Most Worshipful Brother William A. "Bill" Powell

Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Utah 2002

M.W. Brother Powell was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, December 31, 1929. His parents were Detroit Wilson Powell and Bennie Naomi Goudelock, both deceased. Bill and his wife, Bettie, have resided in the Ogden area since July 1966.

Brother Powell received his elementary and high school education in Spartanburg, graduating from Spartanburg High School in June 1947. He is a graduate of numerous military technical and management schools during his twenty-two years of military service. He graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) degree in 1980. He was employed in textile manufacturing after high school hours from 1945 to 1948 when he enlisted in the US Navy as an enlisted volunteer transferring to the US Navy Active Reserve in 1949. He returned to Spartanburg and employment in the textile trade until reenlisting in the US Air Force at the outbreak of the Korean police action in 1950. Brother Powell was trained in Air Craft Maintenance at Shepard Air Force Base in Texas. He was transferred to military duty at Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany, with the Army of Occupation in 1952. Reassigned to Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama, he was trained as a Flight Engineer on Military Air Transport (MATS) Air Craft. His assignment as an Air Crew Member took him to many parts of the world in support of the Department of Defense Mission. Brother Powell was awarded numerous military campaign and special recognition awards during his military service. Upon retirement from the USAF in 1970, Brother Powell received the Air Force Flying Safety Award for over 15,000 safe flying hours.

He was employed as a Technical Training Specialist at Hill AFB retiring in 1994 with over 24 years as a civilian employee with the Federal Government Service. He has over 47 years of combined military and federal service.

It was at Brookley AFB where he met his wife Bettie Jane Little, where she was employed at the base Post Exchange (PX) and Instrument Repair Section. They were married in the Base Chapel on July 3, 1954. The family consists of four children, Patricia (Stanley) Busath and family, Salt Lake City; William "Artie" (Julie) Powell, Jr. and family; Huntsville, Utah; Joanne (William) Kamppinen and family, Omaha; and Daniel Powell, Merritt Island, Florida. They have eleven grandchildren and four great-grand daughters and one great-grandson.

His Masonic career began while serving as an enlisted Air Force Air Advisor to the Wyoming Air Guard in Cheyenne in the 1960's. He was initiated, passed and raised in Cheyenne's Rocky Mountain Lodge Number 40, where he still maintains membership. He is a member and Past Master of Unity Lodge Number 18 in Ogden, and a charter member of St George Lodge Number 33 in St George, Utah. His Masonic membership includes the Scottish Rite Bodies in Salt Lake; The Red Cross of Constantine, Bonneville Conclave; Ogden York Rite Bodies, El Kalah Temple; Royal Order of Scotland, Royal Scots of Utah; Ogden Shrine Club; Ogden Scottish Rite Club; Ogden Masonic Library Club and Scottish Rite Research Society. He was elected by the Supreme Council to receive the 33º, Inspector General Honorary, at the Scottish Rite 2001 Bicentennial Biennial Session in Charleston, South Carolina in October, 2001. Past Grand Master James D. Wadley appointed Brother Powell to the Grand Lodge Officers line in 1992. His Masonic career has encompassed many offices and duties of responsibility.

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