Christine Mitchell

Christine G. Mitchell, 77, spouse of Reverend James B. (Brad) Mitchell, died on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, at her home in Brunswick ME. She was born Feb. 5, 1940, the daughter of Paul P. and Elinor (Jackson) Johnson.

She graduated from Stoughton High School in 1957, then completed a two-year course in retailing from Modern School of Fashion and Design. She earned a B.A. degree from Northeastern University in 1964, then entered St. Lawrence Theological School, completing a master’s degree in religious education at Crane Theology School of Tufts University in 1966.

Christine and Brad were married Sept. 9, 1966.

She worked in retail at R. H. Stearns Department Store in Boston, and for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Washington, D.C. She was a librarian, first at Wessell Library of Tufts University, and later in Lisbon Falls, Maine, where she remained for 19 years. She also worked as a homemaker and ran her own child care business.

She was a lifelong member of Universalist churches, and most recently of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick. She sang in church choirs, taught religious education classes, and served on an Earth Care committee of the church. She also belonged to food cooperatives, a Brunswick book club, a memoir-writing group. She was a voracious reader.

A mother of two, she enjoyed parenting, being a grandparent, nature, gardening, and writing her memoirs.

Surviving her is her husband of 51 years, the Rev. James B. Mitchell, Minister Emeritus of the U. U. Church of Brunswick; a daughter, Rebecca Mitchell, and partner Luke Gottlieb, of Richmond, Calif.; a son, Ian Mitchell, of Brunswick; a grandson, Sebastian Mitchell, of Richmond, Calif.; three sisters, Priscilla Noyes, of Trenton, Maine; Virginia Miller, of Santa Fe, N.M.; and Linda Weaver, of Fort Collins, Colo.; two brothers, Paul P. Johnson, of Monmouth; and David M. Johnson, of Cape Cod, Mass.; and several nieces and nephews.

A Service of Remembrance will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick at a later date.

Condolences may be expressed to the family at: www.FuneralAlternatives.net.

Memorial donations may be made to the church at 1 Middle St., Brunswick, ME 04011.

Carol Adams

Carol Adams, the widow of the Rev. Eugene H. Adams died on Monday, December 4, 2017 in Damariscotta, Maine. She was 89 years old, having been born Martha Caroline Brown on January 8, 1928, in Lakewood, OH, to Edna (Toudy) and Clarence Brown.

Carol graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1950 with a BA in philosophy. During college she studied abroad at the Folk School in Denmark, and later took time to hitchhike through Europe before returning home.

While working as assistant to the Regional Director of the Foreign Policy Association in Cleveland, she met Rev. Eugene H. Adams. Gene shared her passion for social justice issues, and they wed in 1956. Over the years he served Unitarian Universalist congregations in Orange and Worcester, MA; Jamestown, NY; and finally Medford, MA. They raised two sons, Richard and John.

Even in the role of housewife, mother, and minister’s wife, Carol held a deep commitment to social justice and activism. Throughout her life she openly tackled important issues of the day, including civil rights and race relations, opposition to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, women’s rights, access to birth control, abortion rights, nuclear arms control, Native American affairs, workers’ rights, elder issues, LGBTQ rights, and marriage equality. To make her voice heard she participated in numerous demonstrations and marches, not only in her own town, but in Washington D.C., New York, and Seabrook, NH.

In mid-life she returned to the workforce, first as an administrative assistant at the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston, and later for Tufts University’s Experimental College program.

Her commitment to racial justice led her to become, at age 50, the first, full-time Affirmative Action Officer for the City of Medford, MA. For her work she was awarded the Martin Luther King citation by the Medford Branch of the NAACP, and received special commendation by Medford City Council. She then went on to become Affirmative Action Officer for the neighboring town of Arlington. Her affirmative action career continued at the State level, working for the Massachusetts Bureau of Public Information and Recruitment as an Employment Specialist responsible for minority employment, counseling, and training. She was promoted to Assistant Supervisor for the Massachusetts Office of Equal Employment Practices, supporting and increasing representation of women, minorities, and the disadvantaged in State employment.

She remained active following her retirement, working as secretary for the Community Church of Boston, tutoring adult ESL students, and volunteering as an “AIDS Buddy” for an AIDS service organization. In 1995 she was a fact-finding observer in Haiti, which remained a highlight for her.

Carol loved music, art, nature, and social activism, and filled her free time with all of these. She attended operas and concerts, explored the Middlesex Fells Reservation, canoed the Concord River, swam in Wrights Pond and the Atlantic ocean, and puttered in her garden. She had a special interest in Native American affairs and culture, researching local Native American history and seeking out local and national organizations devoted to Native American issues. She remained active in many social justice organizations including the League of Women Voters, NAACP, and ACLU, Medford Council of Churches, Mystic Valley Eldercare, Association of Affirmative Action Professionals, Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Shortly before her husband’s death in 2004 Carol showed early signs of dementia. Under the care of her son John, she entered assisted living, eventually moving to Maine, first to The Highlands and finally to Chase Point in Damariscotta where she lived for the last 10 years.

She is survived by her son, John and his partner Thomas Fontaine, of Nobleboro, ME; son, Richard and wife Shari of Prince Frederick, MD; grandchildren, Brian and Robyn; nephews, David and wife Trish Fleming, and Ric Brown and wife Cristina; and nieces, Lucia Cooper and Kathy Browne.

No memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to the following: American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004; Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, 689 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139; or the Friends of Middlesex Fells Endowment Fund, 235 West Foster Street, Melrose, MA 02176.

Condolences, and messages for her family, may be expressed by visiting: www.StrongHancock.com.

Oct 18, 2017

The Rev. Dr. Richard “Dick” Lovett Allen

The Reverend Dr. Richard Allen—whose inquiring spirit was manifested in thoughtful preaching and activity in several UU study groups and conferences—died on 22 October 2017, at the age of 93.

Throughout his ministry, the Rev’d Mr. Allen showed an appreciation for life’s deep questions that resist easy or black-and-white answers. He once mused, “On my tombstone, there could be my name, my dates, and the sentence, ‘It is more complicated than that.’”

Richard Lovett Allen was born on 14 July 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Marion Ream Allen and Clifford W. Allen, and grew up in Columbus. In 1946, after three years in the U.S. Army, he began study at Ohio State University, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ceramic engineering in 1948 and 1949. After 15 years in that field, he discerned a call to ministry and in 1964 entered Harvard Divinity School (HDS). Dick married his beloved Lois in 1967 and the same year received his S.T.B. from HDS.

Mr. Allen was ordained on 2 May 1968 by the Palo Alto (CA) Unitarian (now UU) Church but put off ministerial service to pursue further study at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, completing his Ph.D. in 1971. He was settled at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu (1972– 80), followed by a call to the First Unitarian Church of Oklahoma City where he served for 14 years. On retiring in 1994, he was named Minister Emeritus, his spouse Lois was named Choir Director Emeritus, and the church named its new courtyard in their joint honor.

At the time of Richard’s death, survivors included his spouse of 50 years, Lois, siblings Margaret, John, and Joseph, children Bruce Klickstein, Laura Crowder, Robin Klickstein, and Joe Allen, seven grandchildren, and six great grandchildren

Sept. 5, 2017

The Rev. Homer “Jerry” A. Goddard III

The Reverend Jerry Goddard—second-career parish minister, fierce advocate for abortion rights, child protection, human dignity, religious freedom, and civil rights, and a scholar of Western religions—died on 15 October 2017, aged 87.

Well before his career transition to professional ministry, Jerry was already active in drug counseling, pro-choice advocacy, and litigation for religious freedom. Later he sat on national committees of both Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Homer A. Goddard III was born on 29 October 1929 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Jeannette and Homer A. Goddard Jr., and grew up in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. He was graduated in 1952 from Denison University (Granville, OH) with a B.A. in economics. After U.S. Army service, he worked for 17 years as a sales engineer for ALCOA. With active membership in the Main Line Unitarian Church (Devon, PA), he heard a call to ministry and earned an M.Div. in 1975 from Starr King School.

Mr. Goddard was ordained on 9 January 1976 by the First Parish of Sudbury, MA, where he served as minister until 1985, meanwhile discovering an ancestral connection to the Rev’d Israel Loring, who had served the same congregation in a near record length pastorate (1705–72). Jerry was subsequently settled at the UU Society of Greater Springfield, MA (1985–90) and then at the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, NY (1990– 96), where he was honored as Minister Emeritus. Afterward, he served interim ministries in New Zealand, England, Australia, South Africa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

At time of death, survivors included his spouse of 64 years Margaret Goddard, children Linda Goddard, Kirk Goddard, and Jan Goddard-Taylor, and five grandchildren.

Helen Rice Pickett

Helen Pickett

Helen Rice Pickett, 88, the spouse of Reverend O. Eugene Pickett, died October 4 2017. After living with Alzheimer’s disease for seven years, her death at home was peaceful, with her husband and three daughters at her bedside.

Helen was born in Durban, Natal, South Africa, in 1929, one of four children of Congregational missionaries. During the Great Depression, she lived in a series of small towns in Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Oregon where her father served as minister.

Helen graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington in 1950, where she majored in biology and minored in music – both of which remained important in her life. She then attended the Chicago Theological Seminary at the University of Chicago where she met ministerial student Eugene Pickett, whom she married in 1952.

Gene and Helen went on to serve churches in the South during the Civil Rights Era including Miami, Florida; Richmond, Virginia where daughters Ann, Martha and Emily were born; and Atlanta, Georgia.

After 20 years in the South, the family relocated to the Boston area where Helen worked at Wellesley College and Gene became Director of Ministerial Education at the denominational headquarters. During this time, she was an ardent member of the Cecilia Society, one of the oldest choral groups in Boston, singing soprano and serving as its president for two years.

In 1979 Gene became Unitarian Universalist Association president and Helen became an integral part of his presidency. They traveled extensively both at home and abroad, and she is remembered for her hospitality, welcoming others who were far from home on holidays to the president’s house. When Gene became minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship in 1986 Helen joined the staff as well, and served on the CLF board. It was at this time that Helen was appointed to the UUA’s Hymnbook Commission. This six-year project produced Singing the Living Tradition.

After retiring in 1991, Helen and Gene moved to Cape Cod. While in retirement, she edited Rejoice Together and co-edited For All That Is Our Life for Skinner House press and remained active in the League of Women Voters and her local UU church.

Notes of condolence may be sent to the Rev. O. Eugene Pickett, 912 Main Street, #201, Chatham, MA 02633-2746.

The Rev. Donald William McKinney

The Reverend Don McKinney—longtime parish minister, lifelong advocate for civil rights, humanitarian causes, death with dignity, and racial justice—died on 1 October 2017, aged 90.

In the late 1960s the Rev’d Mr. McKinney served as co-chair (with David Parke) of FULLBAC (Full Recognition and Funding of the Black Affairs Council) and his Brooklyn church housed the FULLBAC headquarters.

He recalled the vote of the 1968 Cleveland General Assembly to fund BAC at $1 million as “the single most wonderful moment in my professional life.” After that funding was reduced, Don led his Brooklyn church as the first of six UU congregations to withhold their contributions to the UUA in protest, saying, “If we hope to save our denomination from destroying itself and its historic new thrust in the racial crisis we must act, and act now.”

Donald William McKinney was born 9 June 1927 in Manchester, New Hampshire, to Victoria R. and William L. McKinney. He grew up active in religious education and youth groups at the First Congregational Society, Unitarian (now UU), of Bridgewater, MA, during his father’s long pastorate there (1927–57). After a year in the U.S. Army, Don earned a B.A. in Social Relations at Harvard College in 1949 and an S.T.B. from Harvard Divinity School in 1952, and was forthwith ordained by his home congregation on 8 June 1952.

The Rev’d Mr. McKinney served the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, NY, for 40 years (1952–92). On retirement the congregation named him Minister Emeritus. A smaller worship and social space, adjacent to the church’s main sanctuary, is now named the Donald W. McKinney Chapel.

At the time of Don’s death, survivors included his spouse of over 60 years, Julie L. McKinney, children Bruce B. McKinney of San Francisco and Barbara McKinney Sow of Yaoundé, Cameroon (grandchildren Omar and Adama Sow).

The Rev. Robert “Bob” Nelson West

The Reverend Dr. Bob West—parish minister whose career was unforgettably defined by his presidency of the UUA (1969–77)—died on 27 September 2017, aged 88.

Mr. West’s UUA presidency began at a time of great turmoil, with deep division over Black empowerment and the Vietnam War, and the UUA facing imminent bankruptcy. Though he faced painful and often resented decisions, Mr. West succeeded in eliminating the UUA’s debt within four years. “His conduct under fire was often heroic,” recalled the Rev’d Dr. John Buehrens, “but largely thankless.” Yet, he oversaw the development of the UUA’s ground-breaking sexuality program, created the Office of Gay Concerns, and, most boldly, supported Beacon Press’s publication of the Pentagon Papers.

Robert Nelson West was born on 28 January 1929 in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Samuel Washington West and Mary Evelyn Wells West. He served in the U.S. Navy (1946–48) and then was graduated from Lynchburg College in 1950 with a B.A. in English—originally hoping to become a poet. But heeding a call to ministry, Bob earned his M.Div. from Starr King School in 1957. Later he would twice receive a D.D.—one from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 1970 and another from his undergraduate alma mater, Lynchburg College, VA, in 2013.

Mr. West was ordained on 21 October 1957 by the Tennessee Valley Unitarian (now UU) Church in Knoxville, TN, serving there for six years, followed by another settlement (1963–69) at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY. Then at the 1969 General Assembly, from a contentious field of seven candidates, the Rev’d Mr. West was elected the 2nd president of the UUA. After his presidency, he left ministry for the fields of finance and law. He was later seen as an “unsung hero” and in 2004 received the UUA’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of UUism.

At his death, Bob West was survived by children Robert Jr., Charles, Thomas, and Mary Catherine, grandchildren Lila, George, Lily and Oliver, great grandchild Phoebe, and sister Rilla Krebbs. His wife of 65 years, Nancy, had died the previous year. A memorial service was scheduled for 11 November 2017 at the First Church in Boston.

The Rev. Dr. John Burton Wolf

The Reverend Dr. John Wolf—fearless, powerful orator and dominant public spokesman for social justice causes in Tulsa, OK, who guided his congregation to become one of the largest in the UUA and had his own Wikipedia entry —died on 19 September 2017, aged 92.

John Burton Wolf was born on 6 September 1925 in Bloomington, Illinois, to Walter & Helen Young Wolf. He was raised in his mother’s Presbyterian church and by his early teens was teaching Sunday School, but got into trouble when he added his own research into the lesson plan he was given to follow. “One of the first cracks in my Calvinism was right then and there.”

With a B.D. from Meadville in 1952, Mr. Wolf was called to the Church of
the Good Shepherd Universalist (now Olympia Brown Memorial UU Church) in Racine, WI, where he had often preached as a student; he was ordained there on 19 February 1953. His second settlement (1954–60) was Meadville, PA.

The Rev’d John Wolf began his ministry at All Souls in Tulsa, on the first of May, 1960. In his 35 years there, he made an indelible stamp on the life of the city with a public ministry reminiscent of that of A. Powell Davies in Washington, D.C. His sermons were quoted, often extensively, in the Monday newspapers and on television newscasts, and his activism ranged over women’s rights, funeral industry reform and, of course, racial justice.

On 13 March 1965, in the midst of the events in Selma, John arranged for his church to host Tulsa’s first ever interfaith and interracial worship service, with more than fifty local clergy serving as ushers for the crowd of over 700 crammed into the sanctuary and parish hall. It was followed by a solidarity march of more than a thousand people through the city’s downtown. See an interview with him about this (pp. 24-25; search by last name at www.voicesofoklahoma.com).

John had a “contest [with God] going on for [the] better part of sixty years” as he summarized it. He once began a prayer at a UUMA gathering with a drawn-out, and greatly affected southern drawl, “Well..ll, God, here we are again.” He recalled that “on one occasion I did call [God] an SOB from the pulpit. Two weeks after that, a tornado came through Tulsa and hit Oral Roberts (University). And I said, ‘See? Missed again!’” (More on this in the interview as above, p. 8.)

In 1976 he was named a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa by Meadville Lombard Theological School, and on retirement in 1995 All Souls elected him Minister Emeritus. In 2015 he was inducted into Tulsa’s Historical Society Hall of Fame.

John Wolf is survived by his spouse of 65 years Barbara N. Hudgins Wolf, son John David Wolf and daughter Catherine Elizabeth Wolf, a grandson, and a great-granddaughter.