February 6, 2025 • 33 mins
Sisters and Brothers across the Masonic family, it’s our pal Greg Vokovan. Genealogy connections to the Split Rock Lighthouse, Navy adventures landing on an aircraft carrier, and the statewide outreach of the Fire Suppression program. Pop on your flight suit and join us, it’s an all-new Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries.
“We're all on the same level. It doesn't matter who you are, where you worship, how you voted, how you dress, we're all the same. Tolerance is a key aspect of the Masonic experience. We'll continue to succeed in our charities, in our philanthropic endeavors, and we'll continue to attract those to our fraternity that we want now.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hi again, everyone.
(00:00):
Welcome back to another episodeof Minnesota Masonic histories
and mysteries.
This podcast is first andforemost focused on friendship,
brotherhood, and getting to knowour members better.
Happy to be joined today by agood friend and brother, Greg
Vocavan, who currently serves asthe Senior Grand Steward for the
Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
(00:21):
Welcome, Greg.
Thanks for inviting me.
There's so many things acrossthe spectrum of life of
Freemasonry that we could chatabout.
How about we'll start with theobvious.
where'd you grow up?
Where were you born?
Well, I was born in Duluth,Minnesota.
didn't spend much time there.
My family moved around quite abit.
But we finally landed in, atthat time, the new suburb of
(00:43):
Blaine, Minnesota.
Brand new.
What year circa that would havebeen in the mid sixties.
Not much up there at the time.
Not much up there.
We had a septic and sand roadsout in front of our house.
Wow.
That's hard to fathom.
Now, considering all of thedevelopment and it is it's
fastest growing a suburb.
(01:05):
I believe So that was home foryou for how long then where did
school and life lead you afterthat?
Well, I went to school there.
It was at that point in, uh, inMy life and my sibling my
brother and sister's lives thatwe ended up in a single parent
home My dad had remarried andmoved over to the east side of
(01:26):
the metro into the White BayWhite Bear Lake area And so we
spent time either either atdad's or at mom's so I ended up
going to school both in CoonRapids and in White Bear Lake
And I believe you were in theNavy.
Correct.
Did you, you enlisted at somepoint along that timeline?
I did.
growing up was difficult in thatsplit home and, uh, uh, I
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struggled, uh, a little bitwith, uh, academics and, and
life, uh, was, was hard for uskids at the time.
And the Navy was a goodopportunity for me.
So I, embarrassingly, I drop outof high school and I joined the
United States Navy.
I enlisted.
At the tail end of the Vietnamera, pretty much knowing that,
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uh, that no troops were goingback in to battle in 1972.
So about 75 days after I turned17, my mother had to give
permission and let me enlist.
To me, it was kind of a, Ididn't really have much else to
do.
So, being thanked as a veteran,it's more me thanking, uh, the
(02:33):
United States Navy for giving methe opportunity, and, and they
certainly put me back on theright track.
What did you pursue as an MOS,as a, as a career within the
Navy?
As you know, as a veteran, uh,the military does a very good
job of, uh, assessing aptitude.
I was done, mechanically.
They found that I had a, a greatmechanical aptitude.
(02:56):
And I was able to select anairdale.
Uh, and the aviation side of theNavy.
I had no interest in being on aship for any length of time.
Good choice.
And, uh, I was kind of hopingfor a helicopter squadron, but I
ended up in a training squadron.
Uh, this is where the navalaviators, uh, tactical, aviators
(03:17):
were trained.
I was a hydraulics mechanic, andI served a one, one duty
station.
I was, uh, three years, sevenmonths, and a day at a naval air
station, Kingsville, Texas.
the chief that I worked for,offered me an opportunity to
leave the shop and go into theflight scheduling side of the
(03:40):
business.
And that was good.
We had about, uh, 35 aircraftthat were flight worthy, and we
tended to fly 70, maybe 80sorties a day.
Wow.
So we were turning the airplanesaround quite quickly.
again at the tail end of theVietnam era, some of the really
good pilots that were hoping togo fight, were plowed right back
(04:02):
into instructor's positions.
So we had a mixture of combatveteran air aviators that were
the trainers, and we had somethat were plowed back.
Uh, I got to know those pilotsquite well, and I had Oh, a
couple hundred hours in thebackseat of those trainers, uh,
because they didn't want to takeanybody out of the shop to go
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see if there was a brakeproblem.
So we would fly for an hour anda half and then when we would
touch down, we would, uh, Iwould take control of the brakes
to see what was going on.
They also didn't want to take amechanic out of the shop to taxi
an airplane over to the, to theload cell.
So I was taxi qualified andcould start and, and taxi the
(04:44):
airplanes.
And I spent, uh, so a little bitof time in the backseat of
these, uh, trainers.
we did, the squadrons wereassigned to, uh, CTV 16, the USS
Lexington, and it would flo itwould float from Pensacola to
Corpus Christi and allow the,the, uh, student pilots to learn
(05:07):
how to land on an aircraftcarrier.
And I was offered to go out onthat, on that carrier and, uh,
perform a job at sitting at theback at the fantail.
And if the arresting hookwouldn't come back up, they had
a very short lifespan, thearresting hooks do.
I would reach over the exhaustof the airplane and trigger a
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valve to force it up and thentell the pilot that they had one
more launch, that they had to goto a land base after this.
so I got to spend time on there,uh, because of my scheduling
flights, I missed the DC 3 thatwas taking everybody to
Pensacola.
And a lieutenant said, well, youcan fly with me.
(05:47):
So I thought we were flying fromKingsville to Pensacola the next
morning.
Well, the ship had already setsail.
And so we landed on the aircraftcarrier.
So it was pretty unique for anenlisted guy to sit in the
backseat of a trainer and getarrested on a, on a carrier.
did having all that exposureexperience ever leave you
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thinking maybe I want to becomea pilot or pursue this further?
Well, I, I have a I have acongenital cataract in my left
eye, so I could be a privatepilot or, uh, and I have had
interest in flying.
I could have never been a navalaviator for multiple reasons,
but the cataract, uh, congenitalcataract in my left eye would
(06:31):
have prevented me from havingcorrectable 20 20 vision but I
don't know, and at my point inmy life, I don't know if I'm,
got the interest in flying.
he said something interestingearlier, we thank veterans for
their service, but you feel adebt of gratitude towards the
Navy for the opportunity itprovided you at that time of
your life When you look back onthat tell us a bit more about
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how that helps you Navigate thenext chapter of life.
Well, I was a good sailor I wasa good serviceman and I and I do
appreciate those who thank mefor being on active duty for
four years and inactive reservesfor another two, and an
honorable discharge, and ameritorious unit accommodation.
Uh, I appreciate that, but atthat point in my life, the Navy
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took me in.
trained me, put me to work, andpointed me in the right
direction in my career.
It was because of the Navy thatstraightened me out, that
allowed me, when I got out, topursue my career.
the training they gave me, the,it opened doors for me.
The railroad was hiring when Igot out of the Navy and because
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I was a veteran that helped meat that time.
So maybe it's a bit of a cliche,but how often do we ask a 17, 18
year old in general, Hey, whatdo you want to do for the rest
of your life?
How in the world do we expectthat decision to be made without
having the life experience?
I've always encouraged, wishthat more young people before
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college is sure if you're goingto do that later.
Great.
but there's the option of goinginto one of the many branches to
get some life experience, to getyour feet wet in a number of
different career paths thatThere really is something to be
said about that trajectory thathelps a young person find their
way.
I agree.
(08:20):
It certainly helped me.
the naval air station is, iskind of interesting from a
Masonic standpoint from, fromme.
we all know the Sizemores fromthe Scottish Rite.
both father and son We're incommand of Naval Aviation
Training.
In fact, I was talking, duringmy right care stint, I was
talking with Elizabeth Sizemoreout in Washington and I made the
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comment, I said, you know, Ithink I served under your dad.
And she paused and she asked acouple of questions and, and
then I realized that the juniorwasn't even an aviator.
Her father wasn't an aviatorwhen I was at Kingsville.
It was her grandfather that Iserved under.
So, and I got to meet both ofthem at one of the, uh, sessions
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in, in Washington and, and, uh,that was, that was pretty
exciting for me to meet, uh, theC, certainly the senior.
Those two have a resume that isunrivaled by man.
They have seen the hours, thelandings, the different
aircraft.
I wish we had more time to diveinto this, but maybe for another
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episode, we'll talk about the,the, the Sizemore's.
So when along the way did youmeet your bride and the family
take shape?
Well, after the Navy I came homeand worked for the railroad.
Back in Minnesota?
Back in Minnesota.
I worked at the Sioux LineRailroad as a machinist
apprentice.
And after, uh, uh, finishingthat apprenticeship program, I
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realized that in that unionenvironment, I needed to bid on
a job.
Not, it wasn't going to be theMonday through Friday thing that
I had.
It was a oddball, third shift,Tuesday, Wednesday's off.
I was a, uh, scooped up by a, aindependent contractor.
And that was a time when a lotof the locomotives, uh, that was
(10:08):
my, my forte, uh, were beingpurchased by private companies,
such as the green elevators orthe power plants to move their
coal trains or their, theirgrain.
And this guy scooped me up to dorenovation or, or.
Resurrecting some of these oldrolling stock Locomotives and it
(10:30):
took me back down to Texas So Ifinished my apprenticeship
worked a year or two up here andthen went back to Dallas for a
temporary Assignment that endedup being two and a half years
Living in a hotel.
Oh man.
Nowhere to spend my money,nothing to spend it on, uh, so
that was a nice, uh, coupleyears.
(10:50):
when the project was finallyover with, uh, we had, built a
relationship with Cargill intheir, uh, Houston, green
elevator on the ship channel andthe thought of them not having
service resources, uh, causedthem to reach out to me and say,
what, what would it take for youto stay?
So I went to work for Cargillfor a couple of years, two and a
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half years at, at Houston.
the grain market was off, thewheat, there was a wheat
elevator, and, and, and thingswere really, really slow.
And it was obvious that they,they really didn't need me.
but they didn't want to lose me.
So I brokered a deal and workedwith a motor repair shop.
Uh, I would frequently visithome.
(11:33):
That was where mom was and mysiblings.
And so I bumped into, uh, my, mysister in law insisted on a
blind date with one of herformer classmates.
both of us begrudgingly wentand, uh, and hit it off.
Uh, I made another visit, uh, acouple months later and we hit
it off even better and, and thenrealized that, uh, that home
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really was Minnesota, notBeaumont, Texas.
And then eventually moved backto Minnesota.
about a year later, my wife,Goody, and I got married.
And a little over a year afterthat, we had our, our only
child.
Hillary.
now she's, here in the citiesand in her mid thirties, and,
and we're up in Northern AnokaCounty living on the golf course
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where we wanted to retire.
I've always wanted to ask you.
I've known you for years.
What's her real name?
Is Goody.
Is that her real name?
And where did that come from?
It's a German name.
Goodland is her is her officialname, but she goes by Goody with
a Y.
Interesting see the things wethe things we learned or that
think in passing that justhaven't had opportunity to ask
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before.
And speaking of You have afamily connection to the Split
Rock Lighthouse in Duluth.
Can you tell us more about that?
I've never heard details ofthis, well, the Split Rock
Lighthouse, which is about 20miles, about 50 miles from
Duluth.
It's about 20 miles, up theshore from two harbors.
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that lighthouse was put there asa result of a horrible storm
called the Matafa Blow in 1905.
The ship owners or the, uh, LakeCarriers Association, lobbied
Congress and got funding to puta lighthouse at or near the
Split Rock River.
And that was constructed in 19,put into service in 1910.
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and the guy that lit the lightfor the very first time.
was my great grandfather.
So grandma, my dad's mother,grew up out there as an
adolescent and a teenager.
Of course, that was when wereferred to the lighthouse as a
seasonal lighthouse.
So that means that nobody wasthere in the winter.
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One, they didn't need to bethere in the winter.
And two, there were no roads outthere, so the only way they
could get food or fuel was fromthe lake.
And when the shores wouldfreeze, they would shut it down.
And so her time out there wasshared with us as kids.
the Minnesota Historical Societystarted operating, uh, or
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administering the lighthouse.
in the mid 70s, and they justadored her.
She lived to be over a hundred,and there's an oral interview of
her life out there, uh, that'sin the exhibit hall at the
Lighthouse, and in myretirement, or semi retirement,
uh, Goody and I spend a fairamount of time up on the North
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Shore near Two Harbors, and Iwork out there at the lighthouse
in the summers, a couple ofdays, two to three days a week,
two to three weeks of the monthas what they call an
interpreter, tour guidebasically.
I like meeting the people.
Um, from a mechanicalstandpoint, I never I never
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reached, to become a mechanicalengineer but I have the aptitude
to understand how the lightworks, how the lantern worked,
and how the rotation, theclockwork that turns the light
that sits in the bed of mercuryand, they enjoy my technical
approach to interpretation ofthat era during that seasonal
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operation of the lighthouse.
And having the familyconnection, obviously a plus on,
is that oral history ever beenturned into a book, into a
periodical or something, Well,not from my side of the family,
but, two years ago.
during one of the programs thatthey put together up there, they
wanted to talk about RalphRussell Tinkham, the architect
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who built it.
He was a young civil engineerfrom Michigan, and he, that was
his first project.
Well, Tinkham went on to be thesenior.
civil engineer for the UnitedStates Coast Guard.
They took over the lighthouseservice in 1939 during the
Roosevelt administration.
And they were going to do athing on Ralph Russell Tinkham.
(16:02):
And it got out on Facebook.
And lo and behold, his greatgrandson came up from Dubuque,
Iowa for that event.
Ralph Russell Tinkham hasmemoirs and was, and has a book.
But nothing from the young sideof the family, other than what
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the Minnesota Historical Societyhas done.
Is the book by Tinkham availableon Amazon for anyone who's into
history and the architecture,the starting of the light before
going on to the Coast Guard?
Well, even though that was hisfirst or his introduction to
lighthouse, his fame was more inautomation and reducing the, uh,
dependency on, So, uh, he, heretired, I think, in 1946.
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Mark Anderson has asked, hadasked me to put together a
program for the library talkthat he does and uh, and it
focuses around, at the tail endof that presentation that I put
together, focuses around therelationship that, uh, Brian
Tinkham and I have bonded withjust in this last couple of
years.
So we, we visit them in Iowa andI expect him to come back up,
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uh, this year because it'll be,uh, he'll probably come up in
November for the November 10thlighting, uh, which will be the
anniversary of the EdmundFitzgerald.
So it'll be a 50 yearanniversary.
Another Um, uh, LightfootMilestone.
Hard to believe.
I wish I had some GordonLightfoot to play while we talk
about that.
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We lit it in his, um, uh,memorial to after his passing.
Oh, nice.
I didn't.
I wasn't aware of that.
He passed away and thelighthouse lit it in
commemoration of that.
and just for a reference, it'sabout 150, 000 a year visitors
that go through Split Rock.
of course the vast majority fromearly May to late October, a lot
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of visitors up there.
It's a nice showing.
The interest has certainly notwaned over the years.
We have yet to talk aboutFreemasonry, about the craft.
When did you first get theinkling, the desire to pursue
More information to join a Lodgeback in the day.
You've been a member over 30years now.
I have Some people will hearthis story.
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My father was a Mason Mymaternal side, my mother grew up
in Lakeside in Duluth.
She was the youngest of four.
Her father was a grocer at a, ata grocery store in Lakeside.
And he joined Lakeside Lodge.
Primarily so that Gunnberg, mygrandmother, could become a
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member of the Eastern Star.
Grandpa Gene wasn't very active,after my father relocated to
White Bear Lake, he got intothe, Masonic fraternity by
joining Fellowship Lodge 257 outin North St.
Paul, which no, they had merged,I think, mostly with Garnett
Lodge in White Bear.
so he joined and I find outlater that he got very active.
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I didn't know until after mystepmother passed away that they
were members of the Order of theEastern Star as well.
But he got involved with Shrine.
And so when people ask about mydad's Masonic career, I'd say
that he was a good Mason.
But he was a great Shriner.
He really liked Shrinedom.
He joined the St.
Paul Scottish Rite.
At his passing in 2002, he was amember of a daylight lodge in
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Madison and was active.
He never was a master or awarden.
He didn't pursue that and inthinking back, even Even back,
uh, in the 60s, late 60s, it wastough to get into the leadership
line of some of the lodges.
Yes.
I think we overlooked that intoday's world.
That was, there was a lot ofpotential leaders on the
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sidelines within any lodge.
And to get asked and to getchosen was no small thing.
My father was asked by a youngman, and some of you listening
to this will, will have heard metell this story.
My father was asked by a youngman to join the fraternity.
And my father.
Had to ask why would you like tojoin?
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And that young man said, well,he knew a guy that was
successful.
He was a sales manager.
He had the square and compass onthe back of the Buick and he
gave tickets to the ballgame tothe customers and he was very
successful.
Dressed nice and this young manwas hoping that if he were to
join the fraternity, he wouldturn out to be like this sales
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manager and fortunate for mydad, the young man got
distracted and didn't botherhim.
My father would have had to havesaid that that's not the right
reason why to join thefraternity.
But about five years later, thatyoung man asked my dad again,
expressed an interest in thefraternity.
and asked him if he would helphim.
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My dad asked that man the samequestion, Why do you want to
join?
And the young man says, Well,I'm kind of grounded now.
I've started a family.
I've got a career path heading,and I think it's going to be
good for me now, and I'd like totalk about joining.
Fortunately, my dad was able,being from a different
(21:09):
jurisdiction, was able to signhis petition because in
Minnesota, only one of thosesignatures needs to be from this
jurisdiction.
So my dad's signature is thesecond line signer of my
petition.
Really?
That was me, and my dad was soafraid that, to tell me that I'm
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joining for all the wrongreasons, which I was at that
first approach.
The first discussion.
The first discussion, so.
And my father was there to raiseme on November 21, I think, of
1991.
91 at Anoka.
I was And you're a member of Anothat this was at Anoka 30?
Yep.
I don't know that I've heardthat story and wasn't assuming
immediately that would've beenyou or that young man.
(21:53):
Yeah, I was that man that wasjoining for the wrong reasons,
for material things and, thatwasn't why I was supposed to
join.
I served the MA as Master ofAnoka in 1996.
And, uh, I'm a member of, aproud member of Helios Lodge up
in Cambridge.
And now you've got two optionstoo.
In, in addition to, you're stillan active member of Scottish
Rites.
I am.
York Rite.
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Also serving the last couple ofyears now in the Grand Line.
How's that been so far?
Oh, I've loved it.
It was something I had neverthought that I would ever be
asked to do.
It never was on my radar.
When Dayton Berg asked me tothink about it, I thought he was
just joking.
Dayton and I bonded with therelationship that we had.
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Northeast Lodge, his lodge,rented from Anoka for Decades.
And, uh, and that's where I gotto know Dayton, is when he spent
time at his home lodge.
When they resided in Anoka, andwe, uh, somehow communicated and
understood each other'sleadership styles and what was
important to each other and, andhe asked me if I would be
(23:01):
interested and I, I thoughtthere'd be no way that, that he
would continue to think thatway.
So a year went by and, uh, hebrought me in to interview with
the lower line officers and, uh,and I was his selection.
I couldn't be more happy.
Outstanding.
And to see a Marine choose aNavy man, that's, that's no
small, that's, we don't talkmuch about that.
(23:24):
I bet not.
Yeah.
The inner service rivalry is, isa thing, but one of the aspects
that you oversaw in your firstyear.
With Dayton as Grandmaster wasthe fire suppression program we
launched an initiative throughGrand Lodge to provide first
responders across the state, theopportunity to have one of these
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in as many vehicles as possible.
It's been a massive success.
And in no small part due to yourhard work and dedication of
seeing this through and it'sstill going today, well, thank
you for that.
I believe it has been a successto date.
We have distributed or donatedalmost 500 units throughout the
(24:05):
state.
So in less than two years, the,the program is an initiative by
both the Grand Lodge.
and Masonic Charities.
And so it's kind of a three waysplit.
The Lodge, Charities, and GrandLodge contribute to purchasing
these units.
It was a model that we saw inWisconsin.
The Freemasons in Wisconsin weredoing this and we jumped on
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board and it, it looks like thatwave is going to continue to the
west.
We hear of South Dakota lookinginto this program.
and other states that areconsidering doing this.
It was an opportunity for us asMasons to continue to contribute
to the, towns and thecommunities that we live in.
the unit is like a kettle ball.
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It's about 15 pounds ofpotassium that is actually
ignited and it chemicallyseparates the fuel from the
oxygen, suppressing, notextinguishing, but suppressing
the fire and basically resettingthe clock for water to get to
the site.
The most notable of thedeployments that we've
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experienced in Minnesota was inSt.
Paul Park where a sergeant fromWashington County had just
learned how to use this thingand Deployed it the next day and
it saved the house Nobody was inthe house except for the family
pets and it saved both of themamazing one of the big
(25:30):
initiatives to equip firstresponders and police officers
that they are usually the firston scene a little before, which
feels like an eternity beforethe full.
Fire department does arrive andin this case there he was what
are the timing of that too?
He had just been trained on itdeployed it save the house Save
the pets incredible story.
(25:51):
Yeah, we have some of his Bodycamera video and he's even
saying he goes.
Well, I think this is how you doit I'm gonna give her a try and
he put it through the door andit and it deployed the
homeowners were interviewed bythe local television channel and
they said, the, the lady said,we'll pay, we'll buy another one
of these units.
It saved our pets and it savedour house.
(26:13):
We'll pay it forward.
But before they could do that.
The Demolay chapter from WhiteBear Lake, Lincoln chapter, had
already raised enough money andgave them the replacement unit.
Gave it to Washington Countybefore the end of that TV, uh,
interview.
Everyone's clamoring that I wantto pay this forward.
Knowing what this technology andthis device did And part of the
(26:37):
initiative of the FireSuppression Program is that
community engagement that we doas Freemasons For some of our
listeners who may not be membersof the Masonic family.
We talk a lot about the, thetenants of our profession like
to call that our core values,friendship, community
engagement, helping those inneed.
(26:57):
it comes up frequently on thispodcast.
the things we stand for asMasons are really being sought
out in the world right nowhaving empathy for others in
need Tolerance coming togetherin a very natural and non
cliched way.
Well, I'm not the first to sayit but Never have we needed it
more than what our tenants Uh,we need that tolerance, we're in
(27:21):
a divided time.
We have so much to offer societywith what we've done.
Our track record, when you lookat what Masonic Charities has
done in its 20 years, no timewould be better than for the
public to pay attention to whatmasonry has done and can do.
And what it can do to enhancesomeone's life journey.
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I recently spoke with a youngman who was interested in
learning more about possiblyjoining and he said something to
the effect that well, I'd liketo become a Mason so that you
can tell me what to do, how tolive my life and I gently
corrected him and told him thatwe don't tell anybody how to do
or what to do, but we do providethe tools, the blueprint, if you
(28:08):
will, in how we can each takethat responsibility of
Recognizing our shortcomings andour faults, striving to be a
better version of ourself.
And to your point, how we cannavigate our way in this world
in a respectful manner ofagreeing to disagree, But
ideally adding, less static,less white noise, less of the
(28:29):
divisive, the social mediaapproach, where it's so easy to
sit behind that computer screenand put everyone on blast, that
really is an area, shall we say,of opportunity in today's world
in which we can be the changeand lead the way.
It is.
I agree.
The, the thing that is importantto understand to these
prospective members too is thatwe're all on the same level.
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It doesn't matter who you are,where you worship, how you
voted, how you dress, we're allthe same.
and the tolerance thing I hadmentioned earlier, that, that
has got to be the key thing thatI've taken away from this is to
tolerate other people's viewsand not get upset or
opinionated.
we do have so much to offer,those who are looking into our
(29:16):
fraternity in guiding them, uh,to doing the important things,
the right things, charity,kindness, brotherly love, all
important things.
And doing the hard work requiredto see those things through.
It's easy to align ourselveswith a particular ideology or a
set of core values.
The difference is at the Lodgelevel, we are really striving to
(29:39):
do the hard work necessary.
Work on ourselves.
And help each other in a verycollaborative way at a time when
it really is needed now morethan, than ever.
What do you see as the future ofFreemasonry, whether that in
Minnesota or on a, on a greaterscale?
Well, during my, uh, evaluationprocess for my appointment to
(30:04):
the Grand Lodge, I was asked,where do you see masonry in 20
years?
a lot of the great guys that wewant in this fraternity are
still here and a lot of themthat weren't contributing are
gone.
I believe that we will continueto prosper and that we will
continue, especially in today'senvironment.
(30:26):
And with the leadership of theGrand Lodge and your involvement
certainly, we're going toattract the prospects that are
going to benefit from being amember.
And our membership will benefitfrom them.
and that's one of the thingsthat we talk about early on in,
in Masonic ritual is that itneeds to be mutually beneficial.
(30:49):
And I, I think that we'llcontinue to succeed in our
charities, in our philanthropicendeavors, and I think we'll
continue to make, I know it'scliche, but make good men
better.
Uh, we'll continue to attractthose to our fraternity that we
want now.
The numbers that we had before,I don't think will ever come
(31:09):
back, but the work that we dowill continue to grow.
Sometimes we measure successalways looking at those high
watermarks of membershipnumbers, and it's certainly.
It's not something that's reallyfun to think about or to
discuss, but 21st centuryexperience is we can and are
having a very quality experiencefor our members, even in a
(31:33):
smaller set up.
200 members of a lodge showingup for just a regular stated
meeting, but the bond betweenthe brothers that are there,
it's, it's a line that someonefrom your lodge said that it
always rings into my head.
It's the difference betweenbeing a member of a lodge.
Or being a mason and a mason inone's heart, really embracing
(31:57):
the timeless core values and thecommitment to helping others,
the empathy, the tolerance tobeing the change out there.
I've heard the same from thatsame guy and I agree
wholeheartedly.
Greg Volkavan.
It's been a pleasure having youin studio today.
We really appreciate youstopping by and sharing a bit
more perspective on your life'sjourney, where it's taken you in
(32:21):
really looking forward to theyears ahead, your involvement in
Grand Lodge and the leadership.
we really do have a lot ofthings to look forward to in our
bright future.
Reid, thanks.
A, thanks a lot for inviting me.
I, I really appreciate theopportunity to sit down with you
and discuss, uh, my past,certainly my hopes for the
future and a great grand lodge,moving forward.
(32:42):
It's been our pleasure.
Greg Bocavan serving as thesenior grand steward for the
Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
My name is Reed Endersby.
Appreciate you listening to ourpodcast.
There's many options out thereand we're so grateful to have
you with us each and every week.
This has been another episode ofMinnesota Masonic Histories and
Mysteries.
Hi again, everyone.
(00:00):
Welcome back to another episodeof Minnesota Masonic histories
and mysteries.
This podcast is first andforemost focused on friendship,
brotherhood, and getting to knowour members better.
Happy to be joined today by agood friend and brother, Greg
Vocavan, who currently serves asthe Senior Grand Steward for the
Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
(00:21):
Welcome, Greg.
Thanks for inviting me.
There's so many things acrossthe spectrum of life of
Freemasonry that we could chatabout.
How about we'll start with theobvious.
where'd you grow up?
Where were you born?
Well, I was born in Duluth,Minnesota.
didn't spend much time there.
My family moved around quite abit.
But we finally landed in, atthat time, the new suburb of
(00:43):
Blaine, Minnesota.
Brand new.
What year circa that would havebeen in the mid sixties.
Not much up there at the time.
Not much up there.
We had a septic and sand roadsout in front of our house.
Wow.
That's hard to fathom.
Now, considering all of thedevelopment and it is it's
fastest growing a suburb.
(01:05):
I believe So that was home foryou for how long then where did
school and life lead you afterthat?
Well, I went to school there.
It was at that point in, uh, inMy life and my sibling my
brother and sister's lives thatwe ended up in a single parent
home My dad had remarried andmoved over to the east side of
(01:26):
the metro into the White BayWhite Bear Lake area And so we
spent time either either atdad's or at mom's so I ended up
going to school both in CoonRapids and in White Bear Lake
And I believe you were in theNavy.
Correct.
Did you, you enlisted at somepoint along that timeline?
I did.
growing up was difficult in thatsplit home and, uh, uh, I
(01:51):
struggled, uh, a little bitwith, uh, academics and, and
life, uh, was, was hard for uskids at the time.
And the Navy was a goodopportunity for me.
So I, embarrassingly, I drop outof high school and I joined the
United States Navy.
I enlisted.
At the tail end of the Vietnamera, pretty much knowing that,
(02:12):
uh, that no troops were goingback in to battle in 1972.
So about 75 days after I turned17, my mother had to give
permission and let me enlist.
To me, it was kind of a, Ididn't really have much else to
do.
So, being thanked as a veteran,it's more me thanking, uh, the
(02:33):
United States Navy for giving methe opportunity, and, and they
certainly put me back on theright track.
What did you pursue as an MOS,as a, as a career within the
Navy?
As you know, as a veteran, uh,the military does a very good
job of, uh, assessing aptitude.
I was done, mechanically.
They found that I had a, a greatmechanical aptitude.
(02:56):
And I was able to select anairdale.
Uh, and the aviation side of theNavy.
I had no interest in being on aship for any length of time.
Good choice.
And, uh, I was kind of hopingfor a helicopter squadron, but I
ended up in a training squadron.
Uh, this is where the navalaviators, uh, tactical, aviators
(03:17):
were trained.
I was a hydraulics mechanic, andI served a one, one duty
station.
I was, uh, three years, sevenmonths, and a day at a naval air
station, Kingsville, Texas.
the chief that I worked for,offered me an opportunity to
leave the shop and go into theflight scheduling side of the
(03:40):
business.
And that was good.
We had about, uh, 35 aircraftthat were flight worthy, and we
tended to fly 70, maybe 80sorties a day.
Wow.
So we were turning the airplanesaround quite quickly.
again at the tail end of theVietnam era, some of the really
good pilots that were hoping togo fight, were plowed right back
(04:02):
into instructor's positions.
So we had a mixture of combatveteran air aviators that were
the trainers, and we had somethat were plowed back.
Uh, I got to know those pilotsquite well, and I had Oh, a
couple hundred hours in thebackseat of those trainers, uh,
because they didn't want to takeanybody out of the shop to go
(04:23):
see if there was a brakeproblem.
So we would fly for an hour anda half and then when we would
touch down, we would, uh, Iwould take control of the brakes
to see what was going on.
They also didn't want to take amechanic out of the shop to taxi
an airplane over to the, to theload cell.
So I was taxi qualified andcould start and, and taxi the
(04:44):
airplanes.
And I spent, uh, so a little bitof time in the backseat of
these, uh, trainers.
we did, the squadrons wereassigned to, uh, CTV 16, the USS
Lexington, and it would flo itwould float from Pensacola to
Corpus Christi and allow the,the, uh, student pilots to learn
(05:07):
how to land on an aircraftcarrier.
And I was offered to go out onthat, on that carrier and, uh,
perform a job at sitting at theback at the fantail.
And if the arresting hookwouldn't come back up, they had
a very short lifespan, thearresting hooks do.
I would reach over the exhaustof the airplane and trigger a
(05:27):
valve to force it up and thentell the pilot that they had one
more launch, that they had to goto a land base after this.
so I got to spend time on there,uh, because of my scheduling
flights, I missed the DC 3 thatwas taking everybody to
Pensacola.
And a lieutenant said, well, youcan fly with me.
(05:47):
So I thought we were flying fromKingsville to Pensacola the next
morning.
Well, the ship had already setsail.
And so we landed on the aircraftcarrier.
So it was pretty unique for anenlisted guy to sit in the
backseat of a trainer and getarrested on a, on a carrier.
did having all that exposureexperience ever leave you
(06:10):
thinking maybe I want to becomea pilot or pursue this further?
Well, I, I have a I have acongenital cataract in my left
eye, so I could be a privatepilot or, uh, and I have had
interest in flying.
I could have never been a navalaviator for multiple reasons,
but the cataract, uh, congenitalcataract in my left eye would
(06:31):
have prevented me from havingcorrectable 20 20 vision but I
don't know, and at my point inmy life, I don't know if I'm,
got the interest in flying.
he said something interestingearlier, we thank veterans for
their service, but you feel adebt of gratitude towards the
Navy for the opportunity itprovided you at that time of
your life When you look back onthat tell us a bit more about
(06:55):
how that helps you Navigate thenext chapter of life.
Well, I was a good sailor I wasa good serviceman and I and I do
appreciate those who thank mefor being on active duty for
four years and inactive reservesfor another two, and an
honorable discharge, and ameritorious unit accommodation.
Uh, I appreciate that, but atthat point in my life, the Navy
(07:18):
took me in.
trained me, put me to work, andpointed me in the right
direction in my career.
It was because of the Navy thatstraightened me out, that
allowed me, when I got out, topursue my career.
the training they gave me, the,it opened doors for me.
The railroad was hiring when Igot out of the Navy and because
(07:40):
I was a veteran that helped meat that time.
So maybe it's a bit of a cliche,but how often do we ask a 17, 18
year old in general, Hey, whatdo you want to do for the rest
of your life?
How in the world do we expectthat decision to be made without
having the life experience?
I've always encouraged, wishthat more young people before
(08:00):
college is sure if you're goingto do that later.
Great.
but there's the option of goinginto one of the many branches to
get some life experience, to getyour feet wet in a number of
different career paths thatThere really is something to be
said about that trajectory thathelps a young person find their
way.
I agree.
(08:20):
It certainly helped me.
the naval air station is, iskind of interesting from a
Masonic standpoint from, fromme.
we all know the Sizemores fromthe Scottish Rite.
both father and son We're incommand of Naval Aviation
Training.
In fact, I was talking, duringmy right care stint, I was
talking with Elizabeth Sizemoreout in Washington and I made the
(08:44):
comment, I said, you know, Ithink I served under your dad.
And she paused and she asked acouple of questions and, and
then I realized that the juniorwasn't even an aviator.
Her father wasn't an aviatorwhen I was at Kingsville.
It was her grandfather that Iserved under.
So, and I got to meet both ofthem at one of the, uh, sessions
(09:06):
in, in Washington and, and, uh,that was, that was pretty
exciting for me to meet, uh, theC, certainly the senior.
Those two have a resume that isunrivaled by man.
They have seen the hours, thelandings, the different
aircraft.
I wish we had more time to diveinto this, but maybe for another
(09:26):
episode, we'll talk about the,the, the Sizemore's.
So when along the way did youmeet your bride and the family
take shape?
Well, after the Navy I came homeand worked for the railroad.
Back in Minnesota?
Back in Minnesota.
I worked at the Sioux LineRailroad as a machinist
apprentice.
And after, uh, uh, finishingthat apprenticeship program, I
(09:47):
realized that in that unionenvironment, I needed to bid on
a job.
Not, it wasn't going to be theMonday through Friday thing that
I had.
It was a oddball, third shift,Tuesday, Wednesday's off.
I was a, uh, scooped up by a, aindependent contractor.
And that was a time when a lotof the locomotives, uh, that was
(10:08):
my, my forte, uh, were beingpurchased by private companies,
such as the green elevators orthe power plants to move their
coal trains or their, theirgrain.
And this guy scooped me up to dorenovation or, or.
Resurrecting some of these oldrolling stock Locomotives and it
(10:30):
took me back down to Texas So Ifinished my apprenticeship
worked a year or two up here andthen went back to Dallas for a
temporary Assignment that endedup being two and a half years
Living in a hotel.
Oh man.
Nowhere to spend my money,nothing to spend it on, uh, so
that was a nice, uh, coupleyears.
(10:50):
when the project was finallyover with, uh, we had, built a
relationship with Cargill intheir, uh, Houston, green
elevator on the ship channel andthe thought of them not having
service resources, uh, causedthem to reach out to me and say,
what, what would it take for youto stay?
So I went to work for Cargillfor a couple of years, two and a
(11:13):
half years at, at Houston.
the grain market was off, thewheat, there was a wheat
elevator, and, and, and thingswere really, really slow.
And it was obvious that they,they really didn't need me.
but they didn't want to lose me.
So I brokered a deal and workedwith a motor repair shop.
Uh, I would frequently visithome.
(11:33):
That was where mom was and mysiblings.
And so I bumped into, uh, my, mysister in law insisted on a
blind date with one of herformer classmates.
both of us begrudgingly wentand, uh, and hit it off.
Uh, I made another visit, uh, acouple months later and we hit
it off even better and, and thenrealized that, uh, that home
(11:56):
really was Minnesota, notBeaumont, Texas.
And then eventually moved backto Minnesota.
about a year later, my wife,Goody, and I got married.
And a little over a year afterthat, we had our, our only
child.
Hillary.
now she's, here in the citiesand in her mid thirties, and,
and we're up in Northern AnokaCounty living on the golf course
(12:19):
where we wanted to retire.
I've always wanted to ask you.
I've known you for years.
What's her real name?
Is Goody.
Is that her real name?
And where did that come from?
It's a German name.
Goodland is her is her officialname, but she goes by Goody with
a Y.
Interesting see the things wethe things we learned or that
think in passing that justhaven't had opportunity to ask
(12:42):
before.
And speaking of You have afamily connection to the Split
Rock Lighthouse in Duluth.
Can you tell us more about that?
I've never heard details ofthis, well, the Split Rock
Lighthouse, which is about 20miles, about 50 miles from
Duluth.
It's about 20 miles, up theshore from two harbors.
(13:03):
that lighthouse was put there asa result of a horrible storm
called the Matafa Blow in 1905.
The ship owners or the, uh, LakeCarriers Association, lobbied
Congress and got funding to puta lighthouse at or near the
Split Rock River.
And that was constructed in 19,put into service in 1910.
(13:27):
and the guy that lit the lightfor the very first time.
was my great grandfather.
So grandma, my dad's mother,grew up out there as an
adolescent and a teenager.
Of course, that was when wereferred to the lighthouse as a
seasonal lighthouse.
So that means that nobody wasthere in the winter.
(13:50):
One, they didn't need to bethere in the winter.
And two, there were no roads outthere, so the only way they
could get food or fuel was fromthe lake.
And when the shores wouldfreeze, they would shut it down.
And so her time out there wasshared with us as kids.
the Minnesota Historical Societystarted operating, uh, or
(14:12):
administering the lighthouse.
in the mid 70s, and they justadored her.
She lived to be over a hundred,and there's an oral interview of
her life out there, uh, that'sin the exhibit hall at the
Lighthouse, and in myretirement, or semi retirement,
uh, Goody and I spend a fairamount of time up on the North
(14:34):
Shore near Two Harbors, and Iwork out there at the lighthouse
in the summers, a couple ofdays, two to three days a week,
two to three weeks of the monthas what they call an
interpreter, tour guidebasically.
I like meeting the people.
Um, from a mechanicalstandpoint, I never I never
(14:54):
reached, to become a mechanicalengineer but I have the aptitude
to understand how the lightworks, how the lantern worked,
and how the rotation, theclockwork that turns the light
that sits in the bed of mercuryand, they enjoy my technical
approach to interpretation ofthat era during that seasonal
(15:15):
operation of the lighthouse.
And having the familyconnection, obviously a plus on,
is that oral history ever beenturned into a book, into a
periodical or something, Well,not from my side of the family,
but, two years ago.
during one of the programs thatthey put together up there, they
wanted to talk about RalphRussell Tinkham, the architect
(15:39):
who built it.
He was a young civil engineerfrom Michigan, and he, that was
his first project.
Well, Tinkham went on to be thesenior.
civil engineer for the UnitedStates Coast Guard.
They took over the lighthouseservice in 1939 during the
Roosevelt administration.
And they were going to do athing on Ralph Russell Tinkham.
(16:02):
And it got out on Facebook.
And lo and behold, his greatgrandson came up from Dubuque,
Iowa for that event.
Ralph Russell Tinkham hasmemoirs and was, and has a book.
But nothing from the young sideof the family, other than what
(16:23):
the Minnesota Historical Societyhas done.
Is the book by Tinkham availableon Amazon for anyone who's into
history and the architecture,the starting of the light before
going on to the Coast Guard?
Well, even though that was hisfirst or his introduction to
lighthouse, his fame was more inautomation and reducing the, uh,
dependency on, So, uh, he, heretired, I think, in 1946.
(16:49):
Mark Anderson has asked, hadasked me to put together a
program for the library talkthat he does and uh, and it
focuses around, at the tail endof that presentation that I put
together, focuses around therelationship that, uh, Brian
Tinkham and I have bonded withjust in this last couple of
years.
So we, we visit them in Iowa andI expect him to come back up,
(17:15):
uh, this year because it'll be,uh, he'll probably come up in
November for the November 10thlighting, uh, which will be the
anniversary of the EdmundFitzgerald.
So it'll be a 50 yearanniversary.
Another Um, uh, LightfootMilestone.
Hard to believe.
I wish I had some GordonLightfoot to play while we talk
about that.
(17:35):
We lit it in his, um, uh,memorial to after his passing.
Oh, nice.
I didn't.
I wasn't aware of that.
He passed away and thelighthouse lit it in
commemoration of that.
and just for a reference, it'sabout 150, 000 a year visitors
that go through Split Rock.
of course the vast majority fromearly May to late October, a lot
(17:57):
of visitors up there.
It's a nice showing.
The interest has certainly notwaned over the years.
We have yet to talk aboutFreemasonry, about the craft.
When did you first get theinkling, the desire to pursue
More information to join a Lodgeback in the day.
You've been a member over 30years now.
I have Some people will hearthis story.
(18:18):
My father was a Mason Mymaternal side, my mother grew up
in Lakeside in Duluth.
She was the youngest of four.
Her father was a grocer at a, ata grocery store in Lakeside.
And he joined Lakeside Lodge.
Primarily so that Gunnberg, mygrandmother, could become a
(18:38):
member of the Eastern Star.
Grandpa Gene wasn't very active,after my father relocated to
White Bear Lake, he got intothe, Masonic fraternity by
joining Fellowship Lodge 257 outin North St.
Paul, which no, they had merged,I think, mostly with Garnett
Lodge in White Bear.
so he joined and I find outlater that he got very active.
(18:59):
I didn't know until after mystepmother passed away that they
were members of the Order of theEastern Star as well.
But he got involved with Shrine.
And so when people ask about mydad's Masonic career, I'd say
that he was a good Mason.
But he was a great Shriner.
He really liked Shrinedom.
He joined the St.
Paul Scottish Rite.
At his passing in 2002, he was amember of a daylight lodge in
(19:24):
Madison and was active.
He never was a master or awarden.
He didn't pursue that and inthinking back, even Even back,
uh, in the 60s, late 60s, it wastough to get into the leadership
line of some of the lodges.
Yes.
I think we overlooked that intoday's world.
That was, there was a lot ofpotential leaders on the
(19:44):
sidelines within any lodge.
And to get asked and to getchosen was no small thing.
My father was asked by a youngman, and some of you listening
to this will, will have heard metell this story.
My father was asked by a youngman to join the fraternity.
And my father.
Had to ask why would you like tojoin?
(20:06):
And that young man said, well,he knew a guy that was
successful.
He was a sales manager.
He had the square and compass onthe back of the Buick and he
gave tickets to the ballgame tothe customers and he was very
successful.
Dressed nice and this young manwas hoping that if he were to
join the fraternity, he wouldturn out to be like this sales
(20:26):
manager and fortunate for mydad, the young man got
distracted and didn't botherhim.
My father would have had to havesaid that that's not the right
reason why to join thefraternity.
But about five years later, thatyoung man asked my dad again,
expressed an interest in thefraternity.
and asked him if he would helphim.
(20:49):
My dad asked that man the samequestion, Why do you want to
join?
And the young man says, Well,I'm kind of grounded now.
I've started a family.
I've got a career path heading,and I think it's going to be
good for me now, and I'd like totalk about joining.
Fortunately, my dad was able,being from a different
(21:09):
jurisdiction, was able to signhis petition because in
Minnesota, only one of thosesignatures needs to be from this
jurisdiction.
So my dad's signature is thesecond line signer of my
petition.
Really?
That was me, and my dad was soafraid that, to tell me that I'm
(21:30):
joining for all the wrongreasons, which I was at that
first approach.
The first discussion.
The first discussion, so.
And my father was there to raiseme on November 21, I think, of
1991.
91 at Anoka.
I was And you're a member of Anothat this was at Anoka 30?
Yep.
I don't know that I've heardthat story and wasn't assuming
immediately that would've beenyou or that young man.
(21:53):
Yeah, I was that man that wasjoining for the wrong reasons,
for material things and, thatwasn't why I was supposed to
join.
I served the MA as Master ofAnoka in 1996.
And, uh, I'm a member of, aproud member of Helios Lodge up
in Cambridge.
And now you've got two optionstoo.
In, in addition to, you're stillan active member of Scottish
Rites.
I am.
York Rite.
(22:13):
Also serving the last couple ofyears now in the Grand Line.
How's that been so far?
Oh, I've loved it.
It was something I had neverthought that I would ever be
asked to do.
It never was on my radar.
When Dayton Berg asked me tothink about it, I thought he was
just joking.
Dayton and I bonded with therelationship that we had.
(22:38):
Northeast Lodge, his lodge,rented from Anoka for Decades.
And, uh, and that's where I gotto know Dayton, is when he spent
time at his home lodge.
When they resided in Anoka, andwe, uh, somehow communicated and
understood each other'sleadership styles and what was
important to each other and, andhe asked me if I would be
(23:01):
interested and I, I thoughtthere'd be no way that, that he
would continue to think thatway.
So a year went by and, uh, hebrought me in to interview with
the lower line officers and, uh,and I was his selection.
I couldn't be more happy.
Outstanding.
And to see a Marine choose aNavy man, that's, that's no
small, that's, we don't talkmuch about that.
(23:24):
I bet not.
Yeah.
The inner service rivalry is, isa thing, but one of the aspects
that you oversaw in your firstyear.
With Dayton as Grandmaster wasthe fire suppression program we
launched an initiative throughGrand Lodge to provide first
responders across the state, theopportunity to have one of these
(23:45):
in as many vehicles as possible.
It's been a massive success.
And in no small part due to yourhard work and dedication of
seeing this through and it'sstill going today, well, thank
you for that.
I believe it has been a successto date.
We have distributed or donatedalmost 500 units throughout the
(24:05):
state.
So in less than two years, the,the program is an initiative by
both the Grand Lodge.
and Masonic Charities.
And so it's kind of a three waysplit.
The Lodge, Charities, and GrandLodge contribute to purchasing
these units.
It was a model that we saw inWisconsin.
The Freemasons in Wisconsin weredoing this and we jumped on
(24:28):
board and it, it looks like thatwave is going to continue to the
west.
We hear of South Dakota lookinginto this program.
and other states that areconsidering doing this.
It was an opportunity for us asMasons to continue to contribute
to the, towns and thecommunities that we live in.
the unit is like a kettle ball.
(24:49):
It's about 15 pounds ofpotassium that is actually
ignited and it chemicallyseparates the fuel from the
oxygen, suppressing, notextinguishing, but suppressing
the fire and basically resettingthe clock for water to get to
the site.
The most notable of thedeployments that we've
(25:10):
experienced in Minnesota was inSt.
Paul Park where a sergeant fromWashington County had just
learned how to use this thingand Deployed it the next day and
it saved the house Nobody was inthe house except for the family
pets and it saved both of themamazing one of the big
(25:30):
initiatives to equip firstresponders and police officers
that they are usually the firston scene a little before, which
feels like an eternity beforethe full.
Fire department does arrive andin this case there he was what
are the timing of that too?
He had just been trained on itdeployed it save the house Save
the pets incredible story.
(25:51):
Yeah, we have some of his Bodycamera video and he's even
saying he goes.
Well, I think this is how you doit I'm gonna give her a try and
he put it through the door andit and it deployed the
homeowners were interviewed bythe local television channel and
they said, the, the lady said,we'll pay, we'll buy another one
of these units.
It saved our pets and it savedour house.
(26:13):
We'll pay it forward.
But before they could do that.
The Demolay chapter from WhiteBear Lake, Lincoln chapter, had
already raised enough money andgave them the replacement unit.
Gave it to Washington Countybefore the end of that TV, uh,
interview.
Everyone's clamoring that I wantto pay this forward.
Knowing what this technology andthis device did And part of the
(26:37):
initiative of the FireSuppression Program is that
community engagement that we doas Freemasons For some of our
listeners who may not be membersof the Masonic family.
We talk a lot about the, thetenants of our profession like
to call that our core values,friendship, community
engagement, helping those inneed.
(26:57):
it comes up frequently on thispodcast.
the things we stand for asMasons are really being sought
out in the world right nowhaving empathy for others in
need Tolerance coming togetherin a very natural and non
cliched way.
Well, I'm not the first to sayit but Never have we needed it
more than what our tenants Uh,we need that tolerance, we're in
(27:21):
a divided time.
We have so much to offer societywith what we've done.
Our track record, when you lookat what Masonic Charities has
done in its 20 years, no timewould be better than for the
public to pay attention to whatmasonry has done and can do.
And what it can do to enhancesomeone's life journey.
(27:44):
I recently spoke with a youngman who was interested in
learning more about possiblyjoining and he said something to
the effect that well, I'd liketo become a Mason so that you
can tell me what to do, how tolive my life and I gently
corrected him and told him thatwe don't tell anybody how to do
or what to do, but we do providethe tools, the blueprint, if you
(28:08):
will, in how we can each takethat responsibility of
Recognizing our shortcomings andour faults, striving to be a
better version of ourself.
And to your point, how we cannavigate our way in this world
in a respectful manner ofagreeing to disagree, But
ideally adding, less static,less white noise, less of the
(28:29):
divisive, the social mediaapproach, where it's so easy to
sit behind that computer screenand put everyone on blast, that
really is an area, shall we say,of opportunity in today's world
in which we can be the changeand lead the way.
It is.
I agree.
The, the thing that is importantto understand to these
prospective members too is thatwe're all on the same level.
(28:52):
It doesn't matter who you are,where you worship, how you
voted, how you dress, we're allthe same.
and the tolerance thing I hadmentioned earlier, that, that
has got to be the key thing thatI've taken away from this is to
tolerate other people's viewsand not get upset or
opinionated.
we do have so much to offer,those who are looking into our
(29:16):
fraternity in guiding them, uh,to doing the important things,
the right things, charity,kindness, brotherly love, all
important things.
And doing the hard work requiredto see those things through.
It's easy to align ourselveswith a particular ideology or a
set of core values.
The difference is at the Lodgelevel, we are really striving to
(29:39):
do the hard work necessary.
Work on ourselves.
And help each other in a verycollaborative way at a time when
it really is needed now morethan, than ever.
What do you see as the future ofFreemasonry, whether that in
Minnesota or on a, on a greaterscale?
Well, during my, uh, evaluationprocess for my appointment to
(30:04):
the Grand Lodge, I was asked,where do you see masonry in 20
years?
a lot of the great guys that wewant in this fraternity are
still here and a lot of themthat weren't contributing are
gone.
I believe that we will continueto prosper and that we will
continue, especially in today'senvironment.
(30:26):
And with the leadership of theGrand Lodge and your involvement
certainly, we're going toattract the prospects that are
going to benefit from being amember.
And our membership will benefitfrom them.
and that's one of the thingsthat we talk about early on in,
in Masonic ritual is that itneeds to be mutually beneficial.
(30:49):
And I, I think that we'llcontinue to succeed in our
charities, in our philanthropicendeavors, and I think we'll
continue to make, I know it'scliche, but make good men
better.
Uh, we'll continue to attractthose to our fraternity that we
want now.
The numbers that we had before,I don't think will ever come
(31:09):
back, but the work that we dowill continue to grow.
Sometimes we measure successalways looking at those high
watermarks of membershipnumbers, and it's certainly.
It's not something that's reallyfun to think about or to
discuss, but 21st centuryexperience is we can and are
having a very quality experiencefor our members, even in a
(31:33):
smaller set up.
200 members of a lodge showingup for just a regular stated
meeting, but the bond betweenthe brothers that are there,
it's, it's a line that someonefrom your lodge said that it
always rings into my head.
It's the difference betweenbeing a member of a lodge.
Or being a mason and a mason inone's heart, really embracing
(31:57):
the timeless core values and thecommitment to helping others,
the empathy, the tolerance tobeing the change out there.
I've heard the same from thatsame guy and I agree
wholeheartedly.
Greg Volkavan.
It's been a pleasure having youin studio today.
We really appreciate youstopping by and sharing a bit
more perspective on your life'sjourney, where it's taken you in
(32:21):
really looking forward to theyears ahead, your involvement in
Grand Lodge and the leadership.
we really do have a lot ofthings to look forward to in our
bright future.
Reid, thanks.
A, thanks a lot for inviting me.
I, I really appreciate theopportunity to sit down with you
and discuss, uh, my past,certainly my hopes for the
future and a great grand lodge,moving forward.
(32:42):
It's been our pleasure.
Greg Bocavan serving as thesenior grand steward for the
Grand Lodge of Minnesota.
My name is Reed Endersby.
Appreciate you listening to ourpodcast.
There's many options out thereand we're so grateful to have
you with us each and every week.
This has been another episode ofMinnesota Masonic Histories and
Mysteries.
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