The River Reporter, April 24, 1995

Lawrence Cooke and Freemasonry

By TOM RUE

MONTICELLO - About to become the recipient of an award for community service by the Grand Lodge of the State of New York of Free & Accepted Masons, which is given exclusively to non-Masons, retired Chief Judge of the NYS Court of Appeals Lawrence H. Cooke was asked about any past associations he may have had with the Masonic fraternity.
Cooke will be presented the DeWitt Clinton Award by Junior Grand Warden Robert Balzer of Grand Lodge, in a program to be held on April 24th at Monticello High School. Mr. Balzer will be representing the Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, Gary A. Henningson.
Cooke denied an admittedly unconfirmed report passed on by one longtime local Freemason, who said he had heard it said over the years that the Chief Judge himself had once been initiated in a Masonic lodge. Cooke said he was unsure how this rumor might have started, except perhaps as an assumption based on the fact that he once maintained his private law offices in the Masonic Building at 5 Bank St., Monticello.
Dedicated in 1910, the building was sold by the lodge several years ago to The Times Herald-Record. Describing the Monticello Lodge as "a wonderful landlord," Cooke laughed "I used to kid with people and say that I heard their secrets, but I never did."
Cooke noted that some members of his family were Freemasons, including his mother's brother, Henry Pond, whom he said rose to the 33rd-degree, an honorary position rarely awarded. Pond was an engineer who was elevated to the highest degree of Masonry while traveling in Scotland, Cooke said.
Expressing gratitude to the fraternity for its recognition of his lifelong accomplishments and public service, Cooke commented: "I believe that the Masons have devoted themselves to proper training of their members. Today we have great attention given to development of the intellect, but we don't have willpower training. The Masons have devoted themselves to that."

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