The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts honors those quiet, behind-the-scenes servants of Freemasonry each year with the R.W. Robert Johnston Service Award. This award recognizes “the unsung Brother of the Lodge working behind the scenes who goes above and beyond the call of duty”.
In practice, recipients are Lodge members who volunteer their time. For example, caring for the building and grounds, preparing meals, or coordinating service projects; often without fanfare or notice. These are the quiet efforts the Johnston Award seeks to honor.
The award is named for R.W. Robert Johnston (1922–2017), a Past Junior Grand Warden of Massachusetts Freemasonry. Brother Johnston was widely respected for his decades of service to the Craft; notably, he served as Massachusetts’s Junior Grand Warden (the third-highest elected position in Grand Lodge) and in 1983 received the Grand Lodge’s highest honor, the Henry Price Medal. By naming this service award for R.W. Johnston, the Grand Lodge perpetuates his legacy of dedication and reminds us to value everyday acts of Brotherly Love and Charity.
Over the past Masonic year, the following Brethren were honored with the R.W. Robert Johnston Service Award as unsung heroes in their Lodges. Each of these men exemplifies the spirit of the award through years of selfless labor for their Brethren:
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Brother Charles H. Larkin (Norumbega Fraternity Lodge, Newtonville) – Award presented Oct. 14, 2024
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Brother Stephen R. Qualey (Level Lodge, Shrewsbury) – Award presented Dec. 17, 2024
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Brother Ulrick Petit-Homme (Euclid Lodge, Weymouth) – Award presented Oct. 17, 2024
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Brother Tyler Espinal (Essex Lodge, Salem) – Award presented Nov. 15, 2024
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Brother George W. Kopps (Saggahew Lodge, Haverhill) – Award presented Dec. 16, 2024
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Brother Chad R. Kreller ( Sinim Lodge, Tokyo Japan) – Award presented Sep. 14, 2024
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Brother Gordon W. Huggins (Frank W. Thompson, Concord) – Award presented Dec. 5, 2024
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Brother Anthony A. Anello Jr. (Mount Horeb Lodge, Woburn) – Award presented Feb. 4, 2025
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Brother Dean A. Blackburn (George H. Tabor Lodge, Fairhaven) – Award presented Mar. 10, 2025
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Brother Steven D. Gallup (Daniel Webster Lodge, Marshfield) – Award presented Apr. 1, 2025
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Brother Felix Figueroa (Dalhousie Lodge, Newtonville) – Award presented Mar. 16, 2025
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Brother Richard D. Lee (Plymouth Lodge, Plymouth) – Award presented Mar. 17, 2025
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Brother Frederick A. Chisholm (Norfolk Union Lodge, E. Weymouth) – Award presented May 10, 2025
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Brother Glenn M. Bernstein (Boston University Lodge, Arlington) – Award presented May 14, 2025
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Brother Richard R. Allison (William Parkman Lodge, Woburn) – Award presented Jun. 10, 2025
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Brother Robert A. Nelson (Good Samaritan Lodge, Reading) – Award presented Jun. 4, 2025
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Brother John P. Ayotte (Siloam Lodge, Westborough) – Award presented Jun. 12, 2025
Each Brother on this list has quietly given extraordinary service to his Lodge and to Freemasonry as a whole. The Johnston Award is meant for those whose efforts may go “perhaps unnoticed to some,” but who “go above and beyond the call of duty”. All our honorees share that humble character. We would like to raise all these Brothers up and express our deepest thanks for their labors. Their example of Faith, Hope and Charity inspires us all.
Well done, Brethren!
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