After Hours at The Bryan

Wednesday, April 15
5 p.m.

Museum Galleries 
$5 per ticket
(Limited to 35 Registrants)

Storyteller:

Dick Gray has lived in Galveston with his wife, Kate, since retiring there in 2017 after 23 years in New Braunfels. A lifelong history enthusiast, he spent 20 years reenacting Civil War battles with his sons and previously served four years as a U.S. Army chaplain, including 13 months in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star Medal. Dick is also a 4th generation Master Mason who serves as chaplain for Galveston’s Harmony Masonic Lodge No. 6 and volunteers working on the tall ship Elissa at the Historic Seaport.

Talk Brief:

Freemasonry, the world’s oldest and largest non-church fraternal and charitable organization, formally organized lodges in London in 1717 and in Boston in 1733, though similar secret societies likely existed long before then. Many key leaders of the American Revolution—including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and numerous Continental Army generals—were Master Masons, reflecting the fraternity’s strong influence among revolutionary leaders. These Masonic connections and ideals of liberty later helped shape the leadership, cooperation, and spirit behind the Texas Revolution.