Episode 69. What's in a Name? (ft. David Graham)

David Graham poses a thought-provoking question in his 2025 Oration: “What’s in a name? When my name rolls off someone's tongue, what taste does it leave behind? If I am hoping to enjoy the happy reflections, consequent of a well spent life, I should pay very close attention to my name.” 

Get ready for an adventure with the pride of Wayzata No. 205. Topics include: growing up in the small town of Black Duck, a cruise ship gig through the choppy straits of Magellan, and a mugging in Rio. There's no time for sea legs, it’s an all-new Minnesota Masonic Histories & Mysteries. 

Transcript

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Our guest today is David Graham, who just wrapped up his appointed position as Grand Orator from 2024 to 2025, appointed by Foster Solem. Our friend and brother is also a monitor of the ritual and proudly served as master of Wisetta Lodge number 2 0 5 in 2018. Welcome, David. Thank you, Reid. It's nice to be here. Tell us more about you. Where are you from? School, hobbies. Let's hear all about you. I'm from a little town in, uh, Northern Minnesota called Black Duck, Minnesota, which is not the end of the world, but we can see it from there. It's just north of Bemidji. Uh, that was about it for Black Duck. I got out of there as soon as possible. What's the size of Black Duck? 695 people. There were 80 kids in my graduating class, and I knew them all from first grade to 12th grade. Well, what was that like? I grew up in a relatively small town, but in that level you really, truly, it's a. Close quarters is all the way from first through graduation. My dad used to say that God made the world, man built the cities and the devil made the small town. Uh, I couldn't disagree with'em. Everyone was related to everybody really can't go, can't go anywhere. No. For generations back, they're all related to everybody. How often do you get back? Twice a year. So not very often. What type of activities during those years and was, were you into sports? I know you're a music guy, we'll talk about that, but what was the evolution of your talents? The evolution of my talent. My mother made me take piano lessons and uh, my dad was a minister. Everyone told me that your dad talks funny. I thought you should talk. But anyway, he was a minister and uh, I watched him do a lot of public speaking. Uh, in ninth grade I got involved in the drama club, which I thought was a lot of fun, and then speech and that bug kind of stuck with me. I went through college doing a lot of that and some community theater in Minneapolis as well. I got to work on mall rats. Really? That was shot in Minneapolis. Oh yeah. What did you do? I was the swing gang. Me and my brother were part of the Swing gang. I worked on a couple of movies in town here. That's cool. What year was that, approximate 90. It was back after I got back from the cruise ships. It was, must have been the nineties. It's been that long. Wow. It had their 25th anniversary a couple of years ago. God, stop. I was supposed to be a teacher, but I decided that you had the right to remain ignorant and being a teacher was not for me. So I got into the trades and I thought, I gotta try something else. So this was back in the day before internet and in back of magazines, you know, come be a work on a cruise show. Sure. So with some writing back and forth, uh, I left Minneapolis with two$20 bills and a one way ticket to Fort Lauderdale. I got a job in a restaurant as a waiter so I could eat and six weeks later I was on the sea I ran lights and sound in the ballroom for all the shows and uh, it was amazing. In September we went around South America. I got mugged in Eponine Beach and Rio Des Janero. It was, uh, the most amazing 18 months of my life. I don't mean to laugh at that. You're saying that with a smile that's a little terrifying. Yeah. No, no, no. It was a 13-year-old kid with a broken bottle. I. And, uh, I wasn't in any fear at all. Uh, one punch would've taken that kid right out. But I was with this crazy beautiful but hysterical woman who with wild flailing of arms jump between me and the kid, and I thought the best thing, give him a few dollars cash and calm her down. What was the sea like? How often are there bad storms and rough seas and something of that size? We went through the Straits of Magellan. Oh God, I loved it. Really? We had 29 foot swells for five days running. Me, uh, and a friend of mine would sit at the back of the ship and all you would see would be the sea, and then all you would see would be the sky. And that's the way I loved it. I just loved it. That didn't knock you sideways, like, no, no, no, no. And being in the ballroom, I'd have to go down to the theater, which was like six decks below. So as the back of the ship, we were on the very, the very stern as the back of the ship was rising. That floor below me was coming up to meet me so I could fly down those six flights of stairs. And then when, when the ship was falling, uh, I could fly up those same six flights like Superman. It was for 27-year-old legs, you know, it was no problem. Yeah, sure. No, you can rally back from anything. Uhhuh. Wow. Uhhuh. I ran lights and sound. That's okay. Yeah, so I got to see it all and we would, uh, have guests come on for like two week stints as we did this 50 day cruise around America, south America, and, oh, it was fun to see. We had a comedian and he took one step to the left and I thought, oh, you shouldn't have done that. He takes three steps to the right and now he's taken, he's running to the left now as hard as he could and crashed into all the dancers. I mean, you gotta stand there at the top of the teeter-totter and just, you just gotta balance. Once he started moving his feet and trying to catch himself and catch himself, as the pendulum kept swinging larger and larger. He never did. Oh, no. Did the audience think this was part of the act or just did? Oh, they knew better. Okay. They knew this was, they'd been around for a few weeks. He's a newbie. He comes on, does his bit, and there he goes, physics, uhhuh. Oh wow. So then you ended up coming back to Minnesota after this? Adventure Eventually. Yeah, eventually. Yeah. And what kind of trades did you say you're involved with? I started framing houses and then I got into commercial construction out in college. And uh, I worked on the Best Buy Superstore when they were starting up. We put up 11 Best Buy Superstore throughout the area. And, uh, I got to know Dick Sch just a little tiny bit, his daughter Moore as I worked in her offices. Uh, and then I got into residential. An old carpenter sat me out. He says, I want you to meet me at six 30. Talk about mentorship. You talk about someone to look up to, and we know a lot about that and where we're at now. But this guy had me meet him at six 30. We started at seven and he says, the object of the day is to guess what people do for a living. And some guy gets out of his truck. It was 10 minutes before he could stand up. He's a cement worker. And other people. And one little guy, he was about 65, and he comes just bouncing in all light in his feet. And I says, what does he do? He's a taper. He was wearing white, always inside light duty. I thought, oh, of all the trades, that wouldn't be a bad one. That's another bad choice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I ended up, uh, taping and I started my, I got my start in bear path, which is really some high end work. And, uh, a guy that really knew what he was doing, you know, and. I started off my own and have never really left. I, I get to meet the coolest people and I get to see the coolest things. I've worked on a 60 foot groin vault in Lake of the Isles. You know, it's just some palatial places. I've worked at Crystal Farms. I've got to work at Dr. Jerry's house. Uh, Zach Parisi. There's lots of sports figures and things where I've don't know who they are. I'm not a sports guy, but I've talked to Zach. He's got a dog, he's got a couple of kids in a lovely space. I had no idea who he was. I bet they like that though, when you don't know. I would think so. I would think so. Talking shop about stats and, Hey, Zach, he took a bad penalty last night. This is just, he's just a, he's just a regular dude. It's a dog. It's the kids. It's a nice space. Yeah, we're talking about. Yeah. His life, not what he does. Right. I like to ask a random question or two on this podcast. David Graham, what are you most thankful for that you learned as a kid? Whoa. My mother's face flashed into my head, but I don't know why. I mean, uh, the standards she set, I think that would be it. The standards she set regarding what, specifically how I'm supposed to behave, what's expected of me. What people expect. What will people think? Those phrases that we hate to hear. Yes. What will people think? But you know, that's a big thing. If you meet someone, what are they gonna think of you? How are you gonna behave? So that crazy woman from Epon Beach, she gave me one of the nicest compliments. She said, I could take you anywhere. Your mother did a really nice job with you. So I think that's what it would be. Yeah, her influence whether or not I adhere to it or do any good with it, but her influence, I think I'm most thankful for What life experience has made you a better version of yourself other than masonry fatherhood? How so? He changed my perspective totally. Uh, here to four. I'm fearless. You give me a tree, you give me anything up in the air, I'll climb it. Once my son was born, I've got too much to lose. If something happens to me, what's gonna happen to him? Uh, my brother-in-law told me once I should get a gun, and I said, no way Brian. I, I, you know, I'm gonna pull the thing out. I'm gonna hesitate, you know me, I'm gonna hesitate. There's no way I'm pulling that trigger. Flash fast forward to Garrett being born. I'll whip that thing up, blow you away, and sleep like a baby. I mean, it's a totally different thing. So it really changed me. I, I'm sure I'd have nightmares over it later, but at the time I'm protecting him. Not I can run away, but he couldn't. So fatherhood changed my perspective, you know, my obligations. Like I said, I went to Fort Lauderdale with two$20 bills and a one way ticket. As long as I had my hands, I have no worries. Once I'm a parent, I don't think that way anymore. I gotta think. Life insurance. Are you kidding me? What for? I'll be dead. Well, because you got a kid now. That's why it all changes. Yes. So abruptly. Yes. Yeah. at the time of this recording today, we recently held our annual communication in Wait Park, Minnesota. As mentioned, you are the grand orator delivered a tremendous oration. I'm going to turn off my mic and hand this over to you, sir. David Graham, the airwaves are yours. We are pleased to have you share your oration. Thank you. What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet and that is true. It's difficult to argue with Shakespeare. We know that roses are called by many names and none of them have any bearing on their being. A rose is a rose, is a rose, as Gertrude Stein said. After all, what's in a name? There must be something in a name. We all have one. When a child is born, other than the physical description, the first thing we are told is the name. Whenever we meet someone new, the first information we disclose is usually our name. Even when completely irrelevant, what's in a name? Why should I know the name of the person selling me an ice cream cone or a tank of gas? For some reason, even in the most innocuous transactions, we feel the need to address one another by name. Perhaps there is something in a name. After all, science tells us that a child's name is one of the first sounds a baby will respond to. Each of us have had the experience of hearing our own name amid the noise and confusion of a crowded event in ancient Egypt to test whether or not the king was truly dead, they would first scratch the bottom of his foot to observe a reaction, then place a piece of glass under his nose and mouth to perceive signs of breath, and then finally they would lean over, close to the king. And whisper his name. You'll recall that in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Adam, the first man was given the task of naming all the animals. Adam is a Hebrew word. It comes from the Hebrew word adamah, which means ground. So we know that at least linguistically Adam did in fact come from the ground. The word Adam means, man, slippery word man. It can refer to gender coming of age or the species as a whole, but of all the descriptions I've come across, I think Hamlet said it best, what a piece of work is, man. How noble and reason. How infinite in faculties inform and moving how express and admirable in action, how, like an angel, an apprehension, how like a God, God, as many names around the world and throughout the ages, God has been assigned too many names to mention. In the Koran alone, they list 99 of the most beautiful names of God. Even in our own traditions, God has many names. The Grand Architect, the Supreme Intelligence, the All Seeing I in contemplating the various names of God. It is clear that. Not only are each of the names a description of an aspect of God, but he in turn is the embodiment and fulfillment of the name. If God exists and we as Masons proclaim that he does, then he must be. It is interesting to note that the first name of God in our tradition is the Hebrew word ywe. Which roughly translated means I am. It was later Latinized through Jehovah, which means he who is, if God is to be at all, he must completely be nothing and partially exist. Other names of God have been reflected and echoed throughout the ages. In the Greek, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end is a mirror image of the Zoroastrian. Abide without beginning and abi jam without end. Again, one cannot be almost eternal. You are either fully and completely eternal, or you are not. Our Islamic brethren used the name. It means the vast, the all embracing. You'll notice that each of the names of God are verbs, am verb, first person, singular, present indicative of bee creator Elohim in the Hebrew, in the Islam, lik and predating both by millennia. Is the Zian Bo the Root of creation. The Koran uses a name, Al Muhi, the encounter, the number of all, consider how many birds are in flight at this instant or at this instant. The Supreme intelligence, which pervades all nature would know in the Torah they speak a name. We may recognize Elroy, the God who sees the Allee I whom the Sun, moon, and Stars obey. And under whose watchful care, even Comets perform their stupendous revolutions, pervades the inmost recesses of the human heart and will reward us according to our merit. Which leads to the question, what will my name, merit, what's in my name? How does my name describe me and what are the duties I owe to my name? If God lives up to his name and we are fashioned in his image, shouldn't I then live up to mine? If we are fashioned in God's image and he has a multitude of names, how many do we possess? Each of us has a given name. A name we are known by. Each of us have names that we have voluntarily taken upon ourselves, such as husband, parent Mason. We have names that describe us by what we enjoy. Reader, golfer, fisherman, we have names that. Delineate us by what we do, carpenter, lawyer, teacher, and we have names that define us by how we do genius. Fool. When someone calls us by our name, who or what exactly is being summoned forth? The expectations and obligations of David the drywaller are far different from David, the husband, or parent or friend, and the manner in which I respond to my name for good or ill further defines what my name is. Am I a competent drywaller, an attentive husband, a loving parent? Faithful friend, when my name rolls off someone's tongue, what taste does it leave behind? If I am hoping to enjoy the happy reflections, consequent of a well spent life, I should pay very close attention to my name. What's in a name? Oddly enough, the bard answered his own question years later, an Othello who said, oh, I have lost my reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself. And what remains his best still? Hmm. I guess it doesn't smell as sweet. After all. We, however, are fortunate to have with us today an illustrious example of how to avoid the fate of Othello. I first met him at a lodge of instruction. I was encouraged and buoyed up by his enthusiasm as he taught me the proper way to tie a cable toe. I never would've passed my monitors exam without his support. His guidance and assistance was very much needed and appreciated as I aspired to the name Worshipful Master. The fruits of his fostering care are far too bountiful to be enumerated here. When I first met our Grand Master Foster Solem, I thought to myself, now there's a man who lives up to his name Foster, to promote the growth or development of to advance to back to champion. To cultivate, to encourage, to further, to nurture, to serve. We have experienced by the excellent example provided by our very own grand Master that living up to one's name is, as Shakespeare said, twice blessed. It blesses him who gives, and he who takes, and that living up to the name Grand Master is somehow even greater than the title itself. Each of us have our own name, a name that is unique to us. It is for each of us to decide what that name means and what, if anything, we are to do about it. And each of us have a name in common, a name. We share a name which unites us into one sacred band or society of friends and brothers. Are you a mason? What's in that name? That's a question that can only be answered by you. As for me, I only pray I am given wisdom and strength that I might be allowed to add beauty. Our name. I ask this in his name, so B. Thank you David Graham. This has been another episode of Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries.