At Grand Lodge in April, 1973, the following exchange occurred:
Grand Master Otto Gehrig Jr.: “Union Lodge #11 and Corinthian
Lodge #57 will consolidate to be known as Corinthian-Union Lodge #11, and will
Worshipful Brother James Rose, Master of Corinthian and Worshipful Brother
Elwood H. Robinson, Master of Union, please approach me here”.
Robinson: “Most Worshipful Grand Master, it is with feelings
of great sadness that I turn over this charter to you, which is dated 1846 –
and I give it to you for your safekeeping and early return. As a Mother Lodge,
we welcome back Corinthian Lodge with us and we look forward to a very fine
relationship. With your permission, I would like to read to you a very short proclamation
which will be used at our first Joint Communication, dated May 10, 1973: ‘We the undersigned
members, having been privileged to be participants in the first Regular
Communication of Corinthian-Union Lodge #11 do hereby and hereon affix our
signatures below as a testimony not only to our individual pasts but as a
pledge of our collective belief in the future of our new consolidated Lodges.
This we do on behalf of our absent Brothers as well as ourselves.’”
Gehrig: “Thank you, Worshipful Master.”
Rose: “Most Worshipful Grand Master, I consider this a privilege
and honor to be part of this consolidation and am looking forward to a
harmonious existence. This charter is 113 years old and we actually originated
from Union Lodge, so we are now going back to the Mother Lodge.”
Gehrig: “These are truly fine old documents, my Brethren,
and I trust that after we process these, that you might want them back for your
archives and it will be our pleasure to do that for you.”
