The Valley of Newport News, Va., started a Master Craftsman class after the 2011 Spring Reunion. The class was facilitated by Bro. Patrick C. Murphrey, 32°, with the assistance of Master Craftsman Program graduates Bros. Bill Green, 32°, and Page Neale, 32°. The class met monthly until the program was completed. Certificates of completion and lapel pins were presented to the 17 graduates and the October 26 meeting by MW Clifford A. “Skip” Parker, 33°, Personal Representative to the SGIG.
The Master Craftsman Program (MCP) began in 2007 with the publication of the Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide by Ill. Arturo de Hoyos, 33°, G.C., Grand Archivist and Grand Historian. The MCP is a correspondence course of six lessons that guides the student through the basics of Scottish Rite ritual, symbolism, and organization. With the completion of this class, 5%—or one out of twenty—of the members in Newport News are now MCP graduates. Since the program is only four years old, this is quite an accomplishment!
The MCP costs $35 and includes the Monitor & Guide and six tests, and you can sign up online at www.ScottishRiteStore.org. To learn more, contact Bro. Jason Van Dyke, 32°, [email protected].
—Submitted by Patrick C. Murphrey, 32°
Photo: 1st row (l. to r.): Patrick C. Murphrey, 32°, Jeremy B. Utt, 32°, Marshall J. T. Manipol, 32°, Robbie J. LeBlanc, 32°, Harold K. Carney, KCCH, Adrian L. “Pete” Eure, 33°. 2nd row (l. to r.): Jack L. Smith, 33°, Richard Russell, 32°, Paul E. Lubic, Jr., 32°, Steven Vaughn, 32°. 3rd row (l. to r.): James A. Freeman, 33°, Robert C. Farinholt, 32°, Brian Croteau, 32°, William E. Rorer, Jr., KCCH, George F. Black, Jr., 33°, and Clifford A. “Skip” Parker, 33°. Not pictured: William Overby, 32°, Jerry Burks, 33°, and Jerry S. Whitlock, 33°.
