The following is the text of the speech to be given at the meeting of Templars Lodge on Saturday 8th December to celebrate the occasion of Worshipful Brother Stanley Rogers L.G.R., P.G.St.B. having been in Freemasonry, and a member of Templars Lodge for Fifty years.
Written by W Bro Stephen Graham LGR
The first fifty years in Freemasonry
For most of 1957 Harold Macmillan was our Prime Minister and Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States. Manchester United won the first Division and Aston Villa won the FA Cup. Real Madrid won the European Cup and Surrey won cricket’s County Championship. Bobby Locke triumphed at the Open Golf Championship and the Ryder Cup was won by Great Britain and Ireland (Europeans were not invited to take part). Althea Gibson won the Ladies final at Wimbledon and Lew Hoad the men’s title.
In a Templars’ context W. Brothers Barry Clayton, Steve Graham and Paul Shrubsall (all now LGR) were 10 years old and looking forward to their Eleven Plus exam the next summer.
On October 19th 1957, about 2 weeks after Russia launched the world’s first satellite called the Sputnik, W. Bro. Stanley Rogers’ name first appeared in the minutes of a Lodge meeting. At the Monico Restaurant in Piccadilly at the meeting which had earlier installed W. Bro Sydney Coker as Worshipful Master, the Secretary, W. Bro. Freddie Wearing read out proposal forms for Mr. George Hastie Coupland and Mr. Stanley Dennis Rogers.
And so on 21st December 1957, again at the Monico Restaurant in Piccadilly, the Secretary read out the proposal forms in full. The minutes of that meeting note that Stanley Dennis Rogers, born 26th February 1926, Barristers’ Clerk of 120 Bedford Road, Edmonton, N.9 and 5 Paper Buildings, Temple, London, EC4 was proposed by W. Bro. Wearing and W. Bro. Bill Beavan.
The ballot proved unanimous in favour of both Mr Rogers and Mr Coupland and having been properly prepared they were admitted and received the benefit of initiation into the mysteries and privileges of ancient Freemasonry at the hands of the Worshipful Master for that evening. W. Bro. Clem Mulhern. W. Bro. Stanley’s proposer, Freddie Wearing delivered the Ancient Charge to the candidates.
As well as the Officers and Past Masters the minutes record the names of 21 members and 40 visitors who witnessed the initiation.
W. Bro. Stanley next appeared in the minutes of the next meeting, on 15th February 1958 when he was passed to the second degree. The Worshipful Master, W. Bro Sydney Coker conducted the ceremony. The charge after passing was given by Bro. Harold Birch and a lecture on the fellowcraft’s apron was given by Bro. Ken Smeeton.
On 19th April 1958 Stanley was raised to the degree of a Master Mason by the Worshipful Master and a lecture on the Master Mason’s apron was given by W. Bro. Howard Smeeton, the Senior Warden who was then elected Worshipful Master for the ensuing year.
The Lodge met at the Monico Restaurant on a further three occasions. The minutes of the meeting held on April 18th 1959 recording events
taking place at the Café Royal also in Piccadilly.
Research has revealed that the next time W. Bro. Stanley’s name appeared in the minutes, apart from recording his attendance as a member was on the 17th December 1960. He is recorded as proposing and Bro. Jimmy Hardy is recorded as seconding Mr Boyd Hilary Hopgood. Mr Hopgood went on to be initiated into the Templars Lodge by the then Worshipful Master, W. Bro. Teddy Love.
On 21st October 1961 Stanley along with his fellow initiate, Bro. George Coupland were proposed for membership of the Lodge’s General Purposes Committee by the Secretary W. Bro. Harold Birch. The proposition was seconded by W. Bro. Herbert Horlock LGR and carried unanimously. This was the first of many offices that Stanley was to hold.
On 19th December 1964 Stanley seconded the proposal of Bro. Jack Bronsdon that Mr Sydney John Mace should be admitted as a candidate.
The minutes of the meeting of 20th February record the receipt of a letter from Stanley expressing thanks to the Worshipful Master and the Brethren for the present and good wishes on the occasion of his marriage. With it came apologies for non attendance. I have no idea if his non attendance has anything to do with this but Stanley was appointed to the Audit Committee shortly afterwards at the next meeting on April 10th 1965.
Running along side Stanley’s membership of Templars was his association with The White Horse of Kent Lodge 1506 of which he became a joining member in December 1961. Stanley had first visited the White Horse of Kent Lodge in March 1959 as a guest of W. Bro. George Graham.
He visited again in March 1960 to witness W. Bro. Graham being installed into the Chair of the Lodge, which then met at the Charing Cross Hotel. W. Bro. Wearing, who had proposed Stanley’s initiation into Freemasonry three years before was also a guest at that meeting.
Three further visits followed and on 18th December 1961 a ballot was taken and Stanley was admitted as a joining member. His rise was rapid and in March 1966 having missed out the offices of Junior Deacon and Junior Warden to assist the Lodge, Stanley was installed as Master of the White Horse of Kent Lodge.
There can be no doubt that Stanley’s love of Freemasonry combined with his ability with the ritual as evidenced by his presentation of the First Degree Working Tools to the Worshipful Master in 1964 made his rise to the highest office in 1506 inevitable.
Having been installed as Master of The White Horse of Kent Lodge in 1966 Stanley then began to take a greater part in the affairs of Templars, his Mother Lodge. The two Masonic “careers” began to travel in tandem.
Stanley was appointed Secretary to Templars by W. Bro.Jimmy Hardy in October 1966. An office he served with particular distinction until 1980. However in 1974 Stanley took a year off as Secretary so that he could serve the Templars as our 54th Master. During his temporary absence from the Secretary’s table his place was occupied by Bro. Reg Murrell. At this time Stanley had been Secretary of the White Horse of Kent Lodge for 2 years, he continued to serve in that capacity for another 8 years.
After serving Templars as Secretary he remained in office serving as Assistant Director of Ceremonies between 1980 and 1982 and as Director of Ceremonies between 1982 and 1985. He later served White Horse of Kent as Director of Ceremonies and Chaplain.
In addition to his membership of Templars and White Horse of Kent Lodges Stanley was Advanced into the Studholme Mark Lodge in 1964, serving as W.M in 1970. He was exalted into the Guildhall School of Music Chapter in 1991, MEZ in 1995.
For the Templars Lodge he has delivered the Ancient Charge on 3 occasions, an explanation of the First Degree Tracing Board on 3 occasions, the Second Degree Tracing Board on 3 occasions, and delivered the Traditional History on 6 occasions.
He has given the Address to the Master twice, the address to the Wardens 3 times and the address to the Brethren 11 times.
He has presented and explained Grand Lodge Certificates on 3 occasions.
This is in addition to the White Horse of Kent Lodge where he has delivered 23 Ancient Charges, 3 Second Degree Tracing Boards, 7 Traditional Histories, 4 Addresses to the Master, 5 to the Wardens, 13 to the Brethren and presented 11 Grand Lodge Certificates.
This is the career of a truly remarkable Mason, a skilled administrator and a gifted ritualist: one whose commitment to the Masonic community is beyond compare.
But you would be wrong if you thought that Stanley’s commitment to Masonry was to the exclusion of all else. He was of course a successful Senior Barristers’ Clerk, as many Templars members will testify not a profession lacking in stress and strain.
Despite losing his wife, Sonya in 1995 his family remains strong. He has a son and two daughters and 5 grandchildren. He is keen on reading, music and current affairs. He is an enthusiastic and skilled golfer; his membership of Enfield Golf Club is as long and coincides exactly with his membership of the Templars Lodge. His cricketing prowess enabled him to Captain the Barrister’s Clerks side in the annual match against the Bar held each year at the Oval.
All these varied skills and interests Stanley has brought and is still bringing to the Masonic table.
When White Horse of Kent celebrated with Stanley his 40 years of membership, W. Bro. Richard Harris quoted Stanley’s friend the late Boyd Hopgood who said of him “a gentlemen through and through; one of nature’s special gentlemen and the ideal person to be a Freemason”. May I suggest that included in those gentlemanly qualities is his sense of humour. It is rare, at Lodge meetings at least, to see Stanley’s face without a smile. A joke or a chuckle are never far from the surface.
His Masonic achievements were recognized in 1979 when he was awarded
London Grand Rank and again most fittingly when Grand Lodge appointed him Past Grand Standard Bearer in April 1990.
Brethren we celebrate this afternoon the fact that fifty years ago today this organization welcomed into its midst a man we are proud to call a friend and a brother. A man who has given so much to Freemasonry in general and to this the Templars Lodge, No 4302 on the register of the Grand Lodge of England in particular.
Templars Lodge Ladies Dinner 2008 was held at the Cafe de Paris, London on Saturday 29th March. 
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