W.
B. Jack Ball ,
Past Grand Master
Reprinted
from Transactions Texas Lodge of Research Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons Volume VII at pgs 67-82, 1973
This is the story of a
man. He was born; he is living; someday he must die. It is the story
of a man who has enjoyed happiness and suffered tragedy, who, has
succeeded and who has failed, and who has made both friends and enemies.
it is the story of a man who has pondered upon the truth of life and
the fact of death. This could, of course, be the history of any man,
but in this instance it is the story of R*W* W. B. Jack Ball, Past
Grand Master of Masons in Texas. It is the story of the mark he is
leaving on the stones of time, written as well as I can manage in
the manner in which it might be reconstructed a hundred years from
now.
It is a common observation
that once one has ascertained a man's belief on one subject, one is
able to predict a whole range of views and reactions. A person's identity
is his background, education, politics, insight, values, emotions,
and philosophy. But it is more than any one of these or even the sum
of them. To have only one value is, in human terms, false. The whole
is the sum of the parts, and the truth is in the whole and in each
of its parts. All of them are required to give the complete story
of a man.
In no department of historical
knowledge are differences in interpretation more striking than in
the biographical. It is not difficult to understand why such differences
should be clearly etched in the case of individuals involved in the
activities of their time, but it is a most difficult task when the
individual is still alive. Nevertheless, in a short time the remembrance
of man grows fainter until at last there is no living human who remembers
him as be was when he was alive. Thus, when a man's life is engraved
in the hearts of others, his works should be recorded in his own lifetime.
Otherwise, some aspect of' his uniqueness may be left latent and unrevealed.
In numerous conversations
since June 24, 1952, W. B. Jack Ball has impressed his philosophy
upon the writer; but it man may be mistaken in what he thinks he believes.
There is but one way of learning the truth; he must be put to the
ordeal of action and that ordeal of action must be interpreted by
someone else. I am happy the Texas Lodge of Research selected me to
be that "someone else."
Born September 21, 1896,
the son of Thomas Ephraim Ball and Mary Philpot Ball, one of Jack
Ball's earliest memories is the story of how his father in Kentucky
at the age of eight, during the Civil War, with a musket in his hands
took a stand in the barn loft and drove away a party of marauders
bent on stealing the last of the family horses. This story, which
Jack Ball must have heard many times, may have helped form his character;
for it is recorded that Jack Ball never backed away from a fight,
never retreated in the face of failure, and never capitulated even
when the odds were greatest against him.
As he grew up, he learned
the value of work, helping his father in the hardwood timber business
in Farmersville, Texas, grading and selling hickory, ash, pecan, bois
d'arc, and other hardwoods for the manufacture of handles for various
types of tools, of railroad ties, fence posts, and some furniture.
Long before he was grown, W. B. Jack Ball was an expert in grading
timber and logs, and for a time inspected the quality of lumber used
in railroad ties for both the Missouri Pacific and Frisco railroads.
Working in his father's
business made it difficult for Jack Ball to participate in high school
athletics; but he claims that he was a good second baseman for the
high school team and the world's worst hitter. It is known, however,
that once he won a tie game for Farmersville High School by doling
out a home run in the last half of the ninth inning. Later, at Texas
University he earned a place on the football squad but never played
on the varsity; but he did play on a reserve team that went undefeated
for a season. Jack Ball's admission to
college was delayed by circumstances beyond his control. At about
the time he was graduated as salutatorian from the Farmersville High
School, his father broke his back in an accident, and Jack Ball instead
of going on to college stayed at home for a year and ran the family
business. In fact, for a time it appeared as if he might never have
the opportunity to further his education. Nevertheless, a year later
the chance came, and the young man took the entrance examination in
two courses, passed them, and was admitted to the University of Texas. His education, however,
was interrupted another time by World War I, during which he served
as a non-commissioned officer instructing recruits at Paris Island
in South Carolina. While in military service and, although he never
knew him, inspired by the respect held for Past Grand Master Sam Hamilton,
Jack Ball petitioned Farmersville Lodge No. 214 for the Mysteries
of Masonry, and was initiated November 27, 1918, Passed July 19, 1919,
and was Raised to the Sublime Degree of a Master Mason August 9, 1919.
All of the degrees were conferred by courtesy. Years later, in 1955,
when Past Grand Master James McClendon presented Brother Ball with
the Past Grand Master's Apron he recalled that he had watched Ball's
rise in Masonry from the time he was made a Mason in an Austin Lodge.
Jack Ball not only became a Mason, but shortly after being raised
was invited to join the Acacia social fraternity with which he was
active throughout the rest of his university career. While at Texas
University, he earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1919 and the
Bachelor of Law Degree in 1921. One part of his university life of
which Ball is inordinately proud is that while in law school he served
as "quiz master," and accordingly absorbed a deeper knowledge
of law than he might otherwise have done. Having completed his legal
studies at the university, the young attorney moved at once to San
Antonio and undertook the practice of law with the firm of Taliaferro,
Cunningham, and Moursund. He remained with that firm for four years,
then, feeling himself ready, he embarked upon the independent practice
of law. In 1935, he formed a law partnership with the firm of Moursund,
Ball, Moursund, and Bergstrom. In 1921, as soon as he
felt he could, W. B. Jack Ball married Alice Munson of Brazoria County.
The couple had one son, T. Armour Ball, now a prominent jurist in
San Antonio and a member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 1169. Mrs. Ball
passed away February 28, 1945. She, too, shared in the shaping of
Jack Ball's philosophy, for it is said that a happy marriage is the
greatest builder of character. Although he never sought
a public office, Jack Ball has always been actively interested in
politics, and, consequently, he served as campaign manager for Dan
Moody when he ran for District Attorney and for judge John Edward
Hickman when he campaigned for the State Supreme Court. He was a member
of the State Democratic Executive Committee of Texas during 1941-1942.
Judge James Norvell of the Texas Supreme Court and former Grand Orator
was his close friend and associate until the judge passed away in
October 1969. Although Brother Ball has
been concerned with every part of Masonry, it is in Craft Masonry,
and more especially at the Grand Lodge level in Masonic law that his
influence is fixed deeply and firmly on the memory of Texas Masons.
Grand Master Albert De Lange named him District Deputy Grand Master
for District No. 39 in December 1949, and the appointment set Jack
Ball on the road toward the Grand East. He was elected Grand Senior
Warden in December 1951 when a vacancy occurred in the Grand Line
at that level; but his Masonic philosophy and notions of leadership
had crystallized long before his election to a Grand Lodge office.
He would provide the power and authority to put them into effect during
his year as Grand Master. Before the record of a
man's tenure in the high office of Grand Master is studied, some summary
should be made of his philosophy and attitude toward the fraternity
and the brethren who comprise it. To W. B. Jack Ball, Masonry is a
dream supported by reality. It is an undertaking to fill the empty
tissues of existence with the practical wisdom for which the human
consciousness was created. Out of the experiences of a thousand lifetimes,
Masonry distilled fundamental truths to forward the course of mankind.
Masons are the vessels to carry with courage and gallantry those underlying
principles and indispensable truths of the Order. Masonic ideas are
more powerful than sectionalized institutions, and they are stronger
than denominational concepts. Power and strength implies the unity
of understanding, compassion, and brotherhood. The tenet of the Universality
of Freemasonry emerges from these general notions. Many men have caught the
vision of the Universality of Freemasonry, but only a few have recognized
its distinctive nature. Even fewer have attempted to turn it to man's
advantage. In our time and among those who have, two men especially
have recognized its truth; and Robert Heinlein and W. B. Jack Ball
have pressed the idea hard during the 1950's and 1960's. It is perhaps
unfair to compare two men with such dissimilar achievements. Yet,
each has had his effect on the community of men, and the comparison
is, therefore, useful in helping to understand the Universality of
Masonry and the invisible power it exercises on the future of humanity.
Both men grasped the concept and its potential, but they express it
in different ways. Heinlein is a former naval
officer and is now the nation's foremost writer of science fiction.
His Stranger in a Strange Land is said to have influenced our
nation's youth more than any novel of the last twenty years. His poem,
"The Green Hills of Earth," was quoted by the astronauts
as they lifted off the moon on their last journey into space. In narrative
after narrative he has used the Universality of Masonry as the flesh
in which to cloak his plots. Heinlein conceives of Masonry as a great
unifying force to restore harmony, order, and peace in a world torn
asunder by man's weaknesses and the individual's lust for power. Masonry,
he believes, will perform this role after civilization has been destroyed
by the ravages of force. "Basic truths," be writes, "cannot
change and once a man of insight expresses one of them it is never
necessary, no matter how much the world changes, to reformulate them." W. B. Jack Ball's concept,
on the other hand, is that Masonry will stave off the debacle caused
by man's weaknesses and the individual's struggle for power. Today,
we are all aware that the years are beginning to weigh heavily on
our society. No one sees this more clearly than our enemy who will
bide his time, gathering more and more authority into his hands. It
is too much to assume that twenty years ago Ball saw clearly that
our people were entering a period when all that we value would be
threatened, a time when our fraternity must perish or lead. Could
his subconscious have perceived two decades ago what many now recognize
and fear? Ball himself probably does not know the answer, but time
after time he stressed that Masonry did not make the man, but that
the character of man made Masonry and the imagery of each person for
Masonry is what Masonry is. The power of Masonry shows through that
imagery. "Time," he said
in 1954, "does not change the fundamental principles and great
truths taught ... by our beloved fraternity . . . the very foundation
of our American form of government is ... a direct exemplification
of those fundamental principles and great truths originating in, and
taught in, Masonry centuries before our government came into existence." A few months earlier, in
The Texas Grand Lodge Magazine, he wrote: "Masonry is the greatest
force, the only practical hope, for world peace, so devoutly desired
by all free men; it cuts across nationalities, across boundary lines
of states and nations, across denominationalism of free men of all
civilized nations, of all who believe in freedom of thought and religious
beliefs and of all who believe in the dignity and right of self-determination
of each individual." Both Robert Heinlein and
W. B. Jack Ball hold to the underlying theme that all men are children
of God and therefore brothers. Both believe that Masonry stands pat
on the primary truths of God and man. They are the only stable things
we know, and who can say that we Masons of this generation may not
be the ones to assure the survival of our fraternity and the continuance
of our government and our culture? Masonry must never fail to inspire
and lift up the hearts of men. Even though others have been aware
of the principle, time may disclose that the promulgation of the Universality
of Freemasonry was Grand Master Ball's most magnificent contribution
to Texas Masonry and through it to the world. But has there ever been
a time in the long history of our fraternity when we have not lived
in the near presence of danger? The staunch Grand Master recognizes
the strengths and weaknesses of Freemasonry and the hazards it constantly
faces. Grand Master Ball realized that no matter how dedicated one
person may be, that in order to obtain a full measure of Masonic leadership
the united effort of every Master Mason is required if Masonry of
the future is to grow out of Masonry of the present, as Masonry of
the present has grown out of that of the past. He knew that only reliable
leaders could point up sharply the elements of strength in Masonry. To the selection of leaders
to assist him, he gave his earnest consideration, seeking advice from
many sources. The statistics of his appointments to Grand Lodge responsibilities
reveal his prudent judgment in their selection. He appointed nine to long
term Grand Lodge committees, 161 to one year committees, and 121 District
Deputy Grand Masters. Of his committee appointments, seventeen were
Past Grand Masters, four of whom were on two committees. John Bean,
one of his committee members, served also as District Deputy Grand
Master. Four of his committee appointees have since become Grand Masters:
George Moffett, Robert Dillard, John Bean, and Joe Steed. Three of
his District Deputy Grand Masters became Grand Masters: John Bean,
Horace Jackson, and Jim Weatherby. Nothing could better demonstrate
the quality of his committees and District Deputy Grand Masters or
his concern about the leadership of Masonry in Texas. Upon being elevated to
the Grand Mastership, Jack Ball turned at once to the administration
of Grand Lodge affairs, secure in the knowledge that he had able assistance
to cope with the many problems that would arise. Not the least of
the problems facing him was that of the multitudinous pressures on
District Deputy Grand Masters in the metropolitan centers. Houston,
Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio especially needed relief. For
several years the Grand Lodge had been cognizant of the problem and
each Grand Master had attempted to solve it by one means or another.
A committee had been appointed to study the problem and make recommendations
with respect to it; but members of the committee were reluctant to
create new districts because customs and traditions of long standing
would therefore be destroyed. No Masonic laws or practices seemed
to apply. Jack Ball had not been
on the redistricting committee in 1952 when it was set up, but after
the then Grand Master named him to the committee in 1953, Ball, along
with Brothers Albert De Lange, Horace K. Jackson, S. R. Wright, R.
Bruce Brannon, Harvey Byrd, and Rogers Kelly, was to give the matter
much thought. In reaching his answer
to the question, Jack Ball had considered precedent, which is the
heartbeat of common law, and Grand Lodge law. Throughout his Masonic
career and in his work as Grand Master and his fourteen years of service
on the Grand Lodge jurisprudence Committee, Ball was strongly influenced
by the development of English Common Law and its principles, many
of which constitute major elements in Freemasonry. In Britain, common law
was the general law as accepted by the courts, not yet enacted into
statutes, but in contact with local customs. Common law implies that,
instead of heterogeneous local customs, there is a uniform law for
all. In questions of law and legal procedure, the judge is governed
by precedents established in similar cases. This practice in England
has gone on continuously down through the centuries, making common
law a living organism which gradually can be adapted to changing conditions. It is obvious that Jack
Ball studied carefully those characteristics of English Common Law
which had found their way into Freemasonry. He knew that during the
evolution of the English government that the king insisted on the
maintenance of ancient demesne, which translated into Masonry meant
that the Grand Master, and later the Grand Lodge, insisted on the
maintenance of the ancient landmarks. This is clearly shown by Ball's
search for and presentation of precedents in making his decisions,
of which there were eighty-one during his year in the Grand East.
The precedent or Grand Lodge law was researched painstakingly, and
his reasoning behind each decision was explained clearly. The sagacity
of this course is revealed in the actions of the Jurisprudence Committee,
which recommended approval of all but three of his decisions. Jack
Ball followed the same practice in his recommendations. W. B. Jack Ball did not
see Masonry as a body in which organization predominates and in which
an individual makes his way through a maze controlled by others. He
knew that modern Grand Masters often found themselves prisoners of
the organization devised by the old guild system and by common law,
but he determined to remain free. The pomp and splendor and organization
which surrounds the Grand Master was never a cage for Ball, but was
only a frame through which he worked. His study of common law
and his familiarity with statutes enacted by representative bodies
led Ball to formulate a philosophy with respect to a Grand Master's
administration. Jack Ball believes that a Grand Master is not bound
by actions of his predecessors; their decisions should serve chiefly
as useful guides in reaching solutions to problems under Masonic law.
He believes that the Grand Master is bound only by the actions of
the Grand Lodge. The Grand Master can seek change, if he wishes, but
he should do so through prescribed channels. He makes suggestions
and recommendations through the jurisprudence or other proper committee.
The committees evaluate them and make their own recommendations, upon
which the Grand Lodge passes. Good taste requires that the Grand Master's
recommendations should be defended by those who hold to the same judgments
as does he. If one of his recommendations is lost on the floor, then
he and his successors are bound by the action of the Grand Lodge until
the Grand Lodge changes that action. In addition to finding
the answer to the redistricting question, he clarified the conditions
under which a candidate might receive any degree after one year had
elapsed. Relying upon the laws, he defined a "suspended"
Lodge and a "demised" Lodge. He made clear that a protester
did not waive his right to a protest even if he were present when
the ballot was taken. He interpreted what was then Article 332 to
mean that although ordinarily a Brother could not decline nomination
to an office he had never filled, the Worshipful Master, being well
acquainted with the situation, might permit the Brother to reject
the nomination. He explained that a subordinate Lodge does not have
the authority to present a Fifty Year Pin, that authority being vested
in the Grand Lodge only. In a lengthy ruling, he outlined the purposes
for which Lodge rooms and ante-rooms can be used for other than Masonic
purposes. He ruled that with the exception of the Tiler no Brother
can enter or leave the Lodge room while a ballot is in progress, and
that once the results of a ballot are announced it is to be recorded
in the minutes and can not be inquired into. He stipulated that automatic
suspension for non-payment of dues does not break the continuous membership
in good standing if the suspension is corrected by reinstatement within
two years after the suspension. In no uncertain terms, he emphasized
that only the Grand Master can grant a Dispensation for a Lodge Under
Dispensation or determine the qualifications of its officers, and
that only the Grand Lodge can name the first elective officers of
each newly chartered Lodge. He specified that although a petition
for the degrees cannot be withdrawn, a Petition for Reinstatement
can be withdrawn at any time before the ballot is taken. Additionally, he pointed
out that the Grand Lodge is a private corporation, and under Texas
law each subordinate Lodge is therefore a corporation with power to
own and hold title to real estate. No further specific action is required,
he ruled, to incorporate and the Grand Master can consent or not to
the incorporation of any building corporation. Thus title to all real
estate owned wholly or in part by a subordinate Lodge should be directly
in the name of the Lodge and not in the name of trustees or otherwise.
Furthermore, any funds belonging to the subordinate Lodge should be
held in the name of that Lodge and not in the name of any individual
or group. A noteworthy decision,
on a question that had been often raised by subordinate Lodges, was
that the Grand Master does not have the authority to grant a dispensation
to postpone to a later time the lecture, charge, and apron ceremonies
when the Master's Degree is conferred. To the Masons of the seventies,
Ball's decisions and recommendations may seem to deal with inquiries,
the answers to which are obvious. It should be remembered, however,
that the rulings listed in this paper and in the Proceedings of the
Grand Lodge for 1954 dealt with problems constantly posed by the subordinate
Lodges; that in his rulings he removed obsolete laws, clarified obscure
wordings, and interpreted previous decisions of Grand Masters and
laws established by the Grand Lodge. Previous Grand Masters
had struggled with the same or similar problems and some of them had
been solved earlier. Jack Ball's contribution, through the years,
was the interpretation and the clarification, which helped pave the
way for a general revision of the laws of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
Had it not been for Jack Ball's scholarly work in this particular
legal area, the answers would not seem so obvious. In 1952, Past Grand Master
George R. M. Montgomery, listed the "Great Masonic Leaders of
Yesterday in Texas" in these words: W. S. Fly, the austere
law-giver; George W. Tyler, who wrote Article I of our Constitution,
in which is set forth the purposes of this Grand Lodge; Nat M. Washer,
he of the silver tongue; Madden Fly, the philosopher; Sam P. Cochran
and Jewel P. Lightfoot, both great ritualists; William James, John
Arnold, and Dan McMillian, all great Masonic statesmen; Brilliant
Andrew Randell, the father of the Home and School endowment plan;
W. S. Cooke, the great constructive thinker. Jack Ball's talent for
translating the law in simple terms would seem to entitle him for
inclusion among them as "the interpreter of Masonic law in Texas." When Grand Master Gibb
Gilchrist named Jack Ball to serve for the first time on the Jurisprudence
Committee, succeeding Past Grand Master Pat Neff, he could scarcely
have made a better choice; for Ball's shrewd, analytical mind, his
thorough grounding in British Common Law and in Masonic law and philosophy,
fitted him especially well to serve in that capacity. It is the area
for which he will be best remembered in Texas Masonry. It is not intended to portray
Jack Ball's administration as being perfect or to pretend that other
Grand Masters have not had their successes. Each Grand Master, in
turn, has possessed a vital gift for the use of the Order. When Past
Grand Master Ball was asked how he expected to be remembered by Texas
Masons, be brushed off the question with the laconic remark: "As
the daddy of the Masonic Home and School dishwashing machine,"
the purchase of which he had arranged. Like every Grand Master,
he had his failures. Among them was his attempt to attract visitors
to the new Grand Lodge Temple during the hot month of August. Another
was his try to get news items from subordinate Lodges for The Texas
Grand Lodge Magazine. A third, among several others, was his failure,
in spite of strong efforts, to establish permanently a "Big Brother"
system by means of which newly made Masons could be instructed, inspired,
and encouraged to attend their Blue Lodges. A purpose of this paper,
however, is to show the physical stamina, judgment, and prudence required
of a successful Grand Master; for, in addition to decisions and legal
interpretations, there are a host of other functions to which he must
attend. During his year in the
Grand East, Grand Master Ball granted seven dispensations to the Order
of the Eastern Star, the Rainbow Girls, and to the DeMolay to hold
particular meetings of their organizations. Permission was granted
to fifteen Lodges to hold open meetings for various purposes such
as the observation of George Washington's birthday, to honor wives
and mothers, and to present Fifty Year Pins. Five new Lodges were
constituted; others were set to work Under Dispensation. Nine subordinate
Lodges observed their centennials, and Ball attended the celebrations
for Bethesda, Brazos Union, Castillian, and Mount Horeb. Three lodge
buildings were dedicated, and cornerstones for three lodge buildings,
three school buildings, and one Jewish synagogue were leveled. Sixteen
Lodges were granted permission to move their meeting places, and seven
were allowed to meet for a time in some place other than their normal
meeting places. It is worthwhile to note that three of these Lodges
had suffered severe damage from fire. Twenty-nine dispensations were
granted to Lodges to hold tiled meetings at places other than those
at which they regularly met. He gave Waivers of Jurisdiction to four
other Grand jurisdictions in the United States and two to two Grand
Lodges of Mexico. He had twenty-six requests to ballot or confer degrees
out of time and he permitted twenty-one and denied five. He permitted
thirty-five Lodges to hold public installation of Officers and allowed
three districts to hold joint public installations. Jack Ball believes
that open public and especially open joint installations should be
encouraged as good public relations; and, to prove his point, in 1955
while be was the junior Past Grand Master, he supervised the arrangements
for what Grand Master Moffet described as "probably the largest
installation ceremony ever held in America." Thirty Lodges participated,
and some of the officers to be installed journeyed more than one hundred
miles for the occasion. These routine matters, alone, were enough
to keep any Grand Master busy. Some Past Grand Masters,
however, wanted to travel, especially the Reverend R. Bruce Brannon
who had arranged to spend a year in Scotland. Brother Brannon, desirous
of sitting in as many Scottish Lodges as possible, requested pocket
sized credentials for easy identification. Such a request was apparently
new in the history of the Grand Lodge, but the decision could be reasonably
and easily made by the Grand Master since there was no reason not
to do so. Grand Master Ball had proper cards printed and distributed
to each Past Grand Master stating that the Brother named on the card
had served Texas as Grand Master, gave the year, and had it properly
certified by the Grand Secretary. The Grand Lodge collars,
jewels, and aprons were in a worn condition. The Grand Lodge Finance
Committee was asked to buy new ones, which it did. The old sets were
to be retained in the custody of the Grand Secretary to be given to
the current Grand Lodge officers for use in each respective year. Judging
from the Proceedings of 1954, Grand Master Ball made only three trips
out of Texas for Masonic purposes that year. Two were to Grand Lodge
Communications, in New Mexico and Arkansas. He found them enjoyable
because of the fine fellowship and interesting business sessions. The third was to the Grand
Masters' Conference in Washington, D. C. The conference was well attended
and Texas was strongly represented. Jack Ball found it helpful because
it provided for an exchange of views and an opportunity to develop
and maintain the universal bonds of Masonic Brotherhood But be was
also critical and cautioned against any efforts that might appear
at the Grand Masters' Conference to establish a General Grand Lodge.
He also felt that there was too much participation in the Grand Masters'
Conference by Past Grand Masters and not enough by current officers.
He suggested that this could be corrected in Texas by the Grand Lodge
sending the Grand Senior Warden as well as the Grand Master, Deputy
Grand Master, and the Grand Secretary. Moreover, he held, adding the
Grand Senior Warden would provide for a greater continuity of officers.
This was one of his failures, however; but a few years later, his
recommendation was accepted by the Grand Lodge, and now the Grand
Senior Warden attends routinely. Another of the Grand Master's
duties is an ex-officio membership on the Board of Directors for the
Masonic Horne and School. Ball served a total of ten years on that
Board, and it was during that period that he earned his sobriquet
"daddy of the Masonic Horne and School Dishwasher." Past Grand Master W. B.
Jack Ball is now in his seventyfifth year. He told the writer in a
recent conversation that there is no way to whip time; it passes,
do what one may to stop it. In youth one believes he can take life
and shape it to his way if only he works and tries hard. Soon enough
he learns that life shapes the man and not the other way around. But
it is only the young who fear death and disappointment, perhaps because
they expect more than God Almighty will ever give. In time, a man
takes losses as they come; anyway a man fullgrown and mature with
graying hair does, remembering days that were good and secure with
his memories locked in. He reflects on what is to come, but finally
the sun sets and the shadows come mercifully to end in the twilight
and in the onset of peace. "The whole story," says Jack
Ball, "of life and of death and of life after death is to be
found in the Great Light of Masonry which rests on our Holy Altar." Reprinted
from the Proceedings of the 119th Annual Communication Brother Ball attended public
schools in Farmersville, Texas, and was Class Salutatorian in the
graduating class of 1914. He attended the University of Texas and
the Law School of the University of Texas, receiving a B. A. Degree
in August of 1919 and an L. L. B. Degree in June 1921. For the B.
A. Degree he majored in History (particularly Latin-American) and
minored in Government. He did outstanding work while in University,
serving as Student Assistant in government and Quiz Master (Student
Assistant) in Law School at the University of Texas. His scholarship
and popularity was further acknowledged by his being admitted to the
following: Acacia Fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Delta Phi, Phi Sigma
Alpha and Chancellors. During World War I Brother
Ball withdrew from the University and voluntarily enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps. After completion of recruit training he
was assigned to the N. C. O. School at Paris Island, South Carolina.
After completing N. C. O. School he was promoted to Non-Com and assigned
back to the Marine N. C. O. School, Paris Island, South Carolina as
an instructo. He was honorably discharged in December, 1918. Again,
during World War II, Brother Ball served his country in a civilian
status as a member of the Staff of the Chief Air Raid Warden of Bexar
County and San Antonio Metropolitan area. Upon graduation from Law
School, University of Texas, Brother Ball entered law practice in
June of 1921 in San Antonio, Texas, with the law firm of Taliaferro,
Cunningham and Moursund. On January 1, 1925, he entered independent
practice and continued in this capacity until November of 1935 when
he formed partnership with the firm of Moursund, Ball, Moursund and
Bergstrom. For years he has been a member of the San Antonio Bar Association,
the State Bar of Texas and the American Bar Association. He is a Past
President and Past Director of the San Antonio Bar Association. He
served on various committees of the State Bar Association of Texas,
having been State Chairman of two committees. At one time was member
of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association, Brother Ball has always
shown a keen interest in church and civic affairs. He is a member
of the First Presbyterian Church, San Antonio, Texas; of the San Antonio
Country Club; of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; of the San Antonio
Conopus Club; and formerly of the San Antonio Council of Presidents,
having served as President and as Director of this Council and active
in various other civic organizations of the city. He was a member
of the State Democratic Executive Committee of Texas during 1941-1942. Brother Ball married Alice
Munson of Brazoria County, Texas, in 1921, and to this union was born
one son, T. Armour Ball, who is a member of Albert Pike Lodge No.
1169, San Antonio, Texas. Mrs. Ball passed way February 28, 1945. Brother Ball was initiated
in Farmersville Lodge No. 214, of Farmersville, Texas, on November
27, 1918, passed July 19, 1919, and raised August 9, 1919, the degrees
having been conferred by courtesy by other Lodges. He affiliated as
a Charter Member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 1169 in 1921 and served
as Worshipful Master in 1928-1929. In the Grand Lodge of Texas
he served on the Committee on Masonic jurisprudence, as District Deputy
Grand Master of the 39th Masonic District, as Grand Senior Warden
in 1952, Deputy Grand Master in 1953 and at the 118th Annual Grand
Communication was installed as M* W* Grand Master of Masons in Texas.
He is now Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of Kansas near the
Grand Lodge of Texas. Brother Ball is a member
of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite Bodies and Alzafar Shrine Temple
of San Antonio. He was coroneted 33° Inspector General Honorary
by the Supreme Council in 1945 and is a member of the Red Cross of
Constantine. He served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
Scottish Rite Bodies of San Antonio for several years. Upon installation as Grand
Master he stated that it would be his purpose to dedicate himself
to the task of "Carrying Masonry to Every Mason in Texas."
Regarding this task one of the Committees of Grand Lodge had this
to say: "He has of a verity,
applied himself to his announced objective, 'Carrying Masonry to every
Mason in Texas'; from border to border, north, south, east and west,
has this Apostle of Fraternity and Brotherly love developed his theme.
With the zeal of a crusader, the wisdom of a philosopher, the fortitude
of Atlas and the patience of Job, has he endeavored to 'make darkness
light before us and crooked things straight'." You, Brother Ball, have
earned the love, esteem and admiration of the rank and file of the
Craft and are enshrined in the hearts of over two hundred and twenty-three
thousand Masons in the Grand Jurisdiction of Texas.
by
DEED L. VEST
Past Master, Brahan Lodge No. 226
Charter Member and Past Master (1974-1975), Texas Lodge of Research
Fellow in Masonic Research March 19, 1977
At
this point, a writer might devote a large amount of space to Ball's
civic and social accomplishments in and for the City of San Antonio
and the State of Texas, but since this paper is dedicated chiefly
to a study of his Masonic career they will be mentioned only briefly.
Within his profession he is a member of the San Antonio Bar Association,
the State Bar of Texas, and the American Bar Association and has served
on many of their committees. Additionally, he is an active member
of the Presbyterian Church, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the
San Antonio Country Club, and has served as President and Director
of the San Antonio Council of Presidents.
In 1921, after he moved to San Antonio, Brother Ball affiliated as
a Charter Member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 1169 and demitted from Farmersville
Lodge in 1922. He served Albert Pike Lodge as Worshipful Master in
1929. He also became a member of the York Rite Bodies, the Scottish
Rite, and Alzafar Shrine Temple of San Antonio. He was coroneted 33rd
Degree Inspector General Honorary by the Supreme Council in 1945.
He served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Scottish Rite
Bodies of San Antonio for several years. CurrentIy, he is Sovereign
Grand Inspector General for the Valley of San Antonio. He was Potentate
of Alzafar Shrine Temple in 1957 and has assisted in managing its
affairs for a number of years. He is also a member of the Red Cross
of Constantine and of the Royal Order of Scotland. He was one of the
113 Master Masons who signed the petition for the formation of the
Texas Lodge of Research and is a Charter Member. In every facet of
Masonry he has made his presence felt.
A prior Grand Master had tried to eliminate the pressures by appointing
Assistant District Deputy Grand Masters in the districts where the
demands bore most heavily, but the practice was only partially successful.
Jack Ball, when he was Grand Master, named Special Representatives
of the Grand Master to relieve the District Deputies of much of the
clerical work. This, too, was only a partial solution, but it opened
the door to speculation. Ball turned to the laws and reached the conclusion
that if Lodges could have concurrent jurisdiction so could districts.
The objection to creating new districts and thus disturbing old traditions
would thereby be eliminated. When Ball made the suggestion to a group
of his leaders, John Crooker, Past Grand Master, turned to him and
remarked that the solution had been under their eyes all the time;
they just had not seen it. In 1955, after the recommendation had been
accepted by the Grand Lodge, the jurisprudence Committee resolved
that in view of the Jack Ball recommendation, approved by the Grand
Lodge in 1954, no further action should be taken. Grand Master George
Moffett concurred in a similar recommendation and it was so agreed
to by the Grand Lodge.
As
he labored at the Grand Lodge level of Masonic administration, Jack
Ball was amazed by the astonishing ignorance of Masonic law manifested
by Masons and the subordinate Lodges. The confusion about the laws
both perplexed him and filled him with consternation. With consumate
vigor he set out to clarify the law and to educate the brethren. Thus
be helped set in motion the revision of the "Book of Masonic
Law," which was completed successfully in 1964. He undertook
his program in an orderly and logical fashion, dealing with the problems
of law as they arose.
W.
B. JACK BALL
GRAND MASTER OF MASONS IN TEXAS
of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Texas
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons
1954
W.
B. Jack Ball, Grand Master of Masons in Texas, in the year of 1954,
was born in Farmersville, Collin County, Texas, on the twenty-first
day of September, 1896, the son of T. E. Ball and Mary Philpot Ball.
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