Page 79 - PGM Compendium
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membership in the Craft. To quote from his message at the 1990 Annual Communication: “Why this
concern about membership present and future? Fewer members means less dues, to be sure, and that means
we must all dig a little deeper to pay the bills. But that is not the real concern. Consider how many fewer
members we have to recruit into the officer chairs. Past Masters are being recycled much too often.
Consider how many fewer ‘windows into Freemasonry’ we have at work in our several communities as
walking advertisements for the benefits of belonging to the World's Greatest Fraternity. Consider the
necessity for Lodges to consolidate to meet today's realities and thereby deprive many of our communities
of that beacon of stability and morality, the little Blue Lodge. But most important, consider how much our
world needs advocates for Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
We are not giving enough good men in our communities the opportunity to fine tune their attitudes about
these principles through traditional Masonic instruction - to accept the notion that it is all right to subscribe
to the ideal of dealing with one's neighbors on the level and by the square.”
Most Worshipful Brother William R. Miller carried the banner of Masonry with outstanding dedication
throughout his term as Grand Master. He was, by natural ability and training, uniquely qualified to lead
the Craft in this Grand Jurisdiction, and he did so with dignity and lasting benefit to the whole Fraternity.
Thankfully, Freemasonry continues to benefit from our Past Grand Master’s acumen. His ongoing support
of DeMolay led him to serve on the Washington State DeMolay Foundation Board of Directors from
1990-2007. His love of and service DeMolay being duly recognized, Bill was elected a member of the
DeMolay Supreme Council in 1994, where he served as Grand Orator 2008-09. He retired from the
Supreme Council in 2010, and received the DeMolay Guild of the Leather Apron from Washington
DeMolay in that same year.
Our Most Worshipful Brother presently serves our Grand Lodge as Fraternal Correspondent. In this
capacity, he monitors and reports on matters of interest in other Masonic Jurisdictions. His extensive
travels make him ideally suited for this role.
Bill was once asked about his continued involvement in the various aspects of Freemasonry, and he shared
this thought: “I have received many Masonic lessons from the various organizations to which I belong.
Not one of them includes the words ‘sit down good & faithful brother for your work is done’”.
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