Sidebar: Meet the Rebuilding the Temple Advisory Panel

Rebuilding the Temple Advisory Panel

By Woody Bilyeu, 33°, Grand Master of Masons in Louisiana

Photo: Sovereign Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, Ill. Harold L. Gwatney, 33°, Grand Cross; Ill. Woody Bilyeu, 33°; Bro. Barry P. Gossett, 32°; Ill. James D. Cole, 33°; Ill. M. Douglas Adkins, 33°; and Ill. William G. Sizemore, 33°, Grand Cross. (Jeri E. Walker, Office of Development)

About a year ago, Sovereign Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, 33°, asked me to be Chairman of the Advisory Panel, Scottish Rite Masons committed to the success of the Rebuilding the Temple Campaign, who would serve as primary advisors to the Sovereign Grand Commander, the Grand Executive Director, the Development Office, and the campaign consultants, Odell, Simms and Lynch, Inc. I was honored to join my fellow panel members, Ill. M. Douglas Adkins, 33°, SGIG in Texas; Ill. James D. Cole, 33°, SGIG in Virginia; Bro. Barry P. Gossett, 32°, of Maryland; Ill. Harold L. Gwatney, 33°, Grand Cross, of Arkansas; and Ill. Harold S. Stein, 33°, of California, at the first meeting held at the House of the Temple on November 14 to 16, 2010. While there we discussed the need for a campaign to raise enough money to renovate the Temple building, chose “Rebuilding the Temple” as the campaign name, and decided on the financial goal of the campaign—$97 million—which is comprised of $77 million for the project plus $20 million for an endowment. We are looking forward to working with you—our Scottish Rite brethren—to ensure that the Temple building retains its grandeur and serves the membership for the next 100 years.