Page 64 - PGM Compendium

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Of
M⸫W⸫ Thomas C. Ehlers

1997-1998

Most Worshipful Brother Thomas C Ehlers was born in LeClaire,
Iowa, on November 20, 1935, to Arvid R. and Roaine Eiiiers. His
father worked as an operating engineer in the construction business,
and so while growing up Tom lived in Arkansas, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Mississippi, Kansas, Kentucky, and Minnesota. He
graduated from Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. He
entered the United States Air Force in 1954 and while in the service
attended evening classes at Whitworth College in Spokane,
graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology.
He attained the rank of Chief Master Sergeant and retired with 20
years of service in 1974. His major assignment in the Air Force was as an instructor in Aviation
Physiology, working in high and low pressure air chambers. He taught pilots and aircrew members
the effects of low pressure on the body and treated medical cases in the high pressure chamber,
where hyperoxygenation of the tissues was used to assist in the medical treatment.

Returning to Spokane, he went to work for the Washington State Department of Transportation as
a Safety Officer and retired in September of 1992 while serving as an Administrative Officer.
While at the DOT he attended evening classes at Eastern Washington University and graduated
with a Masters Degree in Public Administration.

Our Past Grand Master was raised a Master Mason in Medical Lake Lodge No. 102 in 1963, and
immediately became involved in the whole Fraternity. He was Master of Medical Lake Lodge as
well as Secretary and Treasurer and he took an active part in Scottish Rite and Shrine.

He served the Grand Jurisdiction as Deputy of the Grand Master in District No. 27, served on the
Charity Committee, and was Grand Orator before being elected Junior Grand Warden in 1994. He
would progress regularly through the elected line until line until his installation as Grand Master
in June 1997.

His knowledge of the importance of the ritual to the Fraternity made him the ideal Grand Master
to oversee the implementation of the One-Day Conferral for this Jurisdiction. He would share these
words with the then Grand Lecturer, Robert L Van Zee: "If we are going to do this, it will be done
by the book, nothing will be left out, nothing will be added and there will be no deviations."

Even with his strong belief in the importance of our history and ritual, he understood the necessity
for the Fraternity to move forward. In his Grand Master's address to this body he said; "In order to
succeed we must defeat ourselves. We must defeat our old ideas. We must move forward. We must
progress to make our Fraternity fit for the future. We must leave that which is unworthy of our