By the time most people are 21 years old, they’re still trying to decide what they want to do with their lives.
Dakota Bower has already made history.
This summer, the UT Tyler junior became the youngest Worshipful Master ever elected to lead the Yantis Masonic Lodge, a lodge whose roots date back to the late 1800s. As if that weren’t enough, he’ll soon add another title to his résumé when he’s installed as Junior Warden of the Quitman Masonic Lodge on July 11.
For Bower, though, the titles aren’t what matter.
“It’s the brotherhood,” he said. “Getting to meet new people and seeing the connections everyone has with each other—that’s one of my favorite parts.”
Bower’s journey into Masonry began before he was old enough to join.
When he was 16, his father invited him to attend an officer installation at the Quitman lodge. The ceremony was open to the public, and what stood out wasn’t the ritual—it was the people.
“I started asking Dad about it afterward,” Bower recalled. “He kept telling me about different men I knew who were Masons. They were some of the best men I knew, and that really drew me in.”
The day he turned 18, he submitted his petition to become a Mason.
“I petitioned on my 18th birthday,” he said with a smile.
From there, he worked his way through the traditional line of officers. Unlike political offices, Masonic leadership positions aren’t something members campaign for. Instead, members are nominated by their fellow Masons and move through a progressive line of leadership as they gain experience.
Bower began as Junior Deacon, learning the responsibilities of lodge leadership before advancing through the ranks.
Three years later, he’s presiding over the Yantis lodge as Worshipful Master—the officer responsible for leading meetings, overseeing lodge business and helping guide the organization through the coming year.
The title often raises eyebrows among those unfamiliar with Masonry.
“Worshipful is just an honorary title,” Bower explained. “It’s similar to how a judge is called ‘Your Honor.’ It’s a title of respect that goes back to the early days of Masonry.”
His leadership doesn’t stop in Yantis.
Bower is also a member of the Quitman lodge, where he’ll soon be installed as Junior Warden, the third-ranking officer in the lodge. The position carries additional responsibilities, including helping ensure the lodge follows the rules and regulations established by the Grand Lodge of Texas. Before taking the office, Bower completed required officer leadership training provided through the Grand Lodge.
Those leadership courses, he said, have taught him lessons he’ll carry well beyond Masonry.
Currently studying finance at UT Tyler, Bower admits his future plans may be taking a different direction. He’s considering a career in education, following in the footsteps of his father.
Whether he ends up in finance or the classroom, he believes the leadership experience and relationships he’s built through Masonry will serve him well.
Despite making history as the youngest Worshipful Master in Yantis Lodge history, Bower isn’t focused on his age.
Instead, he’s thinking about the members who aren’t able to attend meetings anymore.
“We’re a brotherhood,” he said. “We try to take care of our brothers.”
One of his goals during his year as Worshipful Master is reaching out to members who may have drifted away from the lodge and making sure they’re doing well. He’d also like to establish a more formal way of checking on the widows of deceased members.
“We already try to do that,” he said. “I’d just like for us to have something more official in place.”
Community service will continue to be a priority as well.
The Yantis lodge awards scholarships to students from Yantis and Como-Pickton schools, recognizes outstanding teachers and students each year, hosts its annual turkey shoot before Thanksgiving and participates in the Help A Child Benefit in Sulphur Springs.
In Quitman, the lodge raises money through pancake breakfasts, fish fries benefiting Christmas Sharing, brisket fundraisers and community stew events.
For Bower, those projects are simply another extension of what first attracted him to Masonry years ago.
“It’s about helping people,” he said.
As he looks toward the future, Bower expects he’ll continue moving through the officer line in Quitman while remaining active in Yantis after his term as Worshipful Master concludes. In five years, he hopes to have served as master in both lodges.
For now, however, the 21-year-old is content simply carrying on a tradition that has been part of East Texas communities for generations—while becoming part of Yantis history in the process.