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M.W. Richard James
Stewart of
Shrewsbury, MA was
installed the
87th
Grand Master of
Masons in
Massachusetts on
December 27,
2010. The Installation was
followed by the annual Feast
of St. John at
Grand Lodge in Boston.
Born Burlington, VT, Bro.
Stewart was raised in
Worcester and
educated in the Worcester
Public School system. He
graduated from
North High School in 1961.
In 1963 he was hired by
Charles P.
Lauman Co., Inc. in
Westborough as a salesman.
He purchased the
company in 1975 and
currently serves as Chairman
and Treasurer. It is
an ISO 9002 certified
company. In 1972 Bro.
Stewart completed 10
years of service in the
United States Coast Guard
Reserves. He left as
a First Class Damage
Controlman.
In 1966 he began his Masonic
career by joining Athelstan
Lodge (now Guiding Lights
Lodge), Worcester. He served
as the
Worshipful Master in
1974-1975. In 1982 M.W. J.
Philip Berquist
appointed Bro. Stewart
Junior Grand Deacon.
That same year he received
the Joseph Warren Medal for
Distinguished
Service to the fraternity.
In 1985 and 1986 he served
as Grand Tyler –
guarding the outer door when
Grand Lodge was meeting. In
1986 he
was named a Grand
Representative to the Grand
Lodge of Denmark, a
position he still holds.
From 1987 through 1989 he
was the Grand
Sword Bearer, assisting R.W.
Lowell U. Hammett, Grand
Marshal for
M.W. Albert T. Ames, and was
appointed Grand Pursuivant
in 1990.
M.W. Edgar W. Darling
selected Bro. Stewart Deputy
Grand Master,
the second highest ranking
Mason in the state in 1992.
He served on
the Grand Lodge Board of
Directors for two, three
year terms.
In 2007 he was installed as
M.W. Roger W. Pageau’s Grand
Marshal. In addition to
serving as the Grand
Master’s escort and
directing the formation of
processions, the Grand
Marshal is often one
of the Grand Master’s
closest advisors. Throughout
Most Worshipful
Brother Pageau’s three-year
term, the new Grand Master
was involved
in making decisions about
the operation of Grand
Lodge, the selection
and appointment of officers,
and other important matters.
His familiarity
with the opportunities for
the fraternity to advance
and improve, as well
as the issues and challenges
it faces, has him
well-positioned to begin his
tenure ahead of the normal
learning curve for a new
Grand Master.
In 1991, Bro. Stewart
received his 33° at the
Annual Meeting
of the Supreme Council, 33°,
Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite of the
Northern Masonic
Jurisdiction of the United
States of America. Most
recently he was made an
Honorary Legion of Honor,
the highest recognition
that can be bestowed by the
DeMolay Supreme Council. It
is
conferred on a Freemason who
was not a DeMolay, but who
has
performed meritorious
service in behalf of the
Order of DeMolay.
A classic car enthusiast and
the owner of a 1955 Jaguar
and a
1957 Ford Thunderbird, Bro.
Stewart has had the T-Bird
since he was
17. The car has won many
national meets sponsored by
the Antique
Auto Club of America. He
also owns a 2004
Harley-Davidson Ultra
Classic Screaming Eagle. He
is a member of the Harley
Owners Group
and the Overlook Riders, a
group of motorcycle riders
affiliated with
Overlook Masonic Health
System, Charlton. He also
enjoys landscape
gardening and once had his
yard featured in Better
Homes & Gardens.
Bro. Stewart has two
daughters, Heidi and
Kimberly, and four
grandchildren.
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