Order of High Priest
Chair Degree for past High Priests
South Carolina
About the
Order of High Priest
Any Companion who is presiding, or has presided, over a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in South Carolina is invited to have the Order conferred. Please contact the Secretary of your Constituent Chapter for a petition or download a copy from this web site. All petitions must be submitted with fees to the Grand Secretary at least three weeks prior to the meeting date.
Download Petition
Note that the "Print" button on the form may not work. Please use the Print function of your PDF reader.
Meeting Time & Location
The Council of the Order of High Priesthood of South Carolina will convene on the Third Saturday in April at the Masonic Temple in Columbia.
Note: Next meeting is 2027. Times will be posted on the SCGYR,ORG Home Page Calendar.
Dress Code
Officers and Degree Team - Dark Suit
Contact info
John Robert Bowker
109 Bally Bunion Lane
Columbia, SC 29229-8126
[email protected]
Officers
2026-2027
| Most Excellent President | Robert Saverance {6} |
| Excellent Vice President | Gary C Sowell {5} |
| Excellent Chaplain | James L “Ricky” Chubb {1} |
| M Ex Treasurer | C Mark McDonald |
| M Ex Recorder | John R Bowker |
| Ex Master of Ceremonies | Marcus Burdette {3} |
| Ex Conductor | Jeffrey L Hall {2} |
| Ex Herald | Michael W Kirk (6) |
| Ex Steward | Jerry A Williard {4} |
| Ex Sentinel | Charles A Varn {2} |
Degree Team(s)
| Primary | Alternate | |
| Most Excellent President | Andy Hendrix | Gerald Burton |
| Excellent Vice President | Walker Moore | James Lyles |
| Excellent Chaplain | Robert Saverance | |
| Most Excellent Treasure | C Mark McDonald | |
| Most Excellent Recorder | John R Bowker | |
| Excellent Master of Ceremonies | Marcus Burdette | |
| Ex Conductor | Steve Fields | |
| Ex Herald | Charles Varn | Joe Granger |
| Ex Steward | ||
| Degree Master | Gerald Burton |
Past Officers
| Past Excellent President | |
| NAME | Year Pres |
| W H Witherow * | 1895 |
| Jacob T Barron * | 1896-1898 |
| John R Bellinger * | 1899-1908 |
| Benjamin Burr * | 1909 |
| William A Giles II * | 1910-1912 |
| James L Mitchie * | 1913 & 1914 |
| Joseph Lindsay * | 1915 & 1916 |
| William E Gantt * | 1917 |
| James L Mitchie * | 1918-1928 |
| William A Giles II * | 1929-1936 |
| Robert T Goodhale * | 1937 & 1938 |
| John D Lee * | 1939 |
| L D Simpson * | 1940-1943 |
| W Robin Zemp * | 1944-1948 |
| James L Howe * | 1949-1952 |
| Hugh N Layne * | 1953-1957 |
| J B McGuirt * | 1961 & 1962 |
| R Lewis Smith * | 1963 & 1964 |
| V E Bentley * | 1965 |
| W N Bradford * | 1966 |
| Henry F Collins * | 1967 |
| G Hugh Ballinger * | 1968 |
| Thomas B Clark Jr * | 1969 |
| S A Bannister * | 1970 |
| John H Wynn * | 1971 |
| W C Wylie Jr * | 1972 |
| W C Sheely Jr * | 1973 |
| W Gates Lanford * | 1974 |
| T Scott Godfrey * | 1975 |
| James H Mathis * | 1976 |
| Robert F Secrest * | 1977 |
| J D Penley Jr * | 1978 |
| Claude D Robinson * | 1979 |
| Sam L Grant Jr * | 1980 |
| George W Romanstine * | 1981 |
| J C “Mike” Hubbard Jr * | 1982 |
| James C Parris * | 1983 |
| John A Dixon * | 1984 |
| T Harry White * | 1985 |
| Willard F Bond * | 1986 |
| John B Maxey * | 1987 |
| Fred Batson * | 1988 |
| W Jay Horne * | 1989 |
| J Allen Prescott # | 1990 |
| G Ray Marsh * | 1991 |
| R Henry Brown * | 1992 |
| Everette T Deitz * | 1993 |
| Richard L Harding * | 1994 |
| G Kent Elkins * | 1995 |
| James G Dover * | 1996 |
| David S Hucks Jr * | 1997 |
| Joseph L McGee | 1998 |
| J Frank Gilliland * | 1999 |
| Lloyd F Christopher | 2000 |
| Ford M Thornton * | 2001 |
| Alfred Allsbrook * | 2002 |
| J Sam Burton | 2003 |
| Rawl J Scheibler | 2004 |
| Johnnie T Morris | 2005 |
| Doug G Lee | 2006 |
| Larry S Rhodes | 2007 |
| Carl R Truesdale * | 2008 |
| Robert J ‘Bob’ Bean Sr | 2009 |
| Eric A Meace * | 2010 |
| T Henry Waldrep * | 2011 |
| Gary N Martin | 2012 |
| Harvie B “Pete” Bailey | 2013 |
| S Hal Gregory | 2014 |
| J Gordon Cartrette | 2015 |
| H Ted Burgess | 2016 |
| John T ‘Temp’ Dickson * | 2017 |
| Dana P Rickards | 2018 |
| Floyd W Goff Sr | 2019 & 2020 |
| Robert J ‘Robby’ Bean Jr | 2021 |
| Richard W Sealy * | 2022 |
| Gerald D Burton | 2023 |
| Doug Knauer | 2024 |
| G Walker Moore | 2025 |
| * DECEASED | |
| # WITHDREW |
