We visit with Past Grand Master and blogger, MWB Tom Hendrickson about his Masonic journey, the future of Masonry and his unique blog.
We visit with Past Grand Master and blogger, MWB Tom Hendrickson about his Masonic journey, the future of Masonry and his unique blog.
As part of our new series of getting to know our past Grandmasters, I have asked past Grandmaster Most Worshipful Tom Hendrickson to join us today. Good morning, Tom. Morning John. I got to know Tom, probably 8 to 10 years into my Masonic journey when he became Grandmaster. What year were you Grandmaster? Uh, 2011 2012. And who, who was it that appointed you to the line? Uh, Neil Nettermeyer initially, uh, uh, appointed me as, uh, Marshal. Okay. And then I, I continued from there. That's an impressive heritage that you have there. Lineage. It is. I interviewed Neil a couple of weeks ago and what a fascinating guy he is. Holy cow. Oh, absolutely. From one cop to another. You were a Minneapolis police officer? I was. And how long were you, uh, a cop? I had the privilege and the honor of being a public servant for 33 years. Wow. And when did you retire? 2014? one of the questions that I always ask is, you know, go back to your early days of masonry. What compelled you to become a mason in the first place? Well, my sister was a Job's daughter. And uh, All her, she had a whole bunch of cool friends, and I get invited to a lot of different events, and I, I said, uh, to a bunch of the guys, I said, geez, how can I get to be part of you guys from DeMolay? They said, well, you gotta ask. So DeMolay. And through that, you know, the World War II generation, those guys were very quiet about their Masonic membership. My neighbors, my family members were all Masons. And I was a young man, and the men in my life weren't going to ask me until I was 18. But the people that I grew up with and I had a great amount of respect and admiration for. And so I started off as a DMOA in Richfield. Okay. So what lodge were you raised in? I was raised in Century Lodge in Richfield. Okay., as I went through all the chairs, I had the, uh, the privilege of helping merge Century Richfield into Cataract. Into Cataract, okay. And we had to sell our building through Power of Condemnations. That was an event. And we moved, moved our lodge in. We rent space at, uh, Minnehaha. Yeah, weren't you guys right where the Best Buy headquarters is? our place was at 7615 Logan, which is part of the parking lot. But they paid a million dollars for that little parking lot. Oh wow. I got to sign the check. Did you really? I did. Yeah. Oh, that's cool. the last ones to, to settle on the whole thing, so. Okay. So you worked your way through the chairs became the master your lodge, and uh, were you involved in other Grand Lodge activities? Were you ever like a DR or any of that stuff? No, I was awarded a Hiram award and, uh, Neil Mattermeyer and, uh, Terry Tilton had come to it and recognized me as a leader. I was, you know, I had a young family. I was very, very active in my, in my lodge and, uh, I had a very demanding career. And so I never ventured off into the other, uh, Grand Lodge activities. So. People tend to fall into one of three categories. They tend to join Masonry because of brotherly love, relief, or truth. They end up, you know, falling for all three of them. But, initially when you were brought in, was it, which of those three was it that attracted you the most to the craft? Brotherly love and then truth. Introspection and learning to become a better man. And applying the, the principles to my life. That'll complement my, my, my faith. Well, I know as a guy who signs all the thank yous that, uh, that relief has become part of, tom's, uh, priorities as well. So, thank you for your support of Masonic Charities. it's a, it's a valuable institution. tell me about your years as Grand Master. I remember those years well. I, recall there was a story that you would often tell that if I, I mentioned the dog that might, uh, ring a bell with you. Do you recall that story? Yeah. Could you tell that story to the brothers that are new that never got the opportunity to hear about that? Uh, it was kind of a life-changing moment for you, it sounded like Yeah. I had the opportunity to save my own life. Uh, when I was in the Army, I had the privilege of being, uh, a narcotic patrol dog handler. My dog's name was Sam. And one of the, one of the, the basic principles of a, of a dog, uh, of a working dog is to the ability to track people. Yep. It was January and in Alaska and, uh, I had just gotten back from the kennel and someone said, there's a missing child. We need your help. And so the, the, the child was a challenged child with, with learning disabilities. And so I went and got my dog. We went to the home. The child had. Gotten off the bus, didn't make it the 40 feet to the house. So we get out there and we, uh, Sam and I get tracking and there's this large park with a, with a, a river that runs through it. And, um, it was barely cold and you don't get a lot of daylight, uh, in the wintertime in Alaska. And so we tracked, we tracked, uh, through the park and up to the river. And we're exploring out of the river and all of a sudden, you know, you're kind of crunching along, crunching along. And my dog turns his head and looks at me and I go through the ice. Oh, jeez. And, um, it was a scramble to, uh, you know, the shock and to be prepared for it. And wearing long underwear, wool pants, parka, gloves, the whole thing. And I was struggling. And, um... I was having great difficulty getting out of the, out of the hole because the water had splashed up and made the ice. Slippery. Very smooth. Yeah. And as I was clawing, Sam came up and he kept looking at me and I reached up and I grabbed his collar and he helped me get out of the hole. And, it's sub zero. I'm soaked. And the Army does a very good job at teaching you about survival. So we started running. And, uh, long story short, it was a long run back to the main road. And, uh, I was taken to the hospital. the child had, uh, actually had walked around, got into the park, went home, unbeknownst to everybody, and had fell asleep between the bed and the wall playing with his toys. So it was not a heroic act that I did, was saving my own life. It was a, it was a very good wake up call, is that every day is a gift. You bet. I always recall that story and, the politics that are going on in the world right now and, uh, the craziness that's happening in the Middle East, it does make you appreciate how, fortunate we are here and, moments like that really, Amplify the joy that you have, just with the mundane tasks of a day. That story actually helped when, uh, when I became grandmaster, you know, it's not being a grandmaster that where you do all your great work, you do your great work when you're going through the 10, 10 years to that job. And so grandmaster is a victory lap in the celebration. So I had started. Talking about his deputy grandmaster forming polar bear plunge teams across the state. Yeah, that's right. And we did. We worked with the Special Olympics cause I had run in a couple of the law enforcement torch runs Yep. With, uh, various police departments, uh, and raising money for, uh, the Special Olympics and the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. With the blessing of Minnesota Masonic charities raised$73,000. That's right. For Special Olympics and across the state. It was a great unifier, you know, and the Grandmaster gets to go to Duluth and jump with the guys in Duluth when he jumps with the guys in Rochester and Farmington and the big finale was in, Lake Harriet. And, um, it still was not as cold as that day in Alaska, but it was. It was great camaraderie, uh, Lodges had a, had a unifying charity, and they're still jumping to this day in Farmington and Rochester, so. one of the questions I'm going to ask you in a moment is, what are the greatest challenges of, of masonry at this point in time? when I look back on, those days, the unifying, element of having everybody get behind a particular charity it's a fun event and they're parts of a community event. I just don't feel like we're doing enough of that right now. No. And we, we have some real jewels in the crown. Uh, one is a Red Wing Lodge and down there, uh, they do a salsa. Yes, sir. A salsa tasting eating contest involving all, uh, 13, 14 different nonprofits, and it brings five, 600 people, uh, to the St. James Hotel. And with the, with the blessing of, of Minnesota Masonic Charities as a partner in that. Um, able to raise a lot of money for a lot of great community, uh, organizations that serve that town. People, people that the guys that live there, people that they know, their neighbors makes it, uh, just a direct impact. I've had the privilege of being a judge at Salsalicious and it's a huge event down there I mean it might be the largest charity event in Red Wing and uh, you know, I think of Evolith Lodge They've turned their their kitchen into like an industrial pasty kitchen And they're raising money for all kinds of different organizations by partnering with these organizations and then Masonic Charities gets to match their donations and it just It helps everybody, so it's wonderful. Having a common goal helps make your lodge relevant. And if your lodge isn't relevant, you're not going to be able to bring in good men to make them masons to become better. Well, let's talk about that. Um, you know, when you look at the modern lodge, you know, it's no secret that our membership Numbers, uh, have consistently been going down like every other fraternal organization or membership organization in the country. Um, what is it that we're doing that you think we ought to lean into? What is it that we're doing as Masons that we should be focusing more of our energies on? things and times change. You bet. But our principles don't. So what we need to do is introspection. We need to look at ourselves, see what, who we are, and see what things there are today that can continue to make us relevant while preserving our, uh, our Masonic traditions. And it just means that we need to do things a little bit different. We really need to spend time with our members, get to know them even deeper, uh, because it's brotherly love. Freemasonry isn't. At a GPS exact coordinate, and it's only practiced once a month pre masonry is a way of life. And if you know the people, you know, they're what what they want to do. They know their, you know, their talents. And then you, together, uh, create programs and activities that are relevant. one of the things that I love about Minnesota Masonic Charities is our Matching Grant Program. And I always say that the Matching Grant Program is our opportunity to reflect the interests of the brothers and OES sisters. the state, but particularly to what's important to them in their community. And it's not a one size fits all. And for Masonic Charities, we get the opportunity to attach our brand in some.. Meaningful way to the brand of that lodge or that chapter. And I, I agree. I think that, you know, relevance and trying to find that thing that rings the bell with as many people, but most importantly, the people that you already have as members of your lodge. I've heard some crazy statistic that, and I don't know if this is statewide or if this was just two of a particular lodge, we have X number of people That, go through the first three degrees and something like 60 percent of them you never see again, which is just crazy if you ask me. And many of them will continue to pay their dues. A healthy lodge is an active lodge with active members that are engaged and, it's one thing to have members. Gross numbers, but it's another thing to have those numbers actually contributing and doing something to, to make the Lodge more relevant. That's the most important part about the Lodge is how you treat your new candidate. You know, Neil Neddermeyer said to all the, had all the masters rise and he said, look at your candidate. Now be really nice to him because maybe they'll come back. Yes. That sounds like me. It sums it up in a nutshell is that it's our contact, you know, it's, it's the phone call saying, hey, hey, Tom, I know you're really busy, but, uh, are you going to be able to make it to Lodge on Wednesday night? And it's sending out. Sending out an email, it's the newsletter and what's going on and making that personal contact. And, you know, for me, it was instrumental that the old guys, the old guys really took an interest in me because the other guys, they're busy with families and working and. They come in kind of disheveled and I'm here, you know, um, it's those guys that really was my hook to returning to lodge month after month. Just from personal experience, I look at my relationship with the Don Seversons and. Colonel Leadings and Chuck Dietz's of the world and I've said this many times and people that listen to this podcast probably get sick of me saying it but to me the most joyful part of the Masonic experience is the intergenerational exchange You know, it's an opportunity for us young guys to, to get those, to get to know those older guys and vice versa. I think that connecting with the younger guys fills their cup as much as it does the other way around. Um, so I agree with you. I think that. Those guys that are raising families, they've got a lot going on, but the connection between those, uh, those people that are on the front end and the back end of that equation really is what makes Masonry special. So another question that I always ask, uh, guys when I have them on here is, if you were to give me your Mount Rushmore of influencers in your Masonic life, who would they be? And I know that it's a difficult question because, you don't want to forget somebody. But, that's just fine. We know that you have lots of Masonic mentors, but, really, who are the ones that, uh, that you connected with? And they don't have to be famous ones, like the Neal Nettermeyers. You know, they can be sideline guys. Bob O'Donnell from, um, from Century Lodge. Bob O'Donnell was with Northwest airlines and we, Ray France, and we had a whole bunch of guys that were from, from Northwest airlines. They were all in a mechanic shop and, uh, they were the ones that took the time, uh, And explain things and help me, uh, learn my ritual as I'm not a great ritualist by any means. Uh, but help me learn the ritual. And, uh, oh, Gary Bill. Oh, gosh. You know. And, uh. Gem of a guy. Great powerhouses of Masonic wealth and, uh, information and caring and brother to brother. Neil Neddermeyer had a big personality and I saw how Using your personality, uh, which is one of the traits of a good leader, using your personality and influence to get people to do things and to motivate, to inspire, and the guy at the Delta Ticket office in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was at a law enforcement conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. I had, I had received an award. And I had to get home for an emergency, and they canceled my flight. And I walked up there, and I showed them my ticket. I asked, you know, what can I do? And he says, I see you're a traveling man, you come from the east. And I said, yeah, I'm from Minnesota. Oh, that's funny. And he says, your ring, nice ring. And I went, yes, I'm Tom Hendrickson, blah, blah, blah. And he goes, what's the problem, Tom? And I explained to him. And he says, he looks over his shoulder and tells, tells the clerk next to me, next to him that he was going to take a break. And so he worked on his computer. I was on Delta. And he walks me over to the United checkout. And he goes, they'll give you a ticket at United. And he got me on the plane. And he took, that got me home. Wow. I don't know how he did it, and he did it because I was a Mason. He was one of my heroes of, you know, taking the time to help, to taking a time of interest. I just have to tell you, I had a similar situation. I was down in, the Virgin Islands. And my family and I were taking a a ferry from St. Thomas to St. John's. Okay. And on that ferry there was this group of guys, native, Virgin Islanders if that's what you call them. And I noticed several of them, uh, had, uh, stuff on that had the square and compass. So I just went over and, made a comment that kind of got a glance at me and He threw me the grip and I threw it back at him. And these guys invited our family to go, they're having a a lodge picnic over on St. John's Island and they treated us like royalty. And what was really cool is one of the guys was a jeweler and he said to me, I'd love for you to come to my jewelry store. I'll hook you up, at below cost. there's a part of you, if you hear that from somebody... Generally speaking, you might be skeptical, but I just knew that this guy was a legit guy and I, we went and we bought my wife some, uh, chocolate diamond earrings and a chocolate diamond ring and it was quite an investment, but I had such trust in this guy. But, uh, in the spirit of trust but verify, I took him to my friend at, uh, Moeller Jewelers, and I said, Bobby, is this stuff, is this stuff good? And he looked at it and he goes, man, this is beautiful stuff. Where'd you get it? And I explained and he was upset that I didn't buy it from him, but I said, I said, this is what I paid for it. And he's like, that was a hell of a deal. So it's just, there is, there is that connection there that, It's hard to describe, but I think that that's an example of how you just have a trust for the people that have the same values that you do. Um, you know, we talked earlier about your blog. Can you talk a little bit about what inspired you to start your blog and where people can find it? Well, my blog is called All Things Masonic at blogspot. com. And in 2009, I, I decided that, uh, well, first of all, I believe that Freemasonry is a way of life. And every day I think about it. How can I help it? How can I improve myself? And so, I was always looking for information. It was like a three to five minute read. And, um, because I had an active career, active in Freemasonry, and I didn't have a lot of time to sit and peruse, you know, some of the great works. So, initially I wanted to write a Masonic Almanac, something like that. The old Farmer's Almanac? For Freemasons, a place to find articles, information, inspiration for 365 days. Well, you know, writing, having to write articles and research, I didn't have that kind of time. Right, that is a commitment. So, blogs were just becoming pretty popular, so I thought... I could, I could do that. So I initially started off to be, you know, a short read, something you can read at work, something you can read after you put the kids to bed. And every article is related to Freemasonry. And probably, to describe it, it's an assortment, a medley, a patchwork of pieces that cover the wide range of Freemasonry in all the appended bodies. Like, uh, being in the Grand Lodge and Grand Master, traveling across the state and the nation. Uh, and I still do. Uh, so getting the content is easy. And, uh, like in 2009, I covered the Charities Gala. Yep. And all of the Minnesota Masonic Scholarships and of course our Masonic Hospital Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota. And, and You know, tell people about those great, great things that go on. I just posted from a recent gala yesterday because my bicycle riding has been interfering with my, uh, riding. Yeah, you were on a trip, weren't you? I went to Bemidji and I, I rode 72 miles in one day on the Paul Bunyan Trail. Oh boy. So. That'll, that'll get you where it counts. So I, I, I've written about 350 articles. And I always try to do something relevant and, uh, uh, on a wide range of subjects, uh, different events. I was just in Cannon Falls. And when I go to lodges, I try to take pictures and tell the story with photos as well. But I also always want to point out the quality of leadership that these lodges are demonstrating to inspire other people and other lodges to do more things like it. Uh, Cannon Falls said, uh, hey, bye. And the barbecue and one week before they returned to, uh, lodge after being dark for the summer, they had like 40 people, you know, so, and then they had 36 people for their first meeting. So it, you know, getting people back after COVID has been a tough path. You bet it has. For our lives, other Grand Lodges as well. Yeah, and I think, I don't think that's exclusive to Masonry. I think there are just so many organizations that COVID created just this whole, you know, I hate when people say new normal, but it really is what it is. It has. I think people have become lazy. And when Netflix is your biggest competitor. Yeah. Good. God help us. So, yeah. That's wonderful. When I go to lodges, I always try to show the leadership or the inspiration that that's going on. You know, I, um, I've written a number of articles that have appeared in, in the National, uh, Knights Templar Magazine, the Royal Arch Magazine, and they're being used. A lot of these pieces are being used for Lots of education across the United States and world. That is very cool. Yeah, there's, there are, there are, uh, quite a few Masonic scholars right here in the great state of Minnesota and, you know, quite a few of them have served, uh, as Grand Master. And, uh, I just hope that the, the, the young Masons that are out there, uh, get the opportunity to get to know you guys better. And, and I'm hoping that this podcast is one way for people to, to, to understand their Masonic heritage and the people that came before them and all the work that's been done. And I, uh, Tom, am grateful for, you know, your... interest in specifically Masonic Charities because, you know, it's, it's so great to see past grandmasters, you know, coming back and, you know, participating and contributing and being cheerleaders. And the fact that you addressed, you know, the Masonic Charities Gala in your, in your blog, it's just another way for people to learn more about the impact that we as Masons are having on, you know, not just the state of Minnesota, but in our local communities, but You know, some of the stuff that we're doing is really impacting the world. When you look at the, the, the research that's being done at the Masonic Cancer Center, the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, you know, I, I have a particular interest right now in our scholarships program, specifically our Selfless Scholar program, and I've always will take an opportunity to promote that because I feel like of all the scholarships we do, that one is the most Masonic. You know, it doesn't require you to be a 4. 0 with a 35 ACT. If you're a person who meets others on the level and make others feel like they matter and are selfless enough to take the time to recognize those other people in your life, uh, that just feels so Masonic to me. And, uh, it's been a real fun time presenting those scholarships throughout the state of Minnesota. And the Selfless Scholar Program is a wonderful way to reward and inspire others to be a good person and to do good things. And right now in this world, what work do we need? Oh boy. At this time. Ain't that the truth. Anyways, on that note, Tom, I will let you go. Most Worshipful, I appreciate your time and tell, give us the name of your blog one more time. The name of my blog is All Things Masonic at Blogspot. At Blogspot. Alright, well, people listening, check that out, and again, thank you Tom, and look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you, John. Alright.