At its annual meeting in Atlantic City on June 10, 1948,  the Imperial Council,  Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine granted dispensation to the Fresno Shrine Club to activate and organize a Shrine Temple. A year later, a Shrine Temple was situated in Fresno. It was given the name Tehran which was an appropriate choice as it generally interpreted as “a warm place at the foot of a mountain.”  Tehran Temple was granted jurisdiction over six counties, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, Kings and Tulare counties. Later joint jurisdiction over Kern county was added.  On September 23, 1949, Dr. Arthur J. Hook of Fresno, the first Potentate of Tehran Temple accepted its official charter from the Imperial Council on behalf of the new temple’s 2200 members.