‘Goodbye Bro. Hoot’

     

Bro. Harold ‘Hoot’ Fink.

Bro. Ted, down in the District of Columbia, shared the sad news today of the death in January of our good Brother Harold “Hoot” Fink—something Ted said he’d learned accidentally. I see obituaries online, but no details of what happened. He was 67.

Hoot was one of the mainstays of the old Masonic Light group on Yahoo! I believe I met him on the Philalethes first, but I remember him from ML for his impeccable manners, inexhaustible kindness and good cheer. (Okay, there was one time he posted a Red Cross of Constantine ritual, but he didn’t realize it still was an active group.) I met him only once in real life; that was during AMD Weekend at the old Hotel Washington in D.C. in February 2002. It was my first time there, so matching new faces to familiar names spiced up the convivial atmosphere. We sat at the lobby bar, enjoying afternoon cocktails and cigars (can you imagine?!) as I, a few feet away, listened to him talk and slowly realized who he was. I recall Bob Davis, puffing on an Excalibur III, and someone else was between us, but I bet Hoot was talking about riding his Harley through the open areas around Syracuse, which tipped me off.

The ML group offered several regular features every week to give some structure, one of which was “Mackey A to Z,” which Hoot inaugurated. As you probably guessed, one word from Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, always in alphabetical sequence, was chosen for discussion. It was more fun than it sounds because the membership was as eclectic as could be without including Masons from other planets. Tons of enlightening perspectives.

“Let’s see what Albert has to say this week,” Hoot would begin. After back-to-back trips from A to Z, Hoot passed this tradition to me; I traveled from A to Z a couple times, but it wasn’t the same.

Hoot was at labor in Konosioni Lodge 950 upstate. He would have made a wonderful Worshipful Master, but I don’t recall if he took that route.

My condolences to Hoot’s son, daughter, the grandchildren, and the brethren at lodge.