William Gustav Vollus

William Gustav Vollus was born in Houston on October 23, 1892, the son of William and Emilie Vollus. He left school after the sixth grade and, in the words of the lodge history, “made his way by the road of hard knocks.” He enlisted in the Army on May 28, 1918, and served as a sergeant in the 165th Depot Brigade. From 1926 to 1947 he was a funeral director, and he broke precedent by serving two terms as president of the Texas Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association. He married Lallah Mae in 1935, and they were members of the Methodist Church.

He received his degrees in Gray Lodge in 1920: the Entered Apprentice on February 10, the Fellowcraft on March 9, and the Master Mason degree on April 10. Within months he had also joined the Royal Arch, Council and Commandery and become a Shriner. After serving as Junior and Senior Deacon, he was elected Junior Warden for 1923–1924. As Senior Warden he spoke up about poor attendance at Masonic funerals, and he came into the East with a plan to fix it.

He was installed as the 54th Master in a public installation by District Deputy Grand Master Norman Atkinson. His goal was “to acquaint the entire membership with the activities of our lodge” and “to interest them in some part of the work that we are doing.” He divided the membership into twelve sections by birth month. Each month’s Brethren received a personal letter, served on that month’s committees, visited the sick and attended funerals. A monthly bulletin kept members informed, and meetings featured music, speakers and recognition of visitors and birthdays. The result was an average attendance of 114, the record for Gray Lodge’s first century, and funeral attendance rose to around 35.

His year was full of memorable nights. Grand Master Guinn Williams visited in July 1925 with pictures of the Masonic Home. The Rainbow Girls exemplified their degree. Members bought chairs and ceiling fans for the lodge room, and the lodge delivered 425 Christmas baskets of food. Mrs. J. R. Cade gave the lodge her late husband’s sword, which the Tiler would carry. More than 700 Brethren came to a Past Masters Night honoring every Past Master of the district, and in June 1926 Grand Master Ed R. Bryan was received through a line of Past Masters.

Brother Vollus served as District Deputy Grand Master of the 30th District in 1938. In the Eastern Star he was Worthy Grand Patron of the Grand Chapter of Texas in 1930–1931. He was Potentate of Arabia Temple in 1935 and later devoted himself to the Arabia Temple Crippled Children’s Clinic, becoming its full-time Executive Secretary in 1947 and helping open the Shriners Hospital in Houston in 1952. He retired in 1966 and remained a consultant to the Shriners Hospitals for Crippled Children of Texas.