Simplicity was his strong point… After his protracted bout with that dreaded because debilitating and destructive disease called cancer, Ed finally “threw in the towel” at about 5:03 p.m., on September 16, 1972, at the Makati Medical Center, where he had been confined for several weeks. Like the many other Brethren who had rubbed elbows with him, I felt a great loss, for gone was an ardent and devoted worker of the Craft, a pillar of strength in Masonry, and a very practical leader .In my last conversation with him, despite the weakness that he felt due to the erosive attack of cancer, he was still talking about the Fraternity and about the future. He said, among other things, “I do not believe in making high-sounding promises, which have little prospects of fulfillment, merely because they sound good.” Using this as his guideline, he made his program simple and realistic and reaped more positive effects than not. Ed, the 53rd Grand Master, was born in Sparks, Nevada on July 28, 1910. He started as a laborer in the Associated Oil Company, the predecessor of Getty Oil, where he rose from the ranks to his last position as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Getty Oil Phil., Inc. The degree he had received from the University of Nevada helped him, of course, in his rise. Expecting to retire in June 1972, he planned a short vacation in the United States. The plan, however, never materialized because Cancer, the cruel one, played the spoiler’s part. Ed was a simple man in plans, in words, and in deeds. Allow me to recall, at this juncture, two instances of that simplicity. The first one involves his associating with the Brethren in the Grand Lodge foyer. In such cases, he exchanged pleasantries in his broken Tagalog. The second instance occurred after the great typhoon that wrecked the roof of the Grand Lodge. Together with the Brethren, he went up to assess the situation. These two examples imply that GM “Ed” Shepley never forgot his beginnings and, therefore, did not allow his rank to bar him from associating with people who had less in life. His simplicity caused him to be a practical man – one who anchored his faith in the human capacity to move heaven and earth. He articulated this faith thus: Within possible limits, we shall strive to align our organization to harmonize with the tempo of the time. We hope to infuse it with new vigor and awaken a compulsion in our individual members to take an active part in the shaping of the destiny of our nation. The man who mouthed such a philosophy was, certainly, far from being associated with the protagonist of the once-famous film, The Ugly American. Firm in his belief that the Masonic Fraternity could help “in the shaping of the destiny of our nation,” Ed led an active, hence a checkered, Masonic life that spanned approximately two score and seven years. It is worth every Mason’s time to go over the highlights of Ed’s Masonic life, if only for edification’s sake. He started as a DeMolay in 1925 and served as his Chapter’s Master Councillor in 1927. He was so active in his Chapter that he received almost all DeMolay honors, including the Chevalier Degree, the Legion of Honor, and the holding of the Zerubabel Key with three bars. Having graduated from the DeMolay ranks, he knocked at the door of Masonry and became a Master Mason in Wadsworth Lodge No. 25, F. & A.M., in Sparks, Nevada, on September 4, 1934. He became a Scottish Rite Mason in October 1946, when he joined Oakland Scottish Rite Bodies; he also served as President of the Scottish Rite Club of Northwestern California in 1948-49. In 1959, he affiliated with Corregidor-Southern Cross Lodge No. 3, F. & A.M., then, in 1962 and 1963, he served as Master of this Lodge. He was also an affiliate member of Lodge Perla del Oriente No. 1034, S.C. In 1960, he affiliated with Manila Bodies, A. & A.S.R., where he held all positions in the East. In 1970, he was crowned Active Member of the Scottish Rite of the Philippines, serving in various capacities until his appointment as Grand Secretary General in May 1972, upon the resignation of the former GSG, III. Jose C. Velo. An active Shriner, he was a member of AAHMES Shrine Temple; he was, too, an honorary member of Aloha Temple, AAONMS, of Honolulu, Hawaii. He and his wife (nee Elva Watson) served as Worthy Patron and Worthy Matron, respectively, of Mayon Chapter No. 1, OES, in 1965; both were honorary members of Rosario Villaruel Chapter No. 2. In the York Rite Bodies, he was the High Priest of Luzon Chapter No. 1 in 1966; then became a member of the Asoka Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine. Though simple and realistic, he was a fast worker. He observed: Our motivation should be one of action – to implement the actions of this communication in the shortest possible time. We will handle all other matters with dispatch and decisiveness. Our attitude shall be one of sympathy and understanding and our acts governed by brotherly love. Shepley’s occasional impatience with certain ways of thinking was by no means taken as an affront by the Brethren who worked with him, for they knew he showered every act of concern with a love that was truly fraternal.