By T.S. Akers
If one were to ask older Masons what happened to the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma in 1981, varied responses would be given. Many might not know of the incident in question, and others may say that the Scottish Rite was briefly shuttered. What happened has nearly been lost to history, but thankfully some records and memories still survive.
At the age of 81, Illustrious Brother Charles P. Rosenberger, the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma (SGIG), passed away on the 21st of September, 1981. Rosenberger had been the longest serving SGIG, with his tenure leading the Scottish Rite amounting to twenty-two years.[1] With Rosenberger’s passing, it became necessary for the Supreme Council to appoint a new Deputy for the Orient of Oklahoma. The man then serving as the Sovereign Grand Commander for the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite was Illustrious Henry C. Clausen and the appointment was his responsibility.
Henry C. Clausen was an attorney by profession, who served as Grand Master of Masons of California in 1954. He became Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite in 1969.[2] A US Army Judge Advocate General officer during the Second World War, Clausen was the author of the Clausen Report in 1946, which dealt with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Clausen’s report found that the cause of being unprepared for the surprise attack stemmed from two separate commands at Pearl, Army and Navy, and their two separate intelligence operations.[3]
All men serving in Deputy or SGIG roles in the Scottish Rite have letters on file at the Supreme Council identifying a successor should they meet their demise and Rosenberger was no different. Rosenberger had identified three potential successors. There was Jack N. Tresner, who withdrew his name from consideration due to his health. Another named successor was F. Carley Bryant of Tulsa, a well-known Oklahoma Mason who had served as the Executive Officer for the DeMolay in Oklahoma. However, at the age of 68, Bryant was noted as being too old to serve as Deputy, and potentially SGIG. The statutes of the Supreme Council at that time prohibited any man aged 70 or older from being elected an active member of the Supreme Council, and by the 1983 biennial session, Bryant would have exceeded the allowed age. The last name that Rosenberger had left was that of Irvin Robert McMasters.[4]
Clausen’s background as an attorney made him somewhat authoritative and his role as Sovereign Grand Commander bolstered that by giving him absolute control over the Scottish Rite. Possessing all the necessary authority to appoint a new Deputy for the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite for Oklahoma, Clausen set out to do that, and McMasters was thusly named. McMasters was in the insurance industry, starting with his father at the Don McMasters Agency and was later a senior partner in the Joe West Agency of Tulsa. Masonically, McMasters was qualified for the appointment, being a 33rd Degree Mason. He was also a member of the Akdar Shrine Temple and the exclusive Royal Order of Jesters.[5] It was with Clausen’s appointment of McMasters as Deputy that October of 1981 that a rub developed between the Sovereign Grand Commander and the then Grand Master of Masons of Oklahoma.
In February of 1981, Wilson B. “Slim” Haney was elected Grand Master. Professionally, Haney was the proprietor of Slim Haney, Inc. of Tulsa; a machine shop engaged in the production of specialty screws. In the Masonic Fraternity, Haney had been Worshipful Master of Pilgrim Lodge No. 522 of Tulsa in 1977. A member of the Tulsa Scottish Rite Valley, he had received the Knight Commander of the Court of Honour designation that same year. Haney was also a member of the Akdar Shrine Temple.[6] And notably, Haney objected to McMasters being appointed Deputy of the Supreme Council for Oklahoma.
Whatever objections Haney had to the appointment of McMasters as Deputy were not communicated to anyone who is still living. Haney and Clausen certainly discussed the appointment, with Clausen sending Haney a telegram asking for any “relevant information” that may disqualify McMasters. Clausen was intent on his prerogative as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite not being overridden, which ultimately caused Haney to issue an edict on the 3rd of November, 1981, to address the situation. Haney’s edict boldly stated that Clausen had “denied the absolute authority of the Grand Lodge over all Masonry in Oklahoma.” The edict further prohibited "any activity in connection with Scottish Rite Masonry in Oklahoma by a Master Mason." The edict went on to clarify that it addressed activities such as reunions and societies, not membership in the Scottish Rite.[7] Whilst some have contended that the Scottish Rite in Oklahoma was closed by this edict, it in fact was not. The General Secretaries of Oklahoma’s Scottish Rite Valleys still had work to perform, and their staff continued to report to the temples which required upkeep.[8]
To say that Clausen was displeased by Haney’s edict might be an understatement. Clausen responded officially on the 5th of November. His opening paragraph read:
Amidst the exchange of letters between Clausen and Haney, McMasters ultimately resigned as Deputy, which was announced to the Masons of Oklahoma on the 2nd of December.[10] In the interim, Clausen appointed C. Fred Kleinknecht, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council, as SGIG for Oklahoma.[11] Though this appointment was not optimal, it caused Haney to revoke his edict prohibiting Scottish Rite activities whilst a new Deputy was identified.[12] That search continued until the 8th of March, 1982.[13] Clausen ultimately identified a suitable candidate in Frederick A. Daugherty.
Though Daugherty was certainly qualified as a 33rd Degree Mason, he was an unusual choice for the role of Deputy for the Supreme Council, and later SGIG, as he was not what one would call an “active” Scottish Rite Mason.[14] Daugherty had other credentials which caused Clausen to appoint him as Deputy. An attorney, Daughtery had been on the federal bench as a district judge since 1961. An officer in the US Army National Guard, he became commanding general of the 45th Infantry Division in 1960.[15] It was Daughtery’s military career, with an officer rotating through assignments, that inspired his tenure as SGIG; resigning from that position four years later in 1986.[16]
In an era before electronic communication, the exchange of phone calls, letters, and telegrams highlights the tension that came to a head as tempers flared within fraternal circles in the autumn of 1981. Sovereign Grand Commander Clausen had the Statutes of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite on his side, which firmly stated deputy appointments were his purview. Grand Master Haney using his authority to issue edicts removed any reference to the Scottish Rite from the Oklahoma Constitution and Code concerning what Masonic bodies occupied his jurisdiction. Whilst Clausen asserted that Haney was attempting to overstep his bounds, Haney claimed that it was never his intent to name the new Deputy; only that an individual “best suited to work with all levels of Masonry in Oklahoma” be selected.[17] In the annual proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma, Haney was brief in addressing the incident, stating “I regret such harsh action had to be taken. I only acted for what I felt was in the best interest of all Oklahoma Masonry.”[18] Irvin Robert McMasters ultimately left Oklahoma and passed away in Arizona in 1995.[19] He may have simply been a victim of circumstance in this event, which today is barely remembered and often considered a minor footnote in Oklahoma’s fraternal affairs.
