By Earl Ihle, 33°, G.C., Director of Development, & Matthew T. Szramoski, 32°, KCCH, Associate Director of Development
Photo: Ill. Woody Bilyeu, 33°, of Louisiana presents Sovereign Grand Commander Ronald Seale with a donation to the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc. (Jeri E. Walker, Office of Development)
Members of the Intendant of the Building Society attended the first-ever reception in their honor at the 2009 Biennial Session of the Supreme Council. Hosted at the Capital Hilton, the event provided an opportunity for members of the Society to share fellowship and renew their commitment to the fraternity. More than 175 members attended the inaugural event which was held in conjunction with the Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty Club (WSB). Also in attendance were the Sovereign Grand Commander, Grand Executive Director, and members of the Supreme Council.
A reception will be held as an annual event at either the Biennial Session or the Supreme Council Leadership Conference. Attendance is limited members of the Intendant of the Building Society, those who have made a financial commitment through a will, bequest or planned gift to the Scottish Rite at the Supreme, Orient, or Valley level.
Never heard of the Society? The Intendant of the Building Society honors those brethren and other individuals, who strongly believe in the purposes of the Scottish Rite, and who, through their generosity, help us to pass on the principles of Freemasonry to future generations. Membership is awarded to individuals who have included the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc., the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc., or their local Scottish Rite Foundation in their wills, trust, IRAs, pensions, or annuities.
Society membership is open to all Scottish Rite Masons, their wives, widows, and other supporters of our fraternity. It provides an opportunity for each Scottish Rite Mason, regardless of his financial situation, to leave a legacy gift that will strengthen the ability of the Scottish Rite to carry out its mission and goals.
Photo: Ill. Billy Joe Hildreth, 33°, and his wife, Darlene, stand beside Ill. Hildreth’s oil portrait hanging in the Pillars of Charity Portrait Gallery in the House of the Temple. (Jeri E. Walker, Office of Development)
Through a legacy gift, you have the opportunity to support the Scottish Rite’s philanthropies. By including the Scottish Rite’s charities in your estate plans, you join a group of distinguished individuals who serve as role models to future generations—you become an Intendant of the Building.
In the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry the 8th Degree, Intendant of the Building, teaches us the lessons of benevolence and charity; the importance of transmitting ethics and moral lessons to the next generation; and that labor is honorable if done with sobriety, temperance, punctuality, and industry. The focus of the degree is on completion of the Temple.
By participating in the Intendant of the Building Society, you are practicing charity and benevolence that assists the Scottish Rite in completing the Temple—funding our philanthropies to maintain our fraternal, charitable, and educational mission. By becoming a member of the Society, you can help ensure that the lessons of Freemasonry, in general, and the Scottish Rite, in particular, are preserved in perpetuity.
Each member of the Society will receive a certificate of membership and a welcome letter from the Sovereign Grand Commander, as well as a special pin and tie or ladies scarf only available to Society members. These unique items use the crimson and green colors of the 8th Degree.
Photo: Ill. Harold Gwatney, 33°, GC, and his wife Syble, both members of the Intendant of the Building Society, enjoy the reception given in honor of society members during the 2009 Biennial Session in Washington, D.C. (Jeri E. Walker, Office of Development)
All you need to do is notify us that you have made a legacy gift to a Scottish Rite charity in your will or living trust, charitable remainder trust, a charitable gift annuity, pooled income fund, transfer on death account, life insurance policy, or retirement plan (IRA, 401(k), etc.). Send a copy of the page in the document that names the Scottish Rite charity you have chosen to support, a copy of the cover page, and of the signature page to the address below. When we receive your notification and document copies, we will recognize you as a member of this elite group of donors—Intendants of the Building—entitled to the special privileges of Society members. We will also honor requests for anonymity or to name a legacy gift in honor of a loved one.
For more information on the program, please contact either Earl Ihle, 33°, Grand Cross, Director of Development at 866-448-3773 or by email at [email protected]; Matt Szramoski, 33°, Associate Director of Development at 866-748-3227 or by email at [email protected]; or Jeri Walker, Development Coordinator at 202-777-3198 or email at [email protected].
We look forward to seeing all members of the Society at the 2010 Supreme Council Leadership Conference in New Orleans! Information on the reception will be available in January.
