‘A new year at The ALR’

    

The American Lodge of Research’s 2025-26 officer team, installation team, members, visitors, and other well wishers last night in the French Doric Room. (The seersucker outfits in lodge are explained by the intense heat felt in New York City in recent weeks.)

Last night was the occasion of the annual meeting of The American Lodge of Research, which spelled the end of my time in the East and the beginning of the 2025-26 term. Congratulations to RW Bro. Yves Etienne on his election and installation as our Worshipful Master!

Yves assembled a full complement of officers that, we hope, will lead our lodge into the middle of the century. (Starting tomorrow, we’ll be closer to the year 2050 than to 2000. Drink up!) For the first time in all the years I’ve been hanging around, we have Masters of Ceremonies, Stewards, a Marshal, and a Chaplain. We don’t even have proper officer aprons for them!

Special thanks to MW Bill Sardone for presiding over our elections and for leading the installation ceremony and for keeping things organized. And thank you to each of our guests, some of whom traveled from far away places. Boston. Romania!

Now that my tenure is finished, I’m a little sad for being no longer needed in that way, but it’s okay because I’m still involved, serving now as Tiler. Plus, I’ll continue publishing the trestleboard and contributing in other ways, like publicity & social media. And editing the book of transactions. Maybe the Annual Report to Grand Lodge too. I will find that Holy Grail of plastic storage boxes if it costs my soul.

The ALR’s next meeting will be in, I think, October. Hope to see you there.