The first of 3 second degrees to be conferred in 2025 within our district was held at Saratoga 428 lodge on April 22. And it was quite something to behold.
The degree team included members of Bay View 109, Cupertino 70, True Fellowship 52, Saratoga 428, and Mountain View 244, for a true district-wide team. Despite multiple last-minute replacements, everyone on the degree team was off-script, which was a first for this degree, at least in recent memory.
Our team included Mason Wolf, Debbie Wolf, Sara Bruce, and Scott Spence of True Fellowship 52, Michael Bever, Paul Milleson, Connie Hall, and Stan Bagosian of Saratoga 428, Jesse Donaldson and Debra LaVergne of Mountain View 244, Ron Myres of Cupertino 70, Gerald Williams of Bay View 109, and Jane Beckman of Gilroy 154.
In addition to being off-script, the degree incorporated original multimedia elements that had never been tried before, while still maintaining the spirit and authenticity of the traditional production. Having been part of this degree so many times, I genuinely thought this was one of the best we’d ever done.
One reason why the degree went so well was because most of the members of the degree team have committed to traveling to Yreka in September to bring the degree to the cave. So they were willing to put in the work to really nail their roles, not just memorizing them, but inhabiting them as fully-fleshed out portrayals conveying the lesson of the degree.
And yet, for all this, it suffered one significant flaw: We had only 2 candidates. That’s not to say Tina Liddie and Leslie Butler, both of Saratoga 428, weren’t wonderful or deserving, but there were 8 candidates within our district who had all been approved to receive it.
So here was the “other” lesson of the second degree. If you are a candidate, please put the date and location on your calendar. If you are a Noble Grand or Secretary, send reminders to your candidates and make sure they reply to them.
The second degree heads to Redwood City on June 24. This will be the last time the degree is performed within our district before we take it to the cave. If you want to see it here first, we’d be delighted to practice before an audience – especially since we’ll have a much larger audience in September! And if you are planning to receive the degree? Please put it on your calendar.
