SDGMReynoldsH
HARRY BRYANT REYNOLDS 1876-1959
Grand Master of South Dakota, 1941-1942
BIOGRAPHY
From "The First 100 Years of the Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of South Dakota, 1875-1975", Page 154:
Harry B. Reynolds, the sixty-eighth Grand Master of Masons of South Dakota, was born near Rising City, Butler County, Nebraska. He attended the Rising City and David City, Nebraska Public Schools.
He studied as a hotel clerk, grocery clerk, and farm hand in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wyoming. He came to the Black Hills in November, 1909, and worked with the Homestake Mine in Lead.
He was married July 14, 1909, to Miss Margaret Edna Wilmarth. This union was blessed with three daughters and one son. He was a member of the Methodist Church.
Brother Reynolds became a Mason in Mersail Lodge No. 341, Thurman, Iowa, on April 11, 1900. He affiliated with Central City Lodge No. 22, Central City, South Dakota, on March 10, 1904. He received the Chapter, Council and Commandery degrees and served as Grand Master of the Grand Council. He was a charter member of Golden Gate Chapter No. 72, Order of the Eastern Star, Central City. He belonged to NaJa Shrine Temple and the Black Hills Consistory, both in Deadwood.
1942
The sixty-eighth Annual Communication was held at Vermillion in 1942. The nation was at war after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many of the dispensations granted by the Grand Master were directly elated to the mobilization of the nation's manpower. Thirty-one d1spensations had been granted to waive the requirement of a four week interval between degrees. In all cases the candidates were either in service and home on leave or were about to enter into the military service. A number of other dispensations had been granted to waive the twelve month residency requirement for members in government service or military service who were about to be transferred out of the State.
The Grand Master was somewhat prophetic when he uttered the following words in his address, "The signs of the times indicate a probability of a dangerous division among our American people, resulting in class hatred, religious conflict, an increasing social prejudice, and increasing disregard and disrespect for our Constitution, our form of government, and the ideals handed down to us by our Fathers." He went on to say, "It is the task of Masonry to support and encourage the forces which tend to bind men closer together, as well as those which span the differences that lead to hatred and strife." Thus he "laid down work on the trestle board" which was pertinent to all in the fraternity.
A new Masonic Temple had been dedicated at Warner. The Grand Jurisdiction had stabilized with 172 chartered lodges, and 14,142 members, a loss of 24 members - the smallest loss in several years.
The Masonic Service Centers, one in Sioux Falls and two in the Black Hills, which were maintained in the State during World War II, had their beginning at the 1942 Annual Communication. They were the result of Grand Master Reynolds' invitation to Major Charles Coulter of Washington, to come to South Dakota and survey the needs.
Brother Fred Barclay, Grand Tiler, had died during the year and the Grand Master had appointed John R. Johnson to fill the office.
The Grand Historian, Past Grand Master Marshall R. Brown, stated, "I have no report as no additions have been made in the past two years."
The resolution passed at the last Annual Meeting requiring the Grand Secretary to report all suspended, expelled, or demitted members to the Chapter, Commanderies, Consistories, and Shrine Temples was rescinded.
The Finance Committee continued the policy of confining all investments to United States Savings Bonds.
