Las Palmas Masters 1925 to 1944

(numbers refer to findagrave.com memorial links)

1925   John Clarence Hinton  (1888 – 1951)  (71497375)  Brother Hinton, better known as Clarence, was born in Vandalia, Missouri.  He came to Fresno in 1909, from Clarksville, Missouri. He had spent the previous two years working on a farm, after his formal education.  Upon coming to Fresno, Hinton worked as a driver for Lee Company, a performing arts group.  But in 1914, Hinton found employment with a company that would become his life's work.

Fresno was a rapidly growing city, with an expanding water supply and sewer system.  New homes were being built with modern indoor plumbing and demand for plumbers was increasing.

In 1911, Hinton started working for a small plumbing company as a clerk while also learning to become a skilled plumber.  He then worked as a tradesman for the next five years.  During that time, he joined Fresno Plumbing Supply Company (1914), and eventually became manager of the plumbing fixtures store.  He would work for the company (owned by PE O'Hair in San Francisco) his entire life.  Hinton eventually became a vice-president and director of the O'Hair Company, although he maintained residence in Fresno.

He was raised in Las Palmas Lodge on April 18, 1918, and ascended to become our twenty-first Master in 1925 at the age of 37.

During his year as Master, Brother Hinton raised 26 Master Masons and had 4 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Hinton was also a member of Fresno Rotary, and the old Commercial Club.  He also served as a director of the Fresno City & County Chamber of Commerce, and had been on the Fresno Fire Commission for a number of years (resigning in 1927).   He served as Exalted Ruler of the Fresno Elks Lodge in 1933.

At the time of Hinton's death in Fresno, he owned a building at 2510 N. Blackstone Avenue (which was leased to Jensen & Pilgard shortly after his death), and property at Bass Lake. 

1926   Ernest Marvin Myers  (1889-1952)  (92165164)  Brother Myers began his life in Lynn Grove, Kentucky.  After completing his formal education, Myers attended Cumberland College in Lebanon, Tennessee until 1909.  Shortly thereafter, he came to Fresno, California.

Myers found employment with Holland & Holland, a real estate and land merchant firm in Fresno as a clerk; eventually moving up to agent.  During that time, he petitioned and was elected to receive Degrees on February 13, 1913 at the age of 23.  He was raised on June 5, of the same year.

During his year as Master, Brother Myers raised 25 Master Masons and had 6 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

But Myer would not stay with Holland & Holland for very long.  He enlisted in the U S Army in 1916, and was sent to Coblenz, Germany to participate in the occupational allied forces during 1917 and 1918.  Upon his return to Fresno in 1919, he became the manager of the Fresno County Detention Home.  He was then an assistant Fresno County probation officer for 21 years.  In 1942 he moved to Oregon where he had similar duties. 

His son, Ernest Jr., perished in a Japanese POW Camp in 1945 at the end of World War II.

1927   Orval Gurnea Roberts  (1886 – 1971) (148438264)  Brother Roberts was born on the plains of Nebraska.  During 1908 and 1909, while living in Sanger, he was the Editor and Proprietor of the Sanger News.  During the year 1910, he worked as printing foreman for the Visalia Delta newspaper, residing in Visalia for a short period.  However, later that year, Roberts went to work for the Fresno Republican (later purchased by McClatchy and renamed the Fresno Bee), and was still with the Republican at the time he petitioned Las Palmas Lodge for degrees in 1918.  Roberts was raised on October 9, 1919.  He ascended to become the twenty-third Master of Las Palmas in 1927.

During his year as Master, Brother Roberts raised 27 Master Masons and had 7 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Roberts had also been very active in the York Rite as he served at High Priest in 1926 and Eminent Commander of the Knights Templar in the State of California in 1930.  Newspaper accounts of Roberts' York Rite visitation in 1930 infer that he was no longer living in Fresno.

In 1960, at the age of 74, Roberts requested a demit from Las Palmas.  He was living in San Diego at the time.  However, the brothers of Las Palmas, being concerned that a past master was requesting a demit for possible financial reasons, denied the demit, electing to instead remit Roberts' annual dues for the remainder of his life.

In 1962, Roberts moved back to Fresno to spend his remaining years.  He resided in the Senior Citizen Village on South Chestnut.  He received his 50 year pin in 1969. 

1928   Rhine George Meyering  (1886-1968)  (148438881)  Brother Meyering was born in Muskegon, Michigan and came to Fresno after college in 1910 at the age of 24.  He worked for a time as a real estate agent before establishing his own brokerage firm in 1912.  During WW I he was a member of the local draft board.  He was also on the board of directors of the Fresno Nutritional Home for several years. 

He was a major figure in the real estate development business in Fresno for many years.  His real estate firm, Billings & Meyering was responsible for a great number of Fresno subdivisions including Roeding Heights, Barton Tract, Sierra Vista, and Alta Vista.  His firm was also responsible for the subdivision of the Zapp property in 1920; better known as Zapp's Park.

Meyering was elected for Degrees on May 20, 1920 at the age of 34.  He was raised on April 21, 1921, appointed to the officer’s line for 1922 and eventually ascended to become the twenty-fourth Master of Las Palmas Lodge in 1928, at age 42.  He was also active in Scottish Rite, York Rite, and the Tehran Temple of the Shrine.

During his year as Master, Brother Meyering raised 35 Master Masons and had 5 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

In 1938, at the age of 52, he considered a political run for Fresno mayor, but never formally filed.

During World War II, Meyering served on the War Time Rationing board, helping to govern use of gasoline and dairy products.  In 1949, he served on the Fresno County Grand Jury.

He officially retired from business in 1950 at the age of 64, but remained active in the Fresno community.  In 1963, he wrote a letter to the editor of the Fresno Bee expressing concern about the growth in Fresno, and the lack of infrastructure.  The traffic congestion on Blackstone Avenue was increasing greatly, and Meyering voiced a sentiment that would not take shape for another 13 years; the building of a north-south freeway (Highway 41).

At the time of his death at the age of 82, he  had lived at his Kerckoff Avenue residence for more than 40 years.

1929   Ralph Milton Jones  (1894 – 1976)  (148439307)  Brother Jones was born in La Junta, Colorado and moved to Roseville, California with his family as a young man; eventually working there for the Southern Pacific Railway as a clerk in 1909 at the age of 15.

At the age of 18, he moved down to the big city of Sacramento and away from the railroads.  There he worked as an assistant shoe clerk from 1912 to 1916, eventually becoming manager.

In 1918, Jones moved to Fresno to become manager of the shoe department, and later owning, for Roos Brothers Clothing.  Roos Bros was a well-known men's fine clothing store headquartered in San Francisco (Roos Bros eventually merged with Robert Atkins in 1957 to become Roos-Atkins Clothiers, and was bought out by Genesco in the 1970's).

Jones was elected to take Degrees on December 11, 1919 and was raised a Master Mason on December 23, 1920 in Las Palmas Lodge.  In 1929, Jones became our twenty-fifth Master at the age of 35.  During his year as Master, Brother Jones raised 31 Master Masons and had 12 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

In 1943, he moved to Oakland, California, but his family remained in Fresno.  In 1947, Jones returned to Fresno to work for the Fresno County Department of Agriculture as a fruit inspector; a position he would hold until his retirement in 1960 at the age of 66.

1930   William Edward Riggs  (1874 – 1957)  (148445403)  Brother Riggs was born in Canada and emigrated to the United States in 1890 at the age of 16.  Riggs  received American citizenship in 1906 at age 32.

He was elected to take his Degrees in San Jose Lodge No. 10, on July 10, 1911, and was raised a Master Mason just over one month later on August 21.  Riggs came to Fresno in 1912, but did not remit to Las Palmas until 1915.  He had come to Fresno as the District Deputy for the Independent Order of Foresters.  IOF was a fraternal insurance company based in Canada.

At the age of 56 in 1930, Riggs became the twenty-sixth Master of Las Palmas Lodge.  The year before in 1929, he had served as a Grand Lodge officer.  During his year as Master, Brother Riggs raised 29 Master Masons and had 7 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Riggs was also a member of the Scottish Rite, and York Rite.  He had been elected King in the Royal Arch Masons (York Rite) in 1925. Riggs was also a member of a very elite group of men in California to have received the York Rite Cross of Honor.  Recipients of this award must have held the position of High Priest in Royal Arch, Master of a Blue Lodge, Illustrious Master of a Council of Royal or Select Masters, and Eminent Commander of the Knight Commandery.  By all accounts, this was an extraordinary feat as there was much ritual work in each group that must be committed to memory.

1931   Willard Reeves Tanzer  (1881 – 1954)  (148445995)  Brother Tanzer was born in Appleton, Wisconsin.  By the time he was 28, he had made his way to Pequot (now Pequot Lakes), Minnesota to work for the Woodworth Davis Company from 1909 to 1912.  Later in 1912, he came to Fresno, at the age 31, to work as a bookkeeper and estimator for the Hollenbeck-Bush Planing Mill.  He would stay with the company until his early retirement in 1928.

He was elected for Degrees on March 18, 1920 at age 38, and was raised on March 21, 1921.  He ascended to serve as our twenty-seventh Master in 1931, at the age of 49.  During his year as Master, Brother Tanzer raised 13 Master Masons and had 5 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.  Brother Tanzer served as the full-time secretary of Las Palmas Lodge beginning in 1935.  He also served as Executive Secretary of the Masonic Board of Relief and Employment in the Fresno area.  Prior to the California Unemployment Insurance Reserves Act in 1936, the Masonic Lodges had their own system of helping brothers find jobs and provide some economic relief.   In essence, he ran an employment office for our brothers out of the Lodge Secretaries office during the great depression.  He was also a director of the Masonic Blood Bank. 

Brother Tanzer was appointed chairman of Fresno County Civil Service Commission in 1945.  He helped oversee a merit system of selection and retention of County employees in the classified service sector.

Brother Tanzer helped out many of our Lodge Masters by conducting the Masonic Funeral Service for our fallen brothers.

At the age of 69, Brother Tanzer was diagnosed with cancer.  He remained on the job as secretary until early 1954, when the disease had finally progressed to the point of debilitation.  Although he could no longer care for the business of the Lodge as he had wanted to, the brothers of Las Palmas Lodge maintained his official position until his death on December 31, 1954, the day after his 73rd birthday.

1932   James Nielson  (1885-1957)  (148446647)  One year before Coca-Cola was invented and the Statue of Liberty was unveiled by President Grover Cleveland, James Nielsen was born into this world in San Francisco.  In 1894, he moved across the bay with his family to Oakland.  From 1909 to 1917, he worked for a shingle contractor and from 1917 to 1920 as a supervisor for the W.H. Parker Superior Dry Cleaners in Oakland.  It was during this time Nielsen began to study life insurance.

In 1920, at the age of 34, Nielsen came to Fresno as the District Manager for Woodman of the World Fraternal Life Insurance Company of Omaha, Nebraska.  WOW as it was known, started out as fraternal insurance company in 1890, but adopted a policy of forming lodges or "camps" in various towns to promote community service, especially in times of need.  In 1922, Nielsen became the Secretary of the WOW Manzanita Camp #160.

Nielsen petitioned for degrees on January 22, 1923 at the age of 37, and was raised on November 22 in the same year.  He ascended to become the twenty-eighth Master of Las Palmas Lodge in 1932 at age 46.  During his year as Master, Brother Nielson raised 9 Master Masons and had 4 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

At the end of his year as Master, Nielsen's attention was distracted by an unfortunate event.  The Woodman of the World Hall (building) at Tuolumne and Van Ness Avenue was destroyed by fire on December 29, 1932.  The building had not only been home to WOW, but the central meeting place of Sun Garden Lodge F.A.&M. No. 465, the Improved Order of Red Men (IORM), Fresno Parlor No. 25 of the Sons of the Golden West, and Triple X Fraternity.  Several businesses on the bottom floor were also damaged and had to relocate.

During 1933 and 1934, Nielsen would be busy supervising the re-construction of the WOW building.

During WW II, Nielsen helped to re-organize the Men's Air Raid Warden Service group in Fresno.  The group was organized as part of the Civil Defense Department to respond to possible gas attacks in the US, to aid with decontamination.  Nielsen was Fresno’s senior warden.

1933   Christopher Peter Jensen  (1873 – 1937)  (71555344)  Brother Jensen was born  in Somersville, California.  Somersville was a small mercury mining town in eastern Contra Costa County, in the hills between the port towns of Pittsburg and Antioch.  In 1877, Jensen's family moved to Fresno.  He attended Fresno schools, and graduated from engineering school in San Francisco. 

From 1901 to 1904, Jensen worked for the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company, building small gauge railways and flumes to transport lumber from the east county forests to the saw mill in Madera.  This work would lead to his next position as Chief Engineer for the Fresno Traction Company (electric street cars) from 1904 to 1908.   In 1908, Jensen went to work as an engineer with the City of Fresno, also providing consulting services for various valley towns.  In 1919, Jensen was elected to the position of Fresno County Surveyor and Engineer, a position he would win in the next four elections.

He was a formidable figure in the early days of motorized transportation in Fresno County.  As county surveyor and chief road builder, Jensen led a long court fight against the patented paving interests, scoring a win for Fresno County and eliminating the paying of high royalties for highway pavement.  He developed the Jensenite paving process, which was widely used and eliminated the payment of royalties to private paving concerns, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in various sections of Fresno County roads.

Jensen directed the reconstruction of Tollhouse grade, the General Grant highway, and supervised the reconstruction of many bridges which had been previously built to support only the weight of horse and wagon.  He reinstituted the roadway construction bidding process, which helped eliminate "sweetheart deals" in the county.

On May 11, 1911, at the age of 37, Jensen petitioned Las Palmas Lodge to receive Degrees.  He ascended to become the twenty-ninth Master of the lodge in 1933 at the age of 59.  During his year as Master, Brother Jensen raised 7 Master Masons and had 2 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

1934   Ernest Dusenberry  (1880 – 1954)  (36201867)  Brother Dusenberry was born in Ray County, Missouri.  He came to Fresno in 1893 with his parents and two brothers, Ira and Elmer, to reside at 2250 Elm Avenue, where Ernest lived his entire life until his death in 1954.

He worked from the young age of 13.  Upon coming to Fresno, he worked as a printing apprentice and learned the book binding trade.  In 1903, at the age of 23, he worked as a clerk in a law office.  In 1907, became a clerk in the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. 

In 1911, Dusenberry was hired as the Deputy County Clerk in the Fresno Courthouse.  In 1934, Dusenberry would run for Fresno County Clerk and win the election; and again in 1938, 1942, and 1946.  He finally retired at the end of his term in 1950.

Brother Dusenberry was elected to receive his Degrees on May 20, 1922, at the age of 42.  He became a Master Mason on March 22, 1923, and ascended to become the thirtieth Master of Las Palmas Lodge in 1934 at age 54.  He was a profound ritualist and knew the secret work of Masonry equal to anyone in the Valley.  Because of his perfection in the Masonic work, he was affectionally known as “King Solomon.”

During his year as Master, Brother Dusenberry raised 9 Master Masons and had 4 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

He was also a member of the Royal Arch, Fresno Sciots No. 10, Odd Fellows, Woodman of the World, and High Twelve.

Dusenberry was also an avid stamp collector.  He died on Jan 14, 1954 at his home on Elm Avenue, at the age of 73.  He was found slumped over in his favorite chair, looking at his book of stamps.  He had no immediate survivors; Dusenberry had been a lifelong bachelor.

1935   Harold Henry Gehrke  (1895 - 1950)  (148573791)  Brother Gehrke was born in Wausau, Wisconsin.  He moved to Fresno on or before 1912 where he worked in the grocery business.  He served for 18 months in The United States Marines during WWI.  Upon his return to Fresno, he had various jobs including one with  Holland and Holland, a local real estate development firm.  H. H. Holland was a member of Las Palmas and this may have been Brother Gehrke first exposure to Masonry.  In 1922 he began working for Associated Oil Company in Fresno.

He petitioned Las Palmas in November of 1922 and was rejected.  In October of 1924 he petitioned a second time and was accepted.  Shortly thereafter he received his degrees and four years later was appointed to the Officer's line.  In 1935 he served as our 31^st Master.

During his year as Master, Brother Gehrke raised 11 Master Masons and had 4 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

1936   Douglas A. May  (1896 – 1979)  (57108099)  Brother May was born in Stockton, California on March 3, 1896.  His legal education was interrupted by service in WW I, but in 1920 he graduated from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.  He then moved to Fresno where he began his practice of law.

In January of 1923 he petitioned Las Palmas Lodge for the Degrees of Masonry. He was raised on November 22, 1923.  In 1936 he served as our 32^nd Master.

During his year as Master, Brother May raised 14 Master Masons and had 2 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Brother May was active in Scottish Rite and was coroneted with the 33º in 1959.  The spring 1981 class was named in his honor.  Brother May practiced law in Fresno for 50 years and handled all of the legal work necessary to construct our present Masonic Temple.

1937   Roy Herbert Gerard  (1896 - 1976)  (148574682)  Brother Gerard’s education at The University of California at Berkeley was interrupted by service in WW I where he attained the rank of 2^nd lieutenant.   After moving to Fresno, he operated an automotive repair and leasing business at the corner of Stanislaus and Van Ness.  The business was called Black Cat Automotive Service. 

Brother Gerard was raised in Las Palmas Lodge on January 24, 1924.  He was also active in the Fresno Scottish Rite Bodies and was coroneted a 33º Mason in 1955.  He was very active with local DeMolay chapters and was elected an honorary member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor, the highest award that can be conferred on a non-member.  He retired from the automotive business in 1962 and at age 72 became a property appraiser.

During his year as Master, Brother Gerard raised 11 Master Masons and had 3 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

1938   Melville Jefferson Talbot  (1889 – 1979)    (148603545)  Brother Talbot was born in West Virginia and came to Fresno after serving in WW I.  His occupation was agent and fruit buyer for several companies – Pacific Fruit Express and Sgobel & Day. In 1924 he became the manager of the Federal Fruit Exchange, a position that he held until retiring in 1960.

In 1927 he petitioned Las Palmas Lodge for the Degrees of Masonry and on May 20, 1928 he was raised a Master mason.  Ten years later he would serve as our 34^th Master.

During his year as Master, Brother Talbot raised 18 Master Masons and had 2 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

1939   Gilman Olaf Hansen  (1892 – 1957)  (148604178)  Brother Hansen was born in Beloit, Wisconsin.  He moved to Dinuba in 1921 and to Fresno in 1923.  He petitioned Las Palmas Lodge in January of 1928 and received his degrees that same year.  He listed his occupation in his petition for degrees as “machinist and toolmaker”.

During his year as Master, Brother Hansen raised 16 Master Masons and had 7 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

 If you have additional information about Brother Hansen, please contact the Lodge Secretary.

1940   Dan Arthur Winters  (1902 – 1981)  (148604704)  Brother Winters was born in Mullinville, Kansas and at the age of 2, his family moved to Los Angeles.  He moved to Fresno in 1922 for four years at which time he moved to Oakland.  In 1928 he returned to Fresno to start Winters Glass Company with his father, a company which he owned until his retirement in 1973.

He petitioned Las Palmas Lodge for the degrees of Masonry in October of 1928.  He was raised a Master Mason on Friday October 25, 1929.  Stock Market historians will always remember this date.  After serving as Master of our Lodge in 1940, he served in WW II.  During his year as Master, Brother Winters raised 10 Master Masons and had 6 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Brother Winters was very active in Scottish Rite and especially enjoyed the Maundy Thursday ceremonies.  He was coroneted a 33º Mason.

Brother Winters father, Roy Leighton Winters, observed that in some of the other Masonic Lodges there were men who had worked their way through the chairs but when it became time for them to be elected a Warden or Master, they were denied this privilege. 

Since harmony is one of the strengths of our Masonic society, he did not want this to ever happen at Las Palmas Lodge.  To accomplish this, he presented Las Palmas Lodge, at their December, 1932 stated meeting, "a bright red steam roller which was to be put in the archives of the Lodge and brought out each annual election night."  As the steam roller smoothes the ground for further development, so will the steam roller smooth out the progression of junior officers as they develop into the Wardens and the elected Master. 

Brother Roy, and later his son Dan, gave a prepared speech about how the steam roller was a "Masonic Emblem and important Working Tool of the Fraternity" at the annual stated meeting immediately preceding the election of officers. Since the steam roller was adopted as a Masonic Emblem at Las Palmas Lodge, it has performed its duty every year.

1941   Oscar Clarence Olsen  (1896 – 1993)  (148605178)  Brother Olsen was born in Fortuna, California and was raised in Eel River Lodge, No. 147 (in Fortuna) on January 19, 1918.  In February of 1928 he demitted after gaining membership in Las Palmas Lodge. 

The only information we have found about his employment comes from notes left by Brother Wayne Hearn, PM.  Brother Olsen was the office manager of Foster & Kleiser, an outdoor advertising company.  Sometime after serving as our 37^th Master, Brother Olsen moved to San Francisco.  While working and living in San Francisco, he served as our Lodge’s Ambassador to all of the other members who resided in the Bay Area.  In 1977 he retired for the second time and in 1979 he moved to Southern California.

During his year as Master, Brother Olsen raised 21 Master Masons and had 3 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

1942   Arthur Lee Hilderbrand  (1889 – 1960)    (148605701)  Brother Hilderbrand was born in Proctor, Missouri and moved to Fresno in April of 1914.  In 1912 he received the degrees of Masonry in Mack’s Creek Lodge No. 433, Urbana, Missouri and demitted to Las Palmas Lodge in 1924. 

During his year as Master, Brother Hilderbrand raised 10 Master Masons and had 5 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

When he first came to Fresno he was affiliated with Heald’s Business College, which later became Central California Business College.  When he left CCCC in 1927 he was its principle owner and manager.  He was a licensed public accountant.  In 1940 he was appointed to the unexpired term of the City of Fresno Commissioner of Finance.  He was later elected and reelected to this office from which he retired in 1953.  In 1958 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Fresno.

He was active in Scottish Rite and was coroneted a 33º Mason in 1937.  The fall 1981 class was named in his honor.

1943   Ira Elmer Farley  (1893 - 1982)  (148607476)  Brother Farley was born in Arkansas and came to Fresno in 1904.  He was the Clerk to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors from 1918 until 1924.  In 1925 he was appointed Fresno County Recorder where he served until retiring in 1959.  Mr. Farley was known to take care of small children while their parents looked up documents.   

He was raised in Las Palmas Lodge on October 1, 1925 and became our thirty-ninth Master a little over seventeen years later.   On the occasion of him giving out 25 year pins to those Masons that he raised, he noted that on one day he raised 5 new Masons with the degrees starting at 10 a.m. and ended at 11 p.m. 

During his year as Master, Brother Farley raised 30 Master Masons and had 7 Masons affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Brother Farley was a skilled clock maker and made a clock specifically for the Lodge.  It was in the shape of a Bible with the Masonic jewels around the outside.  The hands were shaped like trowels.  This clock was on the wall of our card room until, one day, it fell from the wall and was damaged beyond repair.

1944   Edwin Munn Fornes  (1902 - 1958)  (43710545)  Brother Fornes was raised in Las Palmas Lodge on October 25, 1934. 

He was employed as a garage storekeeper for San Joaquin Light and Power Company.  This was the local predecessor to Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

He became our fortieth Master at the age of 41.

During his year as Master, Brother Fornes raised 47 Master Masons and had 1 Mason affiliate with Las Palmas Lodge.

Last updated June 29, 2015

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