Robert Alonzo Hinshaw was born in Akron, Summit County, Ohio, on January 15, 1923, the son of George Knight and Hazel Phares Hinshaw. He was graduated from Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio in 1940. During the next three years he was a student at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina where he graduated with a B. A. Degree in Physics in 1943. He was employed for a number of months as a physicist at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio prior to entering the Graduate School of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio to do work towards the Ph.D. Degree in nuclear physics.
In September of 1947 he assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Physics at Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, a position he held, along with that of being Chairman of the Science Division, until June of 1953. In June of 1952 he became associated with the Power Systems Division of the McGraw Edison Company in Zanesville, Ohio, and held various positions in the Engineering Department, becoming Manager of Product Development, Manager of Research and Development, Manager of Engineering and manager of manufacturing operations.
On February 26, 1944, he was married to Ann Elizabeth Jones of Akron Ohio. To this union five children were born. They have eight grandchildren.
His civic activities have included:
- A member of the Board of Directors of the Zanesville YMCA
- A member of the Board of Directors of the Muskingum Motor Club
- A member of the Advisory Board of Good Samaritan Hospital of Zanesville, Ohio
- President of the Zanesville Rotary Club
- Chairman of the pilot campaign United Fund of Zanesville
- Board of Directors of the Zanesville area Chamber of Commerce
- Vice chairman transformer section, National Electrical Manufacturers Association
- Charter member and Secretary of the Worthington-Dublin Rotary Club
- A member of the Board of Trustees College Drive United Presbyterian Church
- Chairman of the Worthington Development Commission
- Member of the Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church
Other memberships include American Physical Society, American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Management Association, Sigma Pi Sigma, physics honorary fraternity and Beta Theta Pi, social fraternity.
His hobbies are antique automobiles, model railroading and numismatics.
He was made a Master Mason in Concord Lodge No. 688 F. & A. M., New Concord, Ohio on January 28, 1949 and served as Worshipful Master in 1953. Concord Lodge merged into Malta Lodge No. 118 in 1995. He holds dual membership in Dunn’s Rock Lodge No. 267, Brevard, North Carolina. He served Dunn’s Rock Lodge as Secretary from 2000 to 2008.
In the York Rite he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason in Cambridge Chapter No. 53 on February 13, 1950, transferring to Horace W. Wright Chapter No. 226, Worthington, Ohio. He was received as a Royal and Select Master in Guernsey Council No. 74 on March 21, 1950; was created a Knight Templar in Cambridge Commandery No. 47 on May 6, 1950.
He became a member of the Lodge of Perfection; Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Chapter of Rose Croix, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the Valley of Cambridge and of Scioto Consistory A. A. S. R. of the Valley of Columbus in November of 1949 as a member of the Roscoe R. Walcutt class. He became a charter member of Guernsey Consistory in the Valley of Cambridge in September of 1955. He served as Most Wise Master of Cambridge Chapter of Rose Croix in 1958, 1959, 1960. He served as Commander-in-Chief of Guernsey Consistory from 1972-1974, and chairman of the Executive Committee.
He was created an honorary member of the Supreme Council 33°, at Chicago, Illinois on September 27, 1961.
He is also a member of Oasis Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., he is a member and Past Patron of Concordia Chapter Order of Eastern Star; he served as Sovereign of St. Jerome Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine. He is a past president of the Eighteenth Masonic District Past Masters Association; he is a member of Zavi Shrine Club of Zanesville, Ohio; he is a member of Kilwinning Council No, 62, Knight Masons of Ireland and a member of the Royal Order of Scotland. He is an honorary member of Achbar Grotto.
In 1962 he was appointed a Grand Representative of the Grand Lodge of New York, In 1966 he received the Legion of Honor, Order of DeMolay.
In October of 1959 he was appointed by M. W. Brother Charles K. Cunningham, Grand Master, to serve as District Deputy Grand Master for the, Eighteenth Masonic District of Ohio and served in that capacity for two years. M. W. Brother Daniel C. Jenkins, Grand Master, appointed him Junior Grand Deacon in October of 1961. He subsequently was appointed Senior Grand Deacon in 1962, Grand Marshal in 1963 and Grand Orator in 1964. He was elected Junior Grand Warden in October of 1965, Senior Grand Warden in 1966, and Deputy Grand Master in 1967. He was elected and installed as Grand Master of Masons in Ohio in October, 1968 at Toledo, Ohio.
In June of 1970 he was appointed Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ohio and in October of 1970 was elected Grand Secretary, a position he held until retiring at the Grand Lodge Session on 1986, at which time he became Grand Secretary Emeritus.
Shortly thereafter he moved to Brevard, North Carolina and was made an honorary member of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina with the title of Past Grand Master.
In 1987 he was elected Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America and served in that capacity during 1988 & 1989. He served as a member of the conference committee, Conference of Grand Masters of North America in 1969. He was president of the conference of Grand Secretaries in North America in 1981.
In 1990 he served as president of the Transylvania Shrine Club and thereafter served as secretary for a number of years.
M. W. Brother Hinshaw passed away on July 19, 2014 while a resident of the Springfield Campus of the Ohio Masonic Home.