Update on the "Sky Forest" Project - Masonic Homes
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Update on the “Sky Forest” Project
Written by the Wanderers, Bruce & Evelyn Rick
Adult helpers with the Boy Scouts
In May 2021, Resident Evelyn Rick wrote
in the Messenger about the project to plant trees
on a hill above our model airplane airport on the
campus of the Masonic Homes at Union City
(MHUC), for a planned memorial grove. Our
dining service, the horses and the cows on the
ranch next door help by contributing waste food
and material to make the compost that will
nourish the trees.
Evelyn called it the “Sky Forest” Project
because this name sounds better than the official
name, “Masonic Compost/Reforestation Project -
Scientifically Guided Reforestation Using Food
Waste”.
This is a joint project between MHUC,
Math Science Nucleus, Tri-Ced Community
Boy Scouts helpers on the project
Continues on page 2
May 2022
Update... Continued from page 1
Recycling, and California State University, with the help of local Boy Scouts.
There were trees planted over a year ago and they appear to be doing well.
These trees were augmented by sister (brother?) trees planted by the group you
see in the pictures.
Our thanks for all of the help by the project team members and keep up the
good work!
*********************************************************
Homage to a Lifelong Teacher—Written by Lorber Recreation Team
At our “Lorber University” class, on
April 6, we had a very special guest; our very
own resident, Tay McArthur who did us the
honor of teaching our history class. Tay taught
Government and History at Oakland Technical
High School and had over 2 decades worth of
teaching experience – 1963 to 1986. However,
most will say he was a lifelong teacher as he
always had a lesson to teach with every
conversation you had with him. In this class,
he spoke about the great change he and a
group of Oakland Technical High School students made in spearheading the
adoption of MLK, Jr. Day as a California holiday, four years before King’s
birthday was enacted as a holiday throughout the US. He asked questions to the
audience and taught how a bill becomes a law.
We owe our nation’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday to a
small group of technical students from the class of 1981. They called themselves
the “Apollos” after the Apollo 13 space mission. Led by their teacher, Tay
McArthur, they began lobbying Sacramento lawmakers and California declared
MLK’s birthday a holiday before the federal government did.
In 1983, the federal government followed suit and Tech’s MLK
committee continued to lobby states that hadn’t yet
declared it a holiday!
Oakland Technical High School MLK Jr. Day
is observed January 17th of each year, however we
wanted to highlight Tay McArthur this month who
Messenger—May 2022—Page 2 Continues on page 3
Homage... Continued from page 2
dedicated a generous amount of his
life to teaching, a passion he loved and
continued even far after his retirement
as noticed in our class this past month.
We are grateful for the time he
spent with us, the lessons he had
taught, and for encouraging the
mindset that you can always learn
something new every day.
Tay will be missed. He passed
away 6 days after his lecture on April
12, 2022. May his soul rest in peace.
**************************************************************
Nissan LEAF, My 1st Drive—Written by Bill Bain
With much trepidation, I began my
journey with Bruce Rick’s lesson ringing
in my ear. Bruce is the Chairman of our
“Care Share” Committee, whose resident
members use the Masonic Homes 2015
Nissan LEAF electric car.
Everything was going along
smoothly until about 4 miles along my
drive, and I reached Mowry Avenue in
Fremont CA. While sitting at the stoplight
I suddenly realized that I had left all the
papers I needed to take to the Post Office
in order to get a passport for my Alaska
cruise in July. I promptly did a U-turn and returned to the Masonic Home in order to
pick up the required papers.
Thankfully, I had decided to leave half hour
early in order to handle any problems that might
arise with the LEAF. Little did I know that my time
safety valve was needed for another use. Yes, I
arrived at the Post Office in time. Three minutes
early is as good as an hour!
But my first drive experience didn’t end
when I arrived back home at the LEAF’s reserved
parking spot. As I finished dinner, I was hit with
the panic that I could not remember if I had
plugged the LEAF into the Electric Vehicle (EV)
charger. A hasty trip back to the LEAF confirmed
that I had indeed plugged in the cable, and it was
charging just fine. So ended my first drive in the
LEAF.
Messenger—May 2022—Page 3
Facility Services News—Written by Mike McComas
The sun is shining, the
flowers are blooming, and I have
been non-stop sneezing all day.
That must mean that it’s
Springtime again. This also means
that now is a great time to do a
little bit of spring cleaning.
Let’s take a look around the
house and see if there is any extra
clutter that could be removed to
make our Home a little bit safer
and more enjoyable. The
Environmental Services team
would be more than happy to come by and pick up anything that you no longer
need or want. Give us a call at ext. 6750 so we can schedule a pickup.
******************************************************
Life Lesson—Submitted by Jeanne Benedict
With several new people moving into the Home in May and even more
during the summer, I thought it would be a good time to share this article written
by my late husband, Irwin Fershleiser. Irwin was a Masonic Lodge Chaplain for
almost 20 years.
"The other day I happened to overhear a
conversation between two men, talking about
going or moving to some place. One kept
asking the other about one place or another.
The one being asked always seemed to find
something wrong with the places mentioned.
His biggest complaint was about the people
there.
I did not hear the end of the
conversation as they moved on. But it
brought to my mind a story my grandfather told me after I
asked him if there are any bad people where we were going
to move (I was 8 years old at the time). It goes as follows.
An old man sat outside the walls of a great city. When
travelers approached, they would ask him, “What kind of
people live here?” And the old man would answer, “What
Quotable
kind of people lived in the place where you came from?” If
the travelers answered, “Only bad people lived in the place “Think about it –
where we came from,” then the old man would reply, Remember no matter how
“Continue on; you will find only bad people here.” But if far you travel, you still
the travelers answered, “Only good people lived in the take yourself with you.”—
place where we came from”, then the old man would say Late Irwin Fershleiser
“enter, for here, too, you will find only good people.”
Messenger—May 2022—Page 4
The Chaplain’s Corner
By Chaplain Joel Ingram
On Chocolates and Leather
Not too long ago I needed some help. I had purchased a
new watch strap but none of the holes were in the right place;
one hole made the strap too loose and the next felt too tight. Of
course, I could just lose some weight (something my pants
have been asking me to do for quite some time), but thankfully there was an easier
solution. There’s a good shoe repair shop not far from my home so I thought I’d get
them to do the work.
After explaining my problem, the leather worker went to work. In no time he
not only fixed the strap but helped with another item. “How much do I owe you?” I
asked. He just waved his hands. “My pleasure, friend. That was no work at all
really. It’s on the house.”
I had one more stop to make that day; I needed to swing by a little place you
might have heard of before – See’s Candies. My wife, Victoria, is rather fond of
their dark chocolate walnuts so I thought I should pick up a few pieces for her
(really, they were for her, remember my comment about my pants above). Anyhow,
while waiting for the chocolates to be boxed up I thought of my skilled and kind
leather repairman. A Bible verse came to mind which basically says, “A workman
is worth his pay”. As you might anticipate, I left the store with two bags of
chocolates and happily made my way back to the leather shop.
When the repairman saw me coming, he looked surprised, and it seemed he
expected me to say something was wrong. (There’s nothing like doing something
for free only to have someone come back and complain about your work!)
“Something wrong with the strap?” he asked. No, I said, as I slid the chocolates
across the counter. “A job well done is worth its weight in chocolate don’t ya
think,” I said. He gave me a big smile but looked about as surprised by the
chocolates as I must have looked when he’d said, “It’s on the house.”
In truth, if he had charged me for his work on my strap, it would have been
“less” than the lesson he gave me in doing his work for free. And I hoped the
chocolates reinforced for us both an awareness that acts of kindness have
mysterious ways of being duplicated; they make me
feel better, they make you feel better, and their being
done at all increases the likelihood that someone else
will remember how good it is to be kind as well.
This month, I hope you’ll have the pleasure of
extending some unexpected kindness to a friend, co-
worker, or stranger in need. They’ll be better for it –
and so will you. Until next month, Happy Cinco de
Mayo, Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Labor Day—
Chaplain Joel
Messenger—May 2022—Page 5
Employee Milestone Anniversaries
Written by Kim Hegg, Sr. Director of Events, Recreation & Volunteer Services
The Masonic Homes of California
has always valued the dedicated staff
members who care for the residents and
look forward each year to celebrating those
who have reached a milestone anniversary.
Plans are in the works to celebrate
these dedicated employees during the early
part of the summer. In the meantime,
please congratulate the following team
members on their milestone
accomplishment:
35 Years:
Teresa Alvarado
30 Years: 25 Years: 15 Years:
Jose Gonzalez Velazquez Perlita Cristobal Renato Rivera
Leonarita Joson Imelda Felizardo Khalida Sharifi
Yagaya Kumar Letecia Muya Evelyn Subida
Edna Manalo Virginia Gonzalez
Marie Ann Seijo Joel Ingram
Jocelyn Whiteley Bertina Nunes
10 Years: 5 Years: 5 Years:
Amalia Amezquita Nelson Abeleda Jeff Krahulec
Sumita Bhattacharya Theresa Arnibal Reynaldo Lumandas
Harry Barcelon Ranshu Malini
Rowena N. Bautista Rowena McKinney
Roserfina Camarillo Joanna Moore
Minnie Imperio Ahmad Sayeed
Gloria Krahulec
To the awardees, congratulations on reaching your special milestone
anniversary in 2021! Your hard work and dedication are truly appreciated, and the
Masonic Homes look forward to celebrating many more milestone anniversaries with
you. Congratulations!
Messenger—May 2022—Page 6
Communications Department Update
Hello everyone! My name is Pravnoor Kaur
(Noor for short) and I’m one of Masonic Homes’
part-time front desk clerks. Hopefully, I’ll get to
meet and be introduced to everyone face-to-face
soon. I’m really excited to be a part of the
communications department and to help everyone
to the best of my ability.
To give a little insight about myself, I am
currently a college student in my junior year and
have lived in Hayward my whole life. My
personality is a little on the introverted side, but I
have been taking as many steps as possible to get out of my comfort zone and work
on my communications skills.
A fun fact about me would be that I am a twin–but I’m still one of a kind.
Also, my favorite food is actually a dessert, brownies, and I never get tired of them.
The pictures
presented here are of my
lovely dog, Oreo. He is a
9-year-old Boston
terrier. The reason why
we named him Oreo is
because the fur on top of
his head looks like the
Oreo cookie with the
cream in the middle and
the biscuits on the sides.
All in all, I’m
looking forward to
seeing you at the front
desk!
******************************************************************
Administration Update
Hello, my name is Brenda Leon. You can find me in
the Resident Relations office, as Soledad Martinez’ new
Executive Assistant.
For 22 years I worked in the medical field, and just
recently decided to start a new career, and I’m very
pleased thus far that I made the choice to work for the
Masonic Homes. Everyone has been so welcoming and
kind.
I was born and raised in Fremont, though recently
have moved to San Ramon. I’m a busy single mother to 4
awesome children. My oldest son is 23, my daughter is 21
Messenger—May 2022—Page 7
Continues on page 8
Administration Continued from page 7
and my youngest are twin
boys, 15.
In my spare time, I
bake. I’m a trained Pastry
Chef, and have been selling
my goods to the
community, and catering
private events for almost 10
years. I’ve won 1st place
Blue Ribbon awards at both
Alameda & San Mateo
County fairs, and also have
been interviewed to appear
on a TV network.
I like spending my
off days hiking trails, trying
new restaurants, and
spending time with my
family. I’m looking forward
to working here for many years to come.
******************************************************
Spotlight on the
Masonic Homes Way-By MHW Team
Last month, we spotlighted Soledad Martinez, the Executive Director at
Masonic Homes, Union City for the “100 hats” she wears in doing her work for
the Home. This month we celebrate another multitasker who might be less well-
known to many of you but who wears many, many “hats” as well.
In fact, let’s run a little test. I’ll tell you just a FEW of the things this person
does or has done and let’s see if you can guess who it is.
If you’ve enjoyed the resident anniversary dinners that have taken place
during our times of Covid lockdown, this person should be thanked. If you (or a
Board member, Acacia Creek, or Grand Lodge) want to hold an event at the Event
Center, this is who you should call. If you are blessed by the condition and
running of our Home libraries, then you should give this individual a big bag of
kudos. If you think the Gift Shop and New to You shop are well run, call this
person.
In 2020 the Home tried to keep our spirits up with various raffles.
Remember? Yup, this individual did all that… all that – on their own.
Still not sure. OK, a couple of hints. One, SHE (hey, that’s a hint) is
daughter of a Mason and she and her mother are both active OES members. She
used to work for Grand Lodge but now works for the “Grand” Masonic Homes.
Messenger—May 2022—Page 8 Continues on page 9
Spotlight Continued from page 8
She has one daughter. She is very
efficient in the work she does and can
often be seen running around the halls
(figuratively) preparing for this or that
event.
Know who? Well, times up. It’s
Kim Hegg. She is our Director for
Recreation and Events and Volunteer
Services. She’s done an outstanding
job making our Home an outstanding
place to live. And so, we celebrate her
unique talents and contributions to our
Home. I invite you to do the same
personally. Great job, Kim! YOU are
our Masonic Homes Way Celebrant for
the month of May.
****************************************************************
By Chris Gershtein, Sr. Director Clinical Quality Management
Since the last update there have been 3 Blue Box Cards submitted as of
April 15. There was one compliment in them. It was from the Moving Company
that did our resident moves to Adams! Here’s what they had to say:
“I have a compliment about the wonderful people of Masonic Homes, staff and
the lovely men and women who live there. They made it a lovely good morning!
☺ Stay beautiful!
In the blue box there were two concerns submitted:
One resident voiced a concern about someone removing a section of the daily
San Francisco Chronicle early in the morning (Bay Area News/Comics/TV
section/Horoscope). They report that it has been going on for months, and that
they find it very selfish!
Please remember that these papers are ordered for everyone to enjoy!
Read and return for others. If you wish to keep a specific piece, perhaps
you could copy it or take a photo of it.
Continues on page 10 Messenger—May 2022—Page 9
Continued from page 9
One person noted that they believe that the most neglected place in the
Masonic Homes in need of cleaning is outside the 2nd floor elevator and room
N207. This has been sent to housekeeping so that they can address it.
Thank you very much for continuing to use this communication tool,
especially for any safety related issues. Please keep the cards coming!
***************************************************
Just for Laughs—Submitted by Resident Zelma Campbell
Two elderly men were sunning themselves in Palm
Springs when they started a friendly conversation.
“I was able to move here to retire in Palm Springs
after my business burned to the ground”. The one man
said.
“The insurance payment sure come in handy.”
The other replied.
“I’m here living on an insurance payout from when
my factory was flooded out”.
The first man pondered for a few seconds and then asked,
“How do you start a flood?”
Grandma had to talk fast to get out of the speeding ticket the other day. She
explained to the officer that if she didn’t drive fast, she’d forget where she was
going before she got there.
I don’t know how you feel about old age…but in my case I didn’t even see it
coming. It hit me from the rear.
***************************************************
David Tosh
Mason of: Paso
William “Bill” Robles #286
Schoenemann City: Paso Robles
Mason of: Siminoff #850 Moved in: April 27,
City: Union City 2022
Moved in: April 1, 2022
Shirlee Warren
Moved in: April 26, 2022
Messenger—May 2022—Page 10 Continues on page 11Doug & Gayle Field’s 30th Wedding
Anniversary
***************************************************************
M a s o n i c H o m e s of C a l i f o r n i a C e l e b r a t e s
with Sunday Brunch
on May 8th
from 11:00 am - 1:30 pm
For R e s e r v a t i o n s , p l e a s e c o n t a c t E l e i n e
To b i a s
(510 ) 476 - 4897
Messenger—May 2022—Page 11Messenger—May 2022—Page 12
Written by Joseph Pritchard, Chief Clinical Officer
Celebrations were one of the
casualties of COVID. Birthdays,
graduations, reunions were all
canceled to help keep the world safe.
For the Masonic Homes campus that
meant many of the events, both big
and small, that offered so much
wonderful social engagement and
fun were gone.
As I am sure you know, dear
reader, this has placed a burden on us
all. A physical, mental, and
emotional burden.
Thankfully, those events are slowly coming back. Through the tireless
efforts of the Recreation team and others, plans are already in place to have social
events on campus once again. There have already been small gatherings, hobby
groups, coffee clubs, and small staff parties. These new victories have made the
Masonic Homes much happier.
The month of May should continue that trend. The team is already planning
a few events to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Please be on the lookout for more
information and do your best to attend! Having you there will make the
celebration truly memorable!
Cinco de Mayo is held to
celebrate Mexico’s victory at the battle
of Puebla. In a very small way, we
should take this year’s Cinco de Mayo
to celebrate our victory against some
the ravages of COVID. I do not want to
steal any importance from the Mexican
victory, but rather ride the wave of
celebration. We have all fought battles,
and we should all take a chance to
celebrate.
We are getting through this
together, and we should cherish each
other even more now. We fought
together, so we should celebrate
together!
I look forward to seeing you all
very soon!
Messenger—May 2022—Page 13Resident Birthdays
Resident Anniversaries
Earl Purington 5/1
Tricia Dahle 5/2 Ann.
Residents Years
Date
Betty Ashfield
Kat Miller 5/3 Bob & Kat Miller 5/3 24
Anthony Tancredi 5/4 Bill & Linda Bain 5/9 24
Carl & Louene Christenson 5/14 73
Lynette Stack 5/6
Ed & Janet Auguadro 5/20 15
Jackie McClellan
Debbie Brown 5/8 Larry & Donna Sadler 5/20 11
Irene Mc Reynolds (100 yrs.) 5/11
Marty Trudell 5/12
Kjell Bomark-Noel 5/13
Joan Fagan 5/14
Juli Franceschini 5/15
I Ping Tang 5/16
Roy Anderson 5/18
Marjorie Ammons
Marie Valdisera 5/21
Emma Lou Akin
Valerie Roberts 5/22 Irene Mc Reynolds 5/11
Linda Peck
Barb Brown 5/23
Ron Sherod 5/24
Lorraine Bode 5/25
Ken McMillen 5/29
Marla Cummings
Marie Petroutsas 5/31
Messenger—May 2022—Page 14Fred Bryan
June 6, 1934—April 10, 2022
Mason of: Bicentennial
Daylight #830
Jean “Heather” Treash
October 15, 1924—April 3,
2022
Sponsoring Lodge: Naval #87
Tay McArthur Mervin “Merv” Purdy
March 4, 1933—April 12, March 17, 1929—April 15,
2022 2022
Mason of: Phoenix #144 Mason of: Hiram #25
Messenger—May 2022—Page 15NONPROFIT ORG.
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PAID
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Table of Contents—May 2022
The Messenger is published monthly as a
vehicle of communication and entertainment for Update on the Sky Forest......……………..….....1
the residents and staff of the Masonic Homes at Update/Homage cont…………….…….….…....2
Union City with a focus on sharing information Homage cont/Nissan LEAF………….………...3
about residents, Home activities, and items of Facilities Services/Life Lesson…...….………....4
interest to the Masonic Family. Chaplain’s Corner…………………....………....5
Employee Milestone Anniversaries………..…...6
Proofreaders: Communications/Administration Updates....…...7
Residents: Barbara Dippel, Marty Trudell, Bob Administration cont/Spotlight…………………..8
Spotlight cont/Blue Box.………….…………….9
McCain, Richard & Marla Cummings Blue Box cont/Just for/New Residents………...10
Staff: Shiela Tulabing, Irma Montes De Oca & Cinco de Mayo/Celebration….………………..11
Mary Henneuse Mother’s Day Word Search…...……………….12
Mother’s Day Brunch……..….….………...…..13
Distribution: Front Desk Staff Birthdays & Anniversaries………..…………...14
Photography: Edgar Fentum, Bruce & Evelyn In Memoriam…………………………..….…...15
Rick, James MacRae, Recreation, Friends & the You’re Lookin’ At It…………………….…….16
Internet
Editor: Ola Afolabi, UC Communications Mission: “Together we create meaningful life
Manager experiences that make a profound difference.”
Messenger Online: Find us on Facebook: The Pillars: Safety, Personal Connection,
facebook.com/Masonic Homes of CA or at Experience & Efficiency
http://masonichome.org/our-campuses/union-
city-campus/Resident Newsletter (Color
Print) Messenger—May 2022—Page 16You can also read
