Jack R. Welhausen
3 linear feet
A2000-032
1890-1945 (unknown)
Kingsville Masonic Lodge 913 Records were collected by Jack R. Welhausen a prominent business man and member of the lodge for many years. Jack Welhausen was from Webb County, he settled in Kingsville, Texas with his wife Lois. He and his family are known for the Welhausen Foundation which bestowed many donations to Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The latest donation from the Welhausen Foundation was the J. R. Welhausen Ranch which was originally donated in 1980 to the university and reportedly sold for an estimated $6 million in 2017. Endowments for each of the university's academic colleges will be provided. The Jack R. & Lois Welhausen Water Resources Center in Weslaco, Texas was created, named and maintained by the university. It is now a member of the International Arid Lands Consortium and conducts research and education on water resource management, water quality, and environmental concerns. Jack Welhausen and his family were a pioneer family in South Texas who left a generous legacy to the people of the region.
The records include the history of the Templars, financial records, meeting minutes, correspondence, the lodge's newsletters, rules and regulations of the organization, accounts of ceremonies and rites, and many publications pertaining to the Knights Templar organization. A few small artifacts, the Masonic Bible, and three photographs taken in the 1960s are included.
The materials are arranged into five series: Series I: Administrative Records Sub-Series A: History Sub-Series B: Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Sub-Series C: Officers / Membership Sub-Series D: Meetings Sub-Series E: Correspondence Sub-Series F: Finances Sub-Series G: Auxiliary Groups Sub-Series H: Local Chapters (not Kingsville) Sub-Series I: Education Series II: Associations / Foundations Sub-Series A: Texas Foundation Sub-Series B: National Foundation Sub-Series C: Knights Templar Eye Foundation Series III: Ceremonies Sub-Series A: York Rite Sub-Series B: Burial / Easter Rites Sub-Series C: Costume / Attire Sub-Series D: Certificates Sub-Series E: Speeches Series IV: Newsletters and Publications Sub-Series A: Newsletters Sub-Series B: Publications Series V: Photos
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
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Kingsville Masonic Lodge 913 Records, A2000-032.XXXX- South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A2000-032 was a gift of David Neher
The collection was first processed by Cecilia Aros Hunter in 2000, Heidi Saenz entered the collection’s records into the database and digitized the photos in 2018. The finding aid was created by Lori Atkins and the EAD document was created by Daniel Thacker in February of 2018.