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ARTHUR H. SHARP 1942-

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BIOGRAPHY

From TROWEL, Summer 1986, Page 6:

Sponsored by his father in 1966 and Raised in Orphan's Hope Lodge, East Weymouth, by life-long friend R. W. and Judge Robert L. Steadman, R. W. Arthur H. Sharp was installed Deputy Grand Master on Dec. 27, 1985. Born and educated in Weymouth where he was a member of South Shore DeMolay Chapter, the son of Raymond E. and Elizabeth H. Sharp is in the twentieth year of an active Masonic career. He was Master of Orphan's Hope Lodge in 1979.

Contributing freely of his time and talents to the Craft and to his community, Bro. Sharp is active in York Rite and Scottish Rite Masonry, Taleb Grotto, and Aleppo Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. As the director of the Scottish Rite Advancement Program his volunteer members have sponsored 1,100 new members. He was given the Meritorious Service Award in 1983 by the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. As a speaker for the Lodges of Instruction for Grand Lodge he has two popular presentations entitled, "The MacArthurs — Military Masons" and "Bro. Charles A. Lindbergh, the Lone Eagle." He is a presenter on the subject, "Grand Lodge."

Educated in Franklin Institute, Boston, where he received an Associate Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1962, he earned a B.S. Degree in Engineering Management at Boston U. in 1965. He financed most of his educational costs through high school and college as a private painting contractor. His employment with Boston Edison Co. as a sales engineer began in 1965. In August he married Patricia E. Jacobs, the hometown girl he had met in church youth activities. They are the parents of Donna Lynn, 17, a senior at Weymouth South High see her essay in this same issue, and Arthur H. Sharp, Jr., 15.

Drafted into the Army in November 1966, he attended infantry training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and graduated seventh his class from the Army Engineer Officer Candidate School at Ft. Belvoir, VA. As a first lieutenant he was assigned to New Cumberland, PA, and then sent to Vietnam as a facilities engineer, a contracting officer, and division staff officer in the Third and Fourth Corps area. He was awarded the Bronze Staff and while he refused a regular Army commission, he remained in the Army Reserve for three years, being stationed at Waltham, MA.

Returning to Boston Edison in September 1969, he was promoted to management roles. Ten years later the company sponsored him at the Harvard Graduate School of Business. The three-month, live-in program was attended by 135 corporate middle managers from around the world. The Can Group of which he was leader won first place in academics and second in athletic competition among the 15 competing groups. Today Bro. Sharp is Group Manager in the Demand Planning Dept. of Boston Edison, focusing on conservation and assessment of the remaining potential within Edison's franchised service territory that provides electrical power to 40 cities and towns. As a member of the Aleppo Temple Shrine Yacht Club he and his family enjoy cruising the coastal waters of the Bay State and Maine in their trawler yacht. He is a member of the South! Shore Shrine Club and the Southeastern Past Masters Association. In Weymouth he is associated with the South Shore Health and Education, Inc., South Shore Hospital, South Weymouth Savings Bank, Old South Union Church, the Chamber of Commerce, and the town's Industrial Development Commission and Zoning By-Law Study Committee.

SPEECHES

FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1985

From Proceedings, Page 1985-198:

Remarks by Grand Master Richardson:

Right Worshipful Arthur H. Sharp was born April 7, 1942. He was raised a Master Mason in Orphan’s Hope Lodge on June 20, 1966, and is a Past Master of that Lodge, a Past President of the Euclid Associates at Boston Edison Company, Past Director of the Scottish Rite Advancement Program, a recipient of the Meritorious Service Award of the Supreme Council, a member of all the Scottish Rite bodies in the Valley of Boston, and active in Mount Olivet Chapter of Rose Croix. He is a member of the York Rite Bodies on the South Shore and of St. Bernard Commandery No. 12, K.T., in Boston, and a member of the Aleppo Temple, A.A.O.N.M.S. In business, he is in the Public Relations area of Boston Edison Company, and I'm sure that since our last storm he has been kept very busy.

He was educated in the Weymouth Schools, Franklin Institute of Boston as a Mechanical Engineer and Boston University. I have to say, and this in deference to our Most Worshipful Senior Past Grand Master, he also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business Executive Development Program.

In the military he served as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. He is very active in community services, and this is one reason why I am particularly pleased that he was willing to accept this appointment. He is the Second Vice-Chairman of the Board of the South Shore Health and Education Trust and the Second Vice-Chairman of the Board of the South Shore Hospital. He is on the Board of Trustees and the Board of Investment (and this hurts a little; it’s like George playing the Marine Corps Hymn) of the South Weymouth Savings Bank, one of the competitors of the l?ank of which I am a Trustee and a member of the Board of Investment. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. He is married to the lovely Pat Sharp and has a daughter, Donna, and a son, Arthur H. Sharp, Jr.

With that background, I give you our Deputy Grand Master, Right Worshipful Arthur H. Sharp.

Most Worshipful Grand Master, Past Grand Masters, Distinguished Guests, Brethren all:

Most Worshipful Brother Dave, two very simple words say it all, thank you. Nothing more can express it any better than that. Thank you again.

Your appointment reflects kindly on me. It enhances and endorses the brand of Masonry established and practiced by the Past Masters and Presiding Masters and the members of my Blue Lodge. Orphan's Hope Lodge in East Weymouth of our 26th Quincy District. It brings pride to Mount Olivet Chapter of Rose Croix with which I spend a great deal of my time and enjoy very much, to the many Masonic mentors, counselors, advisors and. most especially, to my family, three of whom are here with me this evening.

The first official duty this evening is to bring to you the unanimous and heartfelt pledge of support from each of your appointed Grand Lodge Officers this year. We are especially pleased to serve that Mason, our Grand Master, who has won the admiration and esteem of all the Brethren. Yes, Most Worshipful, we do confess with pleasure our support to serve you and this Grand Lodge in 1986.

Brethren, with the permission of the Grand Master. I would like to take a brief opportunity to offer some comments for your consideration. Freemasonry, as we realize, is recognized as the oldest, largest, and most widely known fraternal organization in the world. How fortunate we are to have chosen Freemasonry as a way of life, a way whose principles are steadfastly acclaimed to be brotherly love, relief and truth. As a society of good men. we strive to become better and continually emphasize the firm belief in the fatherhood of God. the brotherhood of man and the immortality of the soul.

When we look to history we find that the earliest records of our beginning date back in time to the 10th century B.C.. one thousand years before Christ. Therefore, in using the Christian calendar, we determine that we will be three thousand years old in just a few more years. Modern Freemasonry, as we know, began about the 17th century. In fact, our own Provincial Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was formed here in Boston on July 30, 1733.

During this two hundred fifty-two plus years our nation was conceived, brought to life and nurtured, so that today it is recognized as the greatest free nation on earth. The development of the United States of America has been accomplished by the sweat, blood, tears, ingenuity and dedication of an energetic population seeking opportunity. Freemasonry has and continues to be a key ingredient in this development.

Our founding fathers were members or received great guidance and counsel from Masons, Masons bearing the names of George Washington. John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin. Doctor and General Joseph Warren and Paul Revere, to name just a few. These were some of the men who conceived and framed the Declaration of Independence which said to the world we are a nation that liberates men from domination and that all men were endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to the pursuit of happiness.

These were the men that brought to us the Constitution .containing the preamble in which are the seven articles which laid down the order of government and divided the Executive, Judicial and Legislative Branches and created checks and balances within our governmental system. They also brought to us the first Ten Amendments which we know as the Bill of Rights.

Freemasonry, therefore, is interwoven and synonymous with every field of endeavor and has really contributed to the development of this great nation. Masons have contributed to our commerce and industry, have been presidents, vice-presidents, judges, congressmen, state legislators, men from academia, from science, medicine, the arts. Masons have fought our wars, secured the peace and continually worked to bring health and prosperity to all. Such has been the nature of the Freemasons' contribution.

But what about the future? How will Freemasonry be received in new, emerging worlds of tomorrow? Fourteen years from tonight another group of Masons will meet. Hopefully, all of us here this evening will participate in this historic event. For the Feast of Saint John in December, 1999, will be the last Grand Lodge meeting of this, the second millennium. That meeting will also have the distinction of ushering in the beginning of the third millennium, the year 2000.

What will our world be like then? Will this be the time when new colonies will be formed on new worlds within and without our galaxies? Will Masonry play an active role in the development of these new worlds? I believe the answer to that question is yes. For Masons have already marked their place in this new frontier, men bearing the names of Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra. These are all Masons. But the names that we don’t hear are the many hundreds and thousands of men who are Masons that make up and are the support people who make the programs of the future successful.

Well, we have talked a little bit about the past, we have talked a little bit about the future. I guess the only question remaining is where do you and I fit into this continual evolution of life? What should Freemasonry contribute during the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s? 1 believe our role. Brethren, is to accept the Masonic baton of the past, if you will, to carry the messages which teach us how to live within the dictates and principles as set down by our founding fathers, to try to exemplify our personal conduct and our families’ lives to a point that will stimulate good men to ask, “How does one become a Mason, how can I join Freemasonry?"

From that question, and once these good men see the light and do join our Fraternity, our role then must become that of teacher, Masonic mentor. We should attempt to match their skills to opportunities to serve our Craft. We should guard against overburdening any one man, but rather spread the word among the many. But, most importantly, we must encourage only those men who will strive for individual self-improvement, who will work in concert with the majority, who will continually promote harmony, who will diligently make every effort to make this nation, our earth and the new worlds of the future a better place than that which we found. May the helping hand of God continue to guide us in our efforts to personify Freemasonry as a way of life.

Good evening, my Brethren. Let's together enjoy the rest of this evening. Enjoy it very much. Thank you.


Distinguished Brothers