Since I went to seminary just about the time I turned forty, I was one of the older students at that time, esp. among women. That means that many of the people with whom I felt an affinity are now turning seventy and more. But since I’ve been out of the UU community for a decade or so, I didn’t know when they slipped away in death. Now that is remedied with a blog: <http://uuminmemorialpage.blogspot.com/> Just as I found this blog, it told me about two slightly older women ministers newly lost to us. At the risk of being redundant, I’ll repeat some of the information to try to express my affinity with them. There are worthy others, but it would be fair to group these with me (b. 1939).
The Reverend Martha Scott Newman died Tuesday, August 14, 2007 after a brief illness. She was 84 years of age.
Ms. Newman was born on May 16, 1923 in St. Louis, Missouri. She received a BS from Central Missouri State University, a MA from the University of Denver and an MDiv from Meadville Lombard Theological School. She was granted Preliminary Fellowship in 1982 and Final Fellowship in 1986. The Murray Society of Clinton, Iowa ordained her on December 3, 1984.
Ms. Newman served congregations in Alton, Illinois; Clinton, Iowa; Ellisville, Missouri; and Houlton, Maine. On May 19, 2003, the Unitarian Society of Houlton named her Minister Emerita.
She is survived by two children, two foster daughters, a sister, 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Martha lived at Fleck House while I was there, another haunter of the Night Kitchen which she descended to from her room about 10 PM every night to make herself a special reward for studying: 12 (she counted them out) pecan halves which she glazed with sugar in a small cast-iron frying pan. A dainty sweet-faced woman, her lovely gray hair was long, arranged close to her head with silver combs.
With her small deft hands, she loved to sew. She was not so inclined to adventure as I was, but once I talked her into an expedition to the Loop to find fabric. It was a bone-cold blustery day and my guess at where the address might be was blocks off, so we got to the place (on a second floor) windblown and half-frozen. Afterwards we found a waffle shop where the offerings were ambrosial and my bad geography was redeemed. Martha often told others about it. She had no sewing machine at seminary and sewed by hand, perched on her bed across from a mandala of fall leaves she had attached to her wall. She was domestic to the core.
Martha and I were not entirely alike but we had a lot of overlap, mostly along this domestic mold and partly because my mother’s people came from Illinois close to where she grew up. We agreed about the management of window shades or dish rags and what to call a fly that circles a summer room: a “swing fly.” She served mostly small congregations in small towns, seeing that they were comfortable and reassured. I would say she leaned to the Universalist and Pastoral traditions. I was surprised to see that she was that much older than myself. I think she came to feminism late and gently, but firmly. I was not surprised to see fifteen great-grandchildren, though I never met her children.
The Reverend Dr. Patricia McClellan Bowen died Friday, September 14, 2007 after a brief illness at the age of 73.
Dr. Bowen was born April 14, 1934 in Texas. She received a B.S. from the University of Texas, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a D.Min. from Meadville Lombard School of Theology. She received Preliminary Fellowship in 1978 and Final Fellowship in 1981. She was ordained at the First Parish in Framingham, Massachusetts on June 25, 1978.
Dr. Bowen served congregations in Framingham, Sharon, and Sherborn, Massachusetts; South Bend, Indiana; West Paris, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Oakton, Virginia; and Las Vegas, Nevada. From 1973 to 1975 she was Assistant to the Director of Education and Social Concerns at the Unitarian Universalist Association.
While on staff at the UUA Dr. Bowen created and developed REACH, the Religious Education Clearing House. Active within the denomination, she served on the UUA General Assembly Planning Committee and was on the CLF, Kairos, and Massachusetts Bay District Boards.
Surviving Dr. Bowen are her children Barbara and Jonathon. At her request no services were held.
My additions were removed at the request of Barbara.
No comments:
Post a Comment