Dumb question of the day....

[AlphaSigOU]

Not a problem at all... glad to help.

Many college fraternity and sorority initiation ceremonies have their basis in the Masonic and other appendant degrees, some borrowing a little bit, some borrowing heavily from them. In many cases, Freemasons were instrumental in the founding of college fraternities, such as Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Sigma and others. Even my fraternity, while the original founders were not Masons, the second founders were members of the Yale Masonic Club.

In the United States, each state and the District of Columbia has its own independent Grand Lodge of Freemasons, and each has its own interpretation of the rituals (mainly in the variation of words), but the key methods of recognition are the same.

In England, a high member of the royal family is traditionally the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England (Scotland and Ireland are independent grand lodges). Currently it is the Duke of Norfolk, though traditionally the King of England is usually named the Grand Master. (George VI was a Mason, though his son-in-law Prince Philip is not; neither is Prince Charles, Andrew, or Edward. Wills just turned 21 and Harry is still to young to join, if any of them are even interested in joining.)

In case you're wondering, in the US there is no higher degree than that of a Master Mason; the additional degrees and orders one receives by membership in either the Scottish and York Rite are like receiving a university education in Masonry. I'm a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason (or Master of the Royal Secret, as its official title is called), a Knight Templar (the order of Christian Masons) and a Shriner.