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March 12,2026 South Bend - We gather today to honor the Dead. What greater tribute can we, as living beings participating in this great adventure of life, offer to those who pass the final veil but to remember them. To celebrate not just their character, or their accomplishments, but to acknowledge and celebrate that fact that they, like us, were just weary pilgrims discovering the creation along side us. Much of humanity discovers the struggle of the ultimate question, that of the nature of death, only by the tragedy of death itself. They learn to understand only in the midst of grief. And perhaps for them the lessons that death teaches arrive to them only after the fog of grief and the pain of loss give way to the realization that life must continue. We should only look upon that unfortunate process with compassion. Treat the symptoms only with Love.
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The recently opened in October 2025 exhibition in the library reading room, titled 2025 Recent Acquisitions at the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives, highlights several unique items. One object on view, a 1931 Masonic register for William Drettler, gives a glimpse into one man’s Masonic experience and his Jewish background. A commemorative record rather than an official membership certificate, this document incorporates Masonic symbols and a Star of David.
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In a blog post written in March for the official Museum & Library blog, I introduced readers to this document from the collection—Supreme Council member Benjamin Dean’s (1824-1897) 1865 hand-written preamble and resolutions regarding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). In this article, I would like to introduce readers, once again, to Dean’s 1865 document, to examine its meaning, and to explore Mr. Lincoln’s connection to Freemasonry in greater detail.
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Did you know that President Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) corresponded with Melvin Maynard Johnson (1871-1957), the head of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction's Supreme Council during the 1940s and 1950s? A number of recently digitized letters, written from Truman to Johnson on White House stationery are available through the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives Digital Collections website. They reveal a friendly relationship, with President Truman beginning his letters to Johnson by addressing him "Dear Mel."
