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Meet the Shriners

By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published July 2, 2006

who they are, what they do

History: In 1870, two Masons, Dr. Walter M. Fleming and actor William J. Florence, wanted to create a fraternity for Masons, where fun and fellowship would be stressed more than ritual. Florence toured London, Europe and Middle Eastern countries. While on tour in Marseilles, France, he was invited to a party thrown by an Arabian diplomat and became enamored with the entertainment, which was like a staged musical comedy in which guests became members of a secret society. For Fleming, the Shrine idea was born.

Membership: All Shriners must first be Master Masons in the Freemasonry Fraternity. They must be over 21, and the organization is open to men only, though wives and daughters have formed their own groups. There are 191 Shrine centers across the United States and about 411,000 members.

Philanthropy: Shriners Hospitals are operated by the Shrine of North America. There are 22 Shriners Hospitals providing orthopedic, burn and spinal cord injury care. There is never a charge to patients for any of the medical care or services received at Shriners Hospitals. The Shriners Hospital on the University of South Florida Campus opened in 1985.

The road to hours of fun

Parade: On Tuesday, the Shriners of North America will hold a 1-mile parade of more than 1,500 Shriners on Bayshore Boulevard beginning at 2 p.m. The four-hour parade will start at the intersection of Bay-to-Bay and Bayshore boulevards and will end at Bayshore Boulevard and Rome Avenue. It will include brass bands, drill teams, minicars, scooters, clowns, motorcycles, antique and classic cars and horse patrols. More than 150 members of three Gasparilla Krewes will participate.

Traffic: Bayshore Boulevard's north- and southbound lanes will be closed from Gandy Boulevard to Platt Street beginning 8 a.m. Tuesday. Both lanes will reopen about 8 p.m. Neighborhoods will remain open to local traffic but Davis Islands residents should plan to use either Plant or Hyde Park avenues for access during the closure times.

Parking: Public parking will be available at the Fort Brooke garage ($5 all day). A shuttle will be provided to and from Bayshore Boulevard and Rome Avenue.

Seating: Seating for people with disabilities and their families will be available at the northeast corner of Bayshore Boulevard and Howard Avenue.

More than 20,000 Shriners and their families are in Tampa for their annual international convention today through Thursday. It's projected to be Tampa's largest convention, and the Shriners will hold several events, including parades and competitions. If you're not a Shriner, here's the scoop on who they are, why they wear a fez, and what the deal is with those cars.

Sources: Shriners of North America, Jim O'Dell Jr., official Shrine literature

JIM O'DELL JR., 48

Position: Potentate or "CEO" of Egypt Shriners.

He holds the Egypt Shrine's highest position and is responsible for general operations at the Egypt Shrine Headquarters at 4050 Dana Shores Drive in Tampa. His duties include running meetings and enforcing imperial bylaws. Potentates are elected by their membership. They must hold a series of leadership positions over five or 10 years before they are eligible. At the Egypt Shrine, a potentate must hold the positions of oriental guide, high priest and prophet, assistant Rabban and Rabban over four successive years before he may be elected potentate in the fifth year.

Necklace: At the bottom of the chain hangs the crescent, which was adopted as the jewel of the order. Any materials can be used to form the crescent, but the most valuable jewels have claws of a royal Bengal tiger, united at their base in a gold setting. In the center of the emblem is the head of a sphinx and on the back are a pyramid, an urn and a star. The jewel bears the motto "Robur et Furor," which means strength and fury. The crescent hangs from a scimitar. A five-pointed star hangs beneath the head of the sphinx. All the symbols are used to decorate tombs, gravestones, banners and regalia.

Miniature car: Shrine members can join dozens of different units , including motorcycle units and clown units. Members of the Midget Motor Unit of the Egypt Shrine each own a Moss ½ Midget racer. The cars, built in 1958, were modeled after the cars that raced in the Indianapolis 500 that year. Their chrome, paint, tires and parts have been upgraded over the years, and the cars have been sold from members who leave the unit to those who join it. They're all the same to keep the cars uniform and unique.

[Last modified July 2, 2006, 01:45:30]