reading the post yesterday about SLU and Billikens reminded me that St. Louis has their very own Masonic branch called the Moolah Shriners. Their original temple, the Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine (3821 Lindell Blvd, built in 1912), is just a block away from two other large and impressive masonic temples built NEXT DOOR to one another, the Scottish Rite Cathedral (3633 Lindell Blvd, 1924) and the New Masonic Temple (3681 Lindell Blvd, 1926)--all three of which are in smack dab in the middle of the SLU's campus. now why would a "Catholic" (Jesuit) University allow 3 Masonic temples to be built on its campus?
while not much is written about the Scottish Rite Cathedral (at least, on wikipedia), the page about the New Masonic Temple offers this little nugget: "The Temple’s history includes many prominent guests. It houses the former office of then-Senator and Freemason Grand Master Harry S. Truman prior to his being President of the United States. Charles A. Lindbergh was initiated and participated as a mason at the Temple prior to his renowned 1927 flight. In 1980, Escape from New York with Ernest Borgnine filmed a scene on the Temple’s steps. Borgnine, a Mason, attended Masonic meetings in the building.
perhaps we could also look into the past of the HIGHLY controversial former SLU president Lawrence Biondi who, towards the end of his 25-year presidency, had at least 6 no-confidence measures levied against him by either student or faculty governance bodies.
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2impendingdoom ago
@carmencita, @WolfTrail for connections to St. Louis.
carmencita ago
Yes, I and @Wolftrail7272 did much researching on St. Louis. That is not one of the societies I have info on. I worked on mainly the Jesuit Orders and on one called the Veiled Prophet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veiled_Prophet_Ball which opened up all kinds of info for me. Too long to go into. But believe me, almost all the societies are Masons. There are a slew of them in every larger city and they are in smaller towns and cities as well. There is one the is the @deMolay that Bill Clinton belongs to and it is the National HQ in St. Louis, With a Chaper in Racine, Wi. http://www.nonprofitfacts.com/WI/Demolay-International-Racine-Chapter.html And the Beat Goes On.
ben_matlock ago
wow, going through that VP wiki it appears that actress Ellie Kemper (Erin, from The Office) was the Veiled Prophet Queen in 1999. i remember going to the old VP Fair when I was a kid, no one ever gave it any thought as to why it was called that.
carmencita ago
Yes, and I forgot his name, but the head of Monsanto was crowned as it's head. But his head was covered, I believe with a bag. A lot of times people don't know what they are seeing. That is probably what they meant by their given name...The Veiled Prophet I don't know how I finally arrived at the answer, by just long hard research I guess, that one of the ancestors of the members was responsible for a hospital being built that contributed to the start of Tenet Healthcare. It is so complicated and intertwined. You know how it goes, one thing opens up that leads to another, and so on and so on etc. Unfortunately I lost all my info during a blitzkrieg on my laptop. Sigh. I am awful at the tech stuff. Did you read the article about what happened to the protester at one of the parades? Her car or house was set on fire, I believe. The stuff gets fuzzy after a few months of so much more info entering your overloaded brain.