Latest / Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries / Episode 35. Foster Solem (Grand Master 2024-2025)

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Episode 35. Foster Solem (Grand Master 2024-2025) · Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries

• 0:20
  Good day and welcome to Minnesota Masonic Histories and Mysteries Hello, everyone.
• 0:25
  Welcome back.
• 0:26
  My name is Reed Endersby.
• 0:27
  I'm the Director of Membership Engagement for the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, joined by my colleague, John Schweitz, the CEO of Minnesota Masonic Charities.
• 0:34
  Hello, sir.
• 0:35
  Hello.
• 0:36
  Good morning.
• 0:36
  Fantastic.
• 0:37
  Other than flat tires two days in a row.
• 0:40
  It seems to be a thing right now.
• 0:41
  You had two flat tires, sequential days, two different cars.
• 0:45
  This is a construction issue?
• 0:46
  I think that Tires Plus drives around town and throws nails out the window of a car.
• 0:51
  That's my plan.
• 0:52
  I'm going to go with the Good construction everywhere.
• 0:55
  It took me forever to get a short distance last night, but that's pretty much common in this time of year.
• 1:02
  Hey, by the way, our guest today is a third generation Mason joined in 1998.
• 1:07
  His home lodge is mini ha ha lodge.
• 1:09
  Number one, six, five in Minneapolis.
• 1:12
  He served as master in 2003.
• 1:14
  And again, in 2018, also a past master of Templar lodge in 2015.
• 1:20
  He is a member of the Scottish Rite, former Master of Kedosh for the Consistory, Minnehaha Chapter No.
• 1:25
  37, Order of Eastern Star, Past Worthy Patron, York Rite, Zura Temple.
• 1:32
  He is Proud of being a Mason as well as his Masonic heritage.
• 1:36
  And Oh, by the way, he's the current grandmaster of Masons in Minnesota.
• 1:40
  Welcome Foster Solomon.
• 1:41
  Welcome Foster.
• 1:42
  Reid and I are standing as is tradition and you're telling us to sit down.
• 1:46
  So we'll do just that.
• 1:47
  Thank you.
• 1:49
  Foster.
• 1:49
  Welcome.
• 1:50
  It's great to have you, uh, here in the studio.
• 1:54
  Um, I always like to know what was it that compelled you to become a Mason in the first place?
• 2:00
  How did that come to be?
• 2:03
  I was singing a concert at the Minneapolis Scottish Rite Temple.
• 2:07
  And, uh, there's a window that has a drape over it in that sanctuary.
• 2:13
  And, uh, as we were done with the concert and we're leaving, one of the people said, Why do you suppose they pulled the drape over that window?
• 2:19
  And somebody told me, because this is one of those cults.
• 2:23
  Oh yes.
• 2:23
  Of course.
• 2:24
  And that made the hair on the back of my neck go up, because I knew my dad was, uh, A member of the cult, yes.
• 2:30
  So, uh, my dad was old school, and until I went home and said, Dad, we need to talk.
• 2:36
  I just heard, and he said, well, do you think I'm a member of a cult?
• 2:40
  And I said, no, he said, do you want to know more about it?
• 2:43
  And I said, sure.
• 2:45
  And that was the end of the story.
• 2:46
  But he was one that I had to ask sure.
• 2:50
  Five boys in my family and none of them asked.
• 2:52
  I was the only one that did.
• 2:53
  And I'm the only Mason.
• 2:54
  Wow.
• 2:55
  And, uh, what year was that?
• 2:57
  That was in, would have been back in 1998, probably.
• 3:00
  All righty.
• 3:03
  And what lodge was your dad a member of?
• 3:04
  Minnehaha.
• 3:05
  Oh, he was Minnehaha, so you got raised in the same lodge.
• 3:07
  Very cool.
• 3:07
  And probably the neatest story that goes back to that is, um, the first person I met when my dad took me to my first Masonic function was Neil Neddemeier.
• 3:17
  Oh, that'll get your attention.
• 3:19
  The interesting two fold thing is Neil was Grand Master the year I was Master of Minnehaha.
• 3:26
  Okay.
• 3:27
  And Neil became my great, great Grand Lodge.
• 3:32
  Masonic Father.
• 3:33
  Oh, no.
• 3:33
  So who was it that appointed you?
• 3:35
  Um, John Studdell appointed me, John Cook appointed John Studdell, and Neil Meyer.
• 3:41
  Neil appointed John Cook.
• 3:43
  Yep.
• 3:43
  John Cook, who happens to be the chair of our, uh, board, of the Masonic Charities Board.
• 3:50
  Wonderful guy.
• 3:51
  Yeah, nice lineage there.
• 3:52
  But I think the lining up of all that happened is kind of weird.
• 3:55
  It's weird.
• 3:55
  It's weird.
• 3:56
  So where did you grow up?
• 3:58
  Were you set nearby?
• 3:59
  I grew up in South Minneapolis.
• 4:00
  Where'd you go to school?
• 4:01
  Uh, well, Miles Standish Grade School, then we left and moved to New Holstein, Wisconsin.
• 4:06
  That's right.
• 4:06
  And what brought you to Wisconsin?
• 4:08
  Uh, my dad transferred.
• 4:09
  Worked for a farm equipment company and they transferred to Wisconsin.
• 4:13
  How many years were you there?
• 4:14
  Ten.
• 4:15
  Ten years.
• 4:15
  And came back, moved out there in 73 and moved back here in 83.
• 4:19
  Okay.
• 4:20
  Wow.
• 4:20
  That was a So How was Wisconsin?
• 4:22
  Was it good to come back, or did you just make, at the time, was it okay, this is where we're going?
• 4:28
  Very different, because moving from the cities, and left after I was in 6th grade, we were taught to be very afraid.
• 4:34
  Really?
• 4:34
  Be afraid of Wisconsin people?
• 4:36
  No, in Minneapolis.
• 4:37
  Oh, I understand, yes.
• 4:39
  So as a young child was taught, you lock everything up, you can't go out at night, everybody had to know where you were.
• 4:45
  And we moved to this town where, if you lock something up, there was something wrong with it.
• 4:48
  Right.
• 4:49
  What are you hiding?
• 4:50
  Um.
• 4:51
  I have a funny story along those lines.
• 4:53
  I, uh, the first time I went to go visit my in laws, at the time Becky was my girlfriend, they live on this farm, and my car was parked behind my brother in law's, my future brother in law's car.
• 5:09
  And he went to go open the door to back it out, to move it.
• 5:13
  And the door was locked.
• 5:15
  And he comes in and he said, you know, down here, not only do we not lock the doors, we leave the keys in the car.
• 5:22
  And I thought, boy, is that different now as a guy who's had two cars stolen.
• 5:26
  I, uh, I disagree with that plan.
• 5:28
  I'm not allowed to leave keys in cars any longer.
• 5:31
  Have you thought about just using Uber every day between your car stolen, your multiple?
• 5:36
  Well, I was hoping maybe you could come by and pick me up in the morning.
• 5:39
  That would be terrific.
• 5:40
  That's how this works, right?
• 5:40
  Foster, you may make a suggestion in the back.
• 5:43
  You could wear one of those little black hats.
• 5:45
  That would be fantastic.
• 5:46
  Let's talk about that.
• 5:47
  I did, uh, think his second name was Carlton.
• 5:50
  Carlton, yes.
• 5:51
  He's kind of got a Carlton air about him.
• 5:54
  We digress.
• 5:55
  Yes, exactly.
• 5:56
  So, that's, so, going to the little different vibe of being in Wisconsin where, It sounds like there was also, was it more like a, everyone's sort of everyone's parents that you could go to anyone's, any of your friend's parent to ask them something if you need something.
• 6:11
  Very community.
• 6:12
  Right.
• 6:13
  Very small town.
• 6:13
  Everybody knew each other.
• 6:14
  More cows than people in the town.
• 6:15
  So it was a farm community.
• 6:17
  Yeah.
• 6:17
  Um, but everything was totally open.
• 6:19
  Well, then when I moved back here, it was culture shock again because now it's lookout murders on the streets, lock everything up again.
• 6:26
  And did you go back to South Minneapolis?
• 6:29
  Uh, yeah.
• 6:29
  Okay.
• 6:30
  Yep.
• 6:31
  So it just that was very interesting to go from scared to totally open to scared again.
• 6:36
  When did you lose your dad?
• 6:37
  Uh 2020.
• 6:39
  Oh, so he's okay Very recently.
• 6:42
  Yep.
• 6:43
  Curious.
• 6:43
  Was he a victim of kovid?
• 6:45
  He was he was oh god And kovid.
• 6:48
  Yeah, not a good not a good no deal.
• 6:51
  No.
• 6:51
  Sorry Yeah, hear that again, and he's still still with us and In thought and memory at all times.
• 6:57
  Tell us a little about your year so far.
• 6:59
  So you've been Grandmaster since April, your travels.
• 7:02
  I know you've been to Manitoba, Indiana.
• 7:05
  You're heading to the Shrine Imperial in a few days.
• 7:08
  How's it going so far?
• 7:10
  Busy.
• 7:10
  Yeah.
• 7:11
  More than you anticipated or were you prepared for?
• 7:16
  I think probably was prepared for it, but you just, until you start physically doing it.
• 7:21
  Being on the road all the time and coming home and getting ready to repack to go somewhere else.
• 7:24
  I hadn't quite, I knew it was gonna be that way, but until you do it, it, yeah.
• 7:28
  How many nights a week, typically, so far?
• 7:30
  Four or five.
• 7:31
  Wow.
• 7:32
  It's quite a commitment.
• 7:34
  It really is.
• 7:35
  I don't know if our members realize.
• 7:37
  Trying to keep up with the Hiram Awards, with the banquets, with the 150 anniversaries, or whatever anniversary it is.
• 7:45
  Just lots of stuff going on, trying to keep up with degree work and stay active with lodges and do stuff for me.
• 7:50
  Keeps you busy.
• 7:50
  And probably still attend your own lodge when you can.
• 7:53
  When I can.
• 7:54
  Yeah.
• 7:54
  Can I speak to the degree work?
• 7:56
  Yeah.
• 7:57
  So, I've always known Foster as this kinda hugger guy who likes to give hugs, who seems very sort of understated in the way that you present yourself to the people around you.
• 8:11
  Then I witnessed you doing a third degree at St.
• 8:14
  John's Lodge, and I was absolutely blown away.
• 8:19
  One, by how amazing you are at ritual, but how this other foster comes out, and I am just so amazed at your, one, your ability to, to, to perform is exceptional.
• 8:33
  Were you in like drama when you're, okay, so you have some experience.
• 8:38
  This is a, a speaking, nodding doesn't work on a podcast.
• 8:42
  Yes, yes.
• 8:43
  I can see you nodding, but the listeners can't.
• 8:46
  Yeah, this is an audio, uh, format.
• 8:48
  Gotcha, gotcha.
• 8:49
  Um, so tell us about how you, I mean, you're like an actor.
• 8:54
  Where did you get that acting bug?
• 8:56
  Well, I was in drama in high school.
• 8:58
  Okay, so you did drama in high school.
• 8:59
  Yes, I did plays in high school.
• 9:00
  Did you do any plays that we might have heard of?
• 9:02
  Uh, Life with Father, um, we did MASH.
• 9:07
  Really?
• 9:08
  Who did you play in MASH?
• 9:09
  I, I was not a big part in MASH.
• 9:12
  Okay.
• 9:12
  Um, A very small part, but.
• 9:15
  And you can't spin, because then it sounds like this.
• 9:17
  Oh, I'm sorry, yeah.
• 9:19
  We're gonna get this figured out, uh, Grandmaster.
• 9:23
  Um, so, not a big part in MASH.
• 9:26
  Were you in drama, Reid?
• 9:27
  I wasn't.
• 9:28
  I did the uh, Wizard of Oz, I was the Tin Man.
• 9:31
  Really?
• 9:31
  And I still know all the, all my lines.
• 9:33
  Really?
• 9:34
  Yeah.
• 9:34
  Do you, do you wow them?
• 9:35
  Oil can! Do you, do you wow the family with those still?
• 9:39
  Do the kids facepalm?
• 9:40
  Well, you know, if I only had a heart, I know all the, you know, I, I sing it.
• 9:43
  When a man's an empty kettle.
• 9:46
  Anyway, sorry.
• 9:47
  We can, we can edit that out.
• 9:48
  We're not going to edit, people need to know of my talents.
• 9:51
  so, that's where the ritual ability, uh, came from.
• 9:55
  Yeah.
• 9:56
  I'm, I'm also OCD, uh, OCDC, yeah.
• 10:01
  OCD, and so when I did my proficiency work, um, it was at the time when the proficiency lectures were there, and I had been told you could go the long way or the short way.
• 10:12
  Let me guess.
• 10:13
  I want to go the long way.
• 10:13
  Of course you did.
• 10:15
  You are a traditionalist.
• 10:17
  Correct.
• 10:17
  To say the least.
• 10:18
  Correct.
• 10:18
  And that is one of the things that I admire about your, what I have witnessed during your year as Grand Master.
• 10:25
  Well, you have to know who you are or you cease to exist.
• 10:27
  Right.
• 10:28
  Absolutely.
• 10:28
  Absolutely.
• 10:29
  You have to know your identity and what you represent and who you are.
• 10:33
  And I think if Masons forget what we're really here to do, we're going to turn into a social club.
• 10:39
  And I also want to say, for those of you that have only witnessed the foster who likes to hug and is this sweet guy, I don't think you want to cross foster.
• 10:47
  I have seen a side of foster, if something, irritates foster, You'd rather be on the right end of that irritation.
• 10:55
  It's a very different vibe.
• 10:56
  It's a, it's a different foster.
• 10:58
  The year of the hug is very fitting though.
• 11:01
  And one of the things that about you that resonates with members and even non, non masons, you're a Mason in your heart.
• 11:10
  And as you alluded to, you take the value teachings seriously and live it and walk the walk.
• 11:15
  And it's a tremendous example to set.
• 11:21
  How do you see us as an organization continuing to see that our new members are not just joining a Lodge, but becoming a Mason?
• 11:33
  Well, I think the only way we can do that is by the people that are in the craft now, by living and doing what we're supposed to be doing.
• 11:39
  And I think remembering what we're supposed to be doing, um, which comes from the ritual to me.
• 11:47
  If we forget to live the lessons that are taught in the ritual and, and do those things, the new people coming in won't see it.
• 11:55
  And the meaning, the meaning behind the words being so crucial that yes, we, and you being a, a, a custodian and monitor, you're all of that, you letter perfect on and the delivery of that.
• 12:09
  But sometimes we see a little, which is wildly important, yes, but sometimes we see the focus on.
• 12:16
  Just getting the words right Sometimes the meaning takes a back seat, and that's something we've talked about at length in the last couple of years.
• 12:24
  Can I just ask something?
• 12:25
  You said something that really struck me just now.
• 12:28
  The distinction between joining a lodge and becoming a Mason.
• 12:33
  I don't think we lean into that enough.
• 12:35
  I think that that is such an important part of, Is that something that you said a bunch of times, and I just have not been paying attention?
• 12:42
  I have heard that said, I wish I could say I, I coined that phrase I heard it said recently.
• 12:47
  Let's just say you did at at a, uh, at, at a Master Mason degree.
• 12:51
  And, uh, grand Lodge representative stood up and, and congratulated the new newly raised master masons and said, now, tomorrow is tomorrow.
• 12:59
  You're gonna wake up and things are gonna feel different.
• 13:01
  And when you think about your life now moving forward, this is a new beginning.
• 13:07
  And, and there's a difference between joining a lodge, wearing the pin, wearing the ring.
• 13:13
  And actually being a Mason in one's heart and living by the, as we say in Freemasonry, the tenets of our profession, right?
• 13:21
  Or brotherly love, relief, truth, friendship, providing relief to those in need and living a life of, of integrity, not, and these aren't just passive, you know, platitudes, but truly it's a lifestyle.
• 13:35
  And not to pander to the Grand Master, but I sincerely mean this when I say, you really are the embodiment of those things to me.
• 13:44
  Like when I think of the person that exemplifies brotherly love, Relief and truth, I see all of those things in you, your interest in just the fraternal side of the fraternity, the brotherly love piece.
• 13:57
  you've been a strong advocate of Masonic charities for as long as I've known you.
• 14:02
  And when it comes to the esoteric stuff, I'd put you up against just about anybody when it comes to ritual, but along those lines, who would you put on your Mount Rushmore of ritualists that you've, uh, encountered in your years as a Mason boy.
• 14:17
  Oh, that's a tough one to hit me right out of the gate.
• 14:19
  Well, that's what I do, maybe there's more than one.
• 14:21
  I said Mount Rushmore.
• 14:23
  Usually we put four on Mount Rushmore.
• 14:25
  I think Jerry Oliver is one of my Oh gosh, yes.
• 14:27
  I, Jerry has given lectures and speeches He, that The room goes dead when he speaks.
• 14:35
  And he has a way of captivating an audience and makes you think about what he's saying.
• 14:41
  You bet.
• 14:41
  Jerry's a very powerful speaker.
• 14:45
  Neil Neddemeier is another one.
• 14:48
  Another gregarious guy.
• 14:50
  When they speak, they just get your attention.
• 14:52
  Yep.
• 14:52
  And know how to do things.
• 14:54
  you mention Jerry and Neil, they're both big guys.
• 14:59
  But what I think is interesting, Foster, it's no secret, you're not a big guy, and yet you still command the presence of a guy that's six foot five, which I think is pretty, which I think is just cool about this fraternity.
• 15:13
  you are, how you present yourself, not necessarily how your physical stature is, which is, you know, which I think is very unique in the world.
• 15:23
  Reed, who's on your Mount Rushmore?
• 15:26
  In what way?
• 15:27
  In, in, in ritual ability.
• 15:30
  well, I would've put Jerry in there as well.
• 15:33
  Um, I'm gonna say some of the, maybe some of the John Gann is awfully good.
• 15:38
  John is excellent.
• 15:39
  And some of the new up and comers too.
• 15:42
  Uh, Ty Schmidt.
• 15:44
  Oh.
• 15:44
  Clint LaFave.
• 15:45
  Okay.
• 15:46
  Uh, there, there's There's many new brothers, new ish, that are tackling learning the ritual and maybe not even trying to become a certified monitor right away, but it ends up becoming that.
• 16:01
  They have a passion for it.
• 16:04
  I have noticed, um, a guy that I've become increasingly impressed with is Marcus Mueller.
• 16:11
  Marcus, you know, and plus with the accent, he sounds cooler than we do.
• 16:15
  Oh, big time.
• 16:15
  There's something about that accent that really elevates his, uh, his presentation.
• 16:22
  He just sounds cool.
• 16:23
  But he can take an ordinary subject that you know nothing about.
• 16:27
  Oh gosh, Kenny.
• 16:28
  And can he get you interested?
• 16:29
  I'm interested.
• 16:30
  The crosscut saw presentation.
• 16:32
  It just, I popped into one of the Red Room presentations, Um, or actually it was an education thing in the candidates room, sorry.
• 16:41
  And heard him talking to the candidates about numbers.
• 16:45
  And where they came from.
• 16:47
  Oh yeah.
• 16:47
  Like the 3, 5, and 7 and how they, And in 5 minutes I had my tongue on the floor and was going, Oh my god, I had no idea these numbers lined up that way.
• 16:57
  The crosscut saw.
• 16:58
  Uh, presentation he does, Marcus Mueller, by the way, when I remember reading, he was going to give that and thought, what in the world will this actually be about?
• 17:06
  And he, for anyone who hasn't heard this, and I highly suggested for a lodge education presentation, he spells out the science, the physics behind a saw in the different saw teeth and the blades.
• 17:20
  And then he, then.
• 17:22
  makes them analogous to the officers of a lodge.
• 17:26
  That the worshipful master represents this one and they all have their place.
• 17:30
  It was fascinating and so compelling.
• 17:34
  It was tremendous.
• 17:35
  Yeah, he, he does.
• 17:36
  He sees things and researches things that, you know, that really sort of add some interesting meaning.
• 17:45
  And you know, sometimes I wonder, are we making this up or is this legit?
• 17:50
  Seriously.
• 17:51
  And I guess who cares, right?
• 17:54
  It's fun stuff.
• 17:55
  We are honored to be joined today by the Grandmaster of Masons in Minnesota, Foster Solem.
• 18:01
  One thing I noticed you had written in the, uh, Ashler, one of our publications, the Masonic home was something that early on struck a chord with you.
• 18:14
  And for our listeners who may not be aware of the Masonic home was opened in 1920.
• 18:21
  Long before society had our modern day equivalent of nursing homes, care facilities, and back in those days, if mom, dad, grandpa, grandma were ill or incapacitated, they were going to live with you.
• 18:34
  And it was ahead of its time in so many ways.
• 18:37
  But the Masonic Home still thrives today, and a highly rated care facility in the entire state of Minnesota, really leading the way on so many different things.
• 18:48
  All of that aside, the reason it was even thought of and, and ever opened is how we, how we can take care of our people, our members and those in need.
• 18:58
  And you had quite a story about, about that, that really it was a safe to say a light bulb moment for you.
• 19:05
  Well, I, for those of us that didn't read that, I read it, but can you just explain what you, uh, what you presented?
• 19:14
  Well, for a long time, I I had a hunch, and so far it's played out true that I was going to be single, and had the concerns about what was going to happen to me when I got old.
• 19:27
  And when my dad took me out to the home and showed it to me and stuff and told me how it worked, and I thought, that's really cool.
• 19:35
  When I get old, if I don't have kids and I don't have a wife, who's going to take care of me?
• 19:41
  And knowing that I could come to the home and they would take care of me until I died.
• 19:46
  That's really cool.
• 19:46
  That was one of the grabbing things that interested me in masonry.
• 19:51
  Because it gave me a future.
• 19:53
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 19:54
  And I knew, no matter what I did with my life, the end was taken care of.
• 20:00
  And can I just speak to that?
• 20:01
  That is one of the things that I find most beautiful about our fraternity.
• 20:05
  A couple of examples.
• 20:07
  I recently, in the Pillars magazine, wrote about the fact that One of the things that inspires me more than anything is the way that brothers take care of senior brothers.
• 20:18
  And, uh, Roger Taylor is an ideal example.
• 20:21
  He and Nancy, I mean, they have made it their mission to make sure that the brothers that are older than them are well taken care of.
• 20:28
  Roger, says, I'm hoping that at some point in the future, one of those younger brothers will pick me up and take me out for a burger when I'm in my 90s.
• 20:37
  But the Eastern Star is the same way.
• 20:39
  the way, Janet Johnson, for example, takes care of Dolores Lutterall in her aging years, creeping up on a hundred years old, but how fortunate We are as members of this fraternity that that brotherly love exists.
• 20:53
  And when you see it here at the home, in fact, uh, every Tuesday morning, there's a big group of guys that meet for breakfast.
• 21:01
  And many of them are masons and the way that they support each other.
• 21:05
  And when, Jack Lindgren passed away, the concern and the care for his family that emanated from this facility was just so heartwarming.
• 21:15
  The staff that went to his funeral, it was just incredible.
• 21:19
  So I agree with you.
• 21:20
  I think that there's something very special about the fact that all Masons have the opportunity to, to come here and serve out their senior years and surrounded by other Masons, which I think is phenomenal.
• 21:34
  It's, and that's my commercial for the Masonic home.
• 21:37
  It's 11, five Oh one Masonic home drive, Bloomington, Minnesota.
• 21:42
  55437 Send your checks And I I think that's kind of a underlying tone for masonry as a whole Yep of not necessarily at the home, but just taking care of brothers in general and it's one of our founding Principles is to take care of a brother.
• 21:59
  Yep, and uh, I think if we forget to do that, that's one of our key Knowing that we help each other And watch over each other.
• 22:08
  We watch over our widows.
• 22:09
  We watch over our brothers And lots of groups aren't good at doing that.
• 22:13
  And I think masonry does a better job than most.
• 22:16
  Well, and it really is about, as you've articulated, the relationships.
• 22:20
  The administrative side of our organization is, of course, very important.
• 22:24
  But, pre masonry, I get asked this a lot in my role of, guys may be interested in learning more about it.
• 22:32
  Well, what's it all about?
• 22:33
  Well, as we've illustrated here today, it's about relationships.
• 22:36
  It's about the, the Mentoring that occurs like you'd mentioned with Roger Taylor that that in many so many other examples But the the mentoring that sometimes is unintentional Now we may know of a younger brother and resonate with him and feel okay.
• 22:53
  Well, hey, I'm gonna be your mentor but there are I've have had some very close relationships with Masons who have now passed that when I was in my 30s and venting to them about or 40s or whatever about life and work and just the rigors of what's going on.
• 23:12
  I had no idea the seeds of the relationship that were planted at that time.
• 23:17
  And that was that unintentional friendship and mentor mentee relationship that, that surfaced in that.
• 23:26
  And to fast forward 20 years and to hold that brother's hand as he's losing his battle with life.
• 23:36
  And then to find out.
• 23:38
  Oh, it's in his will that he picked you, pick me to preside over his service.
• 23:45
  I mean, that, those, that's where I stop and take a look that it's such a cliche that of course, time is fleeting and you get old so fast and then it's true though.
• 23:55
  And the, it's so vital that we slow down and build those and hone those relationships amongst one another with that, Friendship factor, knowing what's going on in each other's lives and being there for one another as friends and brothers.
• 24:11
  Well, I think, I think of the word wisdom comes to mind with ritual.
• 24:19
  Wisdom comes with age, and I think we learn so much from our older brothers.
• 24:25
  Too, from a knowledge standpoint, but from a viewpoint of they've been around the block more than once and in current times when life is so hectic.
• 24:34
  Um, they can share a piece of wisdom with us that we don't know because we haven't experienced it.
• 24:41
  Um, there's a balancing act of, of what they can share that we won't get.
• 24:46
  Institutional knowledge.
• 24:48
  And so I think it's really important when we see those older brothers.
• 24:54
  And, and mix with them.
• 24:56
  Be curious with them, right?
• 24:57
  Be curious with them.
• 24:58
  Right.
• 24:59
  Get to know them, ask them.
• 25:00
  Um, that, that interchange of old and young, of the new guys coming in and the old guys, is very magical.
• 25:07
  And that's unique to this organization, I think.
• 25:09
  Well, and if there are any young people out there that are seeking wisdom, if wisdom comes with age, We got a lot of wisdom in this, uh, in this fraternity.
• 25:19
  That's for sure.
• 25:20
  Let's talk about your year, your, the, the, the, the year looking forward.
• 25:24
  What are some of your objectives?
• 25:26
  If you know what, what do you want us to look back on the year of foster and, uh, take away from that year?
• 25:33
  What kind of stamp would you like to leave on the fraternity?
• 25:36
  Oh, hopefully that we have a fun year together.
• 25:39
  Um, I guess I would, I would like to leave the lodges, um, um, Which I always have, loving the ritual because I think it's who we are.
• 25:49
  And so when I travel and do stuff, I hope that I can inspire people with the ritual to learn the lessons and have a good time doing it and build relationships while they're masons.
• 25:59
  Do you have a particular, uh, degree or a particular part of the ritual that is especially important to you?
• 26:10
  Oh, another tough question.
• 26:13
  That's what we do.
• 26:14
  There's so many Many great parts in the ritual.
• 26:19
  Um, I think the interrogatories are really important.
• 26:21
  Okay um all the way through all of the Degrees, there's so many pointed parts That hit you as you go through.
• 26:31
  Yep Which is kind of how life is you get hit with things all the way through and you have to know what to do um I love the E.
• 26:38
  A.
• 26:38
  degree.
• 26:38
  I love the fellow craft degree.
• 26:40
  The middle chamber lecture is an amazing piece of work that teaches a lot.
• 26:45
  Um, the, the nine cardinal virtues in, in the third degree, I think we did last night.
• 26:52
  And it just, every time I hear them, it brings back those things that we should be doing.
• 26:57
  They're all, the working tools of all three degrees are all magical.
• 27:00
  There's The ritual is just loaded with good stuff.
• 27:04
  Um, you mentioned that you come from a really strong line, and you have appointed Kenny Friese to the line, and Kenny is from northwest Minnesota, which is often overlooked.
• 27:17
  Can you tell us what, uh, what was it about Kenny that made you decide to appoint him?
• 27:23
  Help us get to know Kenny a little better.
• 27:26
  Kenny is probably one of the hardest working guys that I know, that I do.
• 27:30
  I don't know well.
• 27:32
  Kenny and I are You admire the work ethic.
• 27:35
  Really, yes.
• 27:39
  Kenny lives so far away that we are not close friends that way.
• 27:43
  But what, Kenny inspired me in watching how he works and operates.
• 27:48
  And shortly after I joined Masonry and became a custodian of the work, and Um, we did a, uh, one day up in the northern part of the state and Kenny was in charge of that.
• 27:58
  And he got every single lodge up there involved.
• 28:02
  It was, wonderful, almost as big as a statewide event, really, and, uh, was very successful.
• 28:09
  He took on every aspect of changing the room and making it what it needed to be.
• 28:15
  Um, he got all the lodges involved.
• 28:18
  It made money, you know, to support what it took to put it on.
• 28:24
  You give Kenny a project and he'll take it to the nth degree.
• 28:26
  That's great.
• 28:27
  And, and so, Kenny was an inspiration to me from a long time ago.
• 28:32
  You give him a task and he'll make it happen.
• 28:34
  And I just thought, with Northern Minnesota and where we're going, I thought, there's a guy out there who knows a chunk of the state that we need.
• 28:42
  Absolutely.
• 28:42
  And I wanted his input.
• 28:44
  Um, with the corporate board.
• 28:47
  Yeah.
• 28:47
  Um, I thought he's got valued insights on one big chunk of the state, and so I wanted him here for a hard worker, a different type of opinion, and And one of the things that I really appreciate it is, sometimes we become a little too metro centric.
• 29:04
  And you're a Minnehaha Lodge guy who grew up in South Minneapolis, but you recognize the need to have that rural, out state representation.
• 29:15
  And I think it's always important to, to break that line every once in a while and introduce somebody That is geographically a little distant from us that a lot of the guys might not necessarily know, but it gives an opportunity for them to recognize that there is talent, there is hard work that exists well beyond the borders of the seven county metro area.
• 29:36
  Oh my, yes.
• 29:37
  Right?
• 29:38
  Yeah.
• 29:38
  There's talent throughout this state.
• 29:41
  Yeah, one of the things that we're going to be having our strategic planning session for Minnesota Masonic Charities, and we're doing these breakout sessions, and one of the things that I've done is I've put together little groups of individuals that will go to these four different areas of concern that we as charities has.
• 30:01
  Um, And we're going to have some, the guys from the Grand Lodge be in one group and bring the Grand Lodge perspective to it.
• 30:07
  We've got the Eastern Star people, the Eastern Star perspective.
• 30:11
  We have the Metro, uh, past Grand Masters that are part of the Metro.
• 30:16
  But then we've got the Outstate group.
• 30:17
  And I want to make sure that we're paying attention, that everything that we do has an eye on, uh, the rural areas.
• 30:25
  Um, Steve Johnson, for example, uh, has, uh, suggested that we get to know the future farmers of America.
• 30:32
  Yes.
• 30:32
  Because FFA apparently was started once upon a time by Masons.
• 30:35
  That I didn't know.
• 30:36
  I, he sent me an article.
• 30:37
  It's very interesting, so.
• 30:39
  I'm going out to an event that they're having at the end of the end of July just to kind of get a feel for What the organization is all about and when we look at our mission grants I think FFA is a perfect example of an organization that it would make sense for us to have a closer connection to Although I'm surprised at all of the leadership of the FFA Like the youth leadership, all girls.
• 31:03
  I think there's one boy, lots of girls.
• 31:06
  But you know, we have a Eastern star organization that could use some, some youth.
• 31:11
  Have you noticed that?
• 31:15
  So when you think about the, the world we live in now, we've talked about this in the car over coffee or, or just in, in general, that Sometimes I will have conversations with someone interested in learning more about Freemasonry.
• 31:32
  And initially it's well, is this, are these value teachings old?
• 31:37
  Are they out of date?
• 31:38
  And I would like to think that they're timeless.
• 31:43
  And in a world we live in now that is celebrating divisiveness and it's all about fanning the flames.
• 31:50
  It's not about meeting in the middle and agreeing to disagree.
• 31:54
  It's Shouting louder and just ground and pound until you win.
• 32:00
  And in a world that is fractured right now that is seeking what we stand for tolerance or non sectarian.
• 32:10
  It's it's about leaving the state of the world in a better place than you found it.
• 32:17
  What are your thoughts on that?
• 32:19
  Where do you, especially in your position now as Grand Master?
• 32:23
  How can we further that mission that the grand aim we have in view is Freemasons?
• 32:31
  Well, I, it, it always goes back to the basic teachings.
• 32:36
  And I think you nailed it.
• 32:38
  They are timeless.
• 32:40
  How we, how we get people in the current world to embrace them is the challenge.
• 32:48
  Um, the lessons themselves are timeless.
• 32:50
  Uh, being good doesn't change.
• 32:54
  Being kind, doing the right thing, right versus wrong, doesn't change.
• 32:59
  But the world we live in and how you apply some of the lessons to your life and how we, um, use them, we, we might have to approach them differently.
• 33:11
  But I think that's the problem is if you try and change masonry, you'll lose what it's about.
• 33:17
  And, and, the world needs masonry, that's a common cliche saying too, but it needs it now as much as it ever has.
• 33:25
  Um, and it's needed it always and it always will need it.
• 33:28
  So if we can remember the basic tenets of who we are and what we're here to do, there'll always be a need.
• 33:34
  If you build it, they will come.
• 33:36
  We just have to make sure people understand who we are and what we're about.
• 33:39
  And if you get that real meaning, you'll It'll, it'll be here.
• 33:43
  And Reed, you know, one of the ways that I think that applies to the modern world, uh, is how we present civility school.
• 33:51
  You know, our goal in civility school is meeting young people where they're at.
• 33:56
  And where they're at is primarily social media, uh, and our objective is to, help them manipulate their algorithms to become Masonic algorithms.
• 34:08
  You know, the things that are important to Masonry, the things that make Masonry what it is, if those are the things that they are being fed to them through the algorithms that they, uh, that they, I just think that that's the, to me, that's the answer to that question.
• 34:25
  And see in the algorithm being Timeless core values of being a person of integrity, dignity, kindness and respect.
• 34:34
  And one thing that's been transformative when we have done the civility school presentations are seeing young people when it clicks with them that.
• 34:45
  It's more than just being against all the wrong things.
• 34:48
  It's more than just a feeling.
• 34:51
  It's what are you doing?
• 34:52
  What are you doing to be the change in your corner of the world?
• 34:55
  What are you, if there's a cause that you're passionate about that's going to provide some sort of relief out in the world, we are what we do, not what we say that we'll do.
• 35:05
  And when the young people make that connection, it's been fabulous.
• 35:11
  And I think it's also It's, it's about what's right with people as opposed to what's wrong with people.
• 35:19
  And I would love to see a, uh, you know, we've got a presidential election coming up.
• 35:25
  And for once, I would love to see a candidate that doesn't focus on the shortcomings of the people that they're, Uh, running against, but focus on the, the positive things that they as an individual bring to the mix.
• 35:38
  It's like flipping the script.
• 35:40
  You know, to me that would be a, a very Masonic way to, uh, to operate a campaign, is to focus on the good things that I can do, not the bad things that you're gonna do.
• 35:51
  Right.
• 35:51
  Right.
• 35:52
  So.
• 35:53
  Well said.
• 35:53
  It's really good.
• 35:54
  I never thought of it in that perspective before, too.
• 35:56
  That would be refreshing.
• 35:58
  I got a good night's sleep last night.
• 35:59
  Feeling really good about things.
• 36:01
  That's great.
• 36:02
  We're joined today by Foster Solon, who's the Grand Master of Masons in Minnesota, and also a good friend, great friend.
• 36:10
  And this has been a really fun opportunity to get to know about you a little bit more and things that maybe listeners Haven't known about you and where you grew up and what other what other hobbies do you have?
• 36:24
  What do you do for fun?
• 36:25
  You have a very busy schedule with Masonic activities, but tell us more about you.
• 36:30
  Oh Masonry is a big chunk of my life.
• 36:34
  It's a lot of what I do.
• 36:35
  I help some elderly people.
• 36:38
  I watch over my mom So that that in itself is enough to keep me going fortunate that I've taken the year off from work, which is Almost necessary to accomplish anything for my master.
• 36:53
  Um, but other than that, masonry has become a major focus in my life.
• 36:59
  Um, and the elderly people that I've helped over the years, I've lost a lot of people that I've watched over and take new ones on, so that's part of my passion is helping, um, others that need it, um, that don't have family.
• 37:13
  Um, But beside that masonry, that's pretty much my big chunk.
• 37:17
  I love gardening.
• 37:18
  My grandpa was a prize dahlia grower.
• 37:19
  And so when I get a chance to dig in the dirt, I like doing that.
• 37:24
  Um, I sing.
• 37:25
  So a big chunk of my life was in choirs and singing and doing that.
• 37:30
  I don't do as much of that now as I used to, but when I can I do.
• 37:34
  So.
• 37:35
  The care that you give when you say that you're, you're helping people.
• 37:40
  You are driving me.
• 37:42
  Thousands of miles a year.
• 37:46
  Appointments.
• 37:47
  Visits.
• 37:49
  It's really the the giver's heart that is truly inspiring and speaking of making a difference in the lives of others that said.
• 38:01
  Yeah, one of the things that I'd like to include, uh, from time to time in our podcast is, um, remembering, uh, brothers and sisters that have passed and we recently lost Jan Lingo.
• 38:14
  Jan passed away Yeah, Jan passed away a couple of days ago, and for those of you that don't know Jan, Jan, a member of the Eastern Star, and she, uh, was also a long time volunteer at the Masonic Cancer Center, and Jan and Art, uh, have been strong advocates for the things that we do, not just as Masons, but at Masonic Charities.
• 38:37
  So, just wanted to recognize, uh, Jan for all the great work that she, uh, had done.
• 38:44
  And, uh, have a little prayer for art in your heart.
• 38:47
  And, uh, yeah, she'll be missed.
• 38:50
  I'm so sorry to hear that.
• 38:54
  Wow.
• 38:55
  Yep.
• 38:57
  Anything else?
• 38:58
  Any final words of wisdom, Most Worshipful?
• 39:01
  Thank you for inviting me to come and be with you today.
• 39:03
  Wonderful.
• 39:04
  Very much fun.
• 39:05
  It's been our honor.
• 39:06
  And, uh, we'll see you in your many travels in the months to come.
• 39:09
  Sounds good.
• 39:10
  And off we go.
• 39:11
  All right.