APR 2020 VOL. 88, NO 04

7811 Rockwood Lane

Austin, Texas 78757 512-480-0812

www.benhurshrine.org Articles due NLT 15th of the month

DON'T FORGET

The Covid-19 virus has forced Ben Hur to limit or cancel all

activities until further notice. All Calendar events are suspended

until further notice from the Potentate and Board of Directors. In

the interim, enjoy this April Fools Edition of the Chariot.

GUESS THE DIVAN

Apr 2020 2

BEN HUR SHRINE

CHARTED AUGUST 16, 1892

7811 Rockwood Lane

Austin, Texas 78757

Phone 512-480-0812

Fax 512-479-4060

www.benhurshrine.org

secretary@benhurshrine.org

recorder@benhurshrine.org

BEN HUR OFFICE HOURS

Mon - Fri 9:30am to 2:30pm

Closed on Major Holidays

ILLUSTRIOUS SIR ROMEO DENGHEL

2020 POTENTATE rdenghel@gmail.com 512-554-6356

PAUL PENNINGTON…….……...CHIEF RABBAN plpennington@gmail.com 512– 567-6920

DENNIS MOTLEY…..…....ASSISTANT RABBAN dennismotley65@gmail.com 512-844-8374

CHUCK JONES…...….HIGH PRIEST & PROPHET fatboy1955@gmail.com 512-797-0718

JAMES A HEINEMAN….…..ORIENTAL GUIDE heinemanja@yahoo.com 281-923-5890

BILLY J JAMES………………………..TREASURER billjjames1@gmail.com 512-925-6676

SAM STIMSON, PhD…………………..RECORDER sstimson70@gmail.com 512-796-4179

APPOINTED STAFF (Cont)

Entertainment Chair

Jim & Debbie Kinley

Entertainment Committee

Dorothy Cook, Kyle Cook, Mac & Laura Cutler,

Russell Jones, Marco & Belinda Pizana, Craig &

Shelby Reiswig, Ted & Charla Robertson, Gene &

Karen Sanders, Mike & Michelle Sanders, Brenda

Scholin, Lana Stone, Jesus & Sonia Trevino, John

Wood,

Insurance Chairman

Gerald “Jerry” Carruth

Insurance Committee

Ill Sir Romeo Denghel, Potentate, Chief Rabban

Paul Pennington, David Caylor,

Recorder, Sam Stimson, PhD

Legal Counsel

Gerald C. “Jerry” Carruth

Masonic Relations

Buddy Funderburgh

$100 Million Dollar Club

John Blair

Parade Marshal

James Heineman

Parliamentarian

Gerald C. “Jerry” Carruth

Photographer

Ramon Reyes

Public Relations

Buddy Funderburgh

Sickness & Distress

Nobility

Transportation Chairman

Webmaster/Designer

Brett M. Chandler-Finch APPOINTED STAFF

Administrative Assistant for Office

Laura Holst

Building & Grounds Manager

Stanley Anderson

Chaplain

Rev Don Long

Colonel of Units

Earl Robertson, PP

Donor Relations

Chuck “Fester” Jones, High Priest & Prophet

APPOINTED DIVAN

Temple Director - Chris Garner

Captain of the Guard - Ferril “F.C.” Smith, MD

Outer Guard - Robin Shannon

1st Ceremonial Master—Gene Sanders, PP

2nd Ceremonial Master - Mike Sanders

Ceremonial Asst. Rabban—Russell Jones

Marshal - Silas Powell, PP

STATED MEETING

Ben Hur Shrine meets on the 3rd Thursday of the

month. The next stated meeting will be April 16,

2020. YOUR 2020 DUES CARD IS REQUIRED!

Apr 2020 3

POTENTATE’s MEssAGE - rdenghel@gmail.com

Ladies and Nobles,

“May you live in interesting times” goes the saying, and we certainly

live in interesting times now. There is a corona virus pandemic that

has caused most of the planet to alter its daily routine.

At a time of uncertainty, the most important thing to remember is to

stay calm and take reasonable precautions. As a reminder, these

are the recommended Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidelines:

Remember to wash your hands frequently.

Cough into your elbow instead of your hand.

Try not to touch your face.

When in public, try to stay at least three feet away from others.

And most importantly, if you feel sick, please stay at home.

The CDC also recommends that we should not attend any gathering larger than 10

people. At the time of this writing, ALL Ben Hur Shrine events and activities are

cancelled until further notice. The includes the Stated Meeting, as well as unit and

clubs Stated Meetings.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our Ben Hur Shrine functions once life returns

to normal. Meanwhile, please check your email for Ben Hur updates and stay current

on the latest news.

We WILL come out of this pandemic better and stronger. And we WILL have fun

again!

Fraternally,

Romeo Denghel

I don’t usually drink

craft beer, but when I

do, I insist on a nice

PINT of capital city

carboy’s brew. Get

yours at the next

meeting. SOONER

BETTER THAN LATER.

Apr 2020 4

Chief Rabban - plpennington@gmail.com

Ladies, Nobles, and Friends,

First and foremost, I hope everyone is keeping themselves safe and making choices that are right for you based on the guidance from the CDC and other health care professionals. Secondly, I would like to thank those of you who came out to my first fundraiser for 2021! We did not have a huge turnout but we did raise a fair amount of money and we had FUN! That is my goal over the next few years: HAVE FUN!!!

I would like to thank the following people and companies for their generous donations to both the Festive Board and auction:

Imperial Sir Jim Smith

Illustrious Sir Romeo Denghel

Chuck Jones

Bill James

Sam Stimson

Danny Kleen – Kleen Bee Honey

James Mercier

Earl Robertson

Roni Zulu – Roni Zulu Fine Artworks

Nick Jones

Barry Townes

Cody Wheeler

Masonic City Gifts

2nd to None Awards

Saint Bernard

The Cheese Cake Factory

Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller

Kendra Scott Jewelry

Still Austin Whiskey

Dripping Springs Vodka

Ben Hur Shrine Capital City Carboys

Trey Felton – Thorndale Meat Market

We had a great night of fellowship and if you have never been to a Festive Board it is something you should experience at least once. As always, be kind to each other and remember the little things are what really matter!

Sincerely

and

Fraternally,

Paul Pennington

Apr 2020 5

High Priest & Prophet - fatboyfab1955@gmail.com

Howdy all It’s April already and Pam and I have been busy. It’s been a great year so far. Again, I can’t say how much I appreciate everyone helping on IHOP day. It was a blast. We have two concerts to sell CDs at coming up. One in August and another in September. I will get more details out later. As most of you know my grand daughter Alyssa (13 years old) was diagnosed in December 2019 with severe Scoliosis with a 60 degree twist and bend in her spine. She saw local doctors and my son Noble Nick contacted our Shreveport Children’s Hospital and emailed X-rays to them. They called back immediately and set an appointment. She went in for surgery on February 26th and they straightened her spine with rods. It was about a seven hour surgery. She was up walking unassisted two days later and released three days after the surgery. Alyssa just got back from her first checkup and it doing great. She will probably have less than an 8 degree bend and hoping for less. The doctors were really impressed on how great she is doing. Our Hospitals have always been important to me but even more so now. It’s closer to home. Pam and I have toured the Shreveport hospital and it is a busy place with a bunch of kids. Go visit some day. They are great folks and work miracles. Nobles Russell Jones, David Hoke and myself attended the Alamo Masonic Hero day recently with a bunch of other masons. MW Grand Master Paul Underwood spoke with several others. Every year I lean more about the history of the Alamo. We attended representing the Free Mason’s Riding Club as we do every year. We got to hang out with several Mason and Shriner friends and made some new ones. As always it is an honor to serve Ben Hur Shrine and work to make it a fun and enthusiastic place. Pam and I are blessed with great family, friends and our great Shriners Children’s Hospitals. Thanks for everything you do. See y'all soon. Rock on Shriners and stay Ben Hur Shrine Proud.

Apr 2020 6

Oriental Guide - heinemanja@yahoo.com

Hello All,

It has been a busy month. Janet and I were able to attend the

Oriental Guide Seminar in Tampa put on by some wonderfully

motivational Nobles & Ladies. It was 3 days of learning, eating &

having fun with OG’s from around the world. TSA was well

represented with all but one of the temples in attendance. What

a great group!

We received our Counterpart Shirts in time to take them to the seminar, Ill. Sir Brad

Cole P.P. did a great job producing the shirts. We also had a shirt made for our

Imperial Counterpart, Imperial Sir Ed Stoltz. He was very impressed with the shirts

TSA OG’s created that he challenged ALL Oriental Guides to do the same. Since then

we have received many requests for Ill. Sir Brad Cole’s information. Can’t wait to see

a sea of purple shirts at Imperial in July. #doingmorein24

The seminar information put out was intense, like drinking out of a fire hose. They

concentrated on leadership, membership and fundraising. Janet and I have a ton to

learn in the next 4 years and excited to share ideas for fundraising and bringing in

new Nobles.

Hope to see everyone at the April Stated.

Remember, Just One!

James Heineman

Apr 2020 7

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

By Illustrious Sir Romeo Denghel, Potentate 2020

regarding

NEW PARADE VEHICLE The Ben Hur Divan has been searching for a Temple vehicle that can pull the float at

parades and transport our ladies to events during pilgrimages. The budget this year is

limited, but we think we have found the right vehicle for a price that meets our 2020

budget.

As you know, I built my own gavel for my year as Potentate. I wanted to use my skills

to build a parade vehicle for Ben Hur as well.

Feast your eyes on an early 80’s Dacia 1300. This impressive automobile (and I use

that term loosely) was produced in Romania and exported to several third world coun-

tries. My father owned one for 28 years, mainly because that was all we could afford.

It has an impressive 1289 cc (79 cu in) engine that produces a respectable 53 hp and

ample torque to pull our parade float downhill. A four-speed manual transmission is

standard. The top speed is 90 mph or so, depending on the wind.

Be ready to let me know what you think, as we will soon be submitting a proposal for

Nobility approval. The proposal will be titled “April Fool”.

Apr 2020 8

FUN ACTIVITIES IN JANUARARY,

FEBRUARY AND MARCH

STAY SAFE AND REMEMBER THE FUN

WILL RETURN SOON.

Apr 2020 9

There had been quite a dust up between Ben Hur and the newly formed

Alzafar over jurisdictional lines. Ben Hur’s jurisdiction went all the way to

be coast in South Texas. The following excerpt from the minutes of the

Ceremonial Session of April 15, 1921 reveals that the dispute had been

settled amicably.

A delegation from Alzafar Temple headed by Ill. Potentate Sylvan Lang presented to Ben Hur Temple a beautiful funeral wreath bearing the inscription “At Rest Boundary Lines Forgotten”. Potentate Lang stated that at the last stated session of Alzafar Temple it was unanimously decided by that Temple that in so far as Alzafar Temple was concerned, jurisdictional disputes between that Temple and Ben Hur Temple would be forever dropped.

The minutes also reflected that prior to the Ceremonial Session one of the best parades ever held by this Temple made its way from the Cathedral through the main streets of Austin and immediately after the parade the traditional feast was served at the Cathedral.

Also at this ceremonial the Order was conferred upon Governor Pat M. Neff as a courtesy for Karem Temple. Eighty two other candidates had the Order conferred at this session.

Apparently the Cathedral referred to in the minutes is the current Scottish

Rite site and was the home of Ben Hur Shrine.

Gene Freudenberg

Ben Hur Historian

BEN HUR ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

BY GENE FREUDENBERG

Apr 2020 10

BE SURE AND CHECK WWW.BENHURSHRINE.ORG FOR

LATEST DATES AND TIMES. CALENDARS CAN CHANGE.

April 2020 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

Rental

2

LOH offsite

3 4

Grandmaster

Conference

5

Sons of

Herman

6

Texana #123

7

Rental

8

Trailblazers

9

Provost

Guard

HLSC Offsite

10

LOS Stated

11

12 13 14

Mini B’s

Rental

15

Nile offsite

16

BHS Stated

Transporters

17 18

19

Rental

20 21

Directors Staff

Provost

Guard Pract.

Rental

22

BOD Meet

Clown Meet

23

Carboys

24 25

Rental

26 27 28

Rental

29 30

Rental

Apr 2020 11

BE SURE AND CHECK WWW.BENHURSHRINE.ORG FOR

LATEST DATES AND TIMES. CALENDARS CAN CHANGE.

May 2020 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14

Provost Guard

15 16

17 18 19 20 21

BHS Stated

22 23

24 25 26 27 28

CCC

29 30

31

Wait and see

Apr 2020 12

Apr 2020 13

Apr 2020 14

WILCO SHRINE CLUB

At the time of my submission of this article to Ben Hur Shrine, the COVID-19

situation is unknown. So, please watch for emails from our Secretary Jim Crawford

for any and all updates about WILCO Shrine Club Dinner & Meeting plans. If you

attended the Nobility Ball, then you know that the Ladies and Nobles enjoyed some

great food, music and dancing. Lady Debbie and I observed that Ben Hur Shrine has

some fabulous dancers. Kudos to the Entertainment Staff! The ballroom looked

terrific. Thanks to all of you for your hard work. Our speaker for our March meeting

Teresa Lynn, will be rescheduled. At our April Meeting, we have scheduled Texas

Master Naturalist Mary Ann Melton as our guest speaker. We pray for this

Coronavirus to come to an end, soon.

Ron Speaks, WILCO Shrine Club

Ben Hur’s very own Jim Kinley was elected Director of the Texas Directors Association.

Just before Covid-19 shut the state down.

Apr 2020 15

2020 CHARIOT BOOSTER CLUB

YES! I WANT TO BE A BOOSTER

Enclosed please find my check in the amount of $_______

[ ] ONE LINE (single name) - $25 per year

[ ] ONE LINE (Mr. & Mrs. or two names) - $25 per year

[ ] TWO LINES (Yours and your Lady’s name on 2 lines - $45 per year

NAME(S): _____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

Mail to the Temple Secretary.

NOTICE: Did YOUR name get dropped this edition? Remember to check the date following your

name. Next edition will drop all dates to 5/20 ! Send in the form below TODAY with your $25 to

become/remain a loyal booster club member.

Greg & Ann Murrow 04/35 Brian & Carol Vance 12/25 Ralph & Vera Reasor 01/24 Prairie Lea Lodge #114 11/23 Ron & Debbie Speaks 11/23 Andrea & Brad Cole, PP 10/23 Margaret & Bob Kelly, PP 10/23 Imp. Sir Jim & Lady Alice Smith 07/23 Dottie Hughes & Alan Mulder 07/23 Kathy & Randy Wimbish 02/23 Heather & Rob Kelly, Jr 02/23 Louise J Hein 02/23 Dale & Barbara Dugger 09/22 Duke & Tracey Dugger 09/22 Alfred & Ellie Blaschke 03/22 Byron & Linda Betncourt 03/22 Hubert & Dorothy Cook 02/22 Bobby G Harden 01/22 Highland Lakes Shrine Club 01/22 David & Juanell Yeager 11/21 David & Samon Isbell 10/21 Vernon & Leona Milton 09/21 In Memory of Gail Carruth 09/21 Gerald "Jerry" Carruth 09/21 In Memory of Betty Anderson 04/21 Stan Anderson 04/21 Alice & Billy Edmondson 03/21 Charles Campbell 03/21

In Memory of Gus Carlson 02/21 Tom Arbuckle 02/21 Doris Grabo 12/20 Tom & Judy Schneider 12/20 Leonard & Lidia Bronik 10/20 Jack Neal 10/20 Forest & Doris Cruse 10/20 Ron & Jami Dewees 09/20 WILCO Shrine Club 09/20 Jim & Donna King 07/20 Herb & Shirley Canada 07/20 Jerry & Bea Hohman 07/20 James & Janet Heineman 07/20 Brenda Willis Scholin 06/20 Bill Manning 05/20

Apr 2020 16

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Crafted by Laura Holst

Specializing in T-Shirt & Memory Quilts

LauraSmiles.com | 512-736-4392

Apr 2020 17

BLACK CAMEL REPORT

Steven T Rye, Sr P.P. 3/21/2020

Your Ad could go here!

Your Ad could go here!

ED WEEREN

INSURANCE AGENCY

Apr 2020 18

NOBILITY SALES ITEMS

This is a new section in the Chariot. Anyone

in the Ben Hur Family can sell, trade, or

otherwise give away items here.

Apr 2020 19

Ben Hur Shriners

7811 Rockwood Lane

Austin, TX 78757

(512) 480-0812

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit 1120 Austin, Texas

TIME DATED MATERIAL

DO NOT DELAY

BEN HUR NOBLES WITH BIRTHDAYS IN APRIL

4/2

John C Preece 4/3

James H Lewis

John F Blair

Richard B Smith

Arthur L Bartley

Jeffry R Pryor 4/4

Wilbert H Else 4/5

James P Wardle 4/8

Gerald C Carruth

Graig A Hammons 4/9

Bennie L Hudson

4/10

Joe D Beaver

Johnny L Kabella

4/11

Margarito R Sosa

4/12

Collie L Murray

Derek M Shires

4/13

Michael D Owens 4/16

John C Casey

Romeo V Denghel 4/17

Curtis J Schoen

Brett M Chandler-Finch 4/19

Steven M Orme

Charles D Hutson

4/20

Brant R McClelland

Joe S Park

Raymond B Merrill

4/21

Douglas H Watson

James D Allen II

Jeffrey A Geske

4/22

Raymond T Williams

John K Jackson II

4/23

David B Ferguson 4/25

Donald H Lively

Edward G Bromstad, PP

Curtis S Young 4/27

Charles L Allen

Charles J Farnham, PP 4/28

Kenneth R Rosenblad

Randall T Stiles 4/29

Basil R Willis 4/30

Clarence B Kloppe Jr.

Douglas J Freyburger

Marco A Pizana