The Scottish Rite welcomed 125 Scottish Rite Masons and their ladies to the annual February Scottish Rite ‘Ladies Nite at the ‘Rite’ dinner on Monday, February 21st.
The evening began with an extraordinary debate on transgender issues, beginning with the premise that Amy Scheider is said to be the first woman to have won a million dollars on the gameshow Jeopardy. But as a transgender woman, can she really be said to truly be the first woman to have won a million dollars? And does her gender even matter? Ralph Kellogg, Assistant vice President of Human Resources at Lutheran Family Services arguing that recognizing Amy Scheider as the first woman sets a positive model for transgender youth. Dr. Beverly Kracher of the Creighton University Heider School of Business argued that even as a transgender woman, Amy still has biological advantages that give her an unfair benefit over other women, and therefore it is not honest to say that she is truly the first woman to have won a million dollars. The debate may have become controversial and heated, but our participants maintained a conversational tone, and questions from the audience remained respectful. The Scottish Rite is indebted to Lee Terry, 33° who continues to bring trending issues from the headlines to the Scottish Rite for discussion and debate.
After the debate, the Culinary Masters served a fantastic dinner of pan-fried chicken with a raspberry sauce, yellow basmati rice, broccoli, salad and rolls. The Knights of St. Andrew served ice cream for dessert.
As a gift for the ladies attending, the Lodge of Perfection officers presented each lady a beautiful jeweled butterfly pin.
Our evening speaker was Erin Lanza, Corporate Membership Manager for 88 Tactical. Erin spoke about the amenities at 88 Tactical, including the shooting range, gun shop, education and classes, lecture halls, fine dining, and hockey rink.
Bennie Kugler, 32°, Venerable Master for the Lodge of Perfection, then welcomed Tony Hebert, 32° to speak as Class Orator for the 274th Reunion, hosted this past November. Tony spoke eloquently about how his Masonic journey lead him to the Scottish Rite, and how he looks forward to being involved. Tony is currently Senior Warden for Florence Lodge #281, and has been engaged in Freemasonry, hosting roundtable discussions for officers and candidates, to help them become proficient in Degree work.
To close the evening, Bennie welcomed up members of the 274th Reunion, hosted this past Fall. Our new 32° Scottish Rite Masons received their black caps from their ladies, top line signers, or mentors. The Omaha Valley Scottish Rite looks forward to their being involved and engaged!
Finally, Dick Corwine, 33°, Almoner for the Valley of Omaha, made an appeal for members to donate to the Almoner’s fund, speaking of the donations the Valley has made to those in need. These donations represent the true spirit of charity, given anonymously without the expectation or need for acknowledgement.
The February “Ladies Night at the ‘Rite,” is always one of the most popular Lodge dinners of the year, and this year is no exception. This well-attended evening is always one of their more popular dinners and meetings, and foretells a great year to come at the Omaha Scottish Rite!