Mill Valley Lodge History

Mill Valley Lodge’s Eighth Decade

Earl Warren, Grand Master in 1936, died in July 1974.

November 5, 1974, it was reported that a resolution was passed by the Grand Lodge to allow statewide jurisdiction applications.

Mill Valley Lodge No. 356, F & AM
Past Masters Night c. 1975

First Row: Samuel T. Bagshaw (1938), Hugh Rutherford (1945), Frederick A. Penn (1933), Leslie "Nook" Armager (Head Candidate's Coach), Elmer H. Julian (1959), Harold R. Henry (1963), Jacob Uhrig (Secretary from 1934)

Second Row: John L. Oliveira (1973), -, -, -, -, Bert Stocking (1967), Robert D. Jackson (1969), Larry Hollomon (1974) Third Row: Thomas Trimbell, III (1968); Pierre A. Born (1970), Cecil W. Crowe (1972), Howard A. Ronning (1956), Richard K. Mills (1965) Fourth Row: Ralph E. Brott (1954), Harry A. Thomas (1975), Alfred D. Fields (1971), Richard A. Dangers (1964), Frederick A. Wilson (1966)

On Past Master's Night, the Lodge's Past Masters traditionally put on a Third Degree. The work on these occasions is exceptionally good."

June 18, 1976, Mrs. Teresa Locke, sponsored by Mill Valley Lodge at the Masonic Home, Union City, died of a stroke, age 110 years, 5 months, 18 days.

April 5, 1977, Roy Springett was presented a 50-year button by Warren Williams of Marin Lodge #191.

July 31, 1977, Brother Harold Graves, President of SF Theological Seminary, retired.

With election of James A. Crow as Master for 1978 - - It was our 75th Anniversary year. Brother Crow was installed by his brother, Lawrence E. Crow.

The Mill Valley Film Festival was established in Mill Valley. In the ensuing years, the Mill Valley Film Festival would rent and utilize the Mill Valley Masonic Hall for many events, including a lecture with George Folsey, Jr., the producer of Michael Jackson's music video Thriller and as a venue for demonstrating new technologies, such as computer animation in film making.

December 6, 1977, it was voted that long-time and now retired Secretary, Jacob Uhrig, be elected Secretary Emeritus, in recognition of his long and faithful service.

Testimonial Dinner for Jake Uhrig
Mill Valley Lodge No. 356, F & AM, Mill Valley, CA

Front Row: Kent O. Seymour, George Burt, Sam Bagshaw, Jake Uhrig, Fred Penn, Tom Trimble Middle Row: Al Fields, Dick Mills, Richard Dangers, Elmer Julian, Cecil Crowe, Horace Cagwin, Bert Stocking, Morris Burch Back Row: Howard Ronning, Pierre Born, Fred Wilson, Alfred Arenz, Mel Shallock, Ralph Brott, Harold Henry"

Independent Journal, p. 32, November 5, 1977

"Jacob Uhrig, 89, who is retiring after 45 years as secretary of the Mill Valley Masonic Lodge, will be honored by fellow Masons at a celebration tonight (Saturday) at the Marin Lodge in San Rafael. ¶The Very Worshipful Edward Siems, himself retiring after 17 years in office, will be the main speaker. Ed Hennessey will present entertainment. Hyman Krongard, Worshipful Master of the Mill Valley Lodge, will preside. Dinner will be served. ¶Uhrig was born Nov. 4, 1888, in Leiselheim, Germany, the youngest of seven children. He attended teachers college for six years, later teaching school in Holcheim and Godleau-Erfelden and ultimately receiving a master's degree in education. He served one year of military service. ¶He met Anna Tempel, later to become his wife, when she was visiting her grandparents in Germany from her home in Petaluma. He immigrated to the United States in 1913, and he and Anna were married in Ohio at his brother's home. Moving to San Francisco, Uhrig worked briefly for an insurance company before joining the Folger Coffee Company, where he worked for 44 years until his retirement in 1958. Uhrig developed and supervised the billing, tabulating and statistical departments for Folger. ¶The Uhrigs purchased a home on Sunnyside Avenue, Mill Valley, in 1918. Uhrig still lives there, although his wife died in 1968. ¶The two returned to Germany in May 1954 to visit a sister and see the old stone house in which he had been born. ¶Uhrig became a Mason in 1928 as a member of Mill Valley Lodge 356 and became affiliated with other Masonic bodies including Royal Arch, Council, Knights Templar, Scottish Rite, Islam Temple, Marin County Shrine Club and Eastern Star. ¶Said a fellow lodge member: 'He is the elder statesman of Masonry in Marin. His grand reputation was built on sincere, thoughtful action and hard work. He is truly an outstanding Mason'."

Jacob Uhrig at his 102 Sunnyside Ave. home in Mill Valley

January 3, 1978 - Lodge elected Jacob Uhrig Secretary Emeritus.

May 1978 Bulletin

"One hundred thirty people attended the annual Crab Feed, and from the comments over heard, it was the usual success. ¶May 14th, Mother's Day. A special day for a Pancake Breakfast. Bring the family and come enjoy a delicious breakfast, good company and help support the youth groups, because the proceeds from this Breakfast will go to support Job's Daughters and DeMolay functions. ¶Mill Valley Annual Golf Tournament. Sunday, July 9th, 8:30 a.m. Bennett Valley Golf Course, Santa Rosa. Make your reservations with Chairman John Oliveira. …Pot Luck Dinner and golf awards on Tuesday, July 18, 7 p.m. Come enjoy the good food and watch the fun! ¶State Capitol Cornerstone Relaying - On Monday, 15 May, the Most Worshipful Donald B. McCaw, Grand Master of Masons of California, will officiate at the relaying of the State Capitol Cornerstone. This ceremony will duplicate in detail the original ceremony of 1861, and will have national news media coverage. This is an historic event for Californians, and particularly for Masonry in California. The Grand Master has requested all Lodges to participate if at all possible. …¶DeMolay - April 15, 16 and 17 was a memorable Redwood Empire Division Conclave weekend for our DeMolay Chapter. Although it rained a lot at Clear Lake, it did not dampen the enthusiasm or the participation. ¶May 6th will be the Installation of Officers for DeMolay. Dion D'Amico will be Master Councelor, Guy Crow, Senior Councelor, and Ed Dutra, Junior Councelor. ¶Job's Daughters - The Job's Daughters Rummage Sale was very successful, and they would like to thank everyone who supported it. On Saturday, May 27th, a new corps of officers will be installed, headed by Carol Seymour as Honored Queen. ¶In accordance with Article XIII, Constitution and By-Laws of our Lodge, written notice is hereby given that Article IX, Section 1, of the Constitution and By-Laws of our Lodge be changed as follows: The dues of each member of this Lodge shall be $36.00 (Thirty-Six) per annum, vice $24.00 (Twenty-Four) at present. This increase of dues will be voted on at the Stated Meeting, June 6th, 1978, and if passed, will become effective 1 July, 1978. ¶Calendar of Events for the Year … October …75th Anniversary. ¶Past Masters Night - Saturday, June 10, will see our Junior Past Master and his Corps of Officers present the Third Degree. Dinner will be at 6:45 p.m. and the Degree at 8 p.m. Come and enjoy the Ritual performed at its best.

Marin Independent Journal, Obituaries, October 6, 1978 - Jacob Uhrig. Reprinted in large part the November 5, 1977 article about Bro. Uhrig's life. Noted he was survived by several nieces and nephews and that he was buried at Cypress Hill Memorial Park, Petaluma.

Eulogy to Jacob Uhrig delivered by Richard Newman on October 10, 1978:

"Sixty years ago, in 1918, Jacob and Anna Uhrig moved into their Mill Valley home at 102 Sunnyside, and twenty-two years ago this month my wife and I had the good fortune to become their next-door neighbors. ¶Each of us here today has his or her own view of the wonderful gentleman and dear friend we honor today. The comments that follow portray my thoughts of Jacob Uhrig and to some extent the thoughts of my wife, our three children and our neighbors. ¶In these times of uncertainty, Jake was a rock of stability. In these times of plastics and putting on images, Jake was as real and natural as any man I've known. While some people's satisfactions come from money and the things money can buy, Jake's satisfactions came from the beauty of his garden, the glory of Mt. Tamalpais, serving the Masonic community, adoring his Anna while she was alive, and treasuring and giving to his many, many friends. ¶While the many honors heaped upon Jacob would have turned the head of a lesser person, Jake remained a man of humility and deep appreciation to the very end. Earlier this year I interviewed him on tape for the Oral History Project at the Library, and asked him how the citizens of Mill Valley treat people who are older, he replied: "Some time ago I had some groceries to carry , and a young lady stopped me and asked me where I lived. I told her and she said, 'Come on, I'll carry your bundle.' She went all the way from Dell Lane to my home which was very nice. In the first place I shouldn't have bought that much." ¶But while each of these characteristics is a wonder in itself, probably his most endearing quality was his ability to see the glass of life as half full rather than half empty. His amazing ability to see the positive, his amazing ability to overlook and not dwell upon the negative but see the spark of beauty in nearly everything, that unique ability to LOVE is to be the glorious wonder of my dear neighbor Jake. ¶While in one sense he is no longer with us and will be missed very much, in another sense the wisteria he planted, his lovely roses, the cheer and brightness he placed in so many hearts, the joy and dignity he presented to our many children on Sunnyside, including my own, the love and friendship he extended to all of us here - for all these many gifts Jacob Uhrig will continue to be with all of us."