Those were the Days!
A historical look at some of the firsts at St. Andrew Lodge #702.
Establishing St. Andrew Lodge #702
The City of Charlotte was a forward-thinking Southern textile center in 1955 when St. Andrew Lodge No. 702 came to be. Formed by a group of Master Masons as one of the "original" four Temple lodges at the old Masonic Temple in downtown Charlotte, St. Andrew quickly established a reputation as a young, dynamic Lodge of business and civic leaders eager to make its mark in what was then a burgeoning Masonic world in Mecklenburg County. Initially, space was shared with the Temple, Phalanx and Meridian lodges in the North Tryon Street building, best known in the region for its massive and distinguishing Masonic pillars (that can now be found on Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill, S.C., at the entrance to a business and industrial park).

The First Installation of Officers
St. Andrew Lodge's initial officers were installed by Grand Master Charles A. Pugh, Deputy Grand Master John Catlett Vance, Senior Grand Warden Charles A. Harris and Junior Grand Warden James G. Johnson on April 21, 1955. It was a time when Masonic lodges were actually burgeoning in size and more "blue lodges" were needed so that Master Masons wouldn't get "lost in the shuffle." The installation was held at the Masonic Temple on South Tryon Street in downtown Charlotte.

The First Elected Officers
The following elected officers were approved by the Grand Master and opened the first St. Andrew lodge for the dispatch of business:
Murray L. Alexander
Master
Jack B. Russell
Senior Warden
Charlie Keith
Junior Warden
At this same meeting the Master appointed the following officers:
Fred Wanders
Senior Deacon
Edward G. Charles
Junior Deacon
W. Grady Helms
Secretary
L. T. Funderburke
Treasurer
William F. Alexander
Tiler

The First to be made a Master Mason
One of the first men to petition the lodge for the degrees was Gayle Moore, who was elected to receive the degrees in 1955 and became one of the first to receive all the degrees in St. Andrew Lodge.