Al Bedooings
The Al Bedooings Newsletter is now available on the website in .pdf format. Check out the News page for available issues.
Calendars
Calendar of Events at the Shrine Auditorium
Potentate's Calendar
Current Potentate
Illustrious Sir Larry N Tipton
Illustrious Sir Larry N Tipton was born in Billings, MT on April 10th, 1944. He attended school in Billings and in 1957 his family moved to Tacoma, Washington where his father was stationed in the Naval Reserve. After graduating from High School in Tacoma, he enlisted in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and assigned to the U. S Naval Hospital in Bremerton. He was then assigned to the Fleet Marines and after completing Field Medical School was transferred to Okinawa with the 3rd Marines. In 1977, he moved to Alaska and worked for the next 23 years in the grocery and gift manufacturing business.
Illustrious Sir Tipton moved back to Montana in 2000 to work in the Greeting Card Industry as a regional manager. Illustrious Sir Tipton was raised as a Master Mason in 1975 at Henry A. Greene #250 in Tacoma and is a life member. He is an associate member of Stillwater Lodge #62 in Columbus, MT and has belonged to Scottish Rite, Valley of Fairbanks, Orient of Alaska since 1983. He became a member of Al Aska Shrine Temple, Anchorage, Alaska in 1977 and the Al Bedoo Shrine Temple in Billings, Montana in 2001. He is also a Lifetime Charter Member of Pacific Rim Lodge #12 in Vladivostok, Russia. Currently he is the 1st Vice President of the Pacific Northwest Shrine Association.
Illustrious Sir Tipton and his wife Judy live in Columbus, Montana where he is a member of the American Legion and Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and serves on the Stillwater Country Health Board as Chairman.
Short History of the Shrine
The Shrine of North America is known for its colorful parades, circuses and clowns. But there is also a serious side to this international fraternity of approximately 525,000 men belonging to 191 Shrine Temples, or chapters, throughout North America. For 75 years, the Shrine has operated a network of specialized hospitals that treat children with orthopaedic problems, burns and spinal cord injuries, up to their 18th birthday, free of charge.
The Shrine was founded in 1872 by a group of 13 men belonging to the Masonic Order. It was originally established to provide fun and fellowship for its members. But as the organization grew, its members decided to dedicate their efforts to helping others by establishing an official Shrine philanthropy. This is a network of specialized hospitals that have provided expert medical care to more than 600,000 children, free of charge.Since the first Shriners Hospital opened in 1922, the Shrine has supported what has come to be known as the "World's Greatest Philanthropy." The Shrine and its 22 hospitals, while maintaining separate legal and financial identities, are linked through the Shrine's continuing support of Shriners Hospitals.
The best known symbol of Shrinedom is the distinctive red fez that Shriners wear at official functions. Because Shriners are men who enjoy life, fun is a large part of the Shrine and the activities that help support the Shrine's philanthropy. Most Shrine Temples sponsor Shrine Clubs and special units, such as the motor corps, band or clown units and many other units of interest. They share in the camaraderie, deep friendships and good fellowship that are all part of being a Shriner.
This excerpt is copyright http://www.shriners.com . They have a small booklet in .pdf format which expands further upon the history of the Shrine. You can read it here. (You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader).
