MSCNY

Dr. Michael Bronner
Professor Emeritus, New York University. Club Administrator,

Born and raised in California and completed his professional education through his MA degree, all in Business Education, at San Jose State College under the direction and guidance of his mentor, Alvin C. Beckett, himself a doctoral recipient in Business Education at New York University in 1955.

In 1970, he was asked by one of his Gregg author contacts, Dr. Karen Gillespie, to join her at NYU to handle the Department's BA and MA Business Education ProgramFrom 1970 to 2007 he has taught and advised at all levels, undergraduate, Masters, certificate, and doctoral students in over 200 courses with more than 4,000 students.

Bronner earned his PhD from NYU in 1973; he recently retired from NYU after 38 years there, to KY and is a member of Boone-Union Lodge #304 as well as retaining his previous memberships in Mecca Shrine and Scottish Rite and the American Lodge of Research, all in NYC. 

While stamp collecting, even "serious collecting," can be and is a very rewarding hobby for millions in the U.S. and internationally, Michael was encouraged and mentored by Dr. Alvin C. Beckett and introduced him to enjoy first collecting stamps and then to move into more depth and research in philately. In addition, Michael, through the encouragement of Dr. Allan Boudreau who was also a major philatelist and Freemason; sponsored Michael's application for membership in the Collectors Club of New York as well as supporting Dr. Beckett"s encouragement, he also a Freemason, to join both the CC as well serving as the Club Administrator for the 80+ year-old Masonic Stamp Club of New York.

These memberships led to Michael's being invited to join and eventually elected to first a one-year and later a full three-year term as a member of the Collectors Club Board of Governors, where he became, not surprisingly, deeply involved in its massive research library collection of books and related printed philatelic materials. He is now in his second three-year term as an elected member of the Collectors Club Board of Governors in New York City. He also found himself coordinating and authoring the numerous presentation reports later summarized and published in the Collectors Club Philatelist (CCP) journal.

Christopher L. Murphy
Publisher and Editor of the Club's quarterly magazine The Masonic Philatelist

was born near Mere, England, in 1941; he came with his parents to Vancouver, BC, Canada, in 1947. He entered the work force in 1957 and in 1958 went to work in the purchasing department for the BC Telephone Company (now Telus). He continued his education and was promoted to management in 1969 and served in several management positions until retirement in 1994; Chris lives in Burnaby, BC.

Chris joined the Masonic Order in 1973 at Mount Lebanon Lodge No. 72, Vancouver, BC. He later joined Zenith Lodge No. 104 in Burnaby, BC, and became Master of that Lodge in 1987; later Secretary of the Lodge. After this lodge closed in 1999 he went back to his mother lodge and then joined Progress Lodge No. 87, Vancouver. He is currently a member of Composite Lodge No. 819, New York City, New York, although still lives in Burnaby, BC.

Chris is a Royal Arch Mason, Mark Master Mason, 32℃ AASR Mason and a Shriner, although no longer active in any of these bodies. Chris wrote Postage Stamps and Freemasonry: Guide & Compendium, United States & Canada (1988), Carlton Press, New York. He subsequently wrote other books on Masonic Philately and philately in general. He lectured on various subjects at Masonic lodges in the greater Vancouver, BC, area and in Washington State. In 1995 he was proclaimed a member of the Society of Blue Friars (Masonic authors).

In about 1985 Chris joined The Masonic Stamp Club of New York and contributed many articles. He became Club President in 2000. When in 2014 Brother Allan Boudreau could not longer carry on as Publisher and Editor of the Club's quarterly magazine The Masonic Philatelist, Chris assumed those functions. Brother Boudreau passed on to the Grand Lodge Above on January 26, 2015.

During these later years, Chris, in cooperation with Brother Michael Bronner, commissioned the creation of a website for the Club, whereupon our archives and many other papers and presentations were provided. This website was turned over to Bro. Jeffrey Coney for further development in early 2018. Copies of all Club magazines were professionally bound into books and can be found in the Collectors Club Library Archives in New York City. The Masonic Stamp Club of New York, now 85 years old, will always be with us here and in the other libraries that collected our publication.