2002

Nathan Charles Brindle, the 100th Master of Broad Ripple Lodge, was born in 1959 in Coleman Women’s Hospital (today’s Coleman Hall) on what is now the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. He is the first Freemason in his branch of the family.

He is the son of Richard Lee Brindle (d. 2002) and Martha Joy (Basan) Brindle of Indianapolis. His sister Rebecca Louise Brindle was born in 1961.

Brother Brindle attended Washington Township schools, beginning with Harcourt Elementary School, then Westlane Junior High School, and finally North Central High School, from which he graduated in 1978. His father, a mechanical engineer, entered the heating and air conditioning business in 1971, and from that time Brother Brindle started learning construction trades. Between 1971 and 1978 his weekend and summer jobs were primarily with his father.

After high school Brother Brindle spent a few years in various jobs, in the construction trades with his father, as a sheet metal fitter for Stewart-Warner, and as an assistant store manager for Ed Schock’s Toy and Hobby Shop in Glendale Mall. In 1984 he matriculated to IUPUI, attending part time at first, and graduated in 1991 from the School of Liberal Arts with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered the Indiana University Graduate School and from 1991 until 1994 pursued a Master of Arts in History, for which he completed all course work except for the required Master’s thesis. During graduate school he worked as a clerical staffer for the Student Activities office at IUPUI.

In 1994, Brother Brindle accepted a job offer from a technology company just starting up in Washington DC called L-Soft international, Inc., for which he was to write technical documentation and assist with product support. This entailed a move to the DC metro area, specifically to Wheaton, Maryland, where he lived for a year. Under a special agreement with the company, Brother Brindle was then able to return to Indianapolis and continued working for L-Soft as a telecommuter. He remains employed by and is today Senior Product Engineer for the company.

Brother Brindle united in marriage with Sally Lynn Bloom on September 17, 2000, at Congregation Shaarey Tefilah, a Conservative Jewish congregation near Broad Ripple, in which they are both members. The couple live in Washington Township, and have no children.

In the area of non-Masonic pursuits, Brother Brindle is an adult member of the Boy Scouts of America, Crossroads of America Council, North Star District in which he had over 20 years’ tenure when Master of Broad Ripple, and in which he continues to serve as a District Committee Member at Large. He is the recipient of various training awards, is a Wood Badge-trained leader, and is a recipient of the District Award of Merit. He is a Vigil Member of the Order of the Arrow, a Boy Scouting service organization, and a past chapter advisor of the OA chapter in North Star District. He was also an advisor to the Tau Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity at IUPUI from September 1991 through April 2003, and holds a Life Membership in that Scouting-related Fraternity.

Brother Brindle was elected to receive the degrees of Masonry by Broad Ripple Lodge on January 14th, 1999. He was initiated on January 29th, 1999, and by courtesy of Calvin W. Prather Lodge No. 717 was passed to the degree of Fellow Craft and raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason on March 13, 1999. He took the degrees of the Scottish Rite in the Indianapolis Valley as a member of the Millenium Class, Spring 2000. In the York Rite, he was exalted to the Royal Arch in Indianapolis Chapter No. 5, R.A.M., in March 2003; greeted a Select Master in Indianapolis Council No. 2, C.M., in October 2003; and was created a Knight Templar in Raper Commandery No. 1, K.T., in June 2004. He was admitted to St. Bernard de Clairvaux Council No. 256, A.M.D., in July, 2005. He is also a plural member of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767, F. & A. M. of Indianapolis (in which he is a charter member and Secretary), a plural member of General John A. Logan Lodge No. 575, F. & A. M. of Indianapolis, and a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society since 2003. He is in addition a founding member of the Knights of the North.

On April 8, 1999, Brother Brindle was appointed Junior Steward of Broad Ripple Lodge and installed in that position by Worshipful Brother and then-Senior Grand Deacon Roger S. VanGorden. He was elected Junior Warden of Broad Ripple Lodge on December 9, 1999, elected Senior Warden on December 14, 2000, and elected Worshipful Master on December 13, 2001, receiving the degree of Actual Past Master on December 21, 2001. He was installed as Worshipful Master on December 22, 2001, and took office as Secretary of Broad Ripple Lodge when his term in the East ended in January 2003.

Brother Brindle was awarded the Roy A. Bates Award jointly with Chris Hodapp in 1999 for their service to Broad Ripple Lodge.

Lodge Events of 2002

It was reported by the Trustees at the January stated meeting that the new chair lifts had been installed. The Masonic Angel Fund trustees reported that the Fund had added the Indiana School for the Blind to its coverage of local schools, and that a very generous gift of $750 had recently been received from one of our newer Master Masons. And Worshipful Brother Dennis Coltart, who had recently been coroneted an Honorary 33rd Degree in the Scottish Rite, was presented with an appropriate Jewel of that Degree by the Lodge.

On January 15, the Master’s father — who was not a Mason, but who certainly possessed Masonic qualities — passed away. The brotherly love and support of the brethren of this Lodge, of Lodge Vitruvian, and of the Grand Lodge, will long be cherished by the Brindle family.

It having been determined that the Info-Line was not really being used and that the answering machine currently in use was not particularly suited to our needs, the Lodge cancelled the Info-Line and added voice mail to its Ameritech phone service instead.

A completely new set of Bylaws, based on the latest set of Model By-Laws provided by the Grand Lodge, was circulated and approved by the Lodge.

The Stated Meeting on February 14 was very short, adjourning for the purpose of joining our Ladies at the Hollyhock Hill Restaurant for the first in what has become a continuing series of annual Valentines Dinners.

In March, the Lodge visited Centre Lodge No. 23 and “wrested” from it the Beech Grove Lodge/Fred Bynum Traveling Gavel. This required that the Master, four top-line elected officers, and a grand total of 10 brethren from the Lodge be present. Then again in April, the Lodge visited Calvin W. Prather Lodge No. 717, and captured the Waverly Gavel. The Beech Grove Gavel was claimed by the Brethren of Millersville Lodge No. 126 in May. The Waverly Gavel remains unclaimed as of this writing (Sept. 2005).

The per-capita charge to Lodge Vitruvian U.D. was set at $15 per year per member. At the time, Lodge Vitruvian had 22 members.

In May, the Lodge made a pilgrimage to the Schofield House in Madison, and conferred the Entered Apprentice degree upon a worthy candidate. On May 17 our Brother Past Master Roger Scott VanGorden was elected the 152nd Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Indiana, and on the same day, Lodge Vitruvian, which had been operating under dispensation since August of the previous year, received its Charter as Lodge number 767. In addition, the Centennial Anniversary of Broad Ripple Lodge fell on May 28 of this year.

In June, both the Worshipful Master and Immediate Past Master Chris Hodapp for the first time raised Fellow Crafts to the Sublime Degree. For the first time in quite some years, the Lodge now had three regular attendees (including Craft Director Don Seeley, P.M.) capable of performing the 2nd section of the Master Mason degree.

In July, the annual Fourth of July picnic festivities were interrupted by the collapse of our sister Esther Waymire, widow of WBro. William F. Waymire, from a heart attack at the picnic. To our great sadness and distress, Mrs. Waymire did not regain conciousness after being transported to the hospital and died three days later. The Master ordered and the Lodge approved a donation of $100 to the Shrine Club Crippled Children’s Fund in her memory.

In conjunction with the major events planned for August, an effort was made to continue the cleanup/fixup of the Temple begun in earlier years. The stucco on the front of the building was repaired and painted for the first time since our occupation of the building, and the Tyler’s room and all of the restrooms were also painted and redecorated.

The significant events of May came together as one long day of Masonry on August 17, when Broad Ripple Lodge’s centennial rededication, Lodge Vitruvian’s consecration, and the Most Worshipful Grand Master’s reception all happened on the same day. The Grand Master’s remarks at the rededication included thanks to the members and guests of Broad Ripple Lodge for their hospitality, and he went on to detail why he had joined Broad Ripple many years ago, even though he was already a member of Farmers Lodge in Flat Rock. He was encouraged to affiliate with Broad Ripple by Worshipful Brothers David Lanouette and William Waymire, and attributes many of his ideas about lodges and his vision for the Fraternity to those two men. He added that, although Broad Ripple was close to closing its doors only two short years ago, it has been reborn, thanks to the dedication of its officers and new members, and he believed that the spirit of WBros. Lanouette and Waymire live on in the accomplishments and vision of our Lodge.

He went on to say that, although many members mourned the sale of the old Mustard Hall back in the early 1990s, today’s Lodge looks better and grander than that building ever did, thanks to the hard work of the many Brothers who have labored to improve the Temple. The last-minute installation of a star-decked canopy over the altar was a surprise, and at last adds a distinctive feature to the new building that many lamented had to be left behind in the old one.

A laminated canary and teak wood plaque, laser etched in honor of our Past Master David Lanouette, was presented to the Lodge by Wbros. Jerry T. Cowley, S.W., and Dick Reed. It was hung in the lobby and a second, identical plaque was presented to Barbara Lanouette during the rededication festivities.

The beautiful lithograph of The Prayer at Valley Forge which now hangs in the South of our Lodge was presented by Worshipful Brother Christopher Hodapp at this time.

Near the end of Broad Ripple’s Lodge for Rededication, the Worshipful Master ordered the Senior Deacon to conduct his Lady Sally at the Altar, where he presented her with a beautiful lavender-inset platinum ring, in token of their second anniversary (which would be exactly one month to the day later) and also in token of his great appreciation for all of her help, aid and assistance in planning and bringing off the events of the day, without which he doubted it could have been achieved. The Grand Master subsequently observed that the Worshipful Master had set the bar a little high for future Masters of the Lodge, but that that probably wasn’t a bad thing.

The Grand Master’s Reception was held that evening in the Egyptian Room of the Murat Shrine, and all agreed that it was one of the finest ever held.

The Second Annual Broad Ripple Lodge Chili Cookoff was held in October to the general delight of all.

Worshipful Brother Hodapp spearheaded a drive for donations that led to the purchase of a new “Throne”, which replaced the old Master’s Chair that had served us for many years. The old chair was moved to the West and the old Senior Warden’s Chair was placed next to it.

Called to the Lodge Above in 2002:

Raised as Master Masons:

Joined by affiliation: