Page 56 - PGM Compendium

When it looked as if their home in Cheney represented their last career move, Brother Van Zee
transferred his Lodge membership by affiliation to Temple Lodge No. 42. He served as its Master
in 1990. Subsequently, he affiliated with Eastern Washington Lodge of Research No. 310, and
Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research, No. 281. Never a passive member, between Temple Lodge
and Eastern Washington Lodge of Research, Brother Van Zee served in every office except that
of Treasurer and Secretary.

Outside of the Blue Lodge, his Masonic affiliations included Past President, Inland Empire Past
Masters Association; Past President, Inland Empire Masters, Wardens, and Secretaries
rd
Association; Wise Master, Knights Rose Croix, Spokane Valley; 33 Degree Scottish Rite Mason.
He was a member of Martha Chapter No.50, Order of Eastern Star; Royal Order of Scotland,
Thistle Clan; National Sojourners, Heroes of “76”; Sadir Khan Grotto, and El Katif Temple,
AANOMS. He was also the recipient of the DeMolay Legion of Honor, and served on the Board
of Directors for the Spokane Valley Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center.

Brother Van Zee served our Grand Lodge in a variety of positions. He was a member of the
Masonic Research and Education Committee, the Public Schools Committee, Deputy of the Grand
Master in District No. 27, Grand Orator, and Grand Lecturer. As Grand Lecturer, he chaired the
ad hoc committee that developed the one-day degree program and served as the Grand Masters
oversight person for the execution of that program.

The story goes that Most Worshipful Tom Ehlers, who appointed Brother Van Zee as Grand
Lecturer, did not really like the idea of One Day Conferrals and was pretty confident that Brother
Van Zee would not be able to put such a program in place in one year. Brother Van Zee looked
around to see what other jurisdictions were doing, and then essentially “stole” the best practices.
More importantly, the Craft saw firsthand that once Robert Lester Van Zee got the vision, he was
absolutely unstoppable.

He would place his name in consideration for the office of Junior Grand Warden at the 1998
Annual Communication, and he was elected with ease.

Upon taking office, he noticed that every Grand Master up to that point would come up with some
program or project that would leave its mark on the jurisdiction. He then would spend the rest of
his term selling that idea for adoption at Grand Lodge. That could get very tough. Sometimes it
worked and we got some good programming. Sometimes it didn’t, and some really good ideas
never really made it.
Our Past Grand Master took the innovative approach that it would be smart to ask the Brethren in
advance what they wanted to accomplish, then our programs would be “pre-sold.” Fortunately,
this attitude was happening at a time in our Grand Lodge when other leaders and leaders-to-be
were coming very quickly to the same conclusion. Since this time, strategic planning has been for
the most part the order of the day in the Jurisdiction of Washington.

Pancreatic cancer would claim the life of Most Worshipful Brother Robert Lester Van Zee on July
20, 2011.In his time with us, he would remind us that we needed to focus to clearly understand our
hopes and our destiny. We needed to find comfort in the uncomfortable (some of us remember the