A MESSAGE FROM THE
SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDER

John Wm. McNaughton, 33°

General Motors



Founded in 1908 by William C. Durant, the General Motors Corporation was established to consolidate a number of new and growing motor car companies. General Motors produced automobiles under the name plates of Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland (later Pontiac), and Chevrolet.

It was the world’s largest industrial manufacturing complex for most of the 20th century and along with Ford Motor Company, shared the title as the world’s largest manufacturer of automobiles. Later brands added to the corporation included GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Opel, and Vauxhall. GM has also held stakes in Isuzu Motors, Fuji Heavy Industries, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Fiat Auto, and Daewoo Auto. It was certainly a first-class corporate giant of considerable manufacturing capacity, financial resources, and world-class status.

Perhaps the best known of the many leaders of General Motors was Alfred P. Sloan who served as chairman of General Motors from 1937-56, CEO from 1923-46, and president from 1923-37. Sloan is credited with establishing the concept of a vehicle line for every budget in which the divisions did not compete with each other. He once remarked that you can sell a young man’s car to an old man, but you can’t sell an old man’s car to a young man . . .

The past success of General Motors came to a rather sudden halt in 2009. All the years of research, engineering, and investment were now at risk in an ever changing world that redefined the challenges ahead for this once proud giant. What to do? First, build a quality line of vehicles that customers want, control costs, reassure potential customers that they too could own one of these world-class vehicles and, most importantly, listen to existing customers.

Suppose for a moment that the Masonic fraternity were building automobiles today. Could we say that we are building a product that our members really want? Do our members brag to their neighbors and friends about the latest and greatest features of our fraternity?

When General Motors filed for chapter 11 protection in 2009, a federal bankruptcy court determined how the assets of the company would be distributed. In a major shift from the traditional interpretation of corporate law, the bondholders (those who loaned money to GM) were not given the usual priority in such matters. In other words, the company defaulted on its bondholders.

Has the Masonic fraternity quietly defaulted on its bondholders, and who are these creditors? Of course, they are the members of the Masonic fraternity who have faithfully paid their dues, given unselfishly of their time, and supported the craft and its ideals. They have maintained their belief in Freemasonry in spite of what appears to be a genuine lack of concern about their well being. Today, they face both an ever increasing appeal for more money to support a growing list of secular world charities and an ever expanding list of rules and regulations to control the behavior of those few brave members who still attend meetings. They are our forgotten Brethren who knelt with us at the altar of Freemasonry and pledged their sacred honor . . . especially to a worthy Brother in distress, his widow and orphans.

Have we forgotten our pledge to them?

Like General Motors, will the Masonic fraternity eventually have to file for bankruptcy protection from its bondholders?

Perhaps this matter really boils down to a matter of trust with our Masonic leaders.

Some years ago, the management guru Peter Drucker made one of his many brilliant yet simple observations when he noted that “the most important thing about communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” Are our current Masonic leaders listening to what isn’t being said?

Laus Deo