Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association eNewsletter
Hope Abbey Mausoleum
 

In This Issue
Oregon Cultural Trust
Article Headline
Adrian Vaaler
Vox Resonat
Featured Article
Did you Know?
 The EMCA website is a useful source of information about the cemetery and Hope Abbey, including a list of burials through 2014. Names, date of birth and date of burial are included. The link immediately below will take you to the website.
Link to
Music To Die For
classical_illustration.jpg
The popular Music To Die For music series will resume in June, 2017. It can't practically be continued during the colder months because there is no heat in the mausoleum.
Oregon  
Cultural Trust


The Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association is listed with the Oregon Cultural Trust as a qualified non-profit. This means that a contrubution made to the cemetery can be used to cover a matching donation to the OCF.  Donations made to the OCF can result in a dollar for dollar state tax rebate. Please visit the OCF website for details. OCF Donation FAQ

You can contribute to the continued restoration of the Masonic Cemetery by clicking the link below.
Thank you!
  

HELP US CONTINUE RESTORING HISTORY

Consider making a contribution through PayPal, available on our website. When you click below, you'll be taken to the EMCA website, where you can access the PayPal donate button. Help us preserve this important part of Eugene's history. Thank you. 

 

 
Adrian Vaaler 1944-October 2016
Adrian was a friend of the Eugene Masonic Cemetery. In addition to being a neighbor, he has played Taps on Memorial Day weekends for the past 10 years.
 
He was an OSU graduate in Civil Engineering who, among other endeavors, designed bridges throughout the country. He was also a decorated Viet Nam veteran with a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart to his name.
 
Adrian loved music, including singing, but it was his bugle and the playing of Taps throughout Oregon that brought Adrian into many lives. His full uniform rendition of Taps could be heard every Veterans Day and Memorial Day at numerous locations across Eugene, and led him to champion veteran's issues including the dedication of a fallen heroes Vietnam memorial at South Eugene High School.

He will be missed. RIP
What's In The Name? 
Eugene Masonic Cemetery 
By Rich Maris
When the city of Eugene needed a cemetery, it asked Eugene Lodge No. 11 of the Freemasons to establish a place where everyone could be buried. A recent research project by a board member acting as a liaison to the lodge located about 145 members of the lodge, or other Freemasons, who are buried there within the originally planned 5,000 burial lots, plus an additional 335 niches within the later constructed Hope Abbey Mausoleum. The small number of Masons interred there span the years from 1855 through the most recent in 2016. Other burials and ashes are being regularly placed within the remaining available lots and niches.
 
The much larger number of burials have been for families and citizens, not only of Eugene, but also Lane County. Many prominent names that we find today in Eugene appear on the markers and monuments found as you stroll along the paths. An interesting challenge would be to take a small note pad to record the various types of symbols that you see on the markers along the way. There are a mix of various Masonic symbols, those of other fraternal organizations, and those of various faiths.
 
Each symbol is a story of its own related to the departed, who have been placed in the natural environment of the wooded cemetery which is lovingly being cared for by dedicated staff and volunteers. Following the guidelines established by the Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association, we are looking toward preservation of the past as we move forward for future visitors to enjoy and contemplate upon the cemetery name as well as those departed placed here.
Note on Vox Resonat Concert on December 11th
It was not widely announced, but there was a note in the Day of the Dead program that Vox Resonat would be presenting a Christmas concert on December 11. In case you were there, or you heard about it from other sources, you need to know that the concert has been postponed for several reasons, including illness of some of the singers.

Please watch and like their Facebook page or check the website (voxresonat.com) to find out about future concerts this season.   
Sincerely,
John Bredesen
eNewsletter Editor