STUART, J. C. [John Cameron]

STUART, DUDEK, MCMURRAY, FAIRBANKS

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/26/2016 at 01:52:23

Biography ~ John Cameron "J.C." Stuart
Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa

John Cameron "J.C." Stuart was born on August 5, 1915, in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. He was Graceland's first full-time campus minister, serving at the college from 1964 to 1970 under the appointment of the RLDS Church.

A pre-medical student, J.C. graduated from Graceland in 1935 and earned his bachelor's degree in economics from UCLA in 1937, the same year he entered a church appointment. He was a full-pastor in Washington, D.C., when concern about the division between conservatives and liberals at Graceland caused the church leaders to add an official campus minister position to the college.

"When I arrived on the campus, those who were of a more conservative bent were so glad that I came, and the liberals said they were so glad I came," Stuart later said. "I felt I was a kind of a middle-of-the-roader who could reach both ends. I think one of my major contributions was to relieve the tension between the two sides on campus."

J.C. won a doubles handball tournament one year at Graceland (partnered with Bill Dudek) and had future RLDS president Grant McMurray as a student assistant.

After concluding his position at Graceland, J. C. moved to Independence, Missouri, to become the director of the Division of Administrative Services for the RLDS Church for two years. He then served as a member of the RLDS Council of Twelve Apostles from 1972 to 1982. In this capacity, J.C.'s assignments included the Pacific Islands, the British Isles and Northern Europe with outreach to Rome, Italy, East Germany and Israel. He retired in 1982.

J.C. served as a pastor in Cameron, St. Joseph, St. Louis and Kansas City. On June 14, 1941 he married Eleaner Ruth Fairbanks in the Stone Church, Independence, Missouri.

J. C. died on September 5, 2007, at Center Point Medical Center, Independence, Missouri.

SOURCES:
Goehner, David. "The Graceland College Book of Knowledge: From A To Z." p. 442. Herald House. Independence MO. 1997.

John Cameron Stuart obituary

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2016

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