Under the approving eye of DDGM Ron Myres and acting District Deputy Marshall Mason Wolf, 3 members of Volcano 25 received their third degree, and then the officers of Volcano 25 were installed, in one of the most productive, if somewhat long, meetings I’ve been privileged to attend as an Odd Fellow.
Some background is in order. Volcano 25 is the historic lodge which meetings each year in Volcano, CA for the annual homecoming event. And if you’ve never had a chance to attend, you should try to make it. It’s always the third weekend in September, so the weather is normally quite pleasant, and the atmosphere festive among the members of the order who attend. But Volcano 25 is ALSO the lodge that meets at the Saratoga Retirement Center in the Friendship Plaza room on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 7PM. And while legally, both are considered the same lodge, the one that meets in the retirement center had made the difficult decision last year to give up their meetings and stop being a lodge.
But as sometimes happens, while some of the former members were willing to move on, a few of them would prefer to keep being a lodge. All they needed was a little help. And they got it! Six people from the area decided they’d like to join Volcano 25 and help it continue, including 3 who were brand new to being Odd Fellows (if not exactly brand new to Odd Fellowship). Jeannette Wright and her sister Robin Vasquez, both former Theta Rho girls and members of Clara Rebekah 34, along with Robert Middleton, the son of long-time Volcano member June Middleton, were initiated into Volcano 25 and had been getting their degrees by DVD while attending meetings. On February 3rd, with final officer elections, Jeannette was elected to become Vice Grand of Volcano. Together with the incoming Noble Grand, Adam Potolsky, and the re-elected secretary, Jim Reyner, the elected officers invited Ron and Mason to attend on February 17th to perform the installation, the final one for District 107.
And so, 8 members braved the cold and rain on the third Tuesday in February to write the next chapter of Volcano 25. Before the installation could begin, the three new members needed their third degrees. So, at the appropriate point in the order of business, the meeting paused, and Adam Potolsky shared the DVD (lovingly produced by Walker Lodge #306 in Philadelphia) on a large projection screen where all could easily view it. Following the degree, DDGM Ron Myres and Past DDGM, Mason Wolf, acting as Marshall, completed the installation of Officers.
Congratulations to the officers and members of Volcano 25!
–by Mason Wolf