Not bad for a night of work...Gate City II nets five new members: two by raising, three by affiliation. Our third meeting of the year featured a beautiful raising conferred by Beaux Pettys as WM, Mike Bjelajac as SD, Bill Wallace, SW, Dan Genson as JW, Edwin Demars JD, Nick Hayes as SS, Doug Hrabe as JS, with John Guest and David Johnston conducting. The second section was ably performed by David Johnston as WM, Beaux Pettys as SW. David Lllewellyn, Dan Genson and Tom Lawrence were the roughest three ruffians that ever ruffled a feather. Joe Brooks and Jeff Hodges were moving as Hiram king of Tyre and Solomon King of Israel. Victor Marshall was raised by David Llewellyn. Zeithlin Waters was raised by Dan Genson.

Joe Brooks, fifty year mason, noted that he had never seen a better raising. As is the norm at Gate City, the degree was conferred by brethren in tuxedos, illumined by the light of the burning taper, and upon the level of brotherly love. We are truly fortunate.

There was no place I would have rather been.