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Martin Kline, P.M. (1932-2007)

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:23:48 -0500

I regret to report the passing of Brother Martin Kline, P.M., 54-year Veteran in Masonry. He was a Treasurer and Officer�s Coach of Phoenix Lodge and Past Master of Paul Revere Lodge #562. He was a mentor to many of us younger members and a good Masonic Brother. His wit and writing skills gave pleasure to us and he was instrumental in the consolidation of Oriental Lodge #144 and Paul Revere Lodge #562 into Phoenix Lodge #144 in 2000, especially poignant for me, being the first Worshipful Master raised in Phoenix. For a warm and heartfelt remembrance of Brother Marty by his close friend Brother Louie Allsopp, please follow the "read more" link, and I encourage you to add your own remembrances of our departed brother and thereby perpetuate his memory. Arthur C. Kyle III, Master Remembrance of Bro. Marty Kline, P.M. by Bro. Louie Allsopp Brother Martin Kline embodied the three great pillars of Masonry: Brotherhood, Relief, and Truth. I for one shall greatly miss him for he was indeed a living example of genuine Masonic Virtue, a true and generous friend, a loving fraternal brother, a highly intelligent advisor and mentor, and a fellow seeker of truth and knowledge. His unfailing and unique sense of humor was always there to help make everyone around him enjoy and appreciate life a little more with a bit of laughter. His impeccable character and integrity as well as his very caring and thoughtful nature never let me down. When I had a bad case of the flu last winter for instance, and could not get out of bed; it was Marty who insisted on bringing me food, and who called twice a day do see how I was doing. Never once did I leave Marty's home-empty handed, nor did he ever come to my home empty-handed, for he always had bags of lemons, apples, plums, tomatoes, and other treats to dispense. All were grown by him in his garden. He was especially proud of his pears which he proudly called the "Kline-kissed variety." They were in fact the sweetest and most delicious pears I ever tasted. My friends and family always looked forward each season to getting some. Marty had so much knowledge about so many subjects. His years in the Navy and subsequent working for the Army as a CPA helped to make him a great personal mentor and financial advisor who always gave me sound advice on a whole range of financial subjects, from biotech stocks, government bonds, and every type of insurance, and even real estate, as well as such diverse subjects as philosophy, politics, economics, and psychology. He invited and took me to many share holders meetings, where he never ceased to amaze me with his intelligent and provocative questions to CEOs and other corporate leaders who were present. Not many people know that Marty was a brilliant and eloquent writer. He even did outstanding work for a couple of my pharmaceutical and scientist friends, translating complex concepts of biochemistry and cellular and molecular engineering into readable and more simplified layman's language. Yes, I shall miss Marty very much and already do. He was a unique and wonderful person, a rarity in that the more and better I knew him, the more I liked him. He used to call me almost every day, beginning every conversation with the same three words... "What's new Louie?"

St. John's Dinner

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:00:47 -0500

On September 28, 2007, we celebrated the Feast of St. John the Baptist. We opened on the third degree, escorted our Worshipful Inspector to a seat in the lodge, presented the flag of our country, and heard two brothers present papers on St. John and the Summer Solstice.

Image gallery available

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:43:17 -0500

I have added an image gallery to the site, and after logging in Phoenix Lodge members may view pictures of our 2007 picnic and our pilgrimage to Columbia. Click the Media Gallery link in the upper right corner of the window to see the picnic album. If you can't see the link, let me know and I will see if your login is in the member group. If not, I will add you and you'll then be able to browse the gallery.

John Dobson Lecture

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 19:27:00 -0500

As part of my effort to build our lodge in both fellowship and personal improvement, we enjoyed a guest lecturer, open to friends and family, on the evening of May 17th: Mr. John Dobson, the inventor of the Dobsonian telescope and co-founder of the Sidewalk Astronomers, spoke to us about his views on Cosmology. You can read more about Mr. Dobson at http://www.johndobson.org/, but I encouraged our members to come to his lecture and prepare themselves to be challenged in their scientific beliefs. I will share with you several selections of his writings posted on his website: "You have to have at least graduated high school to believe in the 'Big Bang' Theory, because in high school three things happen: First, you're persuaded the impossible is possible. Then you become persuaded the possible is probable. Finally you become persuaded the probable is certain. It takes at least 3 years for this. Children will never buy everything came from nothing." And further: "Must we assume that in the absence of particles and fields, and in the absence of space and time, there would be nothing? Or can we, without so rash an assumption, find clues to the nature of what Wheeler and Patton refer to as 'pregeometry'? ('...something deeper than geometry, that underlies both geometry and particles.' And which they suggest '...must provide the Universe with a way to come into being.')" Further fascinating comments from Mr. Dobson: "Most modern cosmologists, whether proponents of the Big Bang or the Steady State, seem to assume that in the absence of matter, space and time, there would be nothing. But is such a rash assumption warranted? The absence of time requires only the absence of change, and the absence of space requires only the absence of dividedness and smallness, not necessarily nothing. And that allows the possibility for a model of an entity beyond matter, space and time which might be changeless, infinite and undivided.... It will be of no use to suggest that this is metaphysics and need not be taken seriously; anything which influences the existence or behavior of physical phenomena is within the domain of physics." And when you have set down this newsletter, visit www.johndobson.org and read his article entitled "The Equations of Maya," originally published in "Cosmic Beginnings & Human Ends: Where Science & Religion Meet," (Open Court Publishing Co., 1995 http://www.johndobson.org/articles/equations.html). I quote so extensively from Mr. Dobson's material to pique your interest, not that he must change your mind but rather to encourage you to attend and be moved to further thought. As Masons, we are to be tolerant and open in our views, respecting the beliefs of others while developing and refining our own. Though contentious issues have no place in a tiled Lodge, our Craft affords us a place where we can express our thoughts without fear of ridicule, learn from others, and explore ideas we might not otherwise encounter. Mr. Dobson's lecture represents one of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, Astronomy, and may relate to another, Geometry, something so eloquently presented in the ceremonies we most recently enjoyed. As he spoke, I for one kept the lessons of the Fellowcraft degree in my mind as he spoke on the enormously important themes of space and time. The suggested donation was $5 (free for widows and orphans), which included dinner.

Welcome to Phoenix Lodge #144

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 23:42:00 -0500

Welcome to the new site of Phoenix Lodge #144 F. & A.M. of California.

Over the next week or two, we will be restoring some of the old content, re-enabling previously registered users, and bringing back the graphical "theme" of the site. The new version of the website software also requires you to interpret and then type a series of letters and numbers before posting anonymously, when creating an account, and so on. This helps prevent the posting of "spam" messages and other undesirable material. If you have trouble with this, please e-mail me.