Special to the Lehigh Acres Gazette
Kevin Lee Gourley was installed Master of Lehigh Acres Masonic Lodge No. 344, Free and Accepted Masons of Lehigh Acres, FL on Monday evening, January 2, 2017.
Gourley held elected leadership positions in the Masonic Lodge for 2 years before he was elected Master, and a couple of appointed positions in prior years. As Master, he will lead all meetings of the Lodge and plan community service, membership and social and family-oriented activities for the coming year.
Other elected officers installed were James Bolla, Sr., Senior Warden; Fred Natoli, Junior Warden; Daniel Akard, Treasurer and J. Michael Frisby, Secretary.
Installed as appointed officers were Robert Lippek, Senior Deacon; Robert Sweet, Junior Deacon and Michael Crouchelli, Tyler.
Installing Officer was Clay Taylor, District Deputy Grand Master of the 29th Masonic District. Jeff Nowak acted as Installing Marshall. Charles “Bill” Martin was Installing Chaplain.
Lehigh Acres Masonic Lodge was charted in the year 1962 and has 70 members. Approximately 250 Masonic Lodges are located in Florida communities. Freemasonry has more than 1.2 million members in the U.S.
The Grand Lodge of F. & A. M. of Florida represents the 45,000 Master Masons in the state. Freemasonry is a benevolent, educational, and charitable organization that provides over $2 million a day in charity through its Appendant bodies. Masonry is the oldest fraternal organization in the world and practices brotherhood, morality, justice, tolerance, citizenship, education, and freedom of ideas, religious choice and expression. The Grand Lodge maintains a home: The Masonic Home of Florida at St. Petersburg for elderly Masons and their wives or widows.
2017 marks the tricentennial of Freemasonry – 300 years. Although Freemasonry is much older, in 1717 four lodges in London came together to form the Grand Lodge of England, from which all other lodges is descendants.