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.

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.