In 1920, Grand Master Charles Bass requested Robert J. Travis, PGM, to make five honorary presentations on behalf of the Grand Lodge. Brother Travis then addressed the Grand Lodge.

"It is the duty of every Mason to labor without weariness and without hope of any reward. This is his obligation and his duty. However, we all like to know that our labors have been appreciated, and when the appreciation is expressed it serves as an encouragement to labor on."

It is the intention of the Grand Lodge to present yearly Medals of Honor to its faithful servants and workers, and this year we have selected the following five brethren to receive these medals:

Dr. J. W. Taylor, Luthersville Lodge No. 236, Luthersville.
R. L. Cox, Generous Warren Lodge No. 20, Monroe.
George H. Fields, Orion Lodge No. 8, Bainbridge.
J. A. McDonald, Furlow Lodge No. 124, Plains.
Joseph C. Greenfield, Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta.

The medals were limited to five recipients each year. Several years no medals were presented, and in some years less than five. In 1926 only one was given, it going to Brother William Clarke, author of “Early and Historic Freemasonry in Georgia." The Grand Master felt that Brother Clarke should be the sole recipient that year due to his very outstanding achievement of compiling and writing the history.
Special recognition had been given outstanding members previously, usually for long and faithful service. Some were cited in Grand Lodge for extraordinary Masonic works; now Brother Bass was initiating a program to present visual evidence of appreciation, the Medal of Honor. (The Medal of Honor was later referred to as the Distinguished Service Medal.)

Recepients

1921 Dr. Michael Hoke, Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta

1922 Reverend James M. Rushin, Rushton Lodge No. 281, Plains.
A. Simmons, Kingston Lodge No. 394, Kingston.
T. McCutchen, Chattahoochee Lodge No. 61, Franklin.

1923 Thomas J. Carling, Mable Lodge No. 255, Macon.
James B. Clements, Irwinville Lodge No. 315, Irwinville.

1925 E. H. McHan, Fairburn Lodge No. 180, Fairburn.

1926 William B. Clarke, Solomon's Lodge No. 1, Savannah.

1929 Joseph K. Orr, Mt. Hermon Lodge No. 304, Columbus.
John Travis, Landrum Lodge No. 48, Savannah.

A. Johnson, Oostanaula Lodge No. 113, Rome.
E. V. Thrash, Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta.

1936 Kendrick Lamb, Atlantic Lodge No. 82.
Raymund Daniel, Gate City Lodge No. 2.
Don R. Roberts, Ocean Lodge No. 214.
Isadore Heiman, Fulton Lodge No. 216.

1937 Reverend Firley Baum, Capitol View Lodge No. 640.
Frank F. Baker, Grand Secretary, Macon Lodge No. 5.

1941 George Starr Peck, Palestine Lodge No. 486
(awarded Bar in 1944 and 1947).

1949 Cary W. Anderson, Clinton Lodge No. 54, Savannah.
John C. Kaufman, Ocean Lodge No. 214, Brunswick.
Daniel W. Locklin, Grand Secretary, Mt. Vernon Lodge No.22, Athens.

1953 Virlyn B. Smith, Fairburn Lodge No. 180, Fairburn.

1954 H. Sol Clark, Zerubbabel Lodge No. 15, Savannah.

1955 Dr. Thomas W. Sewell, Coweta Lodge No. 60, Newnan.

1959 Oscar D. White, Buckhead Lodge No. 712, Atlanta.

1962 Harry E. Tice, Atlanta Lodge No. 59, Atlanta.

1963 Sidney Parks, Fulton Lodge No. 216, Atlanta.

1966 James Wolling Davis, Sardis Lodge No. 107, Atlanta.

1969 Dewey Harold Wollstein, Cherokee Lodge No. 66, Rome.
John A. Dunaway, Buckhead Lodge No. 712, Atlanta.

NOTE: The awards in 1969 to Brothers Wollstein and Dunaway were Citations of Merit presented by Grand Master Durward B. Mercer for their years of devoted service to the fraternity.

1970 Robert S. Dennis, Grant Park Lodge No. 604, Atlanta.

1971 Dr. Hudnall G. Weaver, Macon Lodge No. 5, Macon.

1972 Preston Y. Luther, Macon Lodge No. 5, Macon.

1973 Walter M. Callaway, Jr., Oakland City Lodge No. 373, Atlanta.

1974 John W. Outler, Rutland Lodge No. 298, Macon.

1975 Carl F. Lester, Jr., Battle Hill Lodge No. 523, Atlanta.
Willard Register, Columbian Lodge No. 7, Columbus.
Joseph H. Kite, Piedmont Lodge No. 447, Atlanta.

1976 John H. Williamson, Ft. Hawkins Lodge No. 418, Macon.
Hugh L. Smith, Dougherty Lodge No. 491, Albany.
John W. Zuber, Buckhead Lodge No. 712, Atlanta.

1977 William M. Drinnon, Mabel Lodge No. 255, Macon.
James E. Moseley, Meridian Sun Lodge No. 28, Griffin.
James R. Belflower, Tifton Lodge No. 47, Tifton.

1978 Hoyt B. Smith, East Point Lodge No. 288, East Point.
Wood L. Lovell, Morningside Lodge No. 295, Atlanta.

1979 James T. Stanley, Panthersville Lodge No. 543, Decatur.
Carl J. Woeltjen, Solomon's Lodge No. 1, Savannah.

1980 William W. Daniel, Grant Park Lodge No. 604, Atlanta.
Lamar Fain, Battle Hill Lodge No. 523, Lithia Springs.

1981 Fred Mealer, Oothacaloga Lodge No. 154, Calhoun.
Woodrow Houston, Magnolia Lodge No. 86, Blakely.

1982 Thomas Shean Perry, Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta.
William H. Rosier, Hinesville Lodge No. 271, Hinesville.

1983 Thomas Telford Irvin, Mt. Airy Lodge No. 141, Mt. Airy.
Robert Mark Henderson, Tucker Lodge No. 42, Tucker.

1984 J. Theodore Phillips, Coosa Lodge No. 622, Coosa.
Walter Thomas Moody, Jr., Mabel Lodge No. 255, Macon.

1985 Fred Lamar Pearson, Jr., St. John The Baptist Lodge No. 184, Valdosta.
Samuel Bennet Owens, Blackshear Lodge No. 270, Blackshear.

1986 Thomas Raymond Gaines, Tyrian Lodge No. 111, Warner Robins.
Thomas Lancelot Reese, II, Benevolent Lodge No. 3, Milledgeville.

1987 Grady E. McCannon, Tucker Lodge No. 42, Tucker.
Willie Pershin Hammond, College Park Lodge No. 454, College Park.

1988 William D. English, III, Samuel S. Lawrence Lodge No. 721, Marietta.
Joseph E. Johnson, Swainsboro Lodge No. 244, Swainsboro.

1989 Charles Brantley Morgan, Lavonia Lodge No. 241, Lavonia
Henry Ernest Yarbrough, Rising Star Lodge No. 4, Eatonton.

1990 Oliver F. Grantham, Jr., Grant Park Lodge No. 604, Atlanta.
Robert E. Moore, Tyrian Lodge No. 111, Warner Robins.

1991 Bobby Blackman Simmons, Tyrian Lodge No. 111, Bonaire.
John Slayden Perry, Forest Park Lodge No. 399, Forrest Park.

1992 James E. Sledge, Samuel S. Lawrence Lodge No. 721, Marietta.
John E. Jones, Samuel S. Lawrence Lodge No. 721, Marietta.

1993 Kenneth White, Rex Lodge No. 251, Ellenwood.
David L. Canaday, Fairburn Lodge No. 180, Fairburn.

1994 J. Benny Allen, Etowah Lodge No. 222, Dawsonville.
Rha McCleskey, Jr., Pinehurst Lodge No. 473, Pinehurst.

1995 Larry M. Griggers, Hampton Lodge No. 70, Hampton.
Bobby Joe Townsend, Leland Lodge No. 686, Mableton.

1996 Sheldon Little, Fulton Lodge No. 216, Atlanta
Joseph William Powell, II, Fort Benning Lodge No. 579, Columbus.

1997 Charles A. Wofford, Gate City Lodge No. 2, Atlanta.
Phillip Harold Floyd, Buford Lodge No. 292, Buford.

1998 Charles A. Burroughs, Amity Lodge No. 731, Colbert.
Marcus V. Hall, Primrose Lodge No. 79, Bowman.

1999 William Ray Carver, Jr., Dougherty Lodge No. 591, Albany.
Charles White Stephen's Lodge No. 586, Manchester.

2000 Roy Callaway, Benevolent Lodge No. 3, Milledgeville.
Ted C. Collins, Millwood Lodge No. 198, Unadilla.

2001 Earl Densmore, Jr., Sonora Lodge No. 221, Sonoraville.
James B. Phillips, Oothcaloga Lodge No. 154, Calhoun.

2002 Merrill Clark, Walton Lodge No. 200, Shady Dale.
Ted H. Hendon, Bartlett Lodge No. 139, Dallas.

2003 Harry A. Bruno, Cochran Lodge No. 217, Cochran.
Harry Cuppett, Jeffersonville Lodge No. 133, Jeffersonville.

2004 George W. Campbell, Cartersville Lodge No. 63, Cartersville.
Howard M. Howell, Cartersville Lodge No. 63, Cartersville.

2005 Ralph H. Chandler, Clarkston Lodge No. 492, Clarkston.
Robert (Bobby) L. Jones, Clarkston Lodge No. 492, Clarkston.

2006 Carlton T. Ethridge, Riverdale Lodge No. 709, Riverdale.
Gary H. Leazer, Clarkston Lodge No. 492, Clarkston.

2007 Jack L. Hepner, Zerubbabel Lodge No. 15 & Solomon's Lodge No. 1, Savannah
Ernest A. McCorkle, Richard T. Turner Lodge No. 116, Pooler.

2008 Donald I Dekalb, Tyrian Lodge No. 111, Warner Robins
Lynn Turner, Travelers Rest Lodge No. 65, Montezuma

2009 William T. Economy, Dalton Ldogte No. 105, Dalton
Wilford M. Hall, Dalton Lodge No. 105, Dalton

2010 Storey A. Tate, Unity Lodge No. 36, Jefferson
Jeremy Conlon, Clarkston Lodge No. 492, Clarkston

2011 John E. Kierbow, Stephens Lodge No. 586, Manchester
Harold D. Culpepper, Kimbrough Lodge No. 118, Cataula