Frequently Asked Questions

A Lodge of Research and Information is a specialized Masonic lodge established exclusively for researching and publishing Masonic educational material. Under Michigan's Blue Book Section 4.17, these lodges:

• Meet quarterly instead of monthly
• Cannot confer degrees
• Require plural membership (you keep your home lodge)
• Have statewide jurisdiction
• Pay no Grand Lodge fees or assessments
• Focus entirely on education and preservation

The core mission remains unchanged, we're still uniting veteran Masons and honoring Captain Hobaugh. However, Grand Lodge guidance led us to a better model. As a Research Lodge, we can serve ALL Michigan lodges by creating educational resources while providing the same fellowship and purpose our veteran brothers seek. It's not settling for less; it's achieving more.

Our four primary initiatives:

1. Preserve Veteran Stories: Create Michigan's first comprehensive oral history archive of veteran Masons
2. Develop Leadership Resources: Translate military best practices into practical tools for lodge officers
3. Support Veteran Integration: Help lodges better serve military members and connect them with benefits
4. Foster Statewide Fellowship: Unite veteran Masons through quarterly meetings rotating across Michigan

Any Master Mason in good standing in a Michigan lodge can petition for plural membership. While our focus is veteran-related, non-veterans who support our mission are welcome. We need storytellers, interviewers, writers, organizers, and brothers who simply want to participate in preserving this important legacy.

• Maintain your current lodge membership (this is plural membership)
• Proposed $30 annual dues (no GL fees on top)
• Attend quarterly meetings as able (4x per year)
• Contribute as you wish—no mandatory assignments
• Help preserve veteran stories or develop resources

Eventually, Quarterly meetings will rotate across Michigan to maximize accessibility:

• Q1: Sault Ste. Marie (Bethel Lodge #358 - Hobaugh's home)
• Q2: Grand Rapids area
• Q3: Detroit area
• Q4: Traverse City area

We foresee the first couple quarters under dispensation likely staying in the UP

1. Download and complete our Charter Member Petition Form
2. Email to robertwlinn@gmail.com or mail to provided address
3. Attend our virtual Town Hall (date TBD)
4. Your name will be included on the official GL petition

1. DAbsolutely! We need:

• Veterans willing to share their stories
• Interviewers to collect oral histories
• Event organizers for quarterly meetings
• Technology helpers for website/podcast
• Brothers who simply attend and participate

We're losing WWII veterans at 131 per day nationally. Korean War veterans average age 91. Vietnam veterans average age 75. Their stories and wisdom will be lost forever if we don't act now. Additionally, with veterans being the fastest-growing segment of new Masons, we need resources to properly support them.

Captain Hobaugh was known for mentoring young Coast Guardsmen and Masons alike. A research lodge dedicated to preserving wisdom and developing leaders embodies everything he stood for. The 407 designation still honors his command of USCGC Woodrush (WLB-407).