Most Worshipful Brother Harold Adolph Linke

Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah 1941.

The Sixty-seventh Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Utah, Brother Harold A. Linke, is a New Yorker by birth, born in New York City, April 23, 1881. He was educated in the schools of Mount Vernon, N. Y., and in New York University. He is a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and holds a Professional Engineer's License in Utah, and is a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.

While still in the East he was connected with the Pennsylvania Railroad on location of the New York Connecting Railroads and Hell Gate Bridge, and branch lines into coal fields of Pennsylvania. Also engaged in building race tracks; sewerage and water systems and other engineering works. Then followed a varied experience in mining operations in the West Indies, Florida, Michigan, Old Mexico, Vermont, Kentucky, Nevada, California, Idaho and Utah.

His exit from Mexico was a hurried one and far from being pleasant-he managed, however to keep ahead at " ... an uncomfortably slight distance of a band of Yaquis during the revolutionary period."

During the World War the Grand Master was in charge of construction of a town for civilian employees at Mare Island Navy Yard.

His experience in northern Mexico--referred to in another paragraph-did not deter him from "trying it again" in that Republic, but this time he went well down toward the border of Central America, to Pachuca, the capital of Hidalgo, near which place he built a mining plant in 1921.

For nearly twenty years now he has been with the Utah Copper Company at the Arthur Plant in charge of construction work with a large force of men under his supervision.

In 1918 Brother Linke was married to Christina Fraser, at Twin Falls, Idaho. To them one son was born, Harold A., Jr., who was graduated from the University of Utah in 1941, civil engineer, now a lieutenant in the Field Artillery at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The Grand Master was initiated an Entered Apprentice in Calumet Lodge No. 171, F. & A. M., Calumet, Michigan, December 20, 1915, and received the remaining degrees (courtesy work) in Rural Lodge No. 29, Rochester, Vermont, in July, 1916. Ten years later he affiliated with Christopher Diehl Lodge No. 19, Garfield, Utah, and served that Lodge as Worshipful Master in 1932.

In Grand Lodge he was successively Grand Orator, Grand Pursuivant, Junior and Senior Grand Deacon and at the Annual Communication of 1938 he was elected Junior Grand Warden and regularly advanced until September 23, 1941, when he was chosen Grand Master.

From 1933 to September, 1941 he was the efficient Secretary of the Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education and Instruction, which means that he carried the heavy part of the load in the preparation and distribution of papers, and in an extensive correspondence.

In Capitular Masonry he received the degrees in Utah Chapter No.1, R. A. M. in 1917 and in the same year the Order of the Temple in Utah Commandery No. 1 Knights Templar. A year later the Cryptic degrees were received in Utah Council No.1 R. & S. M. of Salt Lake City.

He is a member of Utah Consistory A. & A. S. Rite of Salt Lake City, having completed the work at the Fall (November) Reunion, 1941. He is also a member of Adah Chapter No. 15, O. E. S. of Garfield and an honorary member of Salt Lake Chapter No. 114 National Sojourners.

The Grand Master is congenial and likeable; in action practical, with a major tendency to plan operations well in advance of the time when the starting-point is reached, and "They say," he is fine man to work under. The Masons of this Jurisdiction can look forward with confidence to a progressive and successful administration of affairs during the sixteen months in which he will lead the Craft of Utah

Utah Grand Lodge Proceedings, 1941

PGM, Harold Adolph Linke died on March 29, 1961 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Grand Lodge Proceedings 1962, Page 53B

Electronically Transcribed as written without corrections to grammar or spelling by Aaron E. Saathoff, P.M., February, 2005.