portfolioholdings, which is considered private income, ratherthan from public sources or donations. This resultsin the necessity of donating approximately five per-cent of its worth annually. The Private Foundationdesignation has also necessitated the engagement ofcompanies to provide guidance in this new area in-cluding Foundation Source to provide charitablepolicies and practices and Perlman & Perlman toprovide legal guidance. After lengthy discussionsconcerning the development of the charitable dona-tion list, a motion was made and later amended byKevin Koeberl to place all the donation funds in a

Donor Advisory Fund and create a new donation listfor resubmission to the Lodges for approval. Thismotion passed unanimously.

Brother Gerard Messina requested a final account-ing from the Masters’ Association Charity Ball trans-actions, which will be submitted later.

Brother Jack Rohan, President of the Wardens, re-quested that future copies of the GMCF minutes besent to the Presidents of the Masters and Wardens.The Board agreed with this request.

The GMCF Trustees thanked all the Lodge Dele-gates involved for providing a very productive discus-sion and resolution of the matters at hand.

The closing prayer was offered by R∴W∴ RobertStein and the meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.

by Bro. Jerry Messina

On Saturday, November 19, the Brothers ofKnickerbocker Lodge 182 met at Whitestone Mason-ic Temple to confer the Master Mason Degree uponBrothers Randy Brecio, Joseph Asopardo, RichardJapitana, and Gustavo Teran. After six hours of in-tense ritual work by the Lodge, the aforementionedBrothers were raised as Master Masons. The work ofthe evening concluded with the Hiramic Drama Por-trayal.

Every Masonic Lodge is required to possess theskills and knowledge necessary to confer the Mason-ic degrees, as well as, the ability to perform the Hi-ramic Drama. At the conclusion of the Third Degree,the Hiramic Drama is performed by brothers of theLodge to teach the newly raised brothers what we be-lieve occurred at the building of King Solomon’sTemple. This drama portrayal is performed by lodgebrothers dressed in costumes believed to have beenworn during the construction of King Solomon’sTemple.

The Worshipful Master of Knickerbocker Lodge,Brother Virgillio “Baloy” Ceniza and the officers andBrothers of the Lodge are to be commended and con-gratulated for the excellent work displayed by everybrother.

My personal thanks to the Master for his invitationto participate in the ceremony. It was a special dayfor me because I had the honor of addressing thosefour visitors at the District Brother-Bring-a-FriendNight in 2016, before becoming Masons.

GERMAN MASONIC CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONSEMI-ANNUAL MEETING

Masonic NewsNinth Manhattan DistrictDevoted to the interests of Freemasonry, its District Lodges, their members and their families

Knickerbocker Lodge 182 Third Degree

L-R, Brothers Randy Brecio, Joseph Asopardo,Richard Japitana, Gustavo Teran

By Bambi R. Schimmel A special event was the Schiller Lodge’s Ladies

Night where one of our own, the forever young Br.Henry Young, was presented with a Proclamationand a Grand Lodge pin for his 25 years of service tothe craft. It was most certainly an emotional mo-ment for our Brother Henry. Our Schiller MasterMark Lesser and Schiller Sister Circle PresidentJackie Hetzler, gave some praise and compliments toour Henry. At the end of the ceremony every ladywas presented with a rose before we retired down-stairs for a scrumptious dinner. Congratulations toour Henry and his Lady Maggie this was most cer-tainly a rewarding and enjoyable evening.

Long overdue but not forgotten was the doublehonoring of our Allemania Brother Heinz Buck whowas chosen at the G/A Steuben Day Parade as the2017 Grand Marshall with his love Renate always byhis side. Since our Heinz is into everything lately,

and was bestowed with var-ious titles, to top it off aproclamation was present-ed to him by Nassau Coun-ty’s Ed Mangano at theFlag-raising Ceremony.Following, after speechesand introductions, was theenjoyable luncheon withour beautiful SupremeCourt Justice Ute Wolff Lal-ly who greeted everyoneand introduced us to sonGrant and his great family.The luncheon wasarranged, as every year, bynone other than our RenateBuck.

Relating greetings fromour Schiller Sister JanetGrimm in Florida is somenews; son Hansi has over-come his heart surgery andis feeling great. All otherFloridians who masteredsome of the hazardousweather conditions are welland send regards.Zschokke/CopernicusLodge lost a dear member,Florence Klawikowski, John’s beloved wife haspassed away after a long illness. We send our heart-felt condolences to John and the entire families.

Our Sister Barbara Witthohn has gone from theHospital into Rehab and is now, as I was informed,on the way back home. What an ordeal Barbara, wecan’t wait to have you back.

R∴W∴ Arnold Preuss (Trinity) has been hospital-ized and has undergone heart surgery. Get wellwishes are on the way in the hope that our “Mr.Charming” will soon join us again at all upcomingevents.

R∴W∴ Horst Mahr would love to hear from hisBrothers and Sisters. Our Horst is suffering at homewith a fractured rib and the 24/7 days of T.V. are notentertaining enough anymore.

With deep regret we are reporting that our SchillerJr. Warden Eric Wagner has lost his beloved Antoni-ette at a far too young age. We shall keep you in ourthoughts dear Eric.

The PMSC Christmas party was held at our White-stone Masonic Hall. The Hall was festively decorat-ed. Starting out with delicious appetizers and, let’snot forget the popular “Gluehwein”, an all-time fa-vored, no Christmas party would be the same with-out it. Thank you to Erna, Ingrid, Eilene and who-ever took part in preparing it. I had a double dose ofit so forgive me if I left out any other participants.And, as every year, let us not forget the ever-so-pop-

ular Sister Circle Chorus Line. We engaged accor-dionist/entertainer Frank Rappuano to provide forthe evening’s entertainment, beautiful songs in Ger-man and English. Again, another successfulevening came to an end.

The Halls were decked out to everyone’s enjoymentat the Schiller Lodges’ Christmas holiday party.Children, adults, grandparents and Santa were ex-pected. The elves were outside to watch Santa’sreindeer. Some delicious tidbits and a dinner wereserved and the tables, filled with gifts had all in an-ticipation “When will Santa arrive? Everyone hov-ered quietly since the bells started ringing and ahearty HO, HO, HO, could be heard. Beautiful toys,games and books found their new young owners.Let’s just admit that we all are children at hearttherefore the grownups Manfred and Josephine Lue-bke with their children and grandchildren as well asRobert and I with daughter Petra and our grandchil-dren Julianna and Zachary; Nicholas had to remainin College. We thank Master Mark Lesser and PastMaster Rick Schneider and Kristine for taking care of

Page 2 9th Masonic Manhattan News Winter Issue 2018

Ninth Manhattan

Masonic NewsPublished February, April, June, September, November and December

by German Masonic Charitable Foundation, Inc.c/o GMCF Publishing Committee

149-39 11th Ave., Whitestone, NY 11357Phone (718) 360-1538

Published under the auspices of theNinth Manhattan Publishing Committee

Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stanley Pratnicki

Editor Emeritus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joesph GoldbloomEditor Emeritus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marvin GoldsmithTreasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert SchimmelSecretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marge MorgoContributing Correspondent . . . . . . . . John Kuhlmann,Walter Fingerle Contributing Correspondent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stanley LewinContributing Correspondent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jerry MessinaSociety Columnist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bambi R. SchimmelKruisin’ With Kathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kathy SteinHoliday Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Theodore & Marge MorgoMemorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .email: rs6559@aol.com - Robert SteinCommercial Ads Subscription/Advertising . . . . . . . . .Robert SchimmelProduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lee Newspapers

Coordinator . . . . . . Larry PriceProduction Coordinator . . . . . . Jessica Mackay

518-673-0106 / email: lprice@leepub.com

Per capita Lodge assessment subscription $3.50 per yearNon-member subscription $10.00 per year

The deadlines for announcement andarticle submission to our 2018

Ninth Manhattan

Masonic NewsJanuary 5th - Winter Issue / March 2nd - Spring Issue

May 4th - Summer Issue / July 20th - Roster IssueOctober 5th - Thanksgiving Issue

November 2nd - GREETINGS and Holiday Issue Bambi, Frank Rappuano & Ellen Quaglio

Carolling at the Christkindl Market in Franklin Square

Harry & Irmgard Barth

BAMBI 3

all preparations in decorating, setting everything upand serving the delicious dinners.

Unfortunately some sad news has reached usagain. While vacationing in Germany to visit his Sis-ter, Wieland Lodge Brother Uwe Knudson passedaway. However, his final resting place will be in the

USA. To Uwe’s familywe extend our heartfeltcondolences.

Our Sister Ursula Ja-cobs, what a coura-geous lady, she mas-tered her ordeal andthe many painful sideeffects very well and isnow up and around

again. We welcome you back brave Sister, stay well.(I bet that hubby Heinz and son Eric have gottentheir education in cooking and cleaning)

Our R∴W∴ Kurt Ott is recuperating from a seriousinfection. We wish you a speedy recovery dear Kurti– hurry back to your busy schedule. I heard thatRuth has great nursing skills, let her prove it.

With deep sadness we report the passing of ourBrother Louis Sieb. The news reached us unexpect-ed and much too soon. Lessing Brother and truefriend Tony Cancemi elaborated on his friendshipand camaraderie to Louis citing some amusing andgreat stories. Following Tony was V∴W∴ Glenn Op-

perman, Master of Lessing Lodge who was chosen toconduct the Masonic Service; ending with DDGM Pe-ter Unfried taking the role as Chaplain. Louis’ chil-dren Patricia and Mark, Irene and Klaus, and thetwo wonderful grandsons Justin and Ryan weremoved by the love that shun through given to theirbeloved Dad and Grandpa. Louis, a gentleman, wasa benefactor to many, and his generosity was knownthroughout the district and beyond, and most cer-tainly appreciated by all. Now, our “Mr. Spaten” isHeaven-Bound, and what a wonderful send-off hewas given. Good bye Loui, we shall truly miss you,and it’s not just the beer.

------------------------------------------------------DEAREST GOTTFRIED AND ANNA MARIA. We miss our wonderful years together and hope that

you will not be a stranger and come to visit. LOVE Bam-bi and Robert. We are now cozying up to Stanley, ournew Chairman, he likes it and does not mind, I’m sure.

Until we chat again,B.

Winter Issue 2018 9th Masonic Manhattan News Page 3

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Page 4 9th Masonic Manhattan News Winter Issue 2018

by Bro. Jerry Messina

Many of our Masonic brothers and their ladies par-ticipate in Shrine activities in addition to being Ma-sonic members of their lodges. There are two ShrineTemples within the geographic boundaries of the 9thManhattan District, they are Mecca Shrine andKismet Shrine.

One of the ways the Shrine helps our special kidsis the care they receive in our Shriners Hospitals for

Children. The Shriner Hospitals are a network of 22non-profit medical facilities across North America.Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinalcord injuries, cleft lip and palate are eligible for careand receive these services in a family-centered envi-ronment regardless of their ability to pay.

Locally, our Shriner Road Runners donate theirtime and talents transporting the kids and their fam-ilies to Shriners Hospitals in Boston and Philadel-phia for their specialized care appointments.

On November 2, 2017 the Farmingdale VolunteerFire Department partnered with Kismet Shine to en-tertain 40 of our special kids at their Long Island fa-cility. The visit included a tour, magic and balloonart from the Shriner Clowns, Christmas presentsand a visit from Santa, ending with delicious buffetprovided by local merchants. Special thanks go toBrother Richard Witthohn and the John Bosch BusCo. for their donation of bus transportation for thekids and their families.

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In MemoriamBro. Henry Roeden – Herder Lodge #698

Lucy Schwarz – Lessing Lodge #608Bro. Louis Sieb – Schiller Lodge #304

Bro. Uwe Knudsen – Weiland Lodge #714Florence Klawikofski – Copernicus Lodge #545

Bro. Gordon Poulson – Copernicus #545Rabbi William Kloner – King Solomon

Beetthoven #232Gertrude Huck – Lessing #608

Please send all Memorial notices toBob Stein at bobstein12@aol.com

Winter Issue 2018 9th Masonic Manhattan News Page 5

by Kevin Koeberl

In each forest stands a mighty oak that majestical-ly rises above all others and provides that singularpoint of reference by which travelers may bear wit-ness to their present circumstance. Masonic Travel-ers whose lives have been enriched by their friend-ship with Louis Sieb know that a mighty oak has fall-en.

Our Noble Ninth family mourns the loss of our dearBrother Louis Sieb who was called to the EternalEast on January 27th, 2018 to reunite with his dearwife Rose. Louie was a dedicated father to his daugh-ters Irene and Patricia as well as their husbandsKlaus and Mark, and a proud Grandfather to his twoGrandsons, Justin and Ryan. We hope and pray thatLouie’s loved ones find peace in their time of sorrowwith their anguish assuaged knowing this specialman lived a rich and complete life that they wereable to share with him.

Legend has it that Brother Louie was invited to be-come a member of Schiller Lodge #304 in 1964. Atthe time all our District Lodges were working in Ger-man and Louie resisted not being able to speak Ger-man. Undeterred, his sponsors coaxed Louiethrough his proficiency by probably giving him acrash course in German conversational grammar,and he was raised a Master Mason at the 15th StreetTemple on November 9th, 1964. Since then BrotherLouie and his dear wife Rose, had been supporters ofvirtually every event, journal, charity, and programthat our District had to offer.

A successful and accomplished businessman inthe beverage industry, Brother Louie supplied prod-ucts for most of our lodges for decades. What manydon’t know is that he never profited from those prod-ucts that he supplied. A close source within SpatanNorth America, at the time, indicated that Louie reg-ularly lost money on these endeavors, but it was hisway of sharing his success with those he caredabout so deeply. Long after his retirement and upuntil his passing Louie personally donated all bever-ages supplied to a number of the lodges and for var-ious events and parties. It wouldn’t be uncommon

for Louie to regularly slip a check (of a considerableamount) to a Brother and tell that him, “make surethis goes to the Shriner’s kids Hospital”. Louie often-times arranged to have containers of bottled watersent to faraway places for our service men andwomen. We all knew that Louis Sieb’s heart for char-itable endeavors knew no bounds.

Along with his Mother Lodge – Schiller, who hadhonored him with the Distinguished Service Award,Louie belonged to Lessing and Allemania Lodges aswell an Honorary Member of Copernicus Lodge. Al-though he was never the Master of any of his lodges,Louie was so respected and appreciated that the PastMasters Association unanimously elevated him as anhonorary member.

Louis was not a man of ranks, titles or awards; heshied away from them. He could have filled the wallsof his home with awards and certificates, and linedhis drawers with purple aprons, but that wasn’t im-portant to him. He spent his 53 years in Masonry onthe sidelines rarely speaking during a lodge meetingand his quiet, confident demeanor and gentle, some-times quirky, good humor is what defined him. Withthe firm grasp of his handshake and his look direct-ly into your eyes, you sensed immediately, this wasa man of physical and mental strength as well ascharacter and conviction. Poet and writer Maya An-gelou reminded us that, “… people will never forgethow you made them feel”, and Louie always made usall feel upbeat and positive. When you locked eyeswith him, grasped his hand and he gave you thatsheepish grin; you knew it was wonderful to be aFreemason and to be in the company of this Brotherwho was always on the level.

An intelligent, articulate and accomplished individ-ual, he could have held any and all the positions ourdistrict had to offer, but it wasn’t his way. He taught usthat the strongest leadership simply comes from theexample of living the principles of Freemasonry and hedid so without any fanfare or pomp and circumstance.He supported fallen Brothers at every turn, financially,with guidance and even by giving them places to livewhen they were in dire straits. He never wore the pur-ple of our Fraternally, yet it didn’t matter, for the gold

in his heart shone too bright. He was Masonry’s great-est ambassador and we will miss him.

A mighty oak has fallen but we are a more fertileforest for having known and grown with Louis Sieb.Godspeed, Brother Louie, in your journey to thatundiscovered country from whose bourn no travelerreturns.

Godspeed Brother Louie

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The Brothers of the District continue to support boththe Noble Ninth and the Grand Lodge of the State of NewYork by their active participation in the many eventssponsored by both the District and the state. The Broth-ers show this support by their continued involvement inDistrict and State activities which demonstrates theircommitment and devotion to the brotherhood and thetenets of true Masonry.

Trinity Lodge #12 conferred a flawless Third Degreeunder the leadership of Jr. Warden, Bro. Jim Liguori, act-ing as Master. The degree team should be commendedfor a job well done. A number of Trinity Brothers shouldbe commended for their participation in the EducationProgram of the Noble Ninth. I presently have 12 certifi-cates to be awarded by the District Deputy and myself fortaking the recommended courses. Bro. Arnold Preuss isdoing well and recovering from a triple bypass operationand Bro. Werner Kress is recovering from pneumonia andthe flu. Our recovering brothers would love to hear fromyou so please give a call or send a card to wish them well.Please mark your calendar for the District Deputy visita-tion which will take place at the April meeting. It will alsobe the Homecoming for our District Staff Officer, R∴W∴Robert Stein. The Homecoming festivities will be an openmeeting so all may attend.

The Sister Circle of Trinity Lodge, recently held theirannual Christmas Dinner at the Italian Restaurant inFarmingdale. The meal was delicious and the sisters hada great time enjoying each other. The Poinsettia plantslooked beautiful on the table and the sister’s each re-ceived one when they left the restaurant. Plans for afundraiser are being worked out and more informationwill follow soon. The sister’s want to thank their officers,Ingrid Wolfe, Helga Lins, and Joann for their time and ef-fort on behalf of the organization.

The DDGM R∴W∴ Peter Unfried, his lovely wife Inge,myself, and my wife Kathy, along with the Grand Lodgeofficers of the Metropolitan District, were hosted by theGrand Master M∴W∴ Jeffery Williamson to a lovely Hol-iday Dinner at Gargiulos in Coney Island. It was an inti-mate dinner and we all had a very lovely time. It was verynice to be able to chat and enjoy the company of the in-dividuals we work with very closely. We thank M∴W∴Jeffery Williamson for his thoughtfulness and generosity.

The Past Master’s Sister Circle held their annualChristmas Party at Whitestone. They had a Prime Ribdinner and it was nicely attended. Keeping with tradi-tion, the Sisters sang Christmas Carole’s in English andGerman. The sisters want to thank Sister Ellen Toth forher many years of service as the Recording Secretary.Sister Ellen recently changed jobs and she is unable tocontinue in her position. She will pass the torch to Sis-ter Samantha. We want to wish Ellen much success inher new job and let her know how much she will bemissed. Thank you for all you did to keep the Sister Cir-cle running smoothly. Please join the sister’s for their an-nual Chinese Auction. This is their one fund raiser andin past years they have been able to donate to three or-ganizations. Please come and join them for this very funevening.

Bro. Jann Weinrich, Uhland Lodge #735, and hisChild ID Team are searching for a venue to enroll elderlypatrons in this very worthwhile program. If you have anyconnections where patrons would benefit from thisworthwhile service, please contact Brother Jann with theinformation. The District Deputy night in October was agreat success and very well attended. As usual, we allwore our very special Guayabera shirts which were pre-sented to the District Deputy and myself last year. Mas-ter Kelvis Parra did a great job. A new process was start-ed in Uhland whereas the Masonic Development Courseis given in three parts as the lodge confers the Degrees ontheir entering Brothers. The first part of the course wasgiven right after the First Degree and 3 first degree broth-ers together with 12 Uhland Brothers took the class. Itwas a very large class but the participation was great.Brother Kelvis did a great job assisted by the Staff Offi-cer. The second Degree and the second part of the MDCcourse will be given on Monday February 26th. Thosetaking the course, leave their course books with the mas-

ter which prevents them from jumping ahead. It is work-ing out great and Uhland Lodge is having a great re-sponse and participation. Presently, Uhland Lodge hasfifteen education certificates that have to be presentedwhich will happen shortly. Brother Kelvis had not beenfeeling well and is presently recovering from a short hos-pital stay. When you see Brother Kelvis, let him knowyou are happy that he is feeling better. Brother Julio Ma-teus’ unit of the USMC was recently activated and he wassent on an assignment in Jordan. On his return, he pre-sented a flag to Uhland Lodge that had flown over theheadquarters of the Security Cooperation Team JordanJoint Training Center Zaraga Jordan. It was very impres-sive and the Brothers of the Ninth Manhattan District,the District Deputy, R∴W∴ Peter Unfried and myself,thank Brother Julio for his service.

Brother Angel Bonilla, Uhland Lodge #735, was in-stalled as the Potentate of Mecca Shrine in January. Itwas a wonderful night celebrated by Mecca Shrine, hisfamily and many friends. There was a wonderful celebra-tion after the public installation at the Grand Lodge anda great time was had by all. The band did a great job andthere was much singing and fun. We wish Brother Angela very successful tenure as the Potentate.

Herder Lodge #698 was the first to have their DistrictDeputy visitation. It was a great evening and started theMasonic year off on a great foot. There was a good turn-out of Brothers to support Herder Lodge which was verynice to see. Herder held their annual Christmas Party atthe American Legion Hall in Whitestone. It was a mostenjoyable evening and everyone had a great time. Thankyou to Herder Lodge for including Kathy and I in the fes-tivities. As Education Officer, I thank the Brothers ofHerder that participated in the Masonic Education pro-gram. You will be receiving your certificates shortly.

Please continue to pray and send positive thoughts toHerder Brother Asad Butt as he continues his recoveryfrom a very serious accident. His motorcycle was broad-sided and Brother Asad was injured very badly. I under-stand that he will be moving to a rehab facility very short-ly. It would be nice for you to reach out to Brother Asadand let him know that you are thinking of him. Cardscan be sent to him at 6001A 194th st Apt2C, FreshMeadows, New York 11367-2810.

Copernicus Lodge #545 had their District Deputy vis-itation in January. There was a full room and Coperni-cus did a great job. The District Deputy and Staff Officergave a short history about Copernicus and everyonepresent seemed to enjoy the history lesson. Their Christ-mas Party was a great success and Rick Whitthohn onceagain entertained Copernicus and friends with his Saxplaying. Please keep Barbara Witthohn in your thoughtsand prayers as she continues to recover from her surgeryand continues her treatments. She is doing well and ap-preciates your prayers and positive thoughts.

The Brothers of Lessing Lodge #608 continue to bevery active in the district. Brother Henry Young, a Shillerand Lessing Brother recently received his 25 year pin andcertificate. Congratulations to Brother Henry. The Less-ing Christmas Party was held at Zum Stammtisch to asold out crowd. A great time was had by all and it was agreat night of Masonic camaraderie, fun and sharing. Iwas so sorry that Kathy and I could not make it this yeardue to a family emergency but we will be back next year.Lessing’s District Deputy visitation and the R∴W∴ PeterUnfried’s homecoming will be on April 26th. Please markyour calendar and don’t miss this one. Please rememberBrother Dennis Christiana with your thoughts andprayers during his illness and recovery. It would be niceif you let Brother Dennis know you are thinking of himby sending him a card at 60-24 Cooper Ave., Glendale,NY 11385. Brother Dennis and Sister Barbara, pleaseknow that you are in my thoughts and prayers and wesend you positive thoughts and big hugs.

Steve Swartz and the Trustees of the Noble Ninthwish to keep the Brothers informed with the following in-formation. As we continue to maintain and upgrade ourproperty in Tappan, we look to have, as our insurancenow requires, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors inevery booth, and bi annual professional cleaning of thehood exhaust for any cooking areas that are inside any ofthe booths. This should all be done before the spring sea-

son begins. Details will follow.Knickerbocker Lodge #182 had a great District

Deputy visitation in October. The lodge room was packedand the Brothers did a great job. It is a pleasure to seeKnickerbocker Lodge rising up again like a phoenix. Notonly has this lodge taken in many new Brothers, they areparticipating in many activities and always have a greatshowing at District Deputies Nights and activities aroundthe District. They have been supporting other lodges byattending district functions and they are very enthusias-tic. Knickerbocher Lodge recently performed a Third De-gree at the Whitestone Temple followed by the DramaPortrayal. All of the parts of the Degree and the Dramawere performed by Knickerbocher Lodge Brothers only.This feat earned them the Meecham Award bestowed bythe Grand Lodge. This is difficult to get and we are veryproud of Knickerbocher. Knickerbocher Lodge also host-ed a great Christmas Party at the Grand Lodge. Theroom was packed, the food was awesome and the banddid an excellent job. Santa arrived and gave out gifts toall the children in attendance. Kathy and I want to thankyou again for this great evening. As the District Educa-tion officer, I appreciate your dedication and commendyou for encouraging your Brothers to attend the educa-tion courses I have been giving. I presently have nine cer-tificates for Brothers of Knickerbocker and am very hap-py to award them to you.

Harmony Lodge #199 also held their District DeputyVisitation with a full Lodge room. A terrific job was doneby the new Master R∴W∴ Kurt Ott. It almost appearedthat it was not the Master’s first rodeo. He did a verygood job and the other lodge brothers did also. I alsowant to thank the Harmony Brothers that stepped up tothe plate and took some of the Masonic Education pro-grams. It truly was a pleasure to be your instructor.

The Ninth Manhattan’s Wardens Association, underthe phenomenal leadership of their President, Jack Ro-han, will present the opening of the Lodge under the FirstDegree and the closing of the Lodge under the SecondDegree at the Grand Lecturer’s Convention. This requestwas made by the Grand Lecturer and can be witnessedon March 29th, 2018 at Whitestone. Do not forget tobring all of your lodge officers so that your lodge can re-ceive the prestigious Potts Award.

At Weiland Lodge #714 District Deputy visitationBrother Uwe Knudsen o received his 45 year certificateand pin. My condolences that shortly after receiving thishonor, Brother Uwe gave up his working tools.

Schiller Lodge #304 had to cancel their DistrictDeputy Visitation due to the service for Bro. Uwe Knud-son. It has been rescheduled to March 12th and I hopeto see you all there.

The Half Century Club met recently at the LandmarkGrill in Roslyn. Under the guidance of their President,Bro. Harry Barth, there was a good turn out and it wasdecided that the dinner for the Mason of the year will bein October of 2018 at Verdi’s in Westbury

It is always a pleasure for me to get back to theMatinecock Lodge in Oyster Bay. Socrates Lodge #595,had a great District Deputy Night, under the guidance oftheir Master Doug Spadaro. I want to give Socrates aspecial Thank You and shout out for their very generousdonation to the Brotherhood fund. It was not expected,very generous and greatly appreciated. Socrates shouldalso be commended for their great Holiday Party andtheir very special Christmas visitation to the PrussianSoldiers grave. They have been doing this for years andit is a very nice gesture.

The Masonic Yacht Club has their annual dinnerdance at Captain Bill’s on March 9th. It would be nice tosupport this club with your attendance. The MYC doesa lot of charitable work for Camp Turk and promotes theNinth Manhattan District at these events. This would bea great opportunity to meet the members of the Club andfind out the benefits of belonging to the MYC and thegood works that the club does.

The Masonic Education programs I am offering havebeen well attended and I am glad that so many of theBrothers and Lodges are taking Grand Master M∴W∴Jeffrey Williamson’s message seriously. The Grand Mas-ter would like to see all Brothers that wish to advancethrough the chairs receive their Masonic education andknowledge through these classes.

Page 6 9th Masonic Manhattan News Winter Issue 2018

News From The Noble Ninth

NEWS 7

Winter Issue 2018 9th Masonic Manhattan News Page 7

Allemania Lodge #740 will be having their DD nightvery shortly. They had a very nice Christmas Party in theparty room at the Plattduetsche Home. It was very wellattended and each lady was given candy and a beautifulPoinsettia plant. The Brothers and Sisters of Allemaniaalso ventured to the theater at Elmsford to see the Christ-mas Play. This dinner theater always puts on a greatproduction and this show did not disappoint. It was afabulous day and I want to thank the Bro of Allemania forhosting the DDGM Peter and his wife Inge and my wifeKathy and myself. Last weekend, the Brothers of Allema-nia held their annual Kale Dinner. As usual, the dinnerwas delicious and many people attended. Those in atten-dance were able to dance to the sounds of Bud and Lin-da. This dinner has grown in size steadily over the yearsand we hope it continues to do so.

Von Mensch Lodge #765 had a great DD Night. It waswell attended, the lodge did great and the collation wasdelicious. This is the reason the District Deputy and I

cannot lose any weight!!!! Von Mensch also held their an-nual Christmas Dinner at Season’s Restaurant in Roo-sevelt Field shopping meal. The food was delicious andthe service was impeccable. It is always a pleasure tobreak bread with our Von Mensche Brothers and Sisters.

The Past Masters Association recently held their elec-tions. The new President is Bro. Mark Rampanelli, first VPis Bro. Carl Stravensks, 2nd VP is Bro. Glenn Oppermann,Secretary if Bro. Roy Puckhaber and the Treasurer isGerog Dautermann. The Charitable Fund Trustees areBro. John Farina, Bro. Leo Valenti, and Bro. Rick Whit-thohn and the General Fund trustees are Bro. Eric Jacobs,Bro. Mike Karapedis and Bro. Bob Stein.

All Lodge Masters must keep in mind the Grand Mas-ter Williamson’s Edict concerning the use of the Guard-ing the West Gate program. This is NOT optional…it isMANDATORY.

The District continues to ask for donations of old-er Masonic paraphernalia such as old Charity Balljournals, souvenir glasses, plates and such frompast Charity Balls, and special Lodge Anniversary

celebrations. They are also looking for old DistrictBooks and older R∴W∴ Aprons. If you have any ofthese items and you are willing to donate them to bedisplayed in the cases at Whitestone, please contactRW Peter Unfried, District Deputy Grand Master.

Sister Ingrid Wolf is searching for her late husbandEric’s purple apron. She gave it to someone to donate tothe new case but no one seems to know where it is. Ifanyone comes across it, Sister Ingrid would love to see itgo to the proper place.

On behalf of myself and Kathy and the DDGM, PeterUnfried and Inge, I want to thank all the Lodges that haveso graciously extended invitations to us for all your activ-ities and parties. We enjoy your company and yourthoughtfulness and generosity is greatly appreciated.

The Brothers and Sisters of the Ninth Manhattanshould be commended for their continued good worksand dedication to the Masonic fraternity. Their willing-ness to give of themselves is what continues to make theNinth Manhattan District strong.

The frosty arms of winter have finallytightened their grip, drawing us in close-ly like a mother nurturing her young.She looks us squarely in our eyes re-minding us who is the boss, as shebreathes frosty air blanketing us all. Weknow we have been blessed with littlesnow, yet we still complain. It is our na-ture to do so as we fear blustery, snowydays may soon be upon us. Our wish isfor her to exit quickly without leaving hermark…

The annual October land cruise to theeast end wineries was a great success.The first stop was at Briarmere Farms forsome tasty treats. The pies are deliciousand the selection was enormous. Thearoma on the bus after putting all thepies on board was yummy and many ofus bought little treats so we would savethe pies

Next stop was Helen’s where westocked up on beautiful healthy mums ofmany hues. It was a great way to deco-rate the house for the fall holidays of Hal-loween and Thanksgiving. The mumswere huge, lush, colorful and inexpen-sive. They were a real bargain and atreat. Many of us also stocked up onfresh vegetables, cider donuts, and manyother gastric treats. There were so manyvarieties of squashs, we needed someoneto explain all the varieties. The first twostops were completed by 10:15 and wewere ready for our first tasting stop atLong Island Vodka. This is the only po-tato Vodka distillery on the East end.Here you can do a vodka tasting or theyalso have their own whisky for tasting.Next, we went to the Baiting Hallow Win-ery and Horse Rescue Farm. This is verypopular with our guests because it is abeautiful facility, with great outdoorspace, live music and the horses. Thereis food to buy, a jewelry boutique, littlegift shop and also homemade pies to pur-chase if you would like. The MYC put outcheese, crackers and grapes to enjoywith the tastings and hold us over untillunch. Pindar Winery was next on theagenda. It becomes very difficult to get infour tasting facilities, the bakery, farmand have a lovely lunch, but we managedto pull it off.

The Soundview Restaurant was soldand remodeled and they could accommo-date us only if we arrived a little earlierthan we usually had our lunch. As usu-al, they did a great job. It is now calledThe Halyard and according to Newsday,it is one of the 10 Romantic best restau-rants. It is on a gentle curve of beach-

front, with beautiful water views and dra-matic sunsets. The dining room is aglass-enclosed perch decorated in suit-ably beachy hues. The cuisine matchesAmerican classics with local ingredientsand an emphasis on seafood. We hadour own room overlooking the Long Is-land Sound and the food and servicewere great. Everybody always enjoys thislunch and this year was no exception. Tofinish the day, Duckwalk Vineyardagreed to see us at 4:15. This was high-ly unusual as the Vineyards do not wantto take busses late in the day becausethe tasting rooms close by 5:30. Alex, atDuckwalk, is always so accommodatingto our group. This year was no exceptionas he never charges us for our tastingsand gives us a generous discount on ourpurchases. It was a great day and if youhave never joined the Masonic YachtClub for this trip, you should put it onyour calendar for next year. Ask yourfriends who might have come with usand sign up early for the next one.

In October, the Masonic Yacht Clubsponsored a team to participate in theBreast Cancer Walk at Jones Beach forthe tenth year. Contributing to thisworthwhile cause is just one of the nu-merous ways the MYC shows its Mason-ic spirit of doing for others. Please comeout and join us when we participate inthese wonderful charitable events. It is agreat way to feel good about yourself andhelp others.

The November meeting of the MasonicYacht Club was held at the LandmarkGrill in Roslyn. Twenty-three membersand First Mates arrived for dinner withfriends and to discuss and plan upcomingevents. Committee reports were present-ed and lots of new and exciting ventureswere discussed for the MYC to initiate andparticipate in as well. Some of our snow-birds will be leaving the northern cold forthe warm of the Florida sun and we wishthem a safe journey. We will miss their in-put and laughter at our next meeting.

Member, Al Brunett, spoke about theprogram to remember Pearl Harbor Dayat the Air Museum at Republic Airport.Bros. Bob Stein, had attended the cere-mony before and said it was a very mov-ing tribute to remember and honor the

brave men and women present on De-cember 7th at Pearl Harbor.

The club is continuing to grow and weare always welcoming new members.Our meetings are well attended and weusually have approximately 25 memberspresent. Members are encouraged tobring their spouses since the MYC is afamily club.

One of the perks of being a member ofthe MYC is the Reciprocity Card. Some ofthe members reported that they haveused it recently and received great dis-counts. They reported that it can be usedin numerous places and they not onlywere able to purchase dinner at manyYacht Clubs but they also received largediscounts for their boats. This includedthe first night free for overnight stays,and reduced prices for boat dockage.

Commodore Withjack and Past Com-modore Bob Stein, welcomes all sugges-tions for new activities or how to improveexisting activities. Everyone’s input isnot only welcomed but strongly encour-aged. Our Commodore will consider allsuggestions and looks forward to hearingfrom you.

Bro. Rich Stein, Trinity Lodge, andhis Lady Jenn had a wonderful experi-ence trekking in Asia to the Base Campof Mt Everest. It took two weeks to reachthe base and return. The trip up waslonger due to the fact that they had tostop more often to climatize because theair is so much thinner as you reach thehigher altitudes. They acclimated quitewell to the altitude and it was nice tohave Sherpa’s who helped carry the gear.The trip down was quicker because theydidn’t have to adjust to the climate. Try-ing to leave Nepal was an adventure be-cause the weather did not cooperatedand flights were canceled on their littleprop planes. They explored Thailand,Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Vietnam andhad many exciting moments. It was atrip of a lifetime and quite an adventure.They have moved to Denver and are justsettling in and are in the midst of jobsearching.

Bro. Fred Stein and Jamie, TrinityLodge #12, and friends recently went tothe Tampa area to celebrate a milestonebirthday of an old friend. Congratula-

tions to Billy Bontemps on his installa-tion as Potentate of Kismet Shrine. Wewish Brother Billy a very successfultenure as he embarks on this new posi-tion.

Congratulations to Brother DavidGardner and his lovely wife Isabelle,Trinity Lodge #12, on moving into theirbeautiful new home in Mill Neck. I knowthey will find much happiness as theybegin new family memories in this veryawesome house.

Congratulations to R∴W∴ MikeGrendier as he will once again be theDistrict Deputy of his district. Congrat-ulations to Brother Mike on the upcom-ing marriage of his daughter in June.

Ed Mittendorf was very surprisedwhen, unbeknownst to him, his familyheld a surprise 80th birthday party tocelebrate this exciting event. So we toowish Ed a very Happy Birthday.

R∴W∴ Vinny Savocca continues tomake great strides in his recovery fromhis stroke and he and his wife Rosannaare continually in our thoughts. We raninto them recently at an event at theGrand Lodge and they both looked won-derful. Bro. Bob Donnelly, TrinityLodge #12, is feeling better which wewere very happy to hear but he doesn’tget around much anymore. Karl Hank,Herder Lodge, is not well and we arekeeping our good friend Karl in ourprayers. We send special thoughts and abig hug to Betty Hank and hope sheknows how much she is missed. We alsoare keeping Bro. Fred Lange, HerderLodge, and Brenda in our prayers aswell. We hope Brenda finds some relieffor her headaches and we look forward toseeing them. Bro. Dan Rosenfeld, Trini-ty Lodge #12, is in our thoughts andprayers as he continues with his treat-ments.

Please keep First Mate Barbara Wit-thohn, Copernicus Lodge, in yourprayers. She is recovering from majorsurgery and has begun treatments. Herillness developed quickly and she is re-sponding well to the chemo treatments.We send positive thoughts and a big hugto Barbie and her husband Rick. Sendher a card or a text to let her know she isin your thoughts.

Masonic Yacht Clubwww.masonicyachtclub.com

"A Family Club of International Distinction"

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Page 8 9th Masonic Manhattan News Winter Issue 2018

The German MasonicCharitable Foundation, Inc.

c/o GMCF Publishing Committee

149-39 11th Avenue,Whitestone, NY 11357 German Masonic

Charitable Foundation Inc.ANNUAL MEETING

Sunday – March 11 – 2 PM

Whitestone Masonic Hall

Masonic BreakfastSunday – March 4 – Marina Del Ray

Grand Master’s VisitThursday – March 22 –

Whitestone Masonic Hall

Blood Bank Drive –

Friday – March 23 –

3:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Whitestone Masonic Hall

Grand Lecturer’s Convention –

Thursday – March 29 – 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Whitestone Masonic Hall

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District Deputy VisitationsFebruary 5 – Monday – Allemania Lodge # 740 – Whitestone

February 21 – Wednesday – KSB # 232 – Grand Lodge

March 1 – Thursday – Von Mensch Lodge # 765 – Whitestone

March 12 – Monday – Schiller Lodge # 304 – Whitestone

District Social Functions & Dinner DancesFebruary 24 – Saturday –

Past Masters Sister Circle Chinese Auction – 6:00 PM - Whitestone

March 3 – Saturday –

Warden’s Dinner Dance – Pompeii Restaurant

March 9 – Friday –

Yacht Club Dinner Dance - Captain Bills Bayshore

March 24 – Saturday –

Von Mensch Schlachtfest – Kismet Shrine

April 7 – Saturday –

Lessing Lodge 152nd Anniversary Dinner Dance –

Vetro by Russo’s on the Bay

April 13 – Friday –

Roast and Toast – 8 PM – Whitestone

April 17 – Tuesday –

Staff Officer’s Homecoming – Trinity Lodge

April 22 – Sunday –

Forget Me Not Luncheon – Plattduetsche – 1 PM

April 26 – Thursday –

District Deputy Homecoming – Lessing Lodge

May 5 – Saturday -

Charity Ball – Plattduetsch Rest – 7 PM