Jamelle Allen is a police officer for the Hoover Police Department. He has over twelve years of experience on the force. He earned both his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and his Master's in Justice Administration from Faulkner University. He is the first Hoover Police Officer to complete the Alabama Investigator Academy, becoming a state-certified investigator in August 2022. He is a certified Spanish translator for the Hoover Police Department. He is currently assigned to the Compact Task Force in Shelby County, which focuses on identifying youth at risk for substance misuse and/or having mental wellness issues and works to get them back on the right track to avoid the juvenile justice system.

Jamelle Allen joined Shades Valley Lodge on August 4th, 2022. He made short work of learning his lessons: he was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on September 2, 2022—less than a month after being initiated an Entered Apprentice! As of September 24th, 2022, he is a proud member of the Valley of Birmingham, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, S.J., Orient of Alabama, as a 32nd Degree Master of The Royal Secret.

Miles Huffstutler is a Past Master of Shades Valley Lodge; a Life Member of the Birmingham Scottish Rite; a Past Potentate of Zamora Shrine; an Emeritus Member of the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina; and past Director of Zamora’s Court 127 of the Royal Order of Jesters. Long before that, he was initiated in the Blue Lodge on March 2, 1972 and raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason on October 15, 1973.

Huffstutler has had an active military life since he enlisted in the Air Force in 1965. He spent three years on active duty and was discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1969. He then spent 27 years in the Alabama Army National Guard JAG Section and retired as a Bird Colonel (O6) on June 30, 2004.

In his professional life, Huffstutler faithfully served the bench and bar for nearly fifty years. While attending Cumberland School of Law in its then-existing night program, he was a bailiff in the Criminal Division of Jefferson County Circuit Courts. He was a Deputy District Attorney for Jefferson County from 1975 to 1979. With the divestiture of AT&T in 1984, he began an 18-year career with BellSouth.

Huffstutler was the Presiding Municipal Judge for the City of Homewood, Alabama for 38 years and served a year as the President of the Alabama Municipal Judges’ Association. He also served on the Municipal Courts Advisory Committee to the Supreme Court of Alabama.

In his retirement, Huffstutler has stayed busy: he has served two Grand Masters as The Grand Orator, he’s on the Alabama Grand Lodge Trial Commission, and he’s the Chairman of the Legal Advisory Committee to the Grand Lodge of Alabama. Oh, and he has a sweet but active young pup (dubbed Brother Mutt) that runs him ragged.

Scott Carpenter is a Past Master of Shades Valley Lodge, No. 829. He grew up in a family that valued freemasonry. Not only is he a fifth-generation master mason, but he's also a fifth-generation past master. He grew up around a grandfather and great-grandfather who were very active in their masonic lodges and shrine temples in West Virginia. Recognizing the type of men that they were (honorable, kind-hearted, and noble), he knew he wanted to follow in their footsteps because freemasonry embodied all of the values that he revered in the men of his family.

Scott is an Operations Manager in the complex infrastructure division of a large, international engineering firm. He is responsible for helping standardize policies and procedures amongst the project teams. In addition, he runs projects in Antarctica, for which he was awarded the Antarctica Service Medal for his many contributions to the continent.

Scott is an avid mountaineer. He climbs all over the world, but the Himalayas are his favorite. He has completed a successful climb over there as a climb leader, which is an extraordinary feat. He hopes to return in 2023 to summit Ama Dablam.

As the Vice President, Kevin Zivitz runs the day-to-day operations at Ideal Furniture Co., Inc. (job title?). He is proud of the fact that he is a third-generation furniture retailer. He is a past board member of the National Home Furnishings Association. His hobbies include martial arts, spending time with his family, getting outdoors, woodworking, and gardening.

Kevin is the current Treasurer of Shades Valley Lodge. He is entrusted with receiving the money from the hands of the Secretary, making do entries of the same, and paying them out by order of the Worshipful Master and the consent of the Lodge. He is a Past Master as well. He served in the East from 2017 to 2018. During his tenure, his focus was on membership retention, fellowshipping, and financial sustainability. As a mason who has served in many different positions, Kevin finds joy in helping build a better future for our Lodge.

Like his grandfather and father before him, Kevin is a Freemason. Kevin is grateful for the life lessons Freemasonry offers, particularly friendship, the chance to lead, and a way to practice good family values. Tell me more about what you like about Freemasonry (maybe touch on any of these things: can’t discuss religion or politics, why we need more freemasons in the world, helping the community, brothers supporting brothers.

Ricardo “Rico” Stewart is the Senior Deacon of Shades Valley Lodge. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and he is proud the Magic City is still his home. Before working for Loomis as a driver, Rico served in the US Marines from 1996 to 2005, retiring as a Sergeant, and in the National Guard from 2005 to 2019, also retiring as a sergeant. From 2017-2020, he was the Commander of Post 117 of the American Legion. In that role, he promoted patriotism, outreach, and veteran services.

He is a firearm fanatic, and that love is apparent when he works with folks as an NRA and USCCA instructor. To learn more about his instruction, check out roughneck-tactical.com.

When he’s not cheering on the Tide, he may or may not be watching Attack on Titan or Neon Genesis Evangelion.

As Rico puts it, “One day, a friend came to me and said I was ‘living a masonic life and didn’t even know it.’ Well, I decided to knock on that door to see what freemasonry was all about. I’m glad I did--freemasonry took what was in my heart and made it grow. I am a better man for it.”

Michael Crouch is a Master Mason of Shades Valley Lodge. He was initiated on August 18, 2022, passed on October 5, 2022, and raised on December 15, 2022. When he first approached Shades Valley Lodge about the possibility of joining the fraternity, Michael said, “I want to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps as a Freemason.” After being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, Michael—with bib turned down—stood in front of the Lodge and said, “It is a true honor to stand in front of you, brothers, and say the same words as my grandfather, to walk the same path, to experience the same thing.”

Like all masons, Michael was eager to continue his quest for Light, so he became a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Orient of Alabama Valley of Birmingham on December 20, 2022.

In true masonic fashion, Michael is committed to teaching and learning. He’s been an educator for over 25 years. Currently, he is the Dean, as well as a professor, at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy. Before joining Samford in 2014, Michael was an Associate Dean and Professor at ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy for four years, the Chair and Professor at South University School of Pharmacy from 2008-2010, and a faculty member at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1996-2008. Michael is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (ΒΓΣ) International Business Honor Society, and has been selected for Birmingham Business Journal’s “Who’s Who in Healthcare” every year since 2015.

No job, not even that of Dean, could replace his number one priority: family. He’s the husband to a lovely and supportive wife, and the father of three remarkable children. In the little free time his busy life affords, Michael likes to fly fish, play golf, ride motorcycles, and play guitar or piano.