Masonic And Other Fraternal Ties . . .
 

MASONIC AND OTHER FRATERNAL
TIES TO THE SEVEN JEWELS
By Skip Mason

Many brothers have questioned whether or not the founders were Masons or
members of some other fraternal lodges. My research has found documentation
that Jewels Robert Harold Ogle and George Biddle Kelley were. It is also speculated
though not documented at this time that Chapman, Tandy and Callis
may have been also through circumstantial evidence. Let me deal with each one.
Chapman, much older than the others by as much as ten years owned a brick yard and
restaurant and was far more established in the city outside of Ithaca called Spencer.
Keep in mind that it was Chapman who secured the Masonic Hall. Jewel Tandy's
father was the Grand master of several lodges in Lexington, Kentucky so it is likely
that he would have been a member. The lack of authentication regarding Callis's
membership in a lodge still perplexes me. There is no mention of his affiliation in a
Masonic Lodge in Wesley's book Henry Arthur Callis: Life and Legacy. Callis's father,
the Reverend Henry Jesse Callis was a member of the Odds Fellows. After having
gone through his papers at the Moorland Spingarn, there too was no indication that he
was Masonic member, though many brothers are quick to say that he was. Ogle was a
National Officer for the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks. Jewel Kelley was
very active in Masonic circles. He served as First master of the Mt. Moriah Lodge No
25 in Troy, District Deputy Grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of he State of New York
and was a 33rd degree Mason of Utica Consitory of Scottish Rites. Brother also keep
in mind that C.C. Poindexter witnessed the first initiation. He had not disbanded from
the group at that point. It is possible that he may have been a Mason too. (I AM
WORKING ON AN ARTICLE ON POINDEXTER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO
ARE DYING TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS ON OMEGA.)

The four of them (Jewels Kelley, Callis, Chapman and Tandy) served on the first
initiation committee. Kelley and Callis both worked in white fraternity houses at Cornell
and was privy to the secret documents shared to them by the members of Sigma Alpha
Epsilon and Beta Theta fraternities. Their research combined with Tandy and
Chapman's participation helped to constitute the first ritual. Know that the ritual
changed over the years. Later brothers such as Eugene Kinckle Jones and Roscoe C.
Giles(Alpha's second president worked on the ritual). If you recall, Jones rewrote the
ritual by memory.

*In my research I rely on primary and secondary source material for documentation.
To affirm their Masonic affiliations, sources such as a biography, obituary or funeral
program would have indicated those ties. As I have stated in the obituaries for Callis,
Chapman, Jones, Murray or Tandy, there is no mention of their having been a member
of a lodge or any fraternal rites being done at the funeral. If a brother has other
documentation, please let me know!

QUESTION:
Why did the hall in Ithaca where the first initiation ceremony was held have
three names?
ANSWER-In Ithaca, the hall served three different organizations The Ithaca Chapter
of the Prince Hall Masons, The Grand United Order of the Odd Fellows,
Red Men's Lodge.

I Miss Bro. Mason's Moments
 

When I first crossed, Our district director subscribed the whole district to recieve Bro. Mason's historical moments. They really taught me a lot about the culture of our fraternity, because brothers from all over the world would be commenting on the great research and information that Bro. Mason blessed us with. It really made me see the total scope-through time, space, and culture, of Alpha Phi Alpha. I felt like being a Sphinxman, studying and appreciating the history .;)
What has happened to the moments? I have the website saved as a favorite place, but it hasn't been updated in over two years. I really miss them. I think in a time like this when fraternity life is coming under so much fire as to its relavence, we need something like this to reinvigorate the brothers for 'manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind. '

The masonc linkage is a good post. My brother in law is a Sigma and a Mason. He says that there are Alpha bruhs in his lodge that say that All of the founders were Masons!!!!:confused: .(See how much we need the moments:D ) When I told him that only two were, it shocked him and I told him that we have sources that verify only two and any other linkages of Alpha and Masonry are purely speculative. He really began to see the difference between Sigma and Alpha because he said that Alphas seem to care alot more about history than Sigmas do. I felt proud to be a noble brother of that Black and Ol' Gold!!!!!
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