The Snellville and Painesville Masonic Lodges collaborated to award James H. Snell with a pin for being a mason for 60 years. The award ceremony took place at the Snellville Masonic Lodge on May 6th around 7 p.m. and included a dinner in addition to the award ceremony.
“I was amazed that so many people went through such effort to present me with the pin. They must have spent many hours in preparation,” Snell said.
Snell was born March 19, 1931, in Fulton County and has lived a productive life as a Methodist minister, a husband, father and a member of the Painesville Masonic Lodge. Over his 45-year career as a minister, Snell preached in churches in Painesville, Temple, St. Mary’s, Dalton, Sommerville, and Snellville. During the course of his career and all throughout his 22-year retirement, Snell has taught Sunday School classes at Snellville United Methodist Church.
“It brought back a lot of memories. My first contact with the Masonic lodge was in Painesville. My father was there, and it’s just a good memory. I know a lot of people worked hard to make this happen. It took collaboration between the two lodges, and about five masons from the Painesville lodge drove up to the Snellville lodge to present me with the award.”
The Masonic Lodges are a conglomeration of nonprofit organizations that work together as a charitable fraternity. Their purpose is to help those in need in their respective areas through volunteerism and charitable work.
The Snellville Lodge is located at 2785 Lenora Church Road. They can be reached by phone at (678) 344-4567 or by email via snellvillelodge99@gmail.com.
Photo by Emmett Clower