Spotlight on Masonry

Acanthus 477 Masonic Square and Compass at acanthus477.com

Worshipful Brother Bob Langley

Spotlight on Masonry is a monthy article focused on an individual Mason. Read their stories to see what induced them to become a Mason and how this great Fraternity has played a part in their lives.

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Worshipful Brother Bob Langley has been a Mason for 34 years. He was raised a Master Mason on January 9th, 1974. Like many young Masons, he became interested in participating in the Lodge by becoming an officer. In February, 1974, he was appointed as a Steward. After holding several positions over the next few years, he was elected as Worshipful Master of Howell Lodge #38 in December, 1976. He has also been a member of the Scottish Rite since 1980, and the Moslem Shriners since 1985.

When asked what got him interested in Freemasonry, Bob said that, "Both of my grandfathers were Masons. One in Canada, one at Zion #1, and I had an uncle at Centerline. I had an interest and was curious about Masonry, and I wanted to learn more about it, so when I moved to Howell ( a small town Northwest of Detroit), I figured I'd give it a try." Bob also said that he is "very interested in History, and I look back at the people who formed this country, and those abroad who became great leaders, and almost all of them were Masons."

Men become Masons for all kinds of personal reasons. Some believe in following the tradition of their Fathers and Grandfathers, and others begin their Masonic journey through their own discovery. "I was just looking for something else in life" Said Langley. "I had some spare time and my children were very young then. And after looking into it, I felt that the Masonic Lodge was a good place to go. I had no idea what Masonry was all about, but it was the memorization of the ritual work and the dedication of the Lodge members that kept me interested."

In June of 1986, Bob traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada and made it his home for twelve years, where he was very active in the Zelzah Shriners. "Las Vegas had a very large Masonic Lodge." said Langley. "The largest in the state, actually. But they met at twelve noon. So I was active with the child care mini-clinic committee with the Shriners instead, and it was like a full time job. There was a lot of paperwork to do, flights to set up for kids to get to and from the hospital." As a member of the Aviation group, Bob would have to assist in setting up flights for injured children needing to get to the Shrine Hospital. "We had kids we couldn't put on regular airplanes, so I'd get my guys to fly them. When our group took over the clinic in Las Vegas we had 27 kids in the program. But the Las Angeles Shrine hospital had a lot of empty beds, and in 12 years we got the program to over 1,200 kids. We got the community aware of the program by putting out fliers. One time, we put out over 137,000 fliers in one day. Every student Clark County got a flier on the program, which was written in both English and Spanish."

Bob then moved to Missouri, where he became a member of Macks Creek Lodge #433, a Lodge with about 70 members. "I keep in touch with a Past Master from Macks Creek" explains Bob, "I've found some very good friends in Masonry and these friendships have lasted a long time, 30 years or better. They're friends and Brothers of choice, and you can really meet some fantastic people." Since the closest Shriners location was over 100 miles away from home in Missouri, Bob and his wife were both active in the Eastern Star. "When there were events in the area with the lodges and Masonic families, they always came back to the Lodge and the meals were served there by the Eastern Star and the Lodge members." They were also busy with activities outside of the Masonic family. Bob and his wife volunteered for the Camden County Child Advocacy Center, a non-profit groups that provides children with school supplies, clothing, and dental care.

When asked a bit more about his wife's participation, "She is a very bright woman," Bob explains, with a confident grin. "I couldn't do what I did in Masonry without the support of my wife and family. I couldn't have done half of what I did without her support." Bob has been married now for 43 years.

After returning back home to Michigan, Bob was looking for a Lodge to become a member. After visiting a few Lodges in the area, he settled down right here at Acanthus #477. This is a dual membership for Bob, as he still holds his membership in Max Creek, Missouri.

Currently, Bob is the co-chairman for the Michigan Child Identification Program at Acanthus Lodge. He is also a member of the finance committee and the investigation committee, which conducts interviews with potential candidates. "Some of the people I get to interview, especially those from the fire department, are rather young. But the last guy I interviewed was 71 years old, and just as sharp as they come. But they're all nice people. Sometimes I walk in to their home and you can see by the body language that the candidate's wife isn't too sure about what he's getting into, but start showing support once they get a better idea of what we're all about."

In Bob's own words, the greatest part of being a Mason is "The friendship and trust that you get with another Brother Mason. I know that I can depend on them and they can depend on me. Masonry made me step up a lot higher than I was, it got me out and involved in other things, for example I was even an officer in the International Die Sinkers Conference Union after I was the Master at the Masonic Lodge. The union is a group of the highest skilled machinists in the country." Bob was a member of the union for about twenty-two and a half years.

When he's not keeping busy with Lodge activities, Bob is spending time with his six grandkids and four great-grandkids.

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