On June 9th, 2 candidates received the degree of brotherly love at Saratoga 428. Taylor Patrick of Livermore 219 and Ben Holden of True Fellowship 52 both experienced the degree in full form. The degree team included Michael Bever as Noble Grand, Jesse Donaldson as Conductor, Jane Beckman as Warden, Debra LaVergne as Past Grand, and Scott Spence as Chaplain.
The degree was excellently done, and I had the pleasure of watching from the audience for a change. As captain of the degree team, I normally take a role myself, but this time, there were so many volunteers available to support the degree that I was able to just focus on helping everyone else from behind the scenes. I enjoy participating in the the degrees, but it was really nice being able to just watch everyone else. The team included a number of volunteers from Saratoga (in addition to Mike Bever) including John Fitzpatrick, Terry Neff, Paul Milleson, Carolyn Eitzen, Connie Hall, and Stan Bagosian. Rounding out the degree team were friends from True Fellowship Sara Bruce and Andrew Crockett.
After the degree we shared a light meal in the lounge area. While it was fewer slices of pizza than we’d been expecting, Taylor Patrick supplemented the fare with delicious custom candies that he makes professionally. Most people hung around for a while and enjoyed themselves afterward. It was a good time, and Saratoga 428 once again proved why they’re consistently some of the best hosts in the district.
Our next degree in the district is in San Jose on July 22nd, when we’ll be conferring the degree of truth.
— By Mason Wolf
