All in the Family
Two Shriners walk at a ceremony
Clowning Around
Roger Biede III proudly bears the name of his father, Roger Biede II. But the things they share don’t end there. Both are Shriners, belonging to Sabbar Shriners in Tucson, Arizona, where the elder Biede served as Potentate in 2022.
“My father is my hero,” says Biede III, who serves as membership chairman of Sabbar. “When I think of great men I want to emulate, he is at the top.”
Biede II has been a Shriners clown since the early 1990s, and his son fondly remembers bringing girlfriends home to meet his family – only to find his father in full clown mode. But rather than feeling embarrassed, he was proud, noting that the women often left the house with a balloon hat or something of the like.
“There were many clown-on-a-motorcycle sightings in North Tucson over the years that could be attributed to him,” he says.
Growing up, Biede III recalls hearing about his father’s Shriners experiences, like “trips to Pasadena, the children Sabbar had helped, the good they did and the fun he had with his fellow Shriners.” He was “hooked,” he says, from an early age and knew he wanted to begin his Masonic journey when he came of age.
“My father has been the biggest supporter of my Masonic career as I have moved up the Grand Line,” he says, noting that the two enjoy attending temple social functions and meetings together, volunteering and participating in community activities. “He is now a member of my Blue Lodge, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of F. & A.M. of Arizona.”
A Shriner speaks at the podium.
Treasured Tradition
There must be something in the blood of the LaBlanc family, considering no fewer than five of its members are nobles.
“My father has been a Shriner for most of my life,” said Ben LaBlanc. “We grew up attending Shriners events at Zor Shriners and within the Midwest Shrine Association with our parents. It has always been a large part of our lives.”
As children, he and his brother, Jacob LaBlanc, loved watching their father, Rodney LaBlanc, of Zor Shriners in Madison, Wisconsin, ride in parades. They dreamed of someday doing the same and agreed that they would follow in Rodney’s footsteps when they grew up.
“Our family is and has always been very active in the fraternity,” Ben said. “Most of our family vacations revolve around events like Imperial Session, the Texas Shrine Association or Midwest Shrine Association meetings.”
When the time came, the brothers started working on their Masonic degrees – eventually being raised as Master Masons on the same night – and joined Shriners together the same day in 2010. On top of that, two of their cousins, Greg Jeska and Ben Cole, also became Shriners and joined Zor Shriners alongside their extended family members.
“In 2022, we were very blessed when my father became the first one in our family to hold the title of Potentate,” Ben LaBlanc recalled.
“That year, I was serving Arabia as the High Priest & Prophet, and my brother was serving as Zor's First Ceremonial Master. All of us were able to be present for Dad's election and installation, which made it a very special event.”
Then, things came full circle in 2025 when Ben LaBlanc became Potentate of Arabia Shriners. “It was a very special moment when my father, as a Past Potentate and an Associate member of Arabia, was able to help install me and place my Potentate fez upon my head.”
Three friends gather at a holiday party.
A Family Changed
The Tilghman family’s connection with Shriners runs deep. Carmine Tilghman recalls how his older brother, William Edward Tilghman III, was diagnosed with hip perthes, a pediatric condition that affects the hip joint, in 1965 at the age of 2 and spent time in a variety of casts – including a full-body cast – as a child.
“Modern medicine at the time had no treatment other than to stabilize [the hip] and hope it would correct itself,” he said.
Then, their family doctor, who was not a Shriner but did some volunteer work with the organization, recommended an experimental treatment at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia. The results were astounding, he recalled: “My brother was walking again in 18 months!”
Out of gratitude and admiration for the organization, their father, William Edward Tilghman Jr., became a Master Mason and then a Shriner in 1970, joining both Sabbar Shriners and Crescent Shriners of Westampton, New Jersey. “My earliest memories of Shriners go back more than 50 years to a Shriners convention in Atlantic City, circa 1974-1975,” Carmine said. “I believe it was the Imperial Session.”
In 1984, as soon as he turned 21, which was the minimum age to join at the time, his brother became a noble with Sabbar Shriners. Carmine followed suit, joining Sabbar in 1989 at the age of 24. Their uncle, Edward Papa, is also a noble, belonging to Crescent Shriners.
When he returned home from the Navy in 1993, Carmine joined the Sabbar clown unit as “Li’l Bit” alongside his father (“Jingles”) and brother (“P-We”). “Until my father’s passing in 2003, we clowned together, served on boards together, served as aides and executive aides together, volunteered and attended meetings together, and spent the last 10 years of my father’s life being Shriners and Masons together,” he said. “They were, in many regards, the greatest years of my life!”
June is Shriners International Legacy Month.
Shriners International Legacy Month and Awareness Day
Every June, we celebrate Shriners International Legacy Month to unite those nobles who have made their fraternal membership a family tradition. During this month, temples are encouraged to promote membership and honor legacy members.
Coinciding with that is Shriners International Awareness Day on June 6, 2026, when we celebrate brotherhood and spread the word about Shriners International.
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