N E W S - Melha Shriners€¦ · became a place of refuge during the storm recovery efforts. ......

Saturday, March 10Pasta Night. Benefits

Oriental Band. Tickets $15p.p., couples $25. There is a$100 table package, please seedetails inside. Contact ChrisParker at 413-364-9541.

Sunday, March 11Worcester St. Patrick’s

Day Parade. Get out yourwinter underwear and warmgloves for the first parade ofthe season. ParadeInformation is on Page 9.

Sunday, March 18Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day

Parade. One of the biggies ofthe year. Many think this is thebest parade of the year. Polishyour shoes and get ready tomarch. Parade info on Page 9.

Friday, March 23Melha Family Fun Night.

No details available for thisevening event.

Wednesday, March 28Stated Meeting. Your Fez

and a dues card will gain you

admission. All Nobles areinvited to attend. This is whereeveryone gets a chance tospread news of what’s happen-ing at Melha and to publicizetheir unit or club’s forthcom-ing events.

Saturday, March 31Nile Installation

Ceremonies. Ahlem Templecrowns its new 2012 Queen.

Saturday, April 7Comedy Night. Adult lan-

guage and content. $15 p.p.,

tickets available at MelhaOffice. Bring your own food,doors open at 7, Showtime at 8p.m. See ad on Page 3.

Friday. April 13Bobby Darling Show.

Social hour at 6, Buffet at 7.Tickets are $35, contact theMelha Office, see ad on Page12.

Saturday, April 14Potentate’s Reception. Put

this on your calendar now,reservation form on 2.

MELHA SHRINERS, Springfield, Massachusetts 01108

INDEXBerkshire Shrine Club...6Burns Brigade ...............8Central Mass Shr.Club ..9Clowns ..........................8Daughters of the Nile..10Directors........................6Drum Corps...................6Flyers.............................7Franklin Shrine Club.....6Golf League...................9Hadji..............................8Helma Court................10Highlanders .................11

Hospital News...............5K9s for Kids..................6Legion of Honor............7MAP ..............................6Mariners ........................6Melha Riders .................8Military Band ................8Oriental Band ................8Past Masters ..................8Pioneer Valley Club ......6Potbellies .......................6Ramblin’ Campers.........8Sportsman Club.............6Team Circus ..................7Unseen Portals ..............9

Member of the Northeast Shrine Editors Association

MMeellhhaaTTHHEEMMeellhhaaNNEEWWSS

OnlineOnline

Isaw it inThe Melha

News!

It’s easy for you toplace an ad, see more

information inside.

MELHA CALENDAR

MARCH 2012

—PH

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Unit/Club Heads InstalledAt Melha Ceremonies The unit and club officers serving in

the year 2012 were installed officially byMelha at ceremonies that took place latein January.The Divan and many Past Potentates

witnessed the installation ceremonies asall the officers of the units and clubs wereofficially installed in their respective sta-tions.Melha congratulates those officers and

wishes them much success as they leadthe Melha Units and Clubs in 2012.Melha and its Divan officers place

great importance on the units and theirleaders. Their efforts and hard work withthe units help to secure Melha’s future.The Melha Clubs bring great sociabilityand bring together the Nobles and theirladies in a fun atmosphere and contributesignificantly to Melha.

—Story, photos on Page 4—Other installation photos,

pages 10, 11

Two Hospital Patients Take OnDecorating an X-ray Room When the Springfield schools were

closed for a week due to the surpriseHalloween snowstorm, the hospitalbecame a place of refuge during the stormrecovery efforts.Two Shriners patients, daughters of

hospital employees, used the leisure timeto notice that one of the x-ray rooms at thehospital needed a kid’s touch. They pro-ceeded to create a room decor that sportedbutterflies, lots of color and a very largetree.

—Story on Page 5

Boston Hospital Receives theSummit Award for 2012 Press Ganey Associates has named the

Shriners Hospital for Children-Boston asa 2011 Summit Award Winner. PressGaney currently partners with more than10,000 health care facilities—including50% of U.S. hospitals—to measure andimprove the quality of their care. Thecompany’s databases are the largest in theindustry, and allow facilities nationwideto benchmark their results against peerorganizations. The Summit Award recognizes top

performing facilities that sustain the high-est level of customer satisfaction for threeor more consecutive years.

—Story on Page 5

Another Mitchellbeing installed.Mike Mitchell isinstalled as MelhaClown Chief. Story, other photoon Page 4.

we all know the outcome so I won't go there. (There's always nextyear, right?) Special thanks to Bob Wogatske for handling thebar, great job, Bob. The Clown unit held their unit installationon January 22nd and I am proud to say It was a wonderful andrewarding experience installing my son Mike as Clown Chief, Ialways enjoy spending time with the clowns. They are a greatbunch of guys. Please keep Mike "Binder" Kagan in yourthoughts and prayers as he is having some health issues and wewish him the best. And that goes for any Noble that you knowhaving health problems please pass along any information pos-sible to the office so we can send our regards.

The first Melha Family fun night was held January 27th,and all who attended had a great time. It certainly was funwatching the kids play, I was exhausted by the time I got homejust from watching them. Keep an eye out for the MELHA BLAZ-ING RAFFLE we will be starting a month earlier this year inorder to accommodate the “Fez”tival of Trees. Some great prizeswill be offered. Don't forget March starts our parade season soget those accurate head counts in to Parade Marshal BobWaltermire sooner rather than later.

On Feburary 19th at 1pm we held the Imperial presentationand information on the Pote’s trip. You must get your reserva-tions in early if you plan on going to Imperial this year. Therooms are going fast.

Watch for the Melha comedy night on April 7th. This showis being put together for us by our very own Bob Montgomeryand looks to be a very fun night.

In closing I just want to reiterate my heartfelt thanks toeveryone who helped out in any way to make our fundraisers sosuccessful; your time, talents & support is always greatlyappreciated. And, of course, please, please, please get thoseCircus ads sold.

Until next time remember this “We’re only here for a goodtime not a long time.”

2 MARCH 2012THE MelhaNEWS

Greetings NoblesAnother month has flown by and with

it some very good functions. The UnitHead installation was held on January28th and a good time was had by all. Iwant to thank Oriental Guide BrianConnor for putting it all together for me,everything went off without a hitch. Theentertainment for the evening was excel-lent. The Unit head training classes werevery well attended, there was a lot of newinformation that had to be presented andI hope our Unit leaders learned from theexperience.

I’m told the Game Supper, held on January 21, was even big-ger than last year. I will have a report next month on the figures,but it definitely looks GREAT! All of this would not be possiblewithout the help of the various committees and people who goabove and beyond. This event takes an entire year to plan. Manythanks to our Game Supper committee led by Bob Wogatske, theForget-Me-Nots, for all of the prep work, the raffle ticket ensem-ble, and anyone else who helped out with this monumentalevent. They all did one heck of a job again this year. We wereable to have a 50/50 raffle that generated $1,900 to the winner.The setup crew and the cleanup crews stayed busy all day andnight making sure everything was in proper order. (WatchingGary Block and Ray Turrini use a measuring tape was quitecomical), but they did a super job. Our cleanup crew (Phil,Kevin, & Nate) led by Dave Butterfield did an outstanding jobwith the final cleanup of the kitchen. Dave also was a great helpin all the prep work with Bob. I hope I didn’t miss anyone, butwith an undertaking of this magnitude I can’t be sure. If I didmiss anyone please accept my sincere apologies, and thank youfor all your help. It is GREATLY appreciated.

We had another exciting day here at Melha on SundayFebruary 5th, thanks to the help of Ill. Ted Shore, we got to seea great Falcons hockey game and had a delicious lunch includ-ed in the price of the ticket. After the hockey game we went backto Melha to watch the Super Bowl. What a great day. (Of course

The Official Publication of Melha Shriners, Shriners International

Available on the Web at www.me l hash r i n e r s . com

EDITOREdgar W. Gelinas, P.P.

Email: [email protected], FAX: 413-568-6120

James Blevins, P.P.Advertising Asst.—413-782-2769

Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Franklyn C. Bacon

SPECIAL NOTICEAll copy submitted for publication must be sub-

mitted by e-mail to [email protected] received before the 12th of the month pre-ceding publication. All Ads must be submitted bythe 1st of the month.The Editor reserves the right to edit all copy.

POSTMASTER: Please send change ofaddress notices to 133 Longhill St.,Springfield, MA 01108.

THEMelhaNEWS

Potentate’s Message

SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN516 Carew Street

Springfield, MA 01104413-787-2000

Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413-787-2011David Drvaric, M.D. . .Chief of Staff . . . . . 413-787-2057Tabitha Bissonnette..New Patient Serviccs . 413-735-1234Bernadette White . . .Public Relations . . . . 413-735-1291Kristina Hamel . . . . . . .Volunteers . . . . . . . . 413-787-200

On the Board of Governors from MelhaDavid H. Burstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chairman

George Sachs, James Spear, Jr., Joseph Surprenant, Dan Smith

Ed Geoffrion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associate MemberAllen G. Zippin, P.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chairman EmeritusCharles Weaver, P.P.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chairman EmeritusPhilip E. Thomas, P.P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chairman Emeritus

Emeritus: Ernest Byron, Raymond Kalita, John Bethel, P.P.,Robert W. Clarke, Edward B. Briggs, Edward W. Shore, Jr., P.P.,

SHRINERS BURNS HOSPITAL-BOSTON51 Blossom Street

Boston, MA 02114-2699617-722-3000

On the Board of Governors from MelhaRobert G. Spaulding, Jr., P.P.

Emeritus: Saul Michaelson

APPOINTED DIVANAssistant Recorder. . . . . . . . . Robert Woodruff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 786-5455Assistant Treasurer . . . . . . . . Edward B. Briggs . . . . . . . . . . . . 413-458-5151First Ceremonial Master . . . . Raymond Turrini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785-5407Second Ceremonial Master . . . . Gary Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567-1950Chief Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dean Whalen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413-896-7297Marshal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Waltermire . . . . . . . . . . . . 413-663-5472Captain of the Guard. . . . . . . Edward Geoffrion . . . . . . . . . . . . 413-533-3781

TRUSTEESDaniel Smith, Michael Santos, Joseph Surprenant,John Greaves, John Langevin, Thomas Miller

ADMINISTRATORSMyron Swain, Saul Michaelson, Ronald Gagnon, P.P., Stanley Rubinstein, Nicholas Creanza

UNIT AND CLUB HEADS

Melha Shriners • 133 Longhill Street • Springfield, Massachusetts 01108(413) 736-3647 — FAX (413) 731-9572 — e-mail: [email protected]

Debra Collins, SecretaryOffice Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through FridayMelha Web Site: www.me l hash r i n e r s . com

ELECTED DIVAN 2012Potentate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russell D. Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596-3122Chief Rabban. . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward F. Griffin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536-8691Assistant Rabban . . . . . . . . . . William J. Faust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 786-1272High Priest & Prophet . . . . . David F. Butterfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519-5498Oriental Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brian Connor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636-4270Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ronald Gagnon, P.P.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568-4402Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Philip E. Thomas, P.P. .. . . . . . . . . . 860-749-9735

REPRESENTATIVES TO IMPERIAL COUNCILImp. Sir Ralph W. Semb, P.I.P., Emeritus

Russell D. Mitchell, Edward F. Griffin, William J. Faust, David Butterfield Clowns. . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Mitchell 413-363-7056Directors. . . . . . . . . . Norman Peloquin 413-593-6934Drum Corps . . . . . . . Ronald Mongeon 413-592-0392Flyers . . . . . . . . . . . . Lance Whitcomb 413-369-4927Hadji. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donald Haskell 413-525-1689Highlanders . . . . . . . William Crawford 413-454-8403Legion of Honor . . . . . Stanley Heaton 413-569-6677Mariners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Hager 413-786-7243Military Band . . . . . . . . . Bruce Rhodes 413-547-8283Oriental Band . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Avery 413-593-0460Past Masters . . . . . . . . . . Leslie Lohnes 413-596-4882Team Circus . . . . . . . . Robert Frechette 413-536-3546Vintage Autos. . . . . . . . . Allan Johnson 413-267-5063Burns Brigade . . . . . . . . . William Judd 413-534-7772P.V. Pot Bellies . . . . . Michael Belanger 413-783-0146Melha Riders . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim Isbel 413-786-4945Sportsman Club . . . . . . Shonn Monday 413-544-8466K-9s for Kids . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Russell 413-567-0700Ramblin’ Campers . . . . George Brooks 413-527-1875Berkshire SC . . . . . . . . . . . . John Wood 413-684-3384Central Mass. SC. . Thomas Andrea, Sr. 860-935-5263Franklin SC . . . . . . . . . Melcolm Corse 413-369-4608Pioneer Valley SC . . . . . Robert Salmon 860-623-4511

PAST POTENTATES*Richard C. Zoller ......................1962*Elliott Anderson ........................1963*John Baird..................................1964*Carl B. Martin, Jr. ......................1965*H. Edward Baker ......................1966*Harold E. Kjoller ......................1967*George Aronson ........................1968*Maurice M. Chaffin ..................1969*Dr. Kenneth E. Nicholson ..........1970*Robert W. Nothacker ................1971*Jean R. LaCroix, Esq. ................1972*Philip E. Taylor..........................1973*John M. Samson ........................1974*Maurice H. Baitler ....................1975*William G. Kavaney ..................1976*Edward W. Bock........................1977*John R. Lundgren ......................1978*Robert D. Davis ........................1979*Kenneth E. Emery ....................1980*Robert A. Meffen ......................1981*Jack A. Butterfield ....................1982*Allen G. Zippin..........................1983*John E. Bethel............................1984*Joseph A. Harrison ....................1985*Donald J. Lohnes ......................1986*Ralph W. Semb ..........................1987*Gordon J. Smith ........................1988*Clyde O. Hooper, Jr. ..................1989*David Skolnick ..........................1990*W. Douglas Spingler..................1991*Richard C. Bewsee ....................1992*Norman T. Maagero ..................1993*Arthur E. Hastings ....................1994*Edward W. Shore, Jr.. ................1995*Sheldon M. Titcomb ..................1996*Charles H. Weaver ....................1997*Philip E. Thomas ......................1998 *Robert G. Spaulding, Jr. ............1999*David J. Gates............................2000*Edgar W. Gelinas ......................2001*Edwin A. Os ..............................2002*Robert H. Marshall ....................2003*Anton E. Koss............................2004*James W. Marceau ....................2005*Tom Fielding..............................2006*Kirk Burkins ..............................2007*James Blevins ............................2008Ronald Gagnon..........................2009Jeffrey Goodless ........................2010Gardner Whitney, Jr. ..................2011*Deceased.

*Charles H. Miller..............1897-1902*William H. Titus ..................1903-04*H. Leroy Woodward ..................1905*Charles L. Young..................1906-07*Robert P. Cunningham ..........1908-09*Fred R. Brown ..........................1910*Frank E. Ladd ......................1911-12*Albert E. Taylor ........................1913*Hugh J. Buckley ........................1914*Fred A. Eldred ..........................1915*Albert E. Lerche ..................1916-17*Franklin A. Latimer ..............1918-19*Walter H. Damon..................1920-21*Fred C. Smith ............................1922*Harry H. Caswell ......................1923*Charles F. Watson ......................1924*Charles A. Frazer ......................1925*John A. Webster....................1926-27*Walter S. Pease ..........................1928*George M. Hendee ....................1929*Harry A. Spaight ........................1930*Carl P. Reilly..............................1931*Edward S. Chase........................1932*Arlan M. Spencer ......................1933*Paul H. Hosmer ........................1934*Henry K. Frueh..........................1935*Walter E. Perry ....................1936-37*John G. Rose..............................1938*Norman P. Dempsey ..................1939*Alfred J. Bird ............................1940*George W. Streeter ....................1941*William L. McCleary ................1942*George G. Carr ..........................1943*William E. Grohe ......................1944*Earl C. Daniels ..........................1945*Dr. George W. Gray ..................1946*Donald H. Mudd........................1947*Wesley G. Stephens ..................1948*Otto C. Kuhrt ............................1949*Theodore A. Wiel ......................1950*Donald A. Bartlett......................1951*James Matthew ..........................1952*Chester W. Haynes ....................1953*V. Frank Greis............................1954*Fred S. Conkey ..........................1955*Ralph F. Beaudry ......................1956*Wayne H. Latham ......................1957*Bennett W. Benson ....................1958*Norman R. Vester ......................1959*Jule Kaufman ............................1960*Robert E. Samble ......................1961

Melha honors Visa, MasterCardand Discover cards. Minimumamount charged must be$20.00. Use it for dues, Melhaevents, Fezzes, Melha trips, etc.

Russell Mitchell, Potentate

Conquering challenges and achieving successes, making it happen for the kids.

• The next issue of The MelhaNews will be a two-month issuecovering both April and May.Articles will need to coverboth months in this issue. Forthose needing display ads,they need to be submittedwell in advance, once spaceis gone, well, it’s gone!. . .• In front of a crowd of

18,000 fans, it was the Westteam that came out on top inthe 2012 East-West ShrineGame at Tropicana Stadium in St.Petersburg. . . .• We got the following note from

Amy Ritzel, Corporate Director ofPublic Relations, and pass it on foryour information: “We have confir-mation regarding the UnitedCharity Mile Give-a-way and thatShriners Hospitals for Children didindeed win the contest. Recentlythree million miles were depositedinto our account. An explanation ofthe process regarding the use ofthese miles is being written andwill be distributed once we havethe completed version. Pleasethank everyone you know who par-ticipated. We were well behind inthe voting when the contest beganand yet we managed to far surpassthe others to win. We appreciate

everyone’s participation and thepassion of our staff, Shriners, fam-ily and friends! It speaks volumes

to the belief in our mission!” . ..

• Remember that if youneed to look something up inpast issues of The MelhaNews that you can find all the2010 and 2011 issues avail-able to you on the Melha web-site. You can peruse them orprint them out for anythingyou need. Need a reservation

form for a Melha event? You canfind them in the pages of a previousissue. . . .• Recorder Phil Thomas, P.P.,

tells us that the Tuesday morningCoffee Hour is drawing quite afew Nobles. There are so many inthe sunroom that they are spillingout into the livingroom. Try it someTuesday morning, get a coffee andmaybe even a donut. Donation is$1 but you’ll get your money’sworth. And there frequently are“specials” where you can get a freecup of coffee. . . . • Elsewhere on this page you

will find the Five Year Mem -bership Numbers for Melha pro-vided by MDS Support Systems. Itis distressing to see the decrease innumbers over that time. Talk upmembership, look for candidatesand bring them in. Only you canmake a difference. . . .• The 2012 Justin Timberlake

Shriners Hospitals Open will beMonday to Sunday, October 1-7, atTPC Summerlin, 1700 VillageCenter Circle, Las Vegas, NV89134. The final rounds will betelevised live on The Golf Channel.

3MARCH 2012 THE MelhaNEWS

From theEditor’s Desk

EDGAR GE L I NAS , P. P.E D I TOR

STATED MEETINGA Stated Meeting is scheduled for

Wednesday, March 28, for the purpose ofconducting the business of the MelhaShriners, as well as balloting on individ-uals for initiation, obligating candidates,and for the dissemination of informationto the membership on matters relating tocurrent Shrine events.

All Nobles are invited to attend, allUnit and Club leaders are required toattend. Please wear your Fez.

Russell MitchellPotentate

Attest: Philip E. Thomas, P.P.Recorder

You can make a contribution to theRenovation Project by sending a check tothe Melha Office made out to theRenovation Fund.37. Hadji Scooters

To date the total amount contributedto the Renovation Fund is $36,080.48.

Jack Butterfield AuditoriumRENOVATION PROJECT

GIFT LIST

HOSPITAL/NURSING HOME/REHABJoseph Surprenant Health South Rehab Hospital

of Western Mass.14 Chestnut St., Ludlow

AT HOMESaul Michaelson 604 Wlliams St.,

Longmeadow, MA 01106If you know of a Noble who is sick or hospitalized,please notify the Melha Office at 413-736-3647 orcontact Chairman David Duncan at 413-348-8766,email [email protected], or Co-ChairmanBrian Prefontaine at 413-237-1638 or email him [email protected].

MMEELLHHAASSUUNNSSHHIINNEERREEPPOORRTT

BB UU TT TT EE RR FF II EE LL DD AA UU DD II TT OO RR II UU MMEvents taking place in the Butterfield

Auditorium in March:Thurs., March 1: Daughters of the Nile

Full SessionWed., March 7: RentalThurs., March 8: Directors/Hadji dinnerSat., March 10: Oriental Band dinnerSun., March 11: Spring ahead with

clocksWed., March 21: Ramblin’ CampersFri., March 23: Family Fun NightSat., March 24: Rental

Wed., March 28: Stated MeetingThurs., March 29: Daughters of the Nile

Patrol RehearsalFri., March 30: RentalSat., March 31: Daughters of the Nile

installationEvery Monday: the HighlandersEvery Tuesday: the Military BandEvery Tues/Thurs/Fri mornings BNI

rentalAny errors should be reported to Debra inthe Melha Office at 413-736-3647.

AAnnnnuuaall SSuueezz BBaallll SScchheedduulleedd ffoorrMMaarrcchh 1177 iinn WWeesstt SSpprriinnggffiieelldd

The annual Suez Ball this year willtake place on March 17 at the ClarionHotel on Riverdale Road in WestSpringfied.

The price is $65.00 which includesFriday and Saturday (Melha usuallygoes just on Saturday evening).

Melha Nobles usually show up atapproximately 5:30 to 6 p.m. and meetin the Hospitality room at approximate-ly 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., before the ball-room opens.

Dress is formal and this event isattended by most Divan members andvarious other Melha Nobles and ladieswho wish to share the evening and havea good time with our Suez friends.Nobles should bring their Fezzes, headvises ladies who have fezzes to bringtheirs as well and advises “do not forgetto wear your name tags.”

For those interested in attending,please contact Dick Skowron via emailat [email protected], or phone him at860- 623-0893.

Uncle Skowie asks that you not waituntil the last minute to make your reser-vations and cautions all those attendingto “practice your strutting so we make agood showing. They love it.”

This chart provided by MDS Support Systems shows Melha’s membership trend overthe last five years. It indicates Melha critically needs to increase membership.This is up to you as a member. Start looking for Candidates and bring them in!

THINGS AS THEY USED TO BE . . . It used to be Nobles couldgather every morning for theMelha Koffee Klatch. Youcould find out everything thatwas wrong with you from anamiable bunch of coffeedrinkers. A place where youcould eat all the donuts youwanted without anyoneknowing. The good old daysare back! Every Tuesdaymorning at Melha, join otherNobles for coffee, conversa-tion and valuable advice.

“Caffeine and conversation, andwho else will listen to me any-

way?”

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE MELHA OFFICE


Last month we reported on the elec-tion and installation of our newPotentate, Ill. Russell Mitchell. Now wecan report the installation of anotherMitchell at Melha.

Michael Mitchell was installed asClown Chief at the annual ClownInstallation which took place on Sunday,January 22nd when the Melha Clownsheld their annual installation cere-monies. Michael was officially installedalong with all the other unit and clubofficers’ installation at the annual cere-monies on Saturday, January 28th.

Michael Mitchell is the son ofPotentate Ill. Russ Mitchell. He actuallylives at Melha since he also serves asMelha’s custodian.

Another MitchellInstallation TakesPlace at Melha

Michael Mitchell was installed as Melha Clown Chief at the Clowns’ annual instal-lation ceremonies at Melha in January. Mike was installed by his father, Ill. RussellMitchell, Melha’s Potentate for 2012.

—BERT KRASNER PHOTO

The annual Unit and Club headinstallation took place on January 28thwhen the officers of the various MelhaUnits and Clubs took their oaths ofoffice and took on the responsibility ofleading their units/clubs in the forthcom-ing year. They were installed by Ill.Russell Mitchell, Potentate, under thewatchful eye of the Divan and manyPast Potentates who had gathered for thespecial ceremonies.

The official installation culminatedan evening which included a dinner forthe officers as well as entertainment pro-vided by two standup comics. Someunits hold their own installation cere-monies at the beginning of each year,including the Clowns and Highlanders.

Unit/Club HeadsInstalled at JanuaryMelha Ceremonies

Melha’s Potentate, Ill. Russ Mitchell, installed the various unit and club officers at the official Installation held in January. Some twenty Nobles attended the Installationand were installed as head of their particular unit or club. They are shown lined up after they were installed. Individual photos of the unit heads are shown below in theirofficial Melha photos.

Unit, Club Officers Installed in January Ceremony

MELHA SHRINERS — UNIT & CLUB OFFICERS — 2012

CLOWNSMichael Mitchell

DIRECTORSNorman Peloquin

DRUM CORPSRonald Mongeon

FLYERSLance Whitcomb

MILITARY BANDBruce Rhodes

ORIENTAL BANDMike Avery

PAST MASTERSLeslie Lohnes

VINTAGE AUTOSAlan Johnson

BURNS BRIGADEWilliam Judd

MELHA RIDERSTom Isbell

SPORTSMAN CLUBShonn Monday

RAMBLIN CAMPERSGeorge Brooks

TEAM CIRCUSRobert Frechette

POT BELLIESMichael Belanger

BERKSHIRE CLUBJohn Wood

CENTRALMACLUBThomas Andrea

PIONEER VALLEYRobert Salmon

MARINERSRobert Hager

FRANKLIN CLUBMalcolm Corse

K9S FOR KIDSJim Russell

HADJIDonald Haskell

HIGHLANDERSWilliam Crawford

LEGION OF HONORStanley Heaton

—PHOTOS BY CHARLES BACON AND ED GELINAS, P.P.

YAWN RIHLAPeter Magagnoli

— CHARLES BACON PHOTO


As of January 2012, David Bursteinbecame the official Chairman of theBoard of Governors, although for thepast few months David, as ViceChairman, had been the acting chairmanon the board when the previous chair-man resigned. Burstein, a resdient ofLongmeadow and has been a MelhaShriner for 15 years. He is a member ofthe Samuel Sherwood Lodge andScottish Rite 44. He has been a votingmember of the Shriners Hospital Boardof Governors for the past five years.

His late father Merwyn was a Shriner,as is his brother Jeffrey, with whom heshares a law practice in downtownSpringfield. Attorney Burstein attendedTufts University in Medford, MA, andreceived his juris doctorate from TheWashington College of Law at AmericanUniversity in Washington, DC. He wasadmitted to practice in Massachusettsand Connecticut.

Attorney Burstein specializes in civiland criminal litigation, and has doneextensive work in the areas of bankrupt-cy, real estate, business law, tort law,contracts, probate law and estate plan-ning.

He is also a licensed real estate bro-ker, a licensed mediator, and an adjunctprofessor at Baypath College inLongmeadow, teaching courses in medi-ation, business law and litigation.

David H. Burstein Appointed ChairmanOf Board, Shriners Hospital Springfield

Attorney Burstein is a past chairmanof the Lawyer Referral Service of theMassachusetts Bar Association and is apast member of the Board of Directorsof Holy Name Hockey Association inSpringfield. He and his wife Jodie havetwo beautiful daughters, ages eight andten. David is an avid tennis player andenjoys traveling with his family.According to David, serving on theBoard of Governors of the SpringfieldHospital has been an incredibly reward-ing experience.

BOSTON – Shriners Hospitals forChildren-Boston is proud to announcethat Press Ganey Associates, Inc. hasnamed the hospital as a 2011 SummitAward Winner. Press Ganey currentlypartners with more than 10,000 healthcare facilities—including 50% of U.S.hospitals—to measure and improve thequality of their care. The company’sdatabases are the largest in the industry,and allow facilities nationwide to bench-mark their results against peer organiza-tions.

The Summit Award recognizes topperforming facilities that sustain thehighest level of customer satisfaction forthree or more consecutive years. ThePress Ganey Summit Award is the healthcare satisfaction industry’s most covetedsymbol of achievement bestowed annu-ally, and Shriners Hospitals for Children— Boston is one of the nation’s 80 orga-nizations to receive this prestigioushonor in 2011.

Robert Draughon, chief executiveofficer of Press Ganey Associates, stat-ed, “We are proud to partner withShriners Hospital for Children as theyfocus on improving the quality of healthcare. They are joining a community ofover 10,000 health care organizationsand 50% of U.S. hospitals who partnerwith Press Ganey and are committed tocontinuous quality improvement.”

The Outpatient Department atShriners Hospitals for Children—Boston exemplifies the mission of thehospital through provision of high qual-ity care by skilled professionals in a safeand caring environment. The dedicatedstaff of nurses, doctors, nurse practition-ers, care coordinators, therapists, childlife specialists, medical photographers,and interpreters works closely togetherto provide consistency in care for all ofour patients. The hospital strives for thisexcellence while also looking forward tocontinually improve our services. With5,743 outpatient visits in 2010, andmany patients who return to clinic overa period of years, the relationship withpatients and families is a valuable assetand one is continually fostered. It has

been stated that, “It takes a village toraise a child.” At Shriners Hospitals forChildren—Boston the OutpatientDepartment works as a village with amultidisciplinary team working togetherto provide all the facets of care neces-sary to promote healing and integrationback into society.

Arlene Swan-Mahony, Manager,Outpatient Department and CareCoordination Department, states, “Weare very proud of the recognition from

Shriners Hospital for Children-BostonWins National Top Performer Award

The idea came about after a rareOctober snowstorm that barreled up theEast Coast and left millions withoutpower for up to a week. ShrinersHospital in Springfield warmly extend-ed its hospitality to all its employees andfamilies as a place of refuge during thestorm recovery efforts. The hospital’sauditorium was utilized by manyemployees needing a place for school-aged children.

With schools closed for a week,Grace Macmillan, a Shriners patient anddaughter of Kathy Macmillan — aRadiology Department employee,stayed and played in the hospital’s trans-formed auditorium.

Grace quickly noticed that one of thex-ray rooms needed a kid’s touch, “Atouch of Grace.” Gracie’s vision toremodel the x-ray room included a bigtree, lots of color and butterflies.However, she did not do it alone.

Grace asked her best friend and class-mate, Makenna Simis, to help. Makennais also a Shriners patient and daughter ofCindy Simis, a Prosthetics & OrthoticsDepartment employee.

During their school vacation, Graceand Makenna met with Jessie Hagerman(of the Child Life Dept.) and JohnPalivoda (of the Engineering Dept.) todiscuss the future design of the x-rayroom.

The girls had lots of fun workingtogether decorating the room. Jessie

HHoossppiittaall RRaaddiioollooggyy RRoooomm GGeettss MMaakkeeoovveerr WWiitthh ‘‘TToouucchh ooff GGrraaccee’’ bbyy TTwwoo PPaattiieennttss

Grace at work with her art.helped them transform their vision intoreality by providing supplies and deco-rating ideas. John painted the walls ofthe room, which coincidently reflectedsome of the Shriners’ employee badgecolors of green and yellow. He also cutand carved out a six foot wooden tree.

The radiology room is now 100%more kid friendly for all of the Shrinerspatients that enter thanks to a couple ofpatients with big imaginations!

Press Ganey for our excellence in healthcare. Receiving this award for the sixthyear in a row clearly demonstrates theexpertise and commitment from ourstaff at Shriners Hospital for Children—Boston. As our hospital transitioned intoaccepting third party pay with imple-mentation of new systems, our staff hascontinued to hold the child and family asthe most important members of theteam. This is what makes ShrinersHospital for Children−Boston the pre-mier hospital for pediatric burn care.”

The Press Ganey 2011 Summit Award

Shriners Hospitals for Children is de -termined to decrease the number of pre-ventable pediatric burn injuries by rais-ing awareness. One program in thiseffort is the annual Burn Awarenesscampaign, which began more than 20years ago.

During the first week of Februarypublic relations efforts are dedicated toBurn Awareness Week, the kickoff of ayearlong educational campaign aimed atburn awareness and prevention, includ-ing offering free educational materialsvia our website.The items, i n -cluding posters,activity booksand fact sheetsare designed tobe a resourcefor firefighters,teachers, par-ents and othersconcerned withthe safety andwell-being ofchildren, andare available inboth English and Spanish.

We don’t often think of it, but withoutsome attention and awareness, ourhomes can be dangerous places, espe-cially for children. Homes are the sites ofthousands of burn injuries to childrenevery year, including scalds and fire-related injuries. Many of these incidentscould be easily prevented by followingand implementing some basic safety tips.

“At Shriners Hospitals for Children,preventing burn injuries and providingburn awareness education is an on-going, yearlong effort,” said PeterArmstrong, M.D., chief medical officer,Shriners Hospitals for Children. “In2012, our campaign, ‘Be Burn Aware,’focuses on teaching children ways toavoid burn injuries at home.”

The campaign introduces two newchild-friendly characters who showcase

and share our messages. Boots andBrewster – a caped, cuddly bear and agoogly-eyed teapot – are featured inactivity books for children ages 3-7 and8-12. The engaging pair lead the childrenthrough the various rooms of a house,pointing out dangers, and how to easilycorrect or avoid them. The coloringpages, word searches, cartoons, andother activities are designed to grab thechildren’s attention and present the infor-mation in a memorable, age-appropriatemanner. The campaign also includes a

poster of safety tips.Previous years’ efforts

have emphasized preven-tion of gasoline and gaso-line-related burn andscald injuries. All avail-able materials can beviewed and ordered atwww.burnawareness.org.

In 2012, ShrinersHospitals for Childrenwill partner with otherorganizations also con-cerned with raising burnawareness. These rela-

tionships include sponsoring “Trial byFire: Lives Re-forged,” a documentarythat emphasizes fire safety through shar-ing the personal stories of those whohave experienced and overcome seriousburn injuries. Some of the filming wasdone at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Boston, and features our patients. We arealso working with Blitz USA, especiallyon its Stop Gas Fires campaign.

Shriners Hospitals for Children isalso assisted in its burn preventionefforts by members of the Shriners fra-ternity. For example, during NationalFire Prevention Week in October 2011,members of Jerusalem Shriners part-nered with both the local Home Depotand fire department for an awarenessevent, and the Wa Wa Shriners gave pre-sentations on fire safety at area elemen-tary schools.

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DON’T FORGET . . . Our fellow Nobles who may need assistance.

Send $1 or more to the Fraternal Fund in care ofthe Melha Office. Many Nobles have been enabledto keep their membership in Melha through yourgenerosity. Please don’t forget them now.

HOSPITAL ASSIGNMENTSMarch 3 . . . . . .Thomas Baum, Donald ClowesMarch 4 . . . . . . . .James Kirst, Curtis BosworthMarch 10 . . . . . .Robert Reardon, Dean WhalenMarch 11 . . . . . . . .Lewis Gile, Michael PowellMarch 17 . . . . . . . .Bryan Ward, James Rich, Jr.March 18 . . . .Lawrence Lucas, Homer BrooksMarch 24 . . .John Doughty, IV, Norman SmithMarch 25 . . . .Germain Tetreault, Gary HooperMarch 31 . . .Thomas Andrea, Norman Cloutier

By Peter P. MagagnoliIt’s hard to believe but March is here

already. By now our new President,Norm Peloquin (for those among us whomay have forgotten his name) is backwith us. I’m certain that both he and hislady Pat have had a heck of a time inFlorida but are glad to be back. Norm,we’re happy to have you back.

In February, the Directors manned ahospital table at a Falcons’ Hockeygame at the Mass Mutual Center. Wehad help from several other Melha units.I especially want to thank the Riders forloaning us (the ever entertaining) Bo forthe entire day. This was just the first ofmany combined efforts that will occurthis year between Melha Clubs andUnits.

March is also the kick-off month forour parades. The first being theWorcester St. Patrick’s Day Parade onSunday, March 11th and the HolyokeParade on the following Sunday, March18th. Prior to this parade, the RainbowGirls will be hosting a PancakeBreakfast at Melha for $6 for adults and$4 for kids.

On the 21st, Yawn Rihla will be hold-ing their meeting at Melha with somesurprises in store for the attendees. AllNobles are welcome and appreciated.

On the Friday the 23rd, Aleppo issponsoring a Smoker. Fine cigars, greatsteak and Spirit Tasting. Sounds like agood time to me. The last Smoker was atMelha and everybody loved it.

Last, but not even close to least, don’tforget to support our Circus. Go to themeetings and get those ads coming in.

F r a n k l i nF r a n k l i nS h r i n e C l u bS h r i n e C l u bF r a n k l i nF r a n k l i nS h r i n e C l u bS h r i n e C l u b

By John H. Doughty IVThe winter in the north central part of

Massachusetts has so far been very mild.Our snowbirds have missed an easy win-ter, but I am sure they are a little warmerthan we are.

Franklin Shrine Club meets atHarmony Lodge in Montague everyother month. We meet on the secondMonday of the odd numbered months,January, March, May, July, Septemberand November. We will also plan asocial event for the club for the evennumbered months.

In February we met at the FishtaleRestaurant in Hatfield. We all had agreat time and are looking forward tosimilar events every other month. This isa great time for us to get together withour wives and friends, solving all theworld’s problems with some good olefashion fun.

Mark your calendars for October 13for our annual Potentate’s Reception.This is our biggest event of the year andis a lot of fun. More details will followas we complete the details of the venue.

With warmer weather comes springand Paper Drives. We will have moredetails on the Paper Drives as we firmup the dates.

If anyone is interested in more infor-mation about the Franklin Shrine Clubplease contact Malcolm Corse (413-369-4608), Don Scott (413-256-6980)or John Doughty (508-843-3238).

Be r ksh i r eSh r i n e C lub

By John H. FiskeThe March meeting of the Berkshire

Shrine Club will be held on March 14 atthe Wisdom Lodge in West Stock bridge.The social will start at 6 pm with dinnerbeing served at 7 pm. The cost is $12p.p. and reservations are to be made toPres. John Wood at 413-684-3384 byMarch 11.

Circus is coming and ushers are indemand. If you know of anyone whowould like to help, get in touch withNancy Waltermire at 413-663-5472. Ifyou know of a Mason who isn’t aShriner bring them to the Circus to seeall the fun we have in the Shrine.

The Shrine Club is going to do aJewel Page in the Circus program. If youare interested bring your dollar to theMarch meeting and tell Les Rhinemiller.Les is taking care of this. If you can’tmake the meeting give Les a call at 413-743-9615.

Parade season is coming soon. Thetwo St. Patrick’s Day parades will beWorcester on the 11th and Holyoke onthe 18th.

Be sure to have your vehicles inshape and the insurance turned intoParade Capt. Mark Feder at 413-663-3825. If you don’t have a vehicle comeand walk. Bring your family. The fami-lies sit together and have a good time. Itis fun for everyone.

DDRRUUMMCCOORRPPSS

By Jim MarceauI have just collapsed into a chair to

hunt and peck this article after havingfinally unloaded my car and put away allthe stuff I had brought to the DrumCorps Show this morning. And therewas a lot of it, let me tell you. Evenbefore counting up the money and doinga financial report, I wanted to get this tothe Melha News editor before the dead-line tomorrow. Let me start by extend-ing a hearty thank you to all who helpedout. We could not have done it withoutBob F. and Leo P. on the bar, Bob W. act-ing as a judge, Lee R. as a greeter anddoorman, the Legion of Honor for pre-senting the colors, and numerous non-Shriners pitching in to make our secondannual show a success. Our ensemblesounded like chopped liver (at least tous), but instead of being able to rehearseand warm up properly, we were busyselling raffle tickets and meatballgrinders. I am sure we will have it moretogether when we go into competition.So once again, thanks a million to allwho helped out in any way, especiallyBernice and Lise in the kitchen andAustin taking food tickets.

The rehearsal schedule given to me byPres. Ron is: February 21 and March 2,9, 13, 23, and 27. We had to work aroundsome events, so keep an eye on the dates.We also have parades on March 11(Worcester) and March 18 (Holyoke).On the 18th, we will be taking a Corpspicture at 11:00 AM at the temple. Pleasebe on time and in uniform.

Bring all your Jewel Page names torehearsal ASAP, and push a few last-minute ads for the program. In themeantime, Rock the Fez!

Pioneer Valley Pioneer Valley Pot BelliesPot Bellies

By Ben DoverHowdy, cuzzins! Still no news this

month, so I guess we just have ta tryagin nixt time. Just keep the faith andHonor the Cob!

MMEELLHHAASSPPOORRTTSSMMAANN

CCLLUUBBBy Brian Prefontaine

In lieu of sportsman activities thusfar this year, I would like to reiterate thatwhich came out of the last monthlyStated Meeting (4th Wednesday of theevery month, all Nobles welcome toattend). For those seriously interested inthe business at hand, especially that inregards to the Shriners Hospital forChildren, and our Shrine Center, I wouldlike to emphasize the need for unity inall clubs coming together during thesedifficult times of low membership, asrequested by our Illustrious PotentateRussel Mitchell. Each unit is dwindlingin size, and we all need to support ourcause. With that said, please, let’s unify,collaborate on group events or on paperdrives. Our future is in our limitedhands, so please join me in supportingPotentate Russ Mitchell and to uplift ourteam spirit and collaboration. Example,the Big-E Sportsman Show Feb. 23 -26,is a collaboration of many Melha unitsand membership to promote new mem-bership, interests, contributions to ourcause, through fraternal brotherhood.Let’s all make a difference - sign up - seeyour units head for this event and allupcoming events.

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VintageAutos

By Don GeorgeA message from our President Allan

Johnson. Allan is looking to have a goodyear as head of Vintage Autos and helooks forward to your help and partici-pation.

Parade season is just around the cor-ner. Please make sure we have your cur-rent insurance information and you havethe correct parade sticker for your cars.The first parade is in Worcester onMarch 11, remember that is the sameday we move the clocks forward fordaylight savings. We would like to seegood attendance for the Holyoke paradeon the 18th dressed in our winter uni-forms. We will be taking a unit picture toplace on the web site with our unit infor-mation.

Circus Program — We are doing aJewel page ad for the unit. Please letAllan Johnson know if you want to beincluded. There is a $1 charge per name.

The unit donated the money to pur-chase the new ice machine located onthe lower floor, We will be placing aplaque on the machine that readsDonated by Vintage Autos.

Gerry Morin is recovering from Kneesurgery and Ron Poirer has had somebreathing problems and is now back towork on a limited basis. Keep them inmind and I am sure they would like tohear from you.

Plan to attend the Friday, Feb 17thmeeting. We will be discussing the fly-ers and wrap up plans for the posters,raffle tickets and flyers for the car showat the Moose Club on September 9,2012.

Our paper drive is in June on the 8, 9and 10th. We need your help. Pleasenotify one of the officers or come in andsign up in the unit room.

Meetings are the first Tuesday and3rd Friday. Hope to see you there.

LEGIONOF

HONOR

By Paul BryantTime to get your uniforms ship shape.

Parade season begins this month. Wewill venture to Worcester for their St.Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, March11th. It is important to remember thatDaylight Savings Time begins that day.Spring ahead and set your clocks for-ward one hour before you go to bed.The following Sunday, March 18th, willfind us in Holyoke for their parade.Information for both of these paradescan be found, generally, on page three ofthis issue.

Preceding the Holyoke parade theRainbow girls will once again host apancake breakfast. Come on down andhelp them out and enjoy a good break-fast. As is done most years, I expect thatthe Legion will have their photo taken at1000 hours in the Jack ButterfieldBanquet Hall. I trust that winter uni-forms will be the order of the day.

It’s never too early to think circus.This year’s circus will be held fromApril 26th to the 29th. An importantresponsibility is to sell ads for the circusprogram. I am not sure of the exactdeadline for the ads to be submitted buttry not to wait until the last minute.Next month we can expect to see theschedules of Grand Entries for each per-formance.

Please say a prayer for our servicemen and women in harm’s way and else-where about the world. See you in theFoxhole.

“Every St. Patrick’s Day everyIrishman goes out to find anotherIrishman to make a speech to.”

—Shane Leslie

TT EE AA MMCC II RR CC UU SS

By Allen G. ZippinCIRCUS INFORMATION

NOBILITY TICKETS: Nobles maypurchase $5.00 coupons at the box officeand at the Melha Office from Monday,April 2nd through Friday, April 13th.The coupons can be exchanged for$14.00 tickets at the box office at anytime prior to or during the circus dates,based on availability. If you wish to up-grade to a box seat you may do so withan additional payment of $13.00. Thereis a limit of 10 coupons per Noble.

BOX OFFICE SCHEDULE: Open topublic on 4/14—open daily from 10:00-6:00 with the exception of EasterSunday—open to intermission time dur-ing circus.

GRAND ENTRY SCHEDULE:Thurs. 4/25: 5:45—Fri. 4/27: 7:30—Sat.4/28: 2:30, 7:30—Sun. 4/29:12:30

PROMOTIONS: Sat. 4/21: Big Y,Boston Road, Wilbraham and Sun. 4/22,Bob Evans’ IHOP, Riverdale Road,WS—both from 10:00 AM to 1:00P.M.

PARKING: Parking costs $5.00 percar again. Four-day parking passes willbe on sale at the Melha office for $20.00each.

SHOW TIMES: Thurs.4/26—6:30p.m., Fri. 4/27—4:00 P.M. (CommunityPerformance), 7:30 P.M.—Sat. 4/28—10:00 A.M., 2:30 P.M., 7:30 P.M.—Sun.12:30 P.M., 4:30 P.M.ON-LINE TICKETS AVAILABLE

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Yawn RihlaNew Journey

By Alan StrattonBelieve it or not, spring is just around

the corner and the Melha spring/summerevent planning is well under way. Withparades staring in March and the circustaking place in April, now is the time thatwe need each and every Shriner to getinvolved. For new Nobles who haverecently become part of our Temple andfor those Nobles who just don’t know howto get involved, I have some suggestions.

First – just look at the calendar, find ameeting and show up. It can be a StatedMeeting, unit/club meeting, TeamCircus meeting or, of course, a YawnRihla meeting just to name a few.

When I came to Melha two years agoand was not sure how I could help, thebest advice I was given was to go toTemple meetings and hang around. It isat those meetings that you get to meetyour fellow Nobles, hear what eventsare being planned, and most importantly,it is at these meetings where you learnhow to become involved.

The second way to get involved is touse Yawn Rihla for support. With theregular club e-mails and meetings, allyou need to do is to mention to a YawnRihla Officer or other member that youwant to help. No matter what you areinterested in doing, there will be a needand a way for you to get involved.

Yawn Rihla meetings are held at 7:00PM on the third Wednesday of eachmonth in the Golden Fez Room in thebasement of Melha. Dress is casual, withno Fez necessary and food is alwaysserved. Look for some exciting activitiesand guests in the upcoming months aswe continue to search for ways to focuson our cause – new Nobles.

Melha Flyers

By Lance WhitcombI am now down in Florida since the

first of this month. I was hoping to meetmy wife and daughter at the airport inTampa as they were returning home, butit didn’t work out!!

On Saturday, the 4th of this month, Iwent to the Melha picnic at the ShrineClub in Inverness. They had just built apole barn behind their building, what agreat place to have a picnic! We were thefirst function held there and they held adedication prior to our picnic. It was atypical Florida sunny, warm day with over30 Melha members along with the invitedCitrus Shrine Club members. They put ona wonderful BBQ chicken dinner with allthe trimmings and a great selection ofdesserts (I liked the banana pudding)! Wehad a great turnout of Nobles and Ladiesfor a good visit and fun.

I will start visiting the local BlueLodges this week. The outdoor 3rddegree will be held in March. The GrandMaster is to be at the degree. It should bea good time. Last night I attended aLodge meeting locally. They held a 1stdegree for three young candidates. Itwas interesting to compare the differ-ences in degree work.

Remember to visit your local BlueLodge!!


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By Alan KinsleyGreetings Nobles from the deep

sands of the desert. We have a spaghettidinner coming up on March 10th. Costis $15 pp and the night should prove tobe fun for all. Please see Chris Parker orany member of the O.B. for tickets. Wehad a great time at our Christmas partyon the 21st of January, unfortunatelyeven with a late Christmas we still didnot have a white one (Thank the weath-er gods). It was at McCarthy’s and we allthank Gary and Terry Moreau for a greattime had by all. Looking forward to thespring (if the winter even starts) we havelots of work to get some circus ads sold.We also have the jewel page signup inthe room and it’s only $2 per name forthe page. Also don’t forget to dust ofthose marching shoes and get the camelgroomed up, parades will be here beforeyou know it. In the words of my greatfriend Walter… don’t forget your furryfriends and keep all of our members ofthe Armed Forces in your prayers.Thanks for all our members’ support andlet’s have a great 2012.

By Evy SchoolcraftCalling all campers! Our first meet-

ing of 2012 will be at 6:30 p.m. onWednesday, March 21st, at the MelhaShrine Center. Bring your appetite.Pizza will be served. We’ll be delightedand thankful to all members who donatedesserts! Have you ideas for future cam-pouts? We’ll discuss them. You’ll beglad to know Harvey Isabelle is backand plans to camp with us in the future.

Are you a member of Melha, one wholoves to go camping, smell the woodsyscent of pines, and enjoys nature, yet alsois pleased with the companionship oflike-minded people? Are you interestedin learning more about our campinggroup? If you have questions, phone ourWagonmaster, George Brooks, at (413)527-1875. We originally formed so the entirefamily could accompany Nobles whenthey march in out-of-town parades. Duesare tiny, only five bucks a year. We havelots of fun and are eager to give you ahearty welcome.

Ramblin’Campers

MMIILLIITTAARRYYBBAANNDD

By Dave YeagerHi bandmates and fellow Nobles! We

sure got one thing to be thankful for thiswinter: the weather has sure been a lotmore pleasant. And because of that therehearsals have been a bit more wellattended, always a plus. The major eventin February was the Valentine’s banddance, held at the Shrine. I heard it wentover pretty good, with Peter and theWinemakers in good form. It’s hard tobelieve the two St. Patrick’s Day paradesare only weeks away. Again, we ask allNobles that might know of others whowould like to join our band to get aholdof Bruce at 547-8283. You don’t have tobe an expert! So long ’til next month!

MelhaRIDERS

HHAADDJJIIHHAADDJJII

BURNSBRIGADE

PAST M AST ERS

By Craig (Doc) KazinThe 2011 “Gig Competition” ended

in a tie. Both perennial all-star and past-Chief, Mike (Beeper) Sklarski ended ina virtual tie with up-and-comer and UnitSecretary Joel (Jewlz) Miller with 87appearances during the year.

Past-Chief Rick (Shorty) Pirog alsoawarded his “Clown of the Year Award”

By Howard VincentThe Burns Brigade of Melha takes

this opportunity to honor our IllustriousSir Russell Mitchell. Illustrious was oneof the builders of this organization. Whoother than a working Firefighter andNoble could or would have thought ofsuch a great organization?

Well three Nobles did all of whomare on the Illustrious Potentate’s pin.Nobles Tommy Splaine, Frank Baconand Ray Dodson conceived the begin-ning of the Burns Brigade.

Though the years have been tough aswith any unit we have grown to as manyas forty and as few as five but we stillplug along. This is not indicative buttrue nevertheless. Russ is always outthere talking the Fire Prevention, we runbooths at the Big E and wherever elsewe can teach children how to use firesafely but most of all prevention; we dothis to the public at Eastfield Mall andother places wherever needed and want-ed. Russ has organized at least two sem-inars at Shriners Hospital, with on dutyfirefighter, police and EMTs. Our hospi-tal has been surrounded with fire trucks,ambulances and cruisers all ready to rollif needed. We had the head nurse fromBoston Burns who gave instruction onhelping burns victims. These were high-ly accepted by those attending. Timewas and is not on our side unless prop-erly trained responders know their stuff.This they received.

to the “new” old guy, Tom (Fumbles)Gouvan for all of his help and supportduring the 2011 campaign. Congrats toTom! The Camp Show is the weekend ofFebruary 17-20, and your Melha Clownswill be there in full force for our firstmajor gig of the year. Congratulations tonew Apprentice, Dave Mereschun, towhom we wish much success.

Get well wishes again to Mike(Binder) Kagan, and any other infirmclowns who need our prayers!

That’s it for now, and please remem-ber to make someone smile today!

Remember to make a donation tothe Butterfield AuditoriumR e n o v a t i o n F u n d . Send a check to the Melha Office today.

MARCH 2012 THE MelhaNEWS 9

kBERLINER LAW FIRML. Jed Berliner

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Individuals, Small Business & Not forProfits

Financial Planning * Investments46 Suffield St., Agawam, MA 01001

Near the Big EPhone: (413)786-5982

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The Shriners Hospitals float in this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade inPasadena, California, was seen on television nationally. It was large, kid-orientedand colorful. This Photo was supplied by the Shriners Hospital in Boston.

HAROLD L. HABERMAN113670 A Via Flora

Delray Beach, FL 33484-1649

$$110000 MMIILLLLIIOONN CCLLUUBB3799 In memory of Albert C.

Christensen from the PhilipChristensen family

3780 In honor of George Sachs onyour special Birthday from allyour friends

3781 In memory of Brother John F.Willard, Jr., from Stanley andBarbara Hanson.

TThheeGGOOLLFFLLeeaagguuee

[See the Highlanders article on Page 11for Golf League information this month.]

David Butterfield, Melha’s High Priest & Prophet, represented the Potentate at theMilitary Band Dance. His lady, Carla, accepted a check from Military BandPresident Bruce Rhodes on behalf of First Lady Anna Mitchell for her special hos-pital fundraiser. Good attendance with a nice dancing crowd, wonderful dance.

THINGS AS THEY USED TO BE . . . We can remember whengoing downtown meant goingto Main Street in Springfieldwhen you had some impor-tant shopping to do.Steiger’s, Forbes & Wallaceand Johnson’s Bookstore andall the men’s clothingstores—Kennedy’s, RichardStevens, Haynes, Joseph’sand more. Where do you gofor a good suit now? MaybeTarget or Walmart? Let’s talkabout it next Tuesday morn-ing at coffee.

“Was that George Clooney herelast Tuesday? Naw, we don’t

have those little itty bitty cups!”

—ED

GEL

INAS

, P.P., P

HOTO

S

Sunday, March 11, St. Patrick’sDay Parade, Worcester.

Bus leaves Melha at 9:45 a.m., formsat 11:15 a.m. at Parts America — 645Park Ave., Worcester. Lunch will beserved at the assembly area before theparade. Unit and Club heads contactParade Marshal with parade counts forbus and food.Sunday, March 18, St. Patrick’s

Day Parade, Holyoke.Bus leaves Melha at 12:30 p.m.,

forms at 1 p.m. at old K-Mart Plaza,Northampton St., Holyoke.

After the parade, hamburgers and hotdogs will be served inside at the MelhaShrine Center. There will be a PancakeBreakfast served by the Rainbow Girlsat Melha prior to the parade. Breakfastwill begin at 9 a.m.


AAHHLLEEMM TTEEMMPPLLEE ##8844DDaauugghhtteerrss ooff tthhee NNiillee

Helma Court #64Ladies OrientalShrine of NorthAmerica, Inc.

By Anita L. GayThursday, March 8 is our regular

Court Meeting at 7:30pm. This is LadyPam’s last meeting as HP so let’s bethere to give her a hearty thank you forall of her hard work this past year.

Lady Joyce Frechette and her officerswill be installed on Saturday, March 24at 2:00 pm. Rehearsals for theInstallation are scheduled on March 22and 23.

March 7 at 7:00 pm is the MEUMmeeting. The Unit Meet is fastapproaching and everyone’s help isneeded. We are still selling the candybars and calendars to help fund thisMeet, so please don’t forget about them.

Our first parade of the season is theSt. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday,March 18. Let’s hope that the goodweather continues at least until theparade is over.

Please support our Court by fillingout the Jewel Page form with as manynames as you can, and sending it backwith a nice check.

And last, but not least, remember ourUnits: the Helma High Steppers, theTraveling Ladies, the Laughing LadiesClown Unit, and the PHP Club. Theycan all use our support and attendance.

By Olive LarsonWe were blessed with good weather

for our February Session andCeremonial. Thanks to all who partici-pated.

Our annual election of officers willbe at the March 1st Session. Installationof Officers will be Saturday afternoon,March 31st at 2 p.m. We hope many ofour members can attend these events.

Best wishes for an enjoyable St.Patrick’s Day.

“Deep peace of the running waves to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.Deep peace of the smiling stars to

you.Deep peace of the quiet earth to

you.”—Irish Blessing

At the Unit Head installation at the end of January, First Ceremonial Master RayTurrini needed a little help with dinner. Rick Birk and Bob Frechette were happy tooblige. Here they are shown using long forks to assist Turrini to speed up the dinnerprocess. Bob Frechette said he had Tums in his pocket in the event something wentawry. Turrini survived.

Butterfield Auditorium Saturday, April 21, 2012

Social Hour: 5:45 p.m.—Dinner 7 p.m.—Dancing 8-12CCaatteerreedd bbyy TToonnyy && PPeennnnyy’’ss

Choice of: Prime Rib, Chicken Francaise or Baked Scrod$50.00 per person

EEnntteerrttaaiinnmmeenntt bbyy TThhee PPaassssppoorrttLLiivvee//DDJJ sseerrvviiccee

Highland Dress or Jacket & Tie RequiredFor tickets, send check (payable to Melha Highlanders)

and choice of meal to:William Crawford, 12 Pleasant St. Rear Apt., Westfield, MA 01085

Shriners Hospital inBoston WelcomesBilingual Teacher

Shriners Hospital for Children-Boston welcomes Katelyn Marengo as abilingual school teacher. She is a gradu-ate of Northeastern University with aBachelor of Arts in Modern Languagesand a Master of Arts in Teaching with afocus on Urban Secondary Education.She studied in Seville, Spain, and is flu-ent in Spanish. She has taught in both

Mas s a chu s e t t sand New Hamp -shire.

Katelyn has apassion for teach-ing and is fasci-nated by the waypeople learn. Shedes cribes workingwith students andund e r s t a n d i n gtheir individual

needs as “putting the pieces of a puzzletogether.” Gesturing to the array ofbooks and other educational resources inthe classroom, she stated, “Look at thisplace! Who wouldn’t want to be here? Iam very happy with the abundance ofresources here.”

At age 15, Katelyn was a studentambassador accompanying New Hamp -shire governor Jeanne Shaheen on a tripto Mexico. She plays the piano and theFrench horn and has performed with theBoston Youth Syphony Orchestra,Boston University’s TanglewoodInstitute and as part of the MIT orches-tra.

Potentate Russ Mitchell drops the hockey puck at the Shrine Night Falcons game onFebruary 5th at the Mass Mutual Center. Photo courtesy of the Springfield Falcons.


No matter what you’re adver-tising, it will be seen by every

Shrine family in the area.Every issue of

The Melha Newscan also be read and seen on

the Internet—increasing your ad’s audience.

Advertising rates are as follows(on an annual basis)

Advertising inTThhee MMeellhhaa NNeewwss

is effective, easy andaffordable

1 col. by 1 inch $ 95.00 1 col. by 2 inches $ 180.00 1 col. by 3 inches $ 270.00 1 col. by 4 inches $ 360.00 2 cols by 2 inches $ 360.00 2 cols. by 4 inches $ 720.002 cols. by 6 inches $1,080.00 1/2 page $280 per issueFull Page $560 per issue

One column width is 2.375”Two columns: width is 4.916”

For additional information on howto advertise in The Melha Newscall Ed Gelinas at 413-568-6120

Isaw it inThe Melha

News!

The Highlanders installed their officers for 2012 at their formal installation cere-monies in early February. The new officers are shown, from left: Garth Parker,Assistant Chief; Michael J. Sands, Deputy Chief; William D. Crawford, Chief;Jeffrey Hastings, Secretary, and John Burns, Chaplain. Not shown is SaulMichaelson, Treasurer, who had surgery earlier that day.

THE

HIGHLANDERSBy Mike Sands

Nobles, by the time you read this arti-cle a lot has happened. We have a newline of Officers and William D.Crawford III is now our Worthy Chief,we wish him and his Officers the best ofluck for the new season.

We’re looking forward to theWorcester and Holyoke St. Patrick’sDay parades this month; we hope we’llhave a good turnout of personnel forboth parades. Saul “Mike” Michaelsonis home from a successful knee opera-tion on February 6th, he is doing fineand waiting for the golf season to begin.

Now what is ahead for us? Goodweather and the Golf league, yup, Golfleague starts up for practice in the lasttwo weeks of March, the 23rd and 30thboth on Friday’s at 3:15, at EastMountain C.C. Westfield, Ma, allShriners are welcome.

At the installation, the Worthy Chiefallowed me a few minutes for commentsof the past year, like 2 or 3 minutes, Iheard that I may have gone on for about5 minutes or 7 minutes, or maybe a littlelonger. I don’t know but I apologize, butin the end things have to be said toexplain what happened, so I thank youall for that time. See ya all on Mondaysfor practice

—ED GELINAS, P.P., PHOTOS

Remember to make a donation tothe Butterfield AuditoriumR e n o v a t i o n F u n d . Send a check to the Melha Office today.


You are invited to attendYou are invited to attend

Melha’sMelha’s

Potentate’s ReceptionPotentate’s Reception

You are cordially invited tojoin Melha’s Divan

and all the visiting dignitaries from the

Northeast Shrine Association as Melha honors its

2012 Potentate, Illustrious Russell Mitchell

and First Lady Anna.

Dinner MenuChoice of

Gorgonzola SirloinChicken Piccata

Stuffed Sole topped with Lobster SauceDress for the Evening will be formal with fez forNobles, jacket and ties for non-Shrine guests.

SaturdaySaturdayApril 14, 2012 atApril 14, 2012 atThe Log CabinThe Log Cabin

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke, Massachusetts

Program6:00 p.m.

Doors open and social hour begins6:30 p.m.

Guests seated for Introductions6:45 p.m.

Color Guard posts colors7:15 p.m.

Welcome remarks and toast7:30 p.m.

Dinner is served

Following dinnerEntertainmentprovided byDJ Bob

Dancing from 9:30 p.m.until 11 p.m.

Melha Shriners, 133 Longhill St., Springfield, MA 01108Make my reservations for ____ for the Potentate’s WeekendFriday Night event at $35.00 p.p. My check payable to MelhaShrine Potentate’s Reception is enclosed in the amount of$________.Name________________________________________Address______________________________________City___________________State______ZIP__________

Charge my ___VISA, ___MasterCard, ___DiscoverCard Number: _____________________________________Expiration date: Month_______________Year____________Print name as it appears on card________________________Signature__________________________________________

Potentate’s WeekendFriday, April 13, 2012

Melha Shrine Center6 p.m. Social Hour — 7 p.m. Buffet

House Salad w/Sherry Wine vinaigretteFirst course served at table followed by buffet dinner

Stuffed Pork Loin, Teriyaki Chucken Breast, Rice Pilaf,Roasted Baby Potatoes, Chef’s Vegetable and Dessert

Entertainment will be

$35.00 per personCome and join us in a fun and

entertaining evening to start off the Potentate‘s Reception Weekend

Cash BarDress for the evening is Shrine Casual

Contact the Melha Office at 413-736-3647.Reservations must be received by March 23rd.

Potentate’s ReceptionMelha Shriners133 Longhill StreetSpringfield, MA 01108Please reserve ______ tickets for the 2012 Potentate’s Reception at$49.00 per person. Reservations must be received by March 23rd.Enclosed is my check payable to Melha Shrine Potentate’s Receptionfor $___________.__ Gorgonzola Sirloin __ Chicken Piccata __ Stuffed SoleName__________________________________________________Address________________________________________________City___________________________State______ZIP___________Phone Number: (____) _________________I would like to sit with _________________________________

Potentate’s Reception Reservation Form

Charge my ___VISA, ___MasterCard, ___DiscoverCard Number: _____________________________________Expiration date: Month_______________Year____________Print name as it appears on card________________________Signature__________________________________________

For those wishing hotel accommodations for the weekend, they may be made at theHomewood Suites, Holyoke, MA at $135.00 per night. Reserve rooms through theMelha Office at 413-736-3647.

N E W S - Melha Shriners€¦ · became a place of refuge during the storm recovery efforts. ......

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