On Friday May 16 at Sessions, I was surprised and honored when Grand Master Dave Reed called me up on stage, along with Marcus Marino of Davis Lodge #169. He had 3 Grand Master’s awards to hand out: myself, Marcus, and Jack Cain of Upper Lake #241 (who unfortunately was unable to attend).
In his presentation to me, Brother Dave expressed his appreciation for my efforts to help restore the annual cave degree weekend in Yreka and form California’s first degree lodge in over 50 years. But it was a big undertaking, and I certainly didn’t manage it all by myself.
I wasn’t really prepared when I received that award, but there’s a lot of people I would have liked to thank. I had incredible support from people like Joseph Ouellette Jr, who really stood up for the cave as something we could do, and at a price we could afford, and in a sense, I joined him in bringing it back, rather than the other way around. And I had Debra LaVergne, who is really the one responsible for pushing back on the idea that we could even have a degree lodge, even when the Sovereign Grand Secretary refused to issue a charter, because it was no longer in the SGL code. She pointed out that it was still in the ritual, which supersedes the SGL code, and still in the California code, which gave our Grand Lodge the right to issue its own charter for it. And then she created a beautiful charter for us! And of course, Dave Reed himself had to make the ultimate decision to allow it, and he not only allowed it, he joined it! And he’s faithfully attended our meetings as my right supporter. And of course, I had my wife, Debbie Wolf, encouraging and supporting me at every turn along the way. I could not possibly have succeeded without her.
In the end, our charter held 40 names of brothers and sisters who wanted to help bring this thing back and bring the degree lodge to life. We had support from lodges and individuals all throughout California, many of whom supported financially, or by bringing candidates to receive degrees.
We also had amazing support from the members of Yreka 19, who had originally founded the cave degree tradition, and were absolutely essential in bringing it back. They were incredible hosts, and we gained so much by working with them. My own lodges, True Fellowship #52, my primary lodge, as well as Mountain View #244 and Cupertino #70, my associate lodges, contributed money to the rebuilding effort, plus the majority of the degree team we brought last year. And last year’s Grand Encampment Patriarch, Debbie Shuler, was essential in getting the encampment involved in restoring the cave degree, and is the reason why in September of last year, we were able to use the cave to induct 6 new members into the encampment in a live outdoor ceremony (which is really how all encampment degrees ought to be conferred). She also brought in $2500 with her jam sales, making her one of the largest donors to the restoration effort.
This is only a small portion of the people who helped, either with the restoration of the cave, its dedication, or its conversion into a degree lodge, but to everyone who helped, encouraged, or participated in any way, thank you. We have a degree lodge, and it’s one of the things I am most proud of in my life. I got involved with it to honor my grandfather, Richard Brouse, who passed away in July of 2023. He loved it so much, and devoted so much of his life to it, and I wanted to see his legacy continue. The hope now is that it lasts long after I’m gone as well. As Davis #169 said on the plank they sponsored, “May the cave live for 1000 years!”
Thank you.
–By Mason Wolf
