SDGMDonaldsonS
SANFORD GRANT DONALDSON 1880-1953
Grand Master of South Dakota, 1933-1934
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BIOGRAPHY
From "The First 100 Years of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of South Dakota, 1875-1975", Page 136:
Sanford G. Donaldson was born in Yankton, Yankton County, Dakota Territory, January 15, 1880.
Following his graduation from the Yankton city schools, he entered a commercial college at Sioux City where he completed a course in general business. He then entered into an active partnership with his father and brother in a retail grocery, meat market, hardware, and general mercantile business in Yankton.
On October 12, 1910, he married Miss Mabel Alice Hungerford at Joliet, Illinois. They had four children, Sanford, Jr., Herbert, Frederick, and Mary Louise.
He became a member of St. John s Lodge No. 1 on June 3, 1901. He was exalted in Yankton Chapter No. 1, received Knight Templar Degrees in DeMolay Commandery, Yankton, and the Cryptic Degrees in Omega Council No. 2 at Salem, South Dakota. He was a 33rd degree honorary member of Oriental Consistory, Yankton. He was elected and crowned an active member of the Supreme Council, October 23, 1931, and served as Sovereign Grand Inspector General for South Dakota. He belonged to El Riad Shrine Temple in Sioux Falls and was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.
1934
Rapidly increasing demands for relief and assistance brought the Grand Lodge in 1933 face-to-face with the fact that there were not enough funds in the Temporary Charity Fund to meet the demands. At the previous Communication, the Grand Lodge voted to transfer $5,000.00 from the Permanent Charity F_nd but no provision was made for the repayment of the loan. This was one of the most pressing problems confronting the Grand Lodge as Grand Master Donaldson opened the sixtieth Annual Communication at Sioux Falls in 1934. To help with this Charity Fund, Grand Master Donaldson conceived the idea of sending the oldest Masonic Bible in the two Dakotas on a pilgrimage to each of the constituent lodges.
The Bible, the prized possession of St. John's Lodge No. 1, Yankton, was received by each lodge with a special reconsecration ceremony and a voluntary contribution. The journey took two years with 87 lodges being visited and $519.41 received the first year.
The retiring Grand Master, Brother Sanford Donaldson, placed the Bible in the hands of the incoming Grand Master, Brother John H. Foasberg, that it might continue its travels through the balance of the lodges during the coming year.
Pioneer Lodge No. 219 at Martin had been constituted and a new lodge hall had been dedicated at Salem.
Three hundred four brothers passed from labor to rest and joined the Lodge on High during the year. In this group were three Past Grand Masters, John A. Cleaver, Samuel S. Lockhart, and John F. Schrader.
A special committee on the George Washington National Masonic Memorial reported, "In the face of the present financial and crop conditions in South Dakota, with the income of the Grand Lodge greatly reduced, and the outlook for the future uncertain, we have come reluctantly to the conclusion that it is impossible at this time to raise money for this project. We recommend that as soon as possible we take appropriate measures to meet our fair share of this obligation."
All lodges were notified to have a radio in their lodge rooms ready to receive a special Masonic message on George Washington's birthday, February 22. For this occasion Grand Master Donaldson prepared a half hour talk to be broadcast over station WNAX in Yankton. The Grand Master was out of the state at broadcast time and John H. Foasberg, Deputy Grand Master, read the talk.
