Organized 1953
Alzafar Motor Patrol composed of Shriners in the Coastal Bend Area (now under the direction of Colonel 0. B. Wilson) is a uniform unit of the Alzafar Shrine Temple of San Antonio, Texas. The unit was organized in the month of November, 1952, with twenty-three members.
In May of 1953, the unit attended the All State Shrine Association held in El Paso and participated in their first parade and noncompetitive riding against the Motor Patrols of El Maida and Ben Hur Temples, the first two temples to organize a Motor Patrol in Texas, WE were the third. There are now thirteen in the state. Each member owns his own motor and trailer. He also pays for all of his repair bills and the cleaning of his uniforms. The Temple allows us money for transportation and room rent at all the state meetings. Our unit is composed of twentynine active, sixteen life, and three associate members, including business men, doctors, electricians, salesman, Texas Rangers, Texas Dept. of Public Safety, Policemen, sheriffs, deputies, and ARADMAC employees.
In May, 1953, WE were made Deputies under Sheriff Odem Dolan who presented each of us with a silver star with our name on it, also a hand tooled leather gun belt. He also paid the expenses of each to the Sheriffs Convention held in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the only K.C. to hold an honorary membership in this Motor Patrol. I am happy to report that we have been serving as deputies under Noble Johnnie Mitchell, since 1957.
We also joined the Police Reserve in March, 1953, and bought uniforms, guns, handcuffs, blackjacks, whistles, and flashlights. We had to go to school for two hours a week, SO, you guessed it, this did not last too long.
At a midwinter meeting held in San Angelo in 1954, four members, each from Alzafar, Ben Hur, and El Maida met and formed a Texas Shrine Motor Patrol Association. We met each year for three years at San Angelo. L. E. Harvey, and Bill Flint have served this Association as Presidents, while G. M. Clark, and Dr. A. J. Ashmore have served as secretaries.
When the All State met in Dallas in 1954, we were there with high hopes of bringing back the banner and trophy. We met with the other motor patrols at the State Fair grounds and practiced riding in the building where the competition was to be held. We all went back to our motels, donned our new uniforms, and rode back to the fair grounds to find the doors closed to us - we were not a member of the Texas Shrine Association. We all cranked our motors and made the traffic police happy - by riding all over Dallas in one large group.
When the Texas Shrine All State Association met in Waco that winter, L. E. Harvey, Bill Flint, H. F. Baker, and G. M. Clark, along with representatives of El Maida, Ben Hur and Karem of Waco met at this meeting. We could not sit in on the meeting so we had Noble Charles R. Embry, the Potentate of Karem Temple to talk for us. He did a fine job, and we were elected as a part of the association.
Our first uniforms were blue jeans with a yellow cowboy shirt. The next one was a white cowboy shirt with a shrine emblem on the back, then of course we had our police and deputies uniforms. After the Temple saw we were not a fly by night unit they let us order tailored uniforms, at their expense. The committee picked out the color and the style, the patrolmen voted them in, we all met in county jail to get measured up, and we were so happy to go and try on our new uniforms when we received the word that they had arrived. What a style show this turned out to be!! It took a lot of swapping, cutting, and even sewing to be able to get them on-they never did look like a uniform.
'The purpose of this Motor Patrol is to carry out the command of our Potentate, participate in competition with other motor patrols, provide good, clean entertainment for our families and ourselves, conduct ourselves in such a manner that our masonic brothers will want to join us. We always try to take our families with us when we travel in a caravan and on long trips we all meet at a roadside park and have a picnic lunch together. We use to select a sweetheart each year at the Charro Days meeting in Brownsville, but we let this die down, as we had too much trouble trying to please the girls with their uniforms, such as the colors, pockets, and size.
Our unit has performed at many parades, such as Washington Birthday at Laredo, Charro Days at Brownsville, Flambeau in San Antonio, Buccaneer in Corpus Christi, Shrimporee in Aransas Pass, Livestock shows in Cuero, Robstown, Kingsville, Victoria, McAllen, Alice and Hebbronville. The unit has participated in the Sunday by the Sea, at the Memorial Coliseum, March of Dimes, and the Salvation Army Christmas Fund Drive.
The Past Captains and Colonels who have served this patrol are now branded Honorary Brig. Generals and they are H. B. Swendlund, 1953, Past Potentate, L. L. Woodman, 1954, L. E. Harvey, 1955; H. F. Baker, 1956; G. M. Clark, 1957; W. E. Flint, 1958; E. W. Savage, 1959; Dr. A. J. Ashmore, 1960; G. B. Smith, 1961; T. L. Caywood, 1962; J. H. Brunson, 1963; W. J. King, 1964; Floyd F. Graham, 1965.
There are still a few charter members active in the patrol. The black camel has claimed three of our members: Nobles Carl Cagle, J. C. McCrary, and W. F. Fluker.
We, in the Motor Patrol are proud of our unit, not because we are outstanding in parades, but because of all the different things we do to assist our shrine club and our community. We are constantly trying to promote peace, harmony, happiness, and joy among our brethren. We have a few openings in our unit, any Noble living in this Coastal Bend area interested in becoming a member in this fine and noble unit -just call on some of our members and find out how easy YOU can become a MOTOR PATROLMAN.
To our Illustrious Potentate, Dr. E. J. Ashcraft, Jr., and to the many Past Potentates, who have served Alzafar Temple for fifty years, we parade our motors in grand salute to you.
We are proud to be a part of the best temple in the world: and we are happy to help Alzafar celebrate her 50th anniversary.
May each member of this motor patrol show his appreciation by securing (one) petition for the Fall Ceremonial.
See you there,
L. E. HARVEY
