Tradition Beyond Titles: Imperial Potentate Brad Koehn Reflects on the Legacy that Matters Most

As he prepares to conclude his year as Imperial Potentate, Brad Koehn isn’t focused on titles or ceremonies. For this third-generation Shriner, the fraternity has always come down to one thing: family.

Koehn’s grandfather, a salesman and automobile dealer in Nebraska, joined Abu Bekr Shriners in Sioux City, Iowa. His father, a pharmacist in Topeka, Kansas, became an Arab Shriner and remained a member for nearly 50 years.

Today, the tradition continues with depth and breadth. Both of Koehn’s sons, Tyler and Brett, are fourth-generation Shriners, and the legacy extends even further. His daughter Courtney’s husband, Alex, is a Shriner, as are his wife Cheryl’s father, brother and brother-in-law.

Koehn says he knew from a young age that he would one day become a Shriner. He watched his father closely, learning what it meant to carry himself with honor and grace – qualities he believes were reinforced through Masonry and Shriners. But what drew him most to the fraternity was something simpler: He was included.

“I grew up going to football games and circuses and picnics and parades, and there was never a doubt in my mind that becoming a Shriner was exactly what I was going to do when I was an adult,” Koehn said.

That sense of inclusion, he notes, is what distinguishes Shriners from Masonry.

“There is a common bond between Masons,” Koehn said. “The common bond of the Shriners starts with the Masons. The Masons make good men better, they take care of their elderly and they take care of their brothers in need. Then Shriners brings the family into it.”

Koehn says connection played a central role in drawing both his grandfather and father to the fraternity. It wasn’t only the brotherhood. It was the relationships built among families.

“Back when my father and grandfather joined the Shriners, it was the camaraderie between the brothers and their families that they appreciated,” he said. “They spent a lot of time together and really got to know each other.”