Moving Forward With the Next Phase

by Senior Midnight Freemason Contributor
Gregory J. Knott 33° 

As I write this article, I am having my first day of retirement. I recently retired from the University of Illinois with a combined 35 years of service, with my last role being that of Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Secretary of the University.

Most of my career was spent in various administrative roles in areas such as finance, budgets, human resources, facilities management and finally working with the University Board Chair and University President on all the affairs of the board of trustees.

As I reflect back, I couldn’t have achieved all that I was able to without the support of so many people. I have to begin by thanking my parents, Jack, and Barbara Knott, they sacrificed time and again to ensure that I was able to get through college, help me with buying cars, moving countless times, etc. They always supported me without question.

My wife Brooke, has been an endless rock of support. Being in administration in higher education isn’t always easy with the endless amount of personalities and issues that confront colleges today. Brooke has always been there for me, offering me support and a willing ear when needed. Nothing I have accomplished would have been possible without her.

Riley, my daughter, and Hayden, my son, also consistently encouraged me along the way. Like most parents, I wanted the best for them and always sought ways to help them succeed. They were also part of the support, I needed to stay so successful. They also helped provide me with the motivation to ensure they had everything they needed to succeed in life as well.

Recently, as Secretary of the University, I was able to sign my daughter's second college diploma from the University of Illinois. This actually makes three diplomas in total that I have signed for her, as she was a student at Parkland College when I was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Not sure how many dads get to do this, but none the least to say I am very humbled in getting to have done so.

In the workplace, I have had so many great mentors who encouraged me along the way in my journey. For fear of leaving some of them out, I won’t list them by name, but want to just say thank you! One of my first mentors, when I was a student worker, consistently challenged me, always giving me more than I thought I was capable of, but encouraging and coaching me and letting me see that I had skills that I didn’t know were possible. Even though it is more than 30 years later since that job, we still keep in touch and he has been a consistent cheerleader throughout my career.

I don’t know if it was fate or not, but it just seemed I was able to find one mentor after another in my career that made a positive impact on me. To each of them, I am so grateful for everything they did for me.

As I move into this next phase called retirement, I don’t entirely know what is ahead yet. But that is the part I am looking forward to, the new challenges and adventures that may come my way. Initially, I am going to take some much-needed time away from a 40-hour structured work week. I will be doing some substitute teaching in my local high school, and I am looking forward to being around the young people of today. I have often thought of the 24-inch gauge and how it applies to our daily life. I will be adjusting mine and looking forward to the future.

As we learn through the masonic degrees, life is a journey, where we gain more working tools and knowledge along the way. We are “traveling upon the level of time to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.”.

I wish you well on your journey.

~GJK

Gregory J. Knott, 33° is a founding member and Senior Contributor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D., and serves as its Secretary. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters.

The 24-Inch Gauge

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

“The Twenty-four Inch Gauge is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to measure and lay out their work; but we, as free and accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. Being divided into 24 equal parts, it is emblematic of the 24 hours of the day, which we are taught to divide into three equal parts, whereby are found eight hours for the service of God and a distressed worthy brother, eight for our usual vocations and eight for refreshment and sleep.”

His name was… well, let’s call him Buddy. I had completed my petition for the mysteries of Freemasonry and the lodge had instructed me to give it to him. Buddy stopped by my house to pick it up. Under Missouri rules my father, from another jurisdiction, could not sponsor me, so Buddy, whom I had never met, was to be my first-line signer. I handed him the petition, we had a brief conversation, and Buddy left. As he was walking toward his car, I said, “I guess I’ll see you in lodge.”

Buddy turned and shook his head. “No,” he said, “I don’t attend. I’m burned out on Freemasonry.” That was the first and last time I ever saw my first-line signer.

What a thing to say to a candidate replete with the anticipation of his upcoming adventure with the Craft! I wondered how that had happened to Buddy. Too many boring meetings? Or had he taken an office in every body he belonged to leaving himself too time-stressed for his other responsibilities? Or both?

The admonition of the Twenty-Four Inch Gauge is not that we should walk around with a stopwatch ticking off each day in eight hour segments labeled service, work, and refreshment. Its symbolism teaches us to divide our time among those activities. Moderation in all things.

Most of us admire the guy who sets the world on fire with 70 hours a week at work in order to provide for his family and become successful. Likewise, for the Brother who is an active member of many Masonic bodies, holding offices, attending every meeting, and spending his valuable time to help the fraternity prosper; but the message of the Twenty-four Inch Gauge says that will catch up with us. All work and no play makes Hiram a dull boy; and it burns him out.

Occasionally, being a workaholic or a Masonaholic os commendable, but even race drivers have to make a pit stop once in awhile, or they’ll find themselves sitting on the backstretch out of fuel. So it is with us. Slow and steady might win the race, but a lot of us don’t know anything about those two concepts.

The minister at my church is currently on a three-month sabbatical. She’s a hard worker, dedicated, effective, and successful; but in her final message before leaving, she reminded us, “we are human beings, not human doings.” For some in our congregation (not unlike many of our Brothers) who are stuck in the work-a-day world a sabbatical is a foreign concept. One member griped, “She should try running her own business. I don’t even get a vacation.” Yet, even with his blessing we sent her off knowing she will come back refreshed and renewed, both physically and, more important, spiritually.

And so will I. I’m taking some time off.

Unlike Brother Buddy, I am not burned out on Freemasonry. I am, however, overextended in many of my life’s pursuits, and it’s time for a break. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just taking my own personal sabbatical. It’s time to, as advised in the text of the twenty-four inch gauge, divide my time into three equal parts instead of one bloated, stressful, unmanageable lump. I can’t thank Robert Johnson enough for allowing me to do these segments on his show, or Darin Lahners for publishing my articles on the Midnight Freemasons blog – and there will be more – for now I won’t be with you on the podcast or the blog anytime soon, but I will see you in lodge.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33°  is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is also a Fellow and Past Master of the Missouri Lodge of Research. Among his other Masonic memberships is the St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite bodies, and Moila Shrine. He is also a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. Brother Steve was Editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine for a decade and is a regular contributor to the Whence Came You podcast. Born in Indiana, he has a Master's Degree from Indiana University and is retired from a 35-year career in information technology. Steve and his wife Carolyn reside in northwest Missouri. He is the author of dozens of magazine articles and three books: Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, Freemasons — Tales From the Craft and Freemasons at Oak Island.

The Meeting

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

The Lodge room looked better than I had ever seen it. Magnificent, actually. The officers' chairs were solid walnut with gold filigree inlaid designs of the working tools. An Italian marble podium sat in front of each of the warden's chairs with an intricate swirling design that matched marble insets on the walls around the room. New deep blue wall-to-wall carpeting covered the floor. A crystal chandelier illuminated the altar and an ornate Letter G hung above the Master's chair in the east.

I was encouraged by the size of the crowd at the meeting — probably over 100 Brothers. I couldn't help but think how great it was that the Grand Lodge had voted to change things to allow lodges to make every use of the technology available, a move I was certain had everything to do with the large number in attendance.

I saw Joe, an old friend, across the room and went over to greet him. "Wow," I said, "I haven't seen you in years. When did you get back in town?"

"I didn't, Brother Steve." he replied.

"Me, either," I said and we chuckled at our little exchange.

The Master called the meeting to order and we all took our seats. Some things change and some don't. After the opening ceremonies the Secretary read the minutes and the Treasurer gave his report. During the business part of the meeting we discussed the sad state of our Lodge furniture, something which seemed inconsistent with the gorgeous view I had of my surroundings. Based on the Treasurer's report we decided we didn't have the funds to do anything about it now, but with participation up under the new rules, maybe we could do something next year.

The reason I go to meetings these days is the Masonic education, and that meeting did not disappoint. We took a walking-tour of the Loge des Neuf Sœurs as it appeared during the time Ben Franklin was a member. Then, the main speaker, Brother George Washington, spoke on his thoughts about the fraternity, a presentation based on his writings and experiences during his lifetime.

The Master closed the Lodge and I greeted several more old friends before leaving. Conversing with them after the meeting we agreed it had been an inspirational evening and would look forward to more of this kind in the future.

A great evening at an end, I popped the Virtual Reality contact lenses out of my eyes, and re-acclimated myself as I looked around the bare VR room surrounding me. "I'd really like to go back home and visit that Lodge," I said to myself, "Gosh, I don't think I've been back there since about 2025." Then, I leaned on my walker and slowly made my way back to my room at my retirement home in Florida.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33° is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Worshipful Master. He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. His latest book, Freemasons: Tales From the Craft & Freemasons at Oak Island. Both are available on amazon.com.