[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 132 (Wednesday, September 24, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO LENEXA, KANSAS, MASONIC LODGE #135

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                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2003

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, like all Members of this House, I commute to 
Washington for my work in the House of Representatives. I live in 
Lenexa, Kansas, and it is my honor to rise today on behalf of my home 
town and my congressional district, to recognize the Lenexa, Kansas, 
Masonic Lodge, #135, on the 130th anniversary of its founding, which is 
upcoming on October 15th.
  A document compiled by Lenexa Historical Society member and current 
Masonic lodge member Angelo Mino, based on articles by Henry D. 
Gillette and Joseph R. Wilson, reveals that the history of this lodge 
is intertwined with the history of Lenexa. In reading the history of 
this, the very first fraternal or civic organization of Lenexa, I 
learned much about Lenexa's history.
  The City of Lenexa was platted in 1869, and the first Masonic Lodge 
meeting was held the very next year, in 1870. The Lenexa lodge received 
official recognition from the Masonic organization on October 15, 1873. 
The earliest leaders of the lodge were also the early leaders of 
Lenexa. Members of this Masonic Lodge include the first mayor of 
Lenexa, the first police judge, the first postmaster, and the first 
city physician. This tradition of community service has continued to 
today.
  The first Eastern Star chapter associated with the Masonic Lodge was 
also established in 1873. After the lodge building burned down in 1877, 
the Eastern Star chapter was not reconstituted until 1919 when the ADDA 
Chapter was formed.
  In 1922, the first DeMolay group in Johnson County, Kansas, received 
its charter. The Lenexa Lodge has sponsored this chapter since 1994. In 
1953, the Rainbow Girls Assembly #56 of Lenexa began.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the members of the Lenexa Masonic Lodge 
#135 on this remarkable anniversary, and thank them for 130 years of 
community leadership and service. I hope that their lodge will continue 
to flourish and serve our community for this century and beyond.

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