Early Beginnings…. printed for the 100th Anniversary, Saturday, October 15, 1966. About one year after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, concluding the Civil War, twelve Sir Knights met in the office of Sir Knight E. C. Robinson on April 25, 1866, for the purpose of forming Grice Commandery No. 16. Among the business transacted at this gathering was establishing of the dues of twenty-five cents a month and fee of forty dollars of which five dollars was to accompany each petition presented for membership.

The first assembly of Grice Commandery No. 16 was held in the Masonic Hall, May 2, 1966, at 5 o’clock P.M. for action on petitions and conferring the Orders. There were present eleven Officers, one member along with seventeen visitors from Portsmouth Commandery No. 5. The Charter was presented on December 27, 1866, and the Officers were installed by Past Eminent Grand Commander Charles A. Grice, after whom the Commandery was named. From the records or minutes of Grice Commandery No. 16 we find that during the early years of its organization, this group of Templars was active in many of the Masonic endeavors as well as other community projects. They assisted in the cornerstone laying on the Masonic Temple on Freemason Street on April 18, 1871, and its dedication on November 17, 1875. This Temple was an imposing building, the largest in our city at that time, and was the center of social and cultural activities. On June 10, 1873, the Grand Commandery of Virginia met in Norfolk for the first time and also during 1873 Grice Commandery accepted an invitation to visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to assist in the cornerstone laying ceremonies of the Masonic Temple in that city.

Eminent Commander John L. Roper announced that Grice Commandery would participate in the cornerstone laying exercises on March 22, 1874, of the Masonic Temple in New York City.

A journey on October 18, 1881, was made to Yorktown, Virginia, to act as an escort to the Grand Lodge of Virginia AF&AM in the cornerstone laying ceremonies for a Monument to be erected by the United States of America, commemorating the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to Allied Armies of France and the United States. Another interesting event was the attendance of Grice Commandery No. 16 on August 24, 1895, upon the 26th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment in Boston, Massachusetts. There were thirty three Sir Knights and twenty guests in the party.

Grice Commandery was on the march during the early years of it’s being and leaves much for the Sir Knights of today to accomplish to keep the Torch of Templar Masonry on the go, Educational Loan Fund and the Eye Foundation, preventing blindness and seeking to help our youth in securing a better education.

Grice Commandery Officers: 100th Anniversary–1966

Willis N. Payne Commander

Rudolf A. Diaz Generalissimo

Robert C. Sehl Captain General

1. Lydon Harrell Jr. Senior Warden

Oren D. Gardner Junior Warden

James T. Harris Prelate

Herbert A. Fisher Asso. Prelate

Charles L. Harrison Treasurer

Leslie N. Sawyer Recorder

Frederick M. Sohn Standard Bearer

Vernon N. Price Sword Bearer

Roy T. Gregory Warder

Frederick J. Schmoele 3rd Guard

Stewart A. Deem 2nd Guard

George P. Hamblin 1st Guard

1. Clay Roper Sentinel

GRICE COMMANDERY NO.16 OFFICERS 2021

Ariel Ilano Alcantara Commander

David Myring Strohlsahl Generalissimo

David Ray Conner Captain General

Richard Scott Collins Senior Warden

Larry DaleBateman Junior Warden

Felix Elsworth Stephens Jr. Treasurer

Frederick Russell Dixon Sr. Recorder

Manuel Faliminiano Elefane Prelate

Sargent Berdos Preston Standard Bearer

Stephen Miranda Suratos Sword Bearer

Pablito Atanacio Pakingan Warder

Michael Joseph Matrosky 3rd Guard

Emmanuel Jocson Gamboa 2nd Guard

Anthony Vitug 1st Guard

Compiled by Sir Knight Ariel Ilano Alcamtara, Commander 2021

*note from Norfolk Virginians-H. W. Burton 1877.

Grice Commandery No.16 was chartered December 13, 1866, upon petition of John G, Smith, E.C.; John R. Todd, Generalissimo; and K. Cook, Captain General. E.H. Gill was the Grand Commander of the State then, and William B. Isaacs, Grand Generalissimo.

Present Officers- John L. Roper, Eminent Commander; H.C. Whitehead -Generalissimo; A.C. Gale-Captain General; Fred Greenwood-Prelate; Henry Jordan -Treasurer; W.R. Rusell – Recorder; John Walters- Senior Warden; E. E. Guy – Junior Warden; R.A Dobie, Sword Bearer; M.T. Cooke, Standard Bearer; D. Husted, Warder; James E. Wright , Captain of the Guard; Number of members= 75.