MAGLOGuinn
Contents
OSCAR ALLEN GUINN, JR. 1922-1999
Grand Chaplain; Masonic Speaker
REMARKS
AT THE SEPTEMBER 1975 QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
Beginning on Page 1975-175, following the presentation of a Joseph Warren Medal:
"Most Worshipful The Grand Master, Most Worshipful Sirs, Right Worshipful Brethren, Worshipful Brethren and Brethren All:
"The Grand Master has just honored me in such a way that I do not know what to say. My heart is too full to adequately express my thanks. I sincerely hope that I may be able to sewe in some way to show my appreciation to Masonry. Next to my family, and my Church, Masonry has meant more to me than anything I have known. Wherever I have gone, the bonds of Brotherhood made in the Masonic Fraternity have been beyond words. My deepest appreciation for the honor you have given me.
"The Grand Master has asked that I share with you a summary of what I said at a Service in Old North Church, on April 19, 1975, in which we honored the men of the pre-Revolutionary and Paul Revere Lodges.
"At that time I asked the question, For what are you willing to Die?
"A few months ago, I drove up to a stop light, and while waiting for it to change noticed the license plate on the car in front. It was from New Hampshire, and as you know, the motto on it is - Live Free or Die. This started me to thinking, and as I drove down the road I thought of Patrick Henry, my fellow Virginian, who once said, 'Give me Liberty or give me death.' Nathan Hale came into my mind. I know some historians doubt the event, but I like to think he said just before being hanged by the enemy, 'I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.'
"Later I read in the paper, that opposition had arisen in New Hampshire to that motto. One man went so far as to say, 'There is nothing in New Hampshire for which I would give my life.' I began to ask myself, Why? Why had we lost this attitude that was so evident among our forefathers?
"To have this sense of dedication, one must have respect for ; admiration for; love for someone or something. It requires a sense of the Holy in Someone (God) . . . in Something (Country, Society, Church, Family, Fraternity), that demands my BEST... my ALL.
"The attitude today is not so much an antagonism to ideals, goals, and purposesl as it is a spirit of 'I couldn't care less.' It is a neutrality that is neither hot, nor cold; and a great Prophet said, it would be 'spewed out of the mouth.'
"But, what is the solution? How can we build again this dedication?
"It cannot be bought. We have come to the place, where we feel that if the proper amount of money is available, then nothing wili be impossible. We have tried to by friendship, loyalty) respect and love. But, we have failed completely. Some parents ask me, 'What is wrong? I have given my children everything. Why don't they love and respect me?' I asked a young man once, "Your parents gave you everything you ever desired. They went without and gave to you. What is wrong? Why do you feel as you do?' He replied, 'They gave me evirything but themselves.' Their money had not bought respect and love. It cannot gain dedication to anything!
"I believe that respect, admiration and love are SPIRITUAL. You can say that respect for my nation is materialistic. This is true, when we pay our income tax, when we answer the call to the Armed Services, and in many other ways show our submission to the State. But, that is NOT respect and admiration in the deepest sense. I might become angry at many of the physical aspects of my Nation. I 'boil' at tax time; I can resent actions and words of executives, legisiators, or judges. But, they are only outward symbols of our Nation. Our Nation is an Ideal. It is what God wants us to be! It is not what the Nation does, but what she can do, and be!
"Joan of Arc did not die for a spineless and corrupt Charles VII. She did not die for the French noblemen, nor for the corrupt Government. She died for France - a dream she had of what France could be and should be. This is true for us today, whether we talk about the Nation, the Church, the Family, or our great Fraternity. I am not always happy with what my family does, nor what my Church does; but I am willing to die for what they should be, and for what I hope them to be.
"This concerns the spiritual loss of Trust and Faith. We must find some way in which we can rebuild this foundation of Trust . . . Faith . . . Respect . . . Love. For if we are must know for what we are willing to give our BEST, our ALL . . . that for which we are willing to die."
AT THE JUNE, 1977 QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION
"Most Worshipful, The Grand Master, Most Worshipful Sirs, Right Worshipful Sirs, Worshipful Brethren and Brethren All:
"The Grand Master has asked that I speak on the theme, A New Masonic Year.
"There are two statues that have interested me for many years, both are of Indians. One you know well, but you may not have seen the other one. In front of the Museum of Fine Arts here in Boston, is The Appeal to the Great Spirit by Cyrus Dallin and in Wisconsin is The End of the Trail by James Earl Fraser. As you know, the Boston statue shows a fine Indian Brave astride his horse. His arms are lifted in prayer and dedication to the Great Spirit. There is strength, hope and faith in this beautiful statue.
"Fraser created his masterpiece for the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. It was later moved to Wisconsin, and a bronze duplicate was placed in South Carolina. (Fraser, by the way, is the man who designed our old Buffalo Nickel.) In this work, there is an Indian sitting on a horse, too. But, that is almost the only similar fact. The Indian is drooped over the horse, which seems to be dead tired. Both look as if they had come to the end of their lives.
"Many have seen these statues as symbolic of the fate of the Red Men a{ter the coming of the White Men. In the East, the Indians met and welcomed the foreigners. There was hope and a belief that the Great Spirit would bring Friendship. But, after years of conflict the Indian is beaten. He is at 'The End of the Trail', and there is little left for the future.
"But, I want to think of these statues as somewhat symbolic of a Masonic Year. New officers take leadership. New dreams are seen by the new Master, and the Lodge looks toward a new dawn; new members, good ritual, increased attendance, and greater brotherhood. Then ambushes come from some critical members; reinforcements do not arrive; and we begin to droop.
"A good meeting raises hope. The District Deputy gives encouragement. A visit to a nearby Lodge reveals greater problems than we have, and, we ride again into battle! But, the year begins to take its toll, and finally when June comes we are tired. When the next Master is installed, we look back over so many things we wanted to do, many things we would like to have changed. But, a new year is here! And a new brave Master is ready to ride into his year.
"I may have simplified the pictures, but each of us recognizes some of the events. In preparation for a new year, we must know that no successful year is possible if only one, or two carry the entire load. A Lodge must be a Lodge, which means members collected. There is strength in numbers, also greater knowledge.
"One or two really significant goals should be set and attained. I have known Masters who made such great plans that no one could have accomplished all of them. It is far better to aim high on a few projects and achieve them. We have so much to offer to men and the world, that each of us can find an area of greatest interest.
"My prayer is that we can begin our year with great anticipation and appeal to the Great Spirit to guide and help us. And, it is possible that our 'End of the Trail' will look like the statue, but will resemble the one in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. For with God, all reasonable things are possible.
MEMORIAL
From Proceedings, Page 1999-83:
R.W. and Rev. John R. S. Higgins read the following memorial to R.W. and Rev. Oscar Allen Guinn, Jr.:
Born in Danville, Virginia, January 4, 1922
Died in Fall River, Massachusetts, April 12, 1999
Right Worshipful Oscar Allen Guinn, Jr., Senior Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, passed away after a brief illness in Fall River, Massachusetts on April 12, 1999. He was in every respect a distinguished pastor and Mason, and was faithful to his calling as a father, a minister, and a Mason.
Brother Guinn, the son of The Reverend Oscar Guinn, Sr. and Elizabeth Simmons, was born at Danville, Virginia, where his father was a pastor of the Methodist Church; his grandfather also was a Methodist pastor. Educated in the public school, after his graduation from high school in 1941, he studied at Emory University and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1945, his Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1948 (and later a Master's of Theology degree in 1952). In 1948 he accepted a call to serve as a missionary and teacher in China and later served in Malaya and Singapore. In keeping with the quality of humility which characterized his life, he did not speak of the hardships and rigors of this period in his life, but it is a testimony to the quality of his ministry that a young man, whom he deeply influenced while in Asia and later became a Methodist pastor, spoke eloquently of Oscar's ministry at his funeral.
The Reverend Guinn later served Methodist parishes in Virginia,Dorchester, Framingham, Melrose, Needham, and in what was a misnomer, in his "retirement" was pastor in the Westport, Massachusetts, parish. His memorial service was held in the Wesley United Methodist Church in Framingham, Massachusetts, this beautiful building being erected during his pastorate. In each community he was involved in civic organizations, including the Rotary where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was active in the ministry until a few months before his death.
The Reverend Guinn was married to Judith Heinsohn in Fukien, China, on 27 May 1949; she was a native of Worcester, Massachusetts. They had four children, Allen, now a surgeon in Kansas City, Kansas, a daughter, Elizabeth, who has many adopted children, and two other sons. His grandchildren and adopted grandchildren number over sixty, and through his work in Rainbow and DeMolay has many, many more who looked on Oscar as their father.
Brother Guinn was raised a Master Mason in Ramah Lodge No. 70, in Danville, Virgiuia on June 15, 1946. He later held memberships or was affiliated with Lodges in China, Malaya, and in Melrose, Malden, Needham, Newton, Taunton, Braintree, and Westport. He was a Chaplain of a multitude of Lodges, these becoming his parishes in addition to those he served in the Methodist tradition.
The Reverend Guinn was a Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, being appointed by M.W. Stanley Fielding Maxwell in 1976 and was the senior Grand Chaplain at the time of his death. Through his example, teaching, and his faith, he was well-considered by his fellow Grand Chaplains as the Grandest Chaplain - although he was upset in his own unique way whenever we referred to him as such.
Right Worshipful Guinn was appointed as Grand Representative to the Grand Lodge of Prince Edward Island, and was honored by that Grand Lodge by being made an honorary member. He received the Joseph Warren Medal in 1975, and received the Henry Price Medal, the highest honor the Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts can grant, from M.W. Edgar W. Darling in 1992.
The Reverend Oscar Guinn was active in all York Rite Bodies. As in the Blue Lodge,.he was a member and chaplain of a number of Royal Arch Chapters and served as Grand Chaplain of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons - being appointed to this position in 1972. He was honored with the Benjamin Hurd Medal in 1995, and the Paul Revere Medal in 1998. He was a Grand Chaplain of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters and received the Abraham A. Dame Medal from that body in 1986. In the Commandery, he was appointed as Grand Prelate n 1979 and as Grand Representative to Nova Scotia in 1983.
Young people had a special place in his ministry, and the Reverend Guinn was faithful in his attendance at Rainbow and DeMolay meetings. He was awarded the Rainbow Grand Cross of Color in 1986 and the DeMolay Legion of Honor. As his professional duties in the parish became less, his devotion to these organizations increased, in particular, those in Rainbow became part of his extended family. He likewise was a loyal member of the Order of the Eastem Star and the Aleppo Shrine.
Brother Guinn completed the degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the Valley of Boston in 1971, and from 1973 was Prior of the Massachusetts Consistory. In 1974, he became a member of the Royal Order of Scotland. He was created a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33°, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 29, 1976.
He was a tall man who was readily seen above a crowd, but far more than his height, it was his personal and spiritual qualities which made him stand out. He was a man of consummate humility, and one of the few things he avoided was praise. The Reverend Oscar Guinn was interred on a sun-filled day at the Beechgrove Cemetery in Westport, Massachusetts, with a graveside Masonic Service. His memorial service at the Wesley United Methodist Church was a time of sadness and joy; at the conclusion of the service a congregation composed of his family and parishioners and Masons sang together a favorite hymn of Oscar's, "How Great Thou Art". His life and ministry was an affirmation of this hymn as it was an act of worship of God.
He was our friend, our teacher, our pastor; Oscar truly was a man of faith. A saint has been defined as a person who leads others to God; in the fullest sense, Oscar, was, and remains, a saint. May God watch over him through etemity.
R.W. and Reverend John Robert Higgins
Wor. and Reverend Russell Way
Wor. and Reverend Albert Welch
Wor. and Rabbi Alvin Lieberman
Wor. and Reverend Peter V. Corea
Wor. and Reverend David B. Hanks
Grand Chaplains
Following the memorial, the Grand Master presented to Brother Higgins the Grand Chaplain's jewel worn by Brother Guinn, followed by the presentation of the Henry Price Medal. The Grand Master referred to Brother Higgins as the Senior Grand Chaplain, a title which Brother Guinn had held for many years.
