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. Two announcements before we formally begin. One, a repetition from last night, in case you missed it. That is, we hope very much that you will use the hymn in your own congregations, the centennial hymn in your own congregations, and you have absolute permission to duplicate it in any way you choose to do it, and use it, take it back, and don't ask questions of us anymore.

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Take it home. The second announcement is about the banquet, which I hope all of you will be attending at 12 noon in the McChord Community Center directly behind us. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Let us pray.

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Gracious God, for the blessings of the past, for the promise of the future, and for the opportunities of today, We bless and praise your holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The hymn is #5 in your program, the Centennial Hymn.

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Please be seated. H. Richard Niebuhr, in his book, The Meaning of Revelation, affirms that churches, as other communities, are enlightened and challenged as they hear and tell the stories of their lives. Those stories bind disparate persons and events into a coherent whole, when we, who has been, gives us an opportunity to see a broader spectrum of reality than we might otherwise view.

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Our lecturer, Dr. James S. Curry, has indeed lectured us in a way that is enlightening and challenging to all of us.

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Enlightening of the past, challenging for the present and for the future. We look forward to his third lecture today. It's not all on the same day, you understand. But his third lecture, which is entitled Unsung Heroes and End to the Second Century.

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Dr. Curry. I realize that last night's lecture was rather long, and I appreciate the patience of those of you who are here. But I'm reminded of words that I believe came from Bob Shelton.

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At least I think I remember as a student being here when he once said that after a very long service that he had led, He concluded at the benediction by saying, if any of you are uncomfortable because of the length of the service, I'm sorry, but not very. I promise, I promise that this morning's presentation will not be as long as last night's. Although I'm told we have two hours till lunch, is that right?

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It won't be that long. I would like to say that some of the chapters in what I hope will be the forthcoming book about the last 25 years of Austin Seminary have to do with subjects that are not covered in these three presentations. There will be a section on the views of students over the last 25 years, part on the extension programs of the seminary and their development, and the various lecture series that have occurred here over the past 25 years.

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I would like to begin by reading a very brief story that comes from a little book called The Gift of Story by Clarissa Estes. The beloved Baal Shem Tov was dying and sent for his disciples. I have acted as intermediary for you, and now when I'm gone, you must do this for yourselves. You know the place in the forest where I call to God? Stand there in that place and do the same. You know how to light the fire and how to say the prayer. Do all of these and God will come. After the Baal Shem Tov died, the first generation did exactly as he had instructed and God always came. But by the second generation, the people had forgotten how to light the fire in the way the Baal Shem Tov had taught them. Nevertheless, they stood in the special place in the forest, and they said the prayer, and God came. By the third generation, the people had forgotten how to light the fire, and they had forgotten the place in the forest. But they spoke the prayer nevertheless, and God still came.

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In the 4th generation, everyone had forgotten how to build the fire, and no one any longer knew just where in the forest one should stand. And finally, too, the prayer itself could not be recalled. But one person still remembered the story about it all, and told it aloud, and God still came. The point in reading that little story is to remind us all that Austin Seminary has a story, we all have stories, and we bring these stories together as a part of the community of faith. In doing so, we recognize that we are part of the story of God and His people, and how important it is for us to remember that story as we live with each other and pass the story on from one generation to the next. In the history of any institution, there are those whose service either remains in the background or perhaps even goes unnoticed altogether, but whose commitment is no less fervent than that of those who are in positions of leadership. Some carry out their responsibilities with such a winsome and humble spirit that it reflects their preference for the shadows rather than the limelight. In the 100 years of its life, Austin Seminary has been blessed with a host of servants who cared more for the witness of the gospel than for any attention that might devolve on them.

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who kept the purpose of the school to prepare men and women for the gospel ministry uppermost in their minds, who saw their own part in the life of the community as an expression of that same gospel, who were responsible for doing the little things that keep an institution or community operating well, often going unnoticed by others. While this spirit has also been exhibited by the school's leaders. Often too little notice is given to those who labored behind the scenes, as it were. This presentation will attempt, or at least the first half of it, will attempt to describe a few of those who fall into this category of unsung heroes. In doing this, I recognize two things. One, There will be a lot of names that are not mentioned that many of you will know. There will also be some names mentioned that some of you may not know. They are all a part of the community of faith. All have contributed in one way or another to the life and work and ministry of Austin Seminary. In March of 1994, Jack Hodges retired as superintendent of buildings and grounds of the seminary. Having come to work in 1955, Hodges served Austin Seminary faithfully and saw students come and go for 39 years. In addition to overseeing the general maintenance and upkeep of the seminary facilities, Hodges also oversaw some of the major building projects.

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As was mentioned a couple of nights ago, when the estimates from contractors for the renovation of Lubbock Hall were deemed prohibitive, Hodges offered to accept the job and responsibility of general contractor, saving the seminary close to $100,000. In 1991, the Lilly Foundation helped underwrite a facilities evaluation at Austin Seminary. Folks from UT Austin came across the street to this campus to do a facilities needs assessment. That report reads in part, quote, The physical plant staff at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary has done an excellent job in maintaining the various mechanical systems. Much of the equipment has outlived its expected service life. due to the high degree of periodic maintenance, unquote. But Hodges' impact went far beyond the diligence and the efficiency with which he carried out his official responsibilities. Shirley Howard, who was here this morning, who herself worked for the seminary for 22 years, describes Hodges as a very special person, someone who, quote, worked long hours, cared about the seminary, and knew everything about the buildings and equipment. She added that his thoughtfulness and his caring attitude added to the family atmosphere. In addition to Hodges, those who worked under his supervision should be included for their faithful service to the seminary and the spirit with which they carried out their duties. Willie Alexander, Elworth Pete Wright,

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Ken Metcalf, Vernon Batts, Ulysse Lee Connor, to name only a few. Homer Bradish, Hodges' successor, continues the strong tradition of excellence as the manager of the physical plant, the expanded physical plant, I must add, of Austin Seminary. Also on the list of unsung heroes over the past 25 years is the name of Ruth Metcalf, Director of Food Service for 17 years, from 1974 to 1991. With her husband, Ken, Ruth contributed to the seminary community by her gracious spirit. Providing food for seminary students, faculty, and staff over the years in a kind and gentle way, Ruth and her staff endeared themselves to the seminary community. Among those who worked under Ruth's supervision were Ms. Bessie Maxwell and Ms. Willie Elizabeth Johnson. Jimmy Clark worked at Austin Seminary from 1958 to 1989. During her 31-year tenure, Clark worked primarily in the Office of Supervised Practice of Ministry one time called Field Education. As she said, her bosses were Henry Quinius, Bob Shelton, Carter King, and Pete Hendrick. When asked why she stayed so long, Clark replied, quote, Because I loved it. I loved every day I worked there. I loved those students as if they were my own.

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And then she added, no one could have been happier in a job than I was. Shirley Howard shared Jimmy Clark's view of the seminary as family. Employed by the seminary from 1968 through 1990, Howard worked first in the office of the Director of Admissions under Joe Donahoe, Fred Morgan, and Ann Hoke, and later in the Development Office under Joe Culver and Bill Hedrick. In addition to those for whom she worked directly, Howard has pleasant memories of both faculty and students. She described John Jansen as dear, genuine, with a good sense of humor. Kathy Sauter was Miss Seminary. Stuart Curry was brilliant but down to earth. And then she recalled with fondness Dick Junkin, Jean March and Ross Dunn. Frank Eamon and Richard Culp both were student assistants in Howard's office and are fondly recalled by her. Interestingly, one of those two student assistants, Frank Eamon, upon graduation from Austin Seminary, became associate pastor of the church that Shirley and Jack were members of, Westminster Presbyterian Church here in Austin. Among the support staff who've rendered faithful service but are no longer at the seminary, mention could also be made of Ida Forbes, Sharon Alexander, Evelyn Byram, Dorothy Andrews, and Peggy Cockrum, among others. With new administrations, with growth, and with the passage of time, a new generation of employees,

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have the opportunity now both to claim Austin Seminary as its own and to contribute to its life and to its sense of community. At the meeting of the Board of Trustees in November 1997, President Shelton read a letter from Herman Herron indicating his intention to to resign in order to retire effective July 31, 1998. Heron was a native of, is a native of Lafaria, Texas, came to Austin Seminary in 1971 as the business manager. After 10 years in that capacity, the Board of Trustees in 1981 elected him Vice President for Business Affairs. He was in his 27th year of service to the seminary, having already announced his intention to resign when he suffered a stroke. Able to discover, as we noted earlier, that bricks he had bought at bargain prices years before were a perfect match for new projects on the seminary campus, thus saving the seminary much money. Taking a hands-on interest in virtually every purchase made by or for the seminary, providing an advance paycheck at Christmas time to a student who was also a single parent, Herman was, at the same time, tight-fisted and generous, earning the respect of all who knew him.

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Because of Heron's love for music and his several abilities in that field, including leading a hymn sing during these midwinter lectures every year, the seminary purchased a grand piano in his honor for the McCord Community Center. It was dedicated at a program of recognition on October 23, 1998. On that occasion, President Shelton said the following. Quote, he is a friend I could trust and a colleague. His Christian witness has been inspiring. Continuing, Shelton said, Herman never once thought of what he was doing as a job, but as a calling, his way of living out his own Christian faith. He was not only interested in what was going on in the business office. He never asked anyone to do anything he was not willing to do himself. And then following that, Academic Dean Andy Dearman offered a prayer of thanksgiving, expressing gratitude to God for a faithful steward, cautious with the gifts of others, and generous with his own. Genevieve Jean Luna came to work as a library secretary at Austin Seminary on February 1, 1968. Before a year had gone by, she had become the assistant librarian. After 32 years of service, she retired at the end of the 1999-2000 academic year.

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She saw the library grow from 50,000 volumes to 160,000. Records of the collections were kept in card catalogs in 1968. By the time she retired, not only was everything automated, but the Stitt Library holdings could be accessed from one's home. In 1968, there were no photocopy machines. In 2000, there were several available. In 1989, the Austin Seminary Association honored her for her service to the church through her work in the Stitt Library. Over her 32 years of service to the seminary, Luna served under 3 directors of the library. Among the many memories she has is that of locking Dr. Ernest Trice Thompson in the library. A visiting professor, when Luna came to work in 1968, Dr. Thompson, it seems, was hard of hearing and had closed the door to the room where he was working, thus unable to hear any announcement that the library was about to be closed. I'm not sure how he got out, but... Luna's quiet, patient, faithful service, over more than three decades, was a witness of its own to generations of students, pastors, faculty members, and persons having no connection to the seminary, such as university students who would wander in and out. There is another group of persons who are vital to any seminary, and particularly to Austin,

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but who, while perhaps achieving levels of distinction outside the life of the seminary, might go unnoticed by many, members of the Board of Trustees. Over the century of Austin Seminary's life, there have been many who have given themselves freely and generously as board members. They come from a broad range of vocational backgrounds, clergy, business, education, law, medicine, politics, homemaker, among others. Whether clergy or layperson, many, if not most, have exhibited a winsome and sometimes courageous commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the expression of that gospel in the mission of Austin Seminary. The sense of devotion to the seminary and its mission is clearly evident in the remarks of some of those who have served on the board. For example, Weldon Smith served on the seminary board for 18 years, or as he says, from Stitt to Stots. President of the Big Six Drilling Company, Smith was a member of Second Presbyterian Church in Houston, which later became Grace Presbyterian Church when he served on the board. Among the various qualities a good member of the board should have, according to Smith, are recognizing that the appointment itself is an honor and that he or she should be grateful for that opportunity. A board member needs to be willing to give whatever time is required, in Smith's view, and needs to know when to decline a task or an appointment. A board member needs to continue to be active in one's own church, representing the church

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to the Board of Trustees and on the board. And a board member needs to love people. Clarence N. Frierson, an elder in First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, served on the board for 22 years and was chairman during much of Jack Maxwell's presidency, providing strong leadership at a very difficult time in the seminary's life. of his experience on the board, Frierson writes, quote, in 1975, President Prescott Williams asked me to serve on the board of trustees at the seminary, and I attended my first meeting that fall. At my first meeting, I learned that Prescott was resigning and that a presidential search committee was already at work. Shortly thereafter, a special meeting of the board was called to elect Tom Gillespie as president. Late on the night before the meeting, Dr. Gillespie changed his mind and the search for a president had to be resumed. I'm told that Dr. McCord of Princeton Theological Seminary had suggested two names to the search committee, Gillespie and Jack Maxwell. Not too long afterwards, Jack Maxwell was elected president. Then reflecting on the Maxwell years, Frierson writes this, quote, During some of the times when things were not going well, there were some good and faithful servants who stayed the course. They could have gone to greener pastures, such men as Herman Herron, Bob Shelton, Prescott Williams, and others. Reflection on our history ought to acknowledge that kind of loyalty, unquote.

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Frierson served as chairman of the presidential search committee following Maxwell's resignation. Of this experience, he avers, quote, we had in-depth interviews with five outstanding candidates, eventually and unanimously agreeing on Jack Stotts. This was the second major turning point in the life of the seminary, in my judgment, the first being the Gene Brown bequest. People liked, trusted, and respected the president of Austin Seminary. Jack possesses personal and political skills, integrity, and has the respect of the entire church. His record as president speaks for itself. Edward Vickery succeeded Frierson as chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1984, recommended to the seminary administration by Weldon Smith, Vickery served on the board from 1977 to '85, and again for a second term from 1987 to '95, or a second nine-year term. Vickery served as chairman twice. A native of Fort Worth, he graduated from the University of Texas Law School, moved to Houston, and joined First Presbyterian Church, where his membership has remained over the years. While many significant and positive changes in the life of Austin Seminary took place during his tenure on the board, including the call to Jack Stotts to serve as president, Vickery cites improvement in the physical plant as particularly important and satisfying. Student houses that were old and worn out were torn down, and new duplexes and apartments were built.

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Apartments for additional student housing were purchased. The dormitory was renovated, and perhaps most significantly, in Vickery's view, the McCord Community Center was constructed. Persons who played crucial roles in the life of Austin Seminary in Vickery's view include Herman Herron, who basically supervised all the building projects. Ellis Nelson, who, quote, Due to his reputation as an educator, almost overnight restored credibility of the seminary as far as its Texas constituency was concerned, unquote. Clarence Frierson, who, in Vickery's view, was always a leader. Weldon Smith, who provided wise counsel as chair of the seminary's investment committee. and of course, Jack Stotts and Bob Shelton. Reflecting on his service as a member of Austin Seminary's Board of Trustees, Vickery offers the following rather remarkable observation. Quote, Serving on the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Board of Trustees was the most enjoyable and personally rewarding work I have ever done for the church. and it is the only church work that I regretted having to leave. What made it so was Ellis Nelson, Jack Stotts, Bob Shelton, Herman Herron, and the exceptional quality and dedication of the other trustees.

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Dr. Ted Hartman, a member of the faculty of the Texas Tech University Medical School, was a member of the board from 1989 to 1998. Although somewhat hesitant to accept the invitation to join the board, quote, because of the past turmoil at the seminary, and also because of my personal lack of knowledge as to what the seminary was doing and where it was going, unquote, Hartman was influenced in his decision to join the board through his close friend and former trustees, the late David Vignes. Hartman recalled his first board meeting, quote, The first time I attended a board of trustees meeting was in the fall of 1989. At that meeting, it became very clear to me that Jack Stotts was the embodiment of a strong Christian leader with a total dedication to education and to the future of the church. In addition, Jack was a unique visionary. He saw what the seminary could be for the future and communicated that very effectively, unquote. Acknowledging the strength of the faculty of Austin Seminary and the attractive academic environment in which the school finds itself, Hartman notes one element among faculty members that is conspicuous by its absence. Quote, perhaps the one factor lacking when one recruits younger faculty is that so often they have not had significant experience as pastor of a congregation. That could be an issue that requires further study and consideration for the future, in as much as these very faculty are expected to develop seminary students into pastors for the congregations of the church. And as Bob Shelton stated in his presidential address,

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Hartman continued, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a school of the church, unquote. Bessie Lou Doling lives in Odessa, Texas, and was invited to join the board in 1990. Like Ed Vickrey, Doling writes that her experience on the board, quote, has been the most educational, pleasurable, and satisfying time of my life, unquote. Some of the seminary's best assets, according to Doling, are the real, everyday people who get things done, but rarely receive acknowledgement. Among those are Linda Cunningham, Administrative Assistant to the President, and Nancy Reese, Secretary to the Academic Dean, both of whom will always, in Doling's view, quote, wear a halo, unquote. In addition, she writes, quote, the receptionist's telephone answers are always pleasant, helpful, and accommodating, unquote. Other board members who have given of their time, energy, and talents in a sacrificial way could and should be mentioned. Some of them include Max Sherman, former state senator, former president of West Texas State University, and retired dean of the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, served on the seminary board from 1988 to 1997, and was reappointed in 1999. In that year, Sherman, an elder at University Presbyterian Church in Austin, was named Texan of the Year by the Texas Legislative Conference. Steve Matthews,

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an attorney from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and an elder at First Presbyterian Church there, served on the board for 18 years and was named a trustee emeritus in 2001. John McCoy, a 1963 graduate of Austin Seminary, was a board member from 1990 to 1999. With a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, McCoy has served pastorates in Texas and North Carolina. After serving as pastor of North Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, he served as interim pastor at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, also in Dallas, and he has served as co-moderator of the seminary's Centennial Committee. On November 13, 1999, President Shelton presented the Distinguished Service Award to William J. Murray, Jr., for having served on the Board of Trustees for 27 years. Such long and faithful service characterizes many, if not most, of those unsung heroes who love Austin Seminary and have been a part of its life for any period of time. I must add that there is another person whose name came to me from someone attending these lectures that I neglected and certainly needs to be included among that list. And that is the name of Alan Smith, who's pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, served, I believe, as chairman of the Synod Covenant Review Team when Jack Maxwell's presidency was under fire and the seminary's covenant with the Synod was being reviewed. And he played an incredibly important role in that process. And then after Maxwell's resignation,

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in going around with others from the seminary to various presbyteries, listening to the churches, as well as promoting the seminary's presence in the synod. Perhaps at least as much as these unsung heroes should also include persons who, with their families, have responded to God's call to the ministry. have come here to prepare for that call and have gone out to all parts of this country and throughout the world to live and to proclaim the good news of the gospel. Often going to unglamorous places with little to offer other than the opportunity to preach, teach, and offer pastoral care as a representative of him who is the good shepherd. Such persons also carry something of Austin Seminary with them. Don Waymire, a 1981 graduate, for example, lives and works in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Intraporn Inchai, who received a Master of Arts degree in 1993 as an international student, serves on the McGilvery Faculty of Theology at Phayap University in Thailand. Most graduates, of course, go out to serve as pastors of congregations, sometimes in relatively remote parts of the country, or at least what seem to some of us as remote. John Galantine, a native of Broken Bow, Nebraska, received his M.Div. degree from Austin Seminary in 1997,

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and serves the Peace Presbyterian Church in Yankton, South Dakota. Of his experience at Austin Seminary, Galantine writes, I remember the faith and character of the people of Austin Seminary. I remember how President Stotts knew each student by name. President Stotts always had a warm smile and most often a nurturing comment for each student. Each faculty member was deeply involved in faith communities outside of his or her own academic responsibilities. Their example motivated and nurtured my commitment to both study and embody the theological tenets of our reformed heritage, unquote. Martha Sadonge graduated in 1996. For three years, Martha, a Native American, served as pastor to the Indian Presbyterian Church in Livingston, Texas, home to the Alabama Coushatta Indian Reservation. In 1999, she had to return to Arizona to take care of her ailing mother. Lemwell Garcia Arroyo graduated from the seminary in 1995. A native of Veracruz, Mexico, Garcia was in the 1986 graduating class of the Presbyterian Pan-American School in Kingsville. He currently serves on the staff of the Senate of the Sun, and he recalls his experience at Austin Seminary among people much more familiar and comfortable with American culture. He writes, quote, I will be forever thankful to God and to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

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for allowing me the invaluable opportunity of receiving the kind of theological training that has shaped my ministry as a servant of the Lord to God's people. Even when I considered myself an outsider, he writes, coming from a different country and a different culture, I was never rejected or put down by anyone in the seminary community. On the contrary, ever since my wife, Igla, and I arrived on campus, we felt welcome and accepted not only by the faculty, staff, and administrators, but also by students themselves who went out of their way to make us feel at home and offer us their friendship and love, unquote. With its graduates serving churches in rural hamlets, to tall steeple churches in some of the largest cities in the country, to mission posts on almost every continent. Austin Seminary has focused attention on its original and primary purpose, namely to prepare men and women to serve Jesus Christ in the parish ministry. Whether sung or unsung, whether hero or anonymous laborer, Most have taken the spirit of the seminary community with them as they have sought to serve Jesus Christ, the head of this community and of the church. Austin Seminary students have gone out and will continue to go out, touching countless lives. So in a very real sense, those congregations are a reflection of Austin Seminary and must also be counted among

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the unsung's heroes and saints. As we anticipate the future, it may be helpful to cast a quick glance at the leadership Austin Seminary has provided nationally over its first 100 years, an amazingly rich and productive contribution for a seminary its size. In addition to equipping men and women for ministry in a variety of forms in the name of Jesus Christ, both in the southwest and around the world, the seminary has seen its graduates assume positions of leadership in the church at the national level. Thomas White Curry, class of 1911, the school's third president, was elected moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1930. James I. McCord, class of 1942, became president of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1959. David L. Stitt, class of 1936, became the 4th president of Austin Seminary in the summer of 1945 after serving as pastor.