SHAMOKIN - Fran Hand, of Shamokin, recently presented Gus Hatzas, past master and president of the Temple Association for Shamokin Lodge 255 with a portrait of her late father, Richard A. Shade II, when he served as the worshipful master of the Shamokin lodge in 1967.
Hand was one of the numerous guests, including family members and visiting brethren and/or related Masonic youth organizations, who visited the lodge at Independence and Eighth streets as part of the lodge's open house in late May.
According to Augustus 'Gus' Hatzas, a recent past master of the Shamokin lodge (2008) and now president of the lodge's Temple Association, "Participation in Community Days is but one of the many avenues the lodge and or its brethren use to support the great Shamokin area. Charity is a major prerequisite for serving as master of the lodge, and Shamokin is proud of its service, both as a lodge and the many countless volunteer efforts of the brethren as they, in their unselfish service, continue to build community and touch the lives of families who need help."
The portrait was hung in the main entrance to the lodge room on the third floor of the lodge building. "Ours is a brotherhood that is inclusive, not exclusive, building bridges as well as communities that care about their neighbor, and honoring a past master is but one way to show our pride in our fraternal organization," Hatzas concluded. He thanked the Hand and Shade families for their donating the portrait to the lodge for generations to witness and emulate.