T h e T e x a s

M a s o n M a g a z i n e

Volume: XLVI Edition: Spring May 2012

The Texas Mason Magazine is an official publication of the

Grand Lodge of Texas A. F. & A. M. It is published four times

a year for the members of Texas Lodges and subscribers.

Opinions expressed by the Editor and contributing writers do

not necessarily reflect official positions of the Grand Lodge of

Texas Copyright 2012, by the Trustees of the Grand Lodge of

Texas. All rights reserved.

Publisher

The Trustees of The Grand Lodge of Texas

Editor

Benjamin Franklin Linduff

Copy editor

Clinton M. M. McKenzie.

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serving the right to edit and use the articles and pictures as

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On the Cover

The Grand Lodge

of Texas

Auditorium.

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Page 1 …………... The Grand Master’s Message

Page 2 …….. Masonic Children and Family Svc.

Page 3 ………..Deputy Grand Master’s Message

and the Grand Senior Warden’s message

Page 4 ……...…. Grand Junior Warden message

and name badge order form

Page 5 ………..………2011 Masonic Family Day

Page 6 …………….. Grand Secretary’s Message

Page 7 ……………………….…Brother Nichols

Page 8 ……………….………... Circumbulations

Page 13 …………………….....Wardens Retreats

Page 14 ………………2011 Merchandise Sales

The Texas Mason

Table of Contents

T h e G r a n d M a s t e r ’ s M e s s a g e

P a g e 1

V o l u m e X L V , E d i t i o n : S p r i n g

Brethren: I bring you greetings from the Grand Lodge Trustees and hope all is going well in

your lodges. I can't tell you how much we are enjoying going all over this great State Of

Texas. We have been afforded the nicest hospitality you can conceive. At the time of this

writing, we have completed eleven of our sixteen Conferences. We have had great attendance

at each and expect the same at the next five. I want to remind all that we are going to have the

same type Workshop as we had last year and they will be after mid-year. The program for the

workshops has been written by R:. W:. Leonard Harvey and they will be very enjoyable.

I have a number of concerns and the one on my mind all the time is our 'image'. As I read the

DDGM reports it is amazing how many lodge buildings are in need of repair. We have two

images over which to be concerned. One is the image that we display to the public when they

pass by our buildings. We sure hope that they say "that’s a good looking building" The other

image to be addressed is the one that we have when we attend lodge. Are we proud of our

facility, does it look good to us?

Think about our image and let’s clean up as needed.

Fraternally

James F. Brumit,

Grand Master

P a g e 2 T h e T e x a s M a s o n

Brethren of the Grand West

I begin by saying once more;

“How good and how pleasant it is for

Brethren to dwell together in unity”.

How can it be May 2012? When I began this journey in

December 2008 My wife, “Miss Ardith” and I decided to be

nominated for the Grand South in 2009. Taking it one day at a

time, where have the days, months and years gone?

The 2012-2013 Grand Lodge year is progressing

according to plan and I would guess we are 98% complete.

In reference to the talent bank we have created, we have

received well over one hundred responses to this appeal and we

have appointed several of these brethren to Grand Lodge

committees, etc.

I continue to ask all Masons in Texas to remember your

obligations and live your lives according to the requirements of

each obligation. Always remember “You are someone’s example

of Freemasonry daily”.

It is approaching time for election and installation of

Lodge officers. I would congratulate each new Officer in every

Lodge in Texas on your being chosen to “Lead your Lodge” and at

the same time would challenge each of you to “Lead

with compassion and Humility”. Remember, you

are elevated for only a chosen time and must

eventually return to the fold only in the capacity of

a “Master Mason”.

I am so appreciative of each and every one

of you Texas Masons allowing me to be in the

position I am in and I pinch myself daily and thank

the Supreme Architect of the Universe for allowing

me to do what I am doing.

Finally, Brethren, as Masonry requires

each and every one of us to believe in a “Supreme

Being”. Thank Your “Supreme Being” for allowing

you to be “a Master Mason”.

Sincerely and Fraternally

Walter W. Rogers

Deputy Grand Master

Masonic Grand Lodge Of Texas

tasks, and keep a scheduled follow up on the pro-

gress of the committees, you will have a successful

year. For the incoming Wardens, now is the time

to be developing your plans for the things you

want to accomplish for the good of your Lodge.

Last minute planning, more than often, does not

come off as planned. As is often said in the

Wardens Retreat training session on planning,

“If you fail to plan, plan to fail.”

Let’s all plan on making next year and every year

a great one for Texas Masonry.

Jerry L Martin

Grand Senior Warden

From the Grand Senior Warden:

Brethren, as we approach the time of year for election

of Lodge Officers and the installation thereof, I trust

that the incoming Masters have made solid plans for

their year of governing the Lodge. One year sounds

like a long time until that year comes and passes

before you realize it is almost over. Believe me I

know. My year as your Grand Junior Warden seemed

to go by faster than my year as Master of the Lodge.

However, I have been planning since the first day I

was elected, and have enlisted the aid of my Planning

Team members in the development of plans for the

year 2014. If you have a sound plan and implement it

at the very beginning; delegating those plans to vari-

ous committees for the accomplishment of the various

D e p u t y G r a n d M a s t e r

G r a n d S e n i o r

W a r d e n

P a g e 3 V o l u m e X L V , E d i t i o n : S p r i n g

G r a n d J u n i o r W a r d e n ’ s

M e s s a g e

P a g e 4 T h e T e x a s M a s o n

Brethren, winter is gone, spring has arrived, and people are cultivating their

flower beds, fertilizing the yard, and trimming trees and shrubs in

preparation for the new growth to come. It seems we all want our neighbors

and passers by to approve of the way our property looks because it says a lot

about who lives there.

This is even more important about our Lodge property. When the public does

not know who Masons are and what they do, they sometimes judge us by the

way they see the outside of our buildings. If it is neat and clean, then we can

hope that they assume that we are also. We should all do our best to ensure

that the exterior of our Lodges are well cared for and kept neat, for after all, as Masons we are taught

to be good neighbors and citizens of our communities.

Likewise, spring is an excellent time for each of us to clean ourselves up, so-to-speak, and make sure

we present the right image of Masonry to not only all that those that we come into contact with, but

those who observe us from a distance and know us only by the emblems on our cars, belt buckles,

rings, hats, etc. Think about that old saying that is posted over the door of so many Lodges,

“Remember, you are someone’s image of Masonry.”

Just as spring is a time for preparing for new growth in nature, it is a great time to “bloom” new

growth in Masonry by getting out into the community. Lamar Medal presentations and scholarships

are part of this season and an excellent opportunity to either get the students, family, and school

personnel into our Lodges or us into the school facilities to make these awards. A well planned

presentation ceremony can bear much fruit for our gentle fraternity, and as we all know, that “fruit”

can easily become membership. So let’s all get out and promote the oldest and greatest fraternity the

world has ever known.

Michael Wiggins

Grand Junior Warden

M e s s a g e

f r o m t h e G r a n d S e c r e t a r y

P a g e 6 T h e T e x a s M a s o n

LODGE OFFICER INSTALLATIONS

Queries continue to be asked about the implementation of Article 276a regarding

the additional qualifications of the Worshipful Master, Senior Warden, and Junior

Warden prior to installation. Please note this law is in effect now and governs the

June 23-July 31, 2012 Lodge installations. It is the responsibility of the Lodge, the

top three Lodge officers, the Lodge Secretary, and the DDGM to act and document

that the top three Lodge officers are properly qualified. The installation officer has

no responsibility to ensure the officers are qualified – he just installs them.

Article 276a requires the Worshipful Master and both Wardens, prior to their

Installation, to be qualified as follows:

(1) To the satisfaction of the members of the Lodge, shall be proficient to

properly open and close an Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master Mason’s Lodge,

and a Master Mason’s Lodge of Sorrow in the manner prescribed by the Committee on Work and approved

by the Grand Lodge. Note: Any member would meet this requirement if he has a current A, B or C

certificate from the Committee on Work.

(2) To the satisfaction of the members of his Lodge, he shall have completed a Grand Lodge

approved course in the administration of his duties – either by the Wardens Retreat, or the Lodge

Instruction for Effectiveness program (L.I.F.E.) under the supervision of the Masonic Education and

Service Committee. The L.I.F.E. program is to be administered by a Lodge Counselor appointed by the

Worshipful Master. Note: Any member qualifies for the Lodge Administration if he has completed a

Wardens Retreat and that such documentation has been provided to the Lodge Secretary. Since no

Warden’s Retreats are scheduled in 2012 until after Lodge installations, the 2012 installations must be met

with the L.I.F.E. program or by completion of previous Warden’s Retreats.

A Masonic Form No. 101 is to be completed by the Lodge Secretary every year for each of these

members being installed and he will attach a copy to the installation minutes. The top three officers are

required to provide a copy of their Form 101 to the DDGM, five (5) days prior to the Installation.

The esoteric requirements are to be completed each year when the officer advances through the chairs.

If the officer does not have a current esoteric certificate from the Committee on Work, the Lodge must af-

firm to the satisfaction of their members that the officer can properly open and close the EA, FC, MM, and

MM Lodge of Sorrow. Usually this is done at a called meeting or scheduled practice session, and the

Lodge makes the entry in the minutes of a stated meeting that the proposed officer is proficient.

The Lodge Administration requirement is a one-time event upon the completion of either the L.I.F.E.

program or the Wardens Retreats.

Lodges are responsible for conducting legal elections, and DDGMs have been directed to review and

report the completion of the Article 276a requirements. Please ensure that your Lodge complies with the

new rules approved by the Grand West in 2011.

Tom Guest, Grand Secretary

Fellows,

We had a wonderful time at the Second Annual Masonic Schuetzenfest this

past Saturday in beautiful Raisin, Texas. We had eight shooters and a new

SCHUETZENKOEING was crowned - Chris Skeen of Temple lodge #4

AF&AM in Houston, Tx. Chris shot a Browning T-bolt with a receiver aper-

ture sight had a clean win with 272 points. Trey Silvers, son of Mason Jimmie

Silvers was nippin' at his heels, however, with 262 points, while Ronnie Beard

of Fayetteville #240 shot a 255, followed by Dick Brown and Jimmie Silvers,

both at 254.

The course was shot at 10-ring bull's-eye targets from a bench rest position at

48 yards, and at 5" round steel plate "knock down" targets from an offhand

shooting postion at 35 yards. Two 10-shot rounds at the paper, three 10-shot

rounds at the steel plates. (Note: a hit on the steel plate was worth 5 points,

and if you knocked it down you got 10 points. It took a good solid upper 1/3

of the plate hit on the plate to knock it down.)

Shooters used a variety of rifles, both new and vintage, including a Ruger

10/22, a Remington pump, a Browning lever action, a Henry lever action, a

Browning T-bolt, a CZ 452, and a vintage Remington Mod. 41.

For more information on the Masonic Schuetzenfest, or to place your email address on the mailing list for next

year's event, contact Bro. Dick Brown at ke5r@tx.rr.com

2 n d A n n u a l S c h u e t z e n f e s t

P a g e 7 V o l u m e X L V , E d i t i o n : S p r i n g

Brother Talley Nichols – Gunsmith to Millions of Cowboys

If you were a boy growing up in Texas during the 1950's and early 1960’s, it is very likely that you owned a toy cap

pistol. Cap pistols were very popular, and the toy guns from the Circle N Ranch in

Jacksonville, Texas were the best in the world. They were the perfect sidearm to wear

while watching programs like The Lone Ranger, The Roy Rodgers Show, Gunsmoke,

Death Valley Days, Bonanza, and the other “Westerns” that were breaking ground on

the new home entertainment medium, black and white television.

During World War II, Lewis W. Nichols, Jr. and older brother Talley W. Nichols,

started a manufacturing company in Pasadena, Texas, that provided items for the war

effort. Lewis was overseas in the service, but sent his entire savings home to Bro.

Talley, who ran the company. When Lewis came home after the war, the brothers made

the decision to make die cast toys, and since the “Cowboy Western” movie was very

popular at the time, they decided to make toy cap pistols.

The first Nichols cap pistol, the single shot Pony, was introduced in 1946. It was made

of shiny die cast metal, and sales were good from the very start. The brothers added

plastic molding facilities to their company, and in 1947 the Silver Mustang, a repeating cap pistol, was intro-

duced. Then came the Stallion 45, Stallion 38, the Stallion 32, the Derringer, the Mod. 94 rifle, and many more

cowboy style guns that were made by Nichols Industries. All were made of real metal, held together by real

screws, and tough enough to be about 99% boy-proof.

Continued on next page.

ended, and the needed raw materials became avail-

able again. It was at this time that Brother Talley

made the decision to make a smaller (and less ex-

pensive) version of the cartridge loading Stallion 45,

and the Stallion 38 was introduced. While not as

big and fancy as the Stallion 45, the Stallion 38 was

a favorite of many cowboys. It was less expensive,

and the smaller size fit a young boy's hand better.

Further, the smaller cartridges it used just seemed to

shot “louder”. Before it was all said and done, the

Stallion 38 would out-sell the Stallion 45.

By 1955, Nichols Industries needed a place to ex-

pand and enlarge production facilities, and chose the

small east Texas town of Jacksonville as its new

home. A brand new production and office facility,

known as The Circle N Ranch, was built a few miles

out of town on the old Tyler Highway. Most manu-

facturing facilities in the 1950’s were drab and bor-

ing, but the Circle N Ranch was new and exciting.

They had a "Sky King" style airplane parked at their

own landing strip, a herd of Buffalo roamed a

fenced in field just next to the facility, and they

made toy guns!

Talley Nichols was a master at promotion of his toy

guns. Just as Brother Sam Colt had done to promote

his guns, Brother Nichols used highly decorated

pistols as gifts to important people. When the new

plant opened in Jacksonville in the summer of 1955,

all the guns made still showed the Pasadena name.

The local fathers were anxious to promote Jackson-

ville and asked Brother Nichols when he would

have "Jacksonville" on the guns instead of

“Pasadena”. Brother Nichols retooled the area of

the “Stallion 38” on the barrel to make it say Jack-

sonville, then had a special run of 250 guns made

with this new change. He held a special event out of

the change and invited the local fathers of the com-

munity. Each of the guns was double buffed, double

copper-nickel-chrome plated and double polished.

Each was stamped with the words "PILOT RUN" to

distinguish from any other “Stallion 38” that these

were special.

By 1956 Nichols Industries had 650 employees and

was producing millions of cap pistols at the Jack-

sonville facility.

In 1961, the Circle N Ranch introduced what was

likely the best cap gun a boy could have - it was a

derringer style pistol, appropriately named the

A Pair of Stallion 45’s from the Circle N Ranch in

Jacksonville, Texas

A key feature that made Nichols cap guns unique was the

reloadable cartridge, which was introduced at the Toy

Show in 1950. The reloadable cartridge was a two-piece

bullet, and it could be loaded into the pistol to simulate the

action of reloading a real gun. The reloadable cartridge

and the new Nichols cap guns to chamber it were an in-

stant hit, and within a few weeks of introduction the entire

first year’s production was sold out.

Reloadable, two piece cartridges

But just a few months into 1950, the Korean War esca-

lated, making the raw materials used in the guns almost

impossible to obtain. During the Korean War years, from

mid-1950 to about mid-1953, the plant had to operate with

shortages of key materials, and experiment with alternative

materials. Many of the guns made during this period were

made from scrounged automobile carburetors and grills!

1953 was a pivotal year for the young company; Lewis

Nichols made the decision to enter the ministry and an-

nounced his departure from the company, the Korean War

N i c h o l s c a p g u n s

P a g e 1 0 T h e T e x a s M a s o n M a g a z i n e

Business was great for Brother Talley and the Circle N

Ranch through the early 1960’s, but by 1963 Western

movie idols like Brother Roy Rogers, Brother Randolph

Scott, and Brother Audie Murphy were gradually

making fewer movies and television shows, and

children's interest in cap guns began waning. Nichols

Industries sold out to Kusan in 1965, but cap guns

continued to fade from the scene, and even Kusan and

many other famous toy gun companies were forced to

cut back or sell out completely. Thus ended the Glory Days of the cap gun, but the legacy of Brother

Talley Nichols and his Circle N Ranch will live on in many a (older, now) cowboy’s memory.

Masonically, Brother Talley Nichols was Initiated 11/15/1946 at Pasadena #1155, Passed 4/21/1947,

and Raised 5/23/1947

He affiliated 9/12/1963 with Jacksonville #108 where he remained an active member until his death in

2001.

Reverse side of Brother Nichol’s gravestone in Jacksonville

City Cemetery

For more reading on Nichols Industries and the Circle N

Ranch, see the excellent website maintained by nephew Mike

at: http://www.NicholsCapGuns.com

About the Author: Bro. Dick Brown, Chairman of the Grand

Lodge of Texas History Committee, grew up during the

1950’s and 1960’s in Jacksonville, Texas, and owned several

Nichols Cap Guns, which he used to great advantage against

many a bad guy who inhabited the piney woods.

G r a n d L o d g e H i s t o r y C o m m i t t e e

P a g e 1 1 V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

“Derringer”, and it used a new three-piece cartridge. The cartridge featured the

same brass case of the older cartridges, but had a new bullet component that

would hold a red plastic projectile. When fired, the force from the cap would

propel the plastic bullet out the barrel, and at decent velocities! In fact, it shot

really hard, and it was an instant hit in the back yard wars that were constantly

being waged in the neighborhood. While the inner-tube gun was still king for

sheer power, the intimidation power of the new Nichols shell firing “Derringer”

turned many a battle into a rout!

C i r c u m a m b u l a t i o n

P a g e 8 T h e T e x a s M a s o n

This edition of the Texas

Freemason will only be

posted on the Grand Lodge

web site and an email notice

will be sent out to those

brothers with email.

If you know a Brother who

does not have email please

print out a copy for him or

take a copy to Lodge.

During the circuits of the Lodgeroom, corners should be squared in accordance with the

ancient tradition of “squaring the Lodge.” The Master covered and seated in the East or

another Brother designated by the Master, shall recite or read the following passage of

scripture during the circumambulation, beginning immediately after the Candidate passes

the South.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant

it is for Brethren to dwell together in

unity;”

“It is like the precious ointment upon

the head, that ran down upon the

beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went

down to the skirts of his garment;”

“As the dew of Hermon, and the dew

that descended upon the mountains of

Zion; for there the Lord commanded

the blessing, even life for evermore.”

Hopkinsville Lodge No. 183

2 0 1 2 W a r d e n s R e t r e a t s

P a g e 1 3 V o l u m e X L V , E d i t i o n : S p r i n g

LODGE LEADERSHIP

The Warden’s Retreat Program of the Grand Lodge of Texas prepares Senior and Junior Wardens to accept the leadership role as Master of their Lodges. In addition, there is an educational program for the ladies to prepare them to assist their Masons in being successful as Master. There are separate programs for the Junior Wardens focusing on administration and Senior Wardens on leadership. The Retreat Program is presented by the Committee on Masonic Education and Service and the elected Grand Lodge Officers and their ladies. Open to all interested Master Masons, participants engage in classroom type instruction, team building and group activities, and open question and answer periods. The program is structured, fast paced, intense and provides opportunities to exercise leadership and management skills. There are opportunities to visit one-on-one with the instructors and Grand Lodge Officers. Designed for Texas Masons, the program is open to all Master Masons and their Ladies. Officers of Lodges and appendant Masonic bodies are especially encouraged to attend. Make your plans now to join us for the 2012 Retreat Program and prepare to lead your Masonic organization into the future.

Wardens Retreat 2012

Grand Lodge Officers Calendars

Click on Calendar below