About Ralph J. Pollard Lodge, # 217
(December 5, 1946 to January, 1956)
Many, many thanks to Lorraine Harvey, wife of Bro. Gerald L. Harvey (50 year member) for re-typing the entire history for use on our site. The document is a word document and you may download it and read it at your leisure. As we can, we will add photos and try to bring the history forward to today. In the meantime, we thought you might enjoy knowing the original history of our Lodge.
Ralph J. Pollard - The Man (1896 - 1975)
Our only Honorary Past Grand Master was born in Lowell Mass on November 16, 1896. He graduated from Mass Military Academy in 1917. He spent the bulk of his military career at Mass Military Academy until he was forced to retire because of ill health. While at the Academy, he developed a fierce patriotism which led to many writings on the subject and culminated in his authorship of "One Nation Under God", a marvelous mixture of patriotism, history, and masonry.
Brother Pollard's Masonic career began on February 17, 1921 when he was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in Arion Lodge # 162 in Goodwin Mills. Because he was in the military, he moved from state to state joining lodges in New Jersey and in New York. Brother Pollard served in the Mexican border mobilization in 1916 and was stationed in France in World War I. When he returned to Maine, he settled in Waldoboro and joined King Solomon Lodge # 61 and served as Worshipful Master in 1938-1939. He was appointed as a Grand Steward in 1939. He was subsequently appointed as a District Deputy Grand Master of the tenth Masonic district in 1941 and elected Deputy Grand Master in 1942. A year later, ravaged by rheumatoid arthritis, he was unable to serve and was forced to remove himself from consideration for election.
Shortly thereafter, despite being confined to his bed Brother Pollard was carried into Loge rooms throughout the state and his infirmity failed to dampen his great enthusiasm for Masonry. With the assistance of his brethren, Bro. Pollard could be heard throughout any hall he was in and was an avidly sought speaker. He authored the series of booklets which are used in Maine today for the instruction of our candidates, which became known as "The Pollard Plan". He has written the only authentic History of the Grand Lodge of Maine. In 1945, he became Chairman of the Foreign correspondence Committee and each year published a report the forward of which was always a literary masterpiece. In 1970, the Grand Lodge of Maine published his first twenty-five (25) years of forwards as a tribute to him.
On May 1, 1951, Brother Pollard was elected as the only Honorary Past Grand Master in the history of the Grand Lodge of Maine. He was a member of all of the York Rite bodies and was elected as a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, 33 degree of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction on August 26, 1967.
Ralph J. Pollard Lodge # 217 was named for him in 1947. Brother Pollard was present at many "Ralph J. Pollard nights" and many of our elder brothers fondly remember the booming voice and the stirring orations. Ralph J. Pollard night would bring out many Masons from all over the state.
Ralph J. Pollard's three great loves in life were his family, his country and Free Masonry. He was blessed with an adoring wife who was more than his alter ego. Through his many years of disability, she patiently sat and held books so that he might read and laboriously turned page after page. She then took down in longhand every word that has ever been published in his name. He did not like dictating equipment and preferred to dictate to his beloved Milwee. They were blessed with a son Stuart, who shared his father's three loves almost as passionately and who went on, in the family tradition, becoming a Masonic legend in his own right.
Ralph John Pollard passed to the Celestial Lodge on June 30, 1975 and is buried in the Old German Protestant Cemetery in Waldoboro, Maine. The Grand Lodge of Maine heralded his departure as "the end of an era" and he was buried with a Masonic Service conducted by the Grand Lodge of Maine.
Many thanks to the Grand Lodge of Maine and our Grand Lodge Historian for providing us with the information about Ralph J. Pollard. M.W. Pollard's writings may be found in the Grand Lodge Library. A big Thank you to "Wonder Woman" Corey Center in the Grand Lodge office for providing us with the photos of M.W. Pollard and to Meghan MacDonald for her work in retouching the photos as they appear on this site.
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