A History of
Shakespeare Lodge

.Home

	Early History
	1924-1949 The Middle Years
	1949-1974 - More Modern Times
	1975-2001 - Into a New Century

1949-1974 - More Modern Times

1949 The Diamond Jubilee Year saw W Louis Ziskin assume the East. In his previous year, MW Frank Totten had appointed a young lawyer in No. 750 to serve as his District Deputy of the Sixth Manhattan District. This started the rise of our beloved brother MW Arthur Markewich to the position of Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York.

	The Colonial Room was bulging at his homecoming, after all his visitations featuring large contingents of officers and members of his own lodge. Shakespeare and Markewich were synonymously on the lips of all in the district.
	Our 75th Annual Dinner and Dance, the Night of Nights, was held in the Hotel Astor on Saturday, November 12th, with over 500 in attendance.

1950 W Abraham J. Berk sat in the East. He was known for his perfection in ritual throughout the area. And they say there was none like him.

	The famous Fellowcraft Team performed in the Grand Lodge Room before a packed overflowing crowd of more than 1200 brothers. Hundreds were unhappily turned away.
	A Surprise Package Party (an annual affair) drew a great gather and raised more than $400 for charity, with Brother Nat Ressler starring as auctioneer.
	The June Strawberry Festival at the Grand Street Boys Club attracted 280 people for the sumptuous food and happy entertainment.
	The Annual Dinner Dance, up in the Star Light Room of the Astor, was a smashing success.
	To enhance his collations, the Master engaged a caterer who served a roast beef dinner name of Ralph Katz.

1951 W Eli Cohen, our Master, was famous for his great ability to ad-lib and never faltering in his ritual.

	A long list of lecturers included:
	Dr. Samuel Standard, who spoke on Hospital and Social Conditions in the New State of Israel.
	Mr. Benjamin A. Cohen, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations whose topic was Present World Crisis.
	The Art of Hypnotism by Dr. and Mrs. Frank Marion.
	An Evening with Dr. Stanley S. Jaks sopped off with a fabulous Chinese collation with the ladies.

1952 W Herman Schneider was Master of the Lodge, and a noted perfectionist and ritualist. The year was full of well-planned eves, many with the ladies. Talks by W Benjamin Barondes (What We Dont Know About The Gettysburg Address); Honorable Hugh Heung-Wu Cynn, Korean Ambassador to Japan; W Abraham Strachstein (Recent Advances in Medicine); and an exhibition on hypnosis by Dr. John L. Levberg.

	W Abraham J. Berk was appointed Assistant Grand Lecturer.
	The final performance of the nationally famous Shakespeare Fellowcraft Team before an Admission by Ticket Only packed Grand Lodge Room.

1953 W Samuel Scholnick assumed the chair in the East of the Colonial Room.

	A night of honor to RW Louis A. Sable, District Deputy in 1912.
	An evening of song by Betina Kasher followed by a package party that brought in $300.
	Following a meeting in his honor, W Matthew Margolish invited the entire lodge to enjoy a collation in the Masonic Club at his expense!
	The standard collation after almost each meeting was cookies and ice cream!

1954 W Gerald D. Schwartz was elected Master a kind, humble man, loved by all.

	Famous baseball great Sid Gordon drew a packed lodge room, and thrilled all with his talk, followed by a question and answer period.
	The appointment of RW Samuel Scholnick as Grand Sword Bearer of the Grand Lodge was another honor for the lodge.

1955 A somber year unfolded as our Worshipful Master, Joseph Aripotch, passed away on April 24, 1955, and the sagacious leader of the lodge and the district, RW Louis A. Sable shocked all with his sudden death just three weeks later, on May 14th. Both were eulogized in a lodge memorial meeting held on June 2nd.

	Senior Warden Harold B. Kramer acted as Master for the rest of the year.
	There was further confusion as the Hotel Grossman, proposed site of the winter weekend, burned to the ground. The event was ultimately held as the Berkeley-Cataret in Asbury Park.

1956 W Harold B. Kramer assumed the stewardship of the Lodge.

	In his appointments of line officers, the Master set some sort of record, as four of his appointees eventually became Masters.
	Featured a Ladies Night Music Festival
	Ward the Wizard
	A talk by Mr. Yakow Saphis, of the Israel Office of Information on the Arab-Israel Problem.
	A Spring stay at the Pines was followed by a winter weekend at the Laurel in the Pines.
	The Fellowcraft Club celebrated an eve at the Boulevard Night Club in Forest Hills where a new unknown comic was featured Brother Don Rickles!

Standing: Harry Gochman, Sidney Warren (SW), Max Cohen (JW) Max Zigas (Secretary), Richard Milman Seated: Louis Ziskin, Arthur Markewich, Harold Kramer, Samuel Scholnick, Merny Milman (Master)

1957 W Merny A. Milman rose to Master

	Sudden illness forced him to be sidelined for much of the early part of his year when again the Senior Warden, this time Sid Warren, stepped in and did an outstanding task. Great team work!
	In honor of his 25th year as Past Master, W Max Zigas did a yeoman job, as he did all the work for the First Degree (Masters work, lecture, tools, aprons, charge and demand!). He was feted over a large and luscious cake prepared by Brother Harry Abend
	Further honors to our perennial and efficient organist, Leo F. Heidelberg, after 25 years of supplying the happy background to our meetings.
	Mrs. Ruth Mondschein displayed her many talents before a packed Ladies Night gathering.
	Fifty-Year awards were presented to Brothers Samuel Markewich and Isidor Tachna.

1958 W Sidney Warren now the Master.

	The Max Monfried-Louis A. Sable Memorial Fund of the Legal Aid Society founded in honor of two Shakespeare greats.
	MW Jona Ron, Grand Master of the State of Israel, made an Honorary Member
	Our lovable secretary joins the purple of the Fraternity upon his appointment as Grand Directory of Ceremonies, RW Max Zigas. We were all so happy and very proud of our Max!
	The year was full of honoring the RWs of our lodge as nights were given to Arthur Markewich and Louis Cutler.

1959 W Max Cohen assumed the reins of the lodge as he strode t the Masters chair.

	First meeting a social smash as the Milos entertained a great turnout of the Ladies.
	W Irving A. Israel honored on the 25th anniversary of his Mastership.
	Dr. Murray Banks, noted psychologist, gave his dissertation on living happily, like each day was the last day of your life!
	Brooklyn Link, Order of the Golden Chain, performed a degree in the Colonial Room
	A great night out On The Town included a family Chinese dinner for all, followed by a choice selection viewing of a top Broadway theatre show.

1960 W Harold S. Besser, a very eligible bachelor, became Master.

	Folk songs by Miss Elise Simon and a playlette by the Sixth District Players opened the social calendar.
	A Broadway show was featured in the Spring Ladies Night.
	A free weekend was raffled to all who had donated a pint of blood this year to the Masonic Blood Bank.
	Weekends were enjoyed at Kutschers and the Laurel In The Pines.

1962 W Milton Pelikow, congenial storyteller and famous writer of prose, assumed the serious role of Master.

	A system of collations catered by the stewards after all meetings was instituted.
	A timely film from the U.N. featured The Man In The Blue Helmet and was shown after the first meeting.
	Entertainers Vickie Stuart and Lou Menchell drew a standing room only Ladies Night gathering. All went home happily after a sumptuous collation.
	The lovable young ladies of Menorah Triangle No. 56 presented the Initiatory Degree
	Brother LeRoy A. Kramer gave valuable hints on the preparation of tax returns.
	The Lodges Blood Bank, after floundering 20 pints in the red in 1959, was reported to hold a balance of 56 pints due to the efforts of Senior Warden Ralph Katz, Chairman.

1963 W Ralph Katz moved into the East to the Masters chair.

	The officers wore tuxedo and white gloves for most of the meetings.
	The year stared with a Zoom, as No. 750 hosted a weeks stay at San Juans newest hotel, the Americana, at only $376.80 a couple!
	Brother Henry A. Barnes, dynamic Commissioner of Traffic, drew a capacity crowd as he spoke on Me and My Traffic Problems.
	Honors were extended to many: Brother M. Jerry Feiman, auditor of our books for forty years. RW Samuel Scholnick, for a decade of work with the statewide blood bank. RW Max Zigas, for being secretary a quarter of a century. W Robert I. Shank, Master in 1923. W George Friedman, Master in 1938.
	Before a record turnout, Honorary Membership was conferred upon RWs Charles Hollender and Emanuel Kreisel
	A solid ringside gathering of 375 members of friends enjoyed a full dinner and the antics of comedian Milton Berle at the Town and Country Night Club for only $7.50 per person!
	In the lodge room, the Charles Lowe Revue rewarded a lodge full of members and their families, only in the Spring
	A display by World Renowned Pickpocket Jack London was the entertainment in a Fall Ladies Night.

1964 W Morris M. Karp picked up the gavel and assumed the Mastership.

The second trip to a Caribbean resort proved a tremendous social and financial success when more than a half load of a 707 traveled t the new Puerto Rican Sheraton for a full week of Fun In The Sun

	Many tickets were sold in the lodge room as the famous Masonic Brotherhood Exhibit at the Worlds Fair started to take shape.
	Author Harold Flender was the feature in Why The Danes Ladies Night
	Nudism and Mental Health was the topic of the next social evening as Miss Zelda R. Suplee, the First Lady of Nudism was the guest speaker
	Great honors came with the appointment of RW Abraham J. Berk as the District Deputy of the Sixth Manhattan District. Many attended the eve in which our lovable Abe was presented.
	Rev. John Stanley Grauel, leader in the Battle of the Exodus, told of his celebrated exploits in this moment in history which led to the establishment of the State of Israel.
	A dinner and show at the Town and Country featuring Jackie Carter drew a sellout crowd
	The year was climaxed with the 91st Annual Dinner Dance at the Sheraton-Atlantic.

1965 This year of the New York City Worlds Fair, W Daniel Berman was elected Master in time to lead the Lodge on a junket to Jamaica, BWI. Headquartered in the Colony Hotel at Montego Bay, the legendary minions of Shakespeare spread our fame to yet another corner of the world

	Back home we were treated to Wine Tasting, courtesy of Cresta Blanca, and the World of Sholem Aleichem.
	We returned to the new Kutchers for our Spring Weekend.
	The Town and County again hosted our Fall Festival. Not to be outdone, the Fellowcraft Club held a Night at the Baths.

1966 W Martin Manes planned his installation to be our first Public Installation in many decades, only to be foiled by the Citys first transit strike ever.

	From that inauspicious beginning, things had to pick up, and W Manes did just that, by having a BOAC Rolls Royce jet carry a great many of the brothers and their ladies to Nassau, BWI.
	He was elected President of the Masters and Wardens association, and we can only assume that such dignified honors lead to the choice of a better Business Bureau Speaker for Ladies Night.
	The social hit of the year was our 93rd Dinner Dance, honoring Max Zigas at the Utopia Jewish Center.

1967 This year when our plane left the USA, it went a trifle north and landed in Bermuda. We located at the Castle Harbor Hotel.

	We also switched to the Windsor for our Catskill weekend.
	RW Larry Pollock was made an honorary member.
	Our Master, W Carl Liss, had some unusual programs. We saw films about your Vital Heart and The Mets Are Coming.
	We went outside the Lodge to see Thoroughly Modern Millie.
	Returning, we were entertained by the Charles Lowe Revue, Mr. Gil Eagles (an ESP specialist), and finally by a Korean karate exhibition.

1968 W Michael Gold took us on the most recent of our big trips, this time to Puerto Rico.

	He also switched our weekend to the Nevele, a pleasant change.
	We had debates on politics and a combined ladies night with Clermont and Justice Lodges for a theatrical production by the Hofstra Repertory Theater, which drew over 500 people.
	We had films on Football and Investing and Imbibing.
	We had a talk about Masonry in the Far East by MW Mauro Baradi.

1969 W Daniel Semel perked things up right from the start with his bright yellow notices, replete with cartoons and quotes.

	Once again we gave up on the Masonic Club and ate at Fils.
	The Lodge sold out its Decoration Day weekend at the Concord.
	W Bro. Semel arranged for the Head of the Knights of Columbus, James E. Foley, to talk to us, as well as the District Attorney of Nassau, W William Cahn.
	A most controversial speaker at Ladies Night was Rabbi Neil Gellman of the Jewish Theological Seminary, who spoke on the Crisis on our Campuses.
	We honored Bro. Arthur Markewich on his elevation to the Appellate Division with a Law Day Celebration in the American Room.
	We had a guest ritualist at each meeting and were treated to the Hiramic Drama as performed by Alpha Lodge of New Jersey.
	Our own ritual was of such note that we were selected (at the suggestion of our own Grand Lodge) to perform a Fellowcraft Degree at a friendship evening for Triluminar Lodge No.112 of New Jersey.
	The years highlight was a gala dinner dance at the Terrace on the Park, Flushing Meadow. It was a lush affair and featured a profitable journal run by Senior Warden Frank Mandelbaum. Ws Semel and Mandelbaum repeated their dinner Dance Journal success in our centennial year.

1970 W Frank Mandelbaum had his own unique way of getting brothers to come to meetings. Each night he displayed a valuable oil painting worth thousands of dollars in the anteroom. At years end it was raffled off in a Grand Attendance Drawing, and won by W Ralph Katz.

	An unusual Ladies Night was a Mystery Train Ride on the LIRR to Ronkonkoma and back.
	Back in the lodge room we were privileged to hear Theodore Sorenson talk on foreign policy.
	A high point of the year was the presentation ceremonies for Brother Arthur Markewich as grand Treasurer, our first Grand Lodge Officer. We switched to the American Room for the evening and it was SRO.

1971 W Nicholas Ferraro began his year as all good CPAs should with a lecture by LeRoy Kramer on the highlights of the income tax law of 1969.

	The start of meetings was reduced to 7:00 pm.
	We had a lecture by Marshal Ed Slade on flying saucers, and a salute to Israel for Ladies Night.
	We journeyed to Browns Hotel for our summer weekend,
	And to Greenwich Village for an Israeli evening at Club El Avram.
	A grand evening was the presentation Ceremonies for RW Ralph Katz as Grand Steward.

1972 W George Lipkin didnt have any transit strike t compete with. He had only rain, rain and more rain! But to his credit, by years end he devised a program replete with contingency plans.

	No such alternatives were needed in September when over 400 of us crowded around to see the ceremonies attendant with Arthur Markewichs election as Deputy Grand Master.
	We saw Fiddler on the Roof, and Sleuth.
	We had a number of Beer and Bs Nights,
	And stated the great Trivia Quiz.
	Ladies night was heralded with a pink lodge notice and feature comedian Van Harris.

1973 W Walter Schraeter began his year with newly elected secretary RW Ralph Katz, and together they helped lay the foundation for our upcoming centennial.

	Our ladies were twice treated to a group of youthful entertainers from the staff of Catch a Rising Star.
	Lodge photographer Michael Britt began to compile a picture book of lodge memories.

1974 Our 100th Year. W LeRoy A. Kramer sat in the East. His theme for the year was Getting to Know You. It started with an informative program, a Florida reunion for our brothers who, because of age or distance, could no longer attend our New York meetings. Each meeting was planned around an enjoyable dinner, a brief but interesting meeting, allowing for an increased amount of time for socializing and a lovely collation afterwards.

	TV sets and gifts were raffled off at many of our meetings.
	Perhaps the Grand Lodge Election of our own son, MW Arthur Markewich as the Grand Master of Masons in the state of New York, brought about the greatest impetus to the revival of interest in our Lodge in May. This produced the second cause for celebration in our centennial year.
	Four new honorary members, giants in our fraternity, were taken into our midst in a gala evening: RW Wendell K. Walker, RW Frank H. Wikstrom, RW Robert L. Brusaw and RW Martin Klein. The MW Arthur Markewich participated.
	We eulogized RW Max Zigas, our secretary for over 25 years, at a Memorial Night.
	We entertained our ladies at six different functions during the year.
	A centennial dinner dance on May 18, 1974, saw 228 of us dance until 3:30 in the morning.
	There was standing room only for our Charter Night on June 6, 1974, commemorating our 100th year, when the MW Arthur Markewich rededicated our charter. This was a first for a grand Master I his mother lodge.
	Our 100th anniversary weekend away at the Windsor Hotel was attended by close to 95 of us.
	Our Journal copy was stolen and then fortunately recovered.
	Innovations were made in our meeting notices with new columnists, W Milton Pelikow and W Daniel Semel and our new columns, Meet Your Officer and Shakespeares Pony Express.
	All of this was reflected most gratifyingly in our increased attendance figures, which coincidentally averaged out at about 100 in this our 100th year. It was a beautiful year, and provided the icing to our centennial birthday cake.

.Home