Father-son duo makes a mark in history - Tim and Alex Towey lead Fallbrook Masonic Lodge into a New Year

Many fathers and sons have been able to work together to bring success and growth to their endeavors. In Fallbrook, 46-year-old Tim Towey and his son, 22-year-old Alex Towey, have been successfully working together as Masons, and have recently been elected as the Fallbrook Masonic Lodge’s new master and senior warden, the position below master.

Tim became a Mason in 1993 and was the sole young man among men of a much more mature age.

“I felt like they were all 90-year-olds,” laughed Tim, who is a martial arts instructor who teaches in various locations throughout North County. “Things have changed a lot, though. Now I am one of the oldest in the line of progression for the lodge. My son and I are the youngest master and warden in the history of our lodge.”

In 2004, Tim joined Masonic Lodge #317, which has existed in the Fallbrook community since 1893.

According to Alex, who is currently a student and martial arts instructor as well as a notary and Realtor, recent movies such as “National Treasure” have brought fame and notoriety to Masons, which has led to an influx of younger members. And while Hollywood might not correctly tell the story of the Masons, it is a gateway to understanding.

“There is a lot of secrecy and mystery in the movies about Masons,” said Alex. “We joined the Masons for a different reason; it is an opportunity for good fellowship. When I was a kid, I remember finding my dad’s cipher ritual book, which was written in a ciphered code. I was intrigued, but my dad told me he couldn’t tell me what it meant. As I got older, I did more research on the Masons, and joined the Order of DeMolay, which is like a ‘baby Masons’ group, until I was 18, when I joined the Masons.”

Upon joining the Masons, Alex soon climbed the ranks, joining his father as a Shriner and Knight Templar.

While some young men have become Masons because of its recent popularity, or because their fathers and grandfathers were Masons, Alex believes that several have joined the group as a way to discover more about themselves and the world surrounding them.

“People are looking for more spiritually, which was the original point of the Masons,” he said. “It’s happening worldwide.”

Students, Realtors, web designers, county officials, attorneys and actors are just part of the demographic makeup of the Fallbrook Masons. As part of the lodge’s way to reach out to the community, the Masons have begun to donate money to the Fallbrook Library annually, as well as offer scholarships to high school students from the area.

“Our motto is to make good men better men,” said Tim. “We are not just another club, like the Elks or Moose Lodges. We want to help men become better dads, husbands and boyfriends.”

“Our members make anywhere from $22,000 a year to a million a year, but at our lodge, they are all on the same level,” said Tim. “We are very active as a lodge, and do not fit the picture of what people typically consider to be a Mason. We have World War II veterans as members, and they love the young energy brought in by younger members.”

Alex said the average age for Masons in the line of progression, which is a way for Masons to climb the ranks, is 33.

“We have between 150 and 160 members,” said Alex. “Currently we have five under the age of 24. We have slowly begun to renovate our lodge. We have our first projector, installed a router, and even have a Facebook page and website.”

The Toweys have big plans for the lodge, which has participated in Fallbrook’s Christmas parade for several years with the float holding Santa’s sleigh and the Shriner’s Tin Lizzy’s.

“We are planning on expanding Masonic education for our members, and participate in the community in any way possible,” said Tim. “Our fraternity is one of the oldest, and it is still growing.”

For more information on the Fallbrook Masonic Lodge, go to http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000676094451, or go to the Masonic lodge’s main website at

http://www.fallbrooklodge.org.

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