Largest Fraternal Initiation in Ohio History Held in 10 Cities         


COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday (April 27, 2002) the Ohio Masonic fraternity initiated more than
8,300 candidates as part of its first-ever, one day initiation.  The ceremony was held in 10 cities around the state, with
numbers of candidates varying by city from as low as 286 to as high as 1,864.

"This is very likely the largest fraternal initiation in history," said Thomas E. Reynolds, Grand Master of Masons in Ohio.  "I've
been overwhelmed by the success of this one-day initiation program.  The last time we took in numbers like this was 1957,
when we initiated 8,500 new members over the course of a full year.  The success of this program has brought us a
well-needed infusion of a variety of men."

The 8,300 new members represent a wide spectrum of professions and ages. "We have several city mayors, a theoretical
physicist, an immunologist, business executives, factory workers, retirees and even a very talented tattoo artist, to point out
just a few," commented Reynolds.  "The youngest is 19 and the oldest is 99."

One new member is Warren G. Harding III, great nephew of President Warren G. Harding, who along with three other Ohio
Presidents was an active Mason. Harding joined the same Masonic Lodge in Marion, Ohio where the President was a
member.

"The one day initiation was an excellent opportunity for me to get involved and be a part of history," said Harding.

Traditionally, new members join the Masonic Fraternity by participating in three progressive initiation ceremonies, or degrees. 
These degrees are solemn, and each teaches lessons in character improvement.  Normally, the ceremonies are conferred at
local Lodges and intervals of two weeks to two months or more may occur between them.

"Obviously, eliminating the apparent obstacle of time was extremely attractive to our large group of new members," according
to George Braatz, state secretary for the Ohio Masonic fraternity.  "Our analysis also shows that the new members were
influenced by the opportunity to become part of the fraternity's many charitable and community efforts."

Masonic charitable work in Ohio encompasses a wide variety of projects such as awarding scholarships, sponsoring training
for teachers, disaster relief, sponsoring Special Olympic athletes for the summer games, and the hosting of two summer
life-skills camps for at-risk youth.

"Part of our success is also a result of a recent public awareness campaign, which included advertising at movie theaters and
creating a new web page," said Braatz.

The initiation ceremonies were held in Akron, Cambridge, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Steubenville,
Toledo, and Youngstown. Because of the size of the various groups, such facilities as the Palace Theater in Columbus, and
the First Star Center in Cincinnati were used to accommodate the attendees.

Information about the Ohio Masonic fraternity can be found at http://www.freemason.com.