Category: Obituary: M

The Reverend Alexander “Scotty” Meek—beloved parish minister and devoted institutionalist, who made an influential career of interim ministry in his later years—died on 24 September 2018, aged 89.

Alexander Meek, Jr. was born on 10 June 1929 in Andover, Massachusetts, to Rolina and Alexander Meek, Sr. He was graduated from Tufts University (MA) in 1956 with an A.B. in Sociology and earned his S.T.B. from Tufts’ Crane Theological School in 1959.

Mr. Meek was ordained on 14 June 1959 at the First Universalist Church in Stafford, CT, where he served as minister (1957–59). Parish settlements followed at the First Universalist Church of Orange, MA (1960– 63), the UU Church of Greater Lynn, MA (1964–73), and the First UU Church of Rochester, MN (1973–83). He then served as the UUA’s Pacific Southwest District Minister (1983–87) and on departure was named the district’s minister emeritus.

Drawn back to the parish, Scotty embarked on a series of significant interim ministries: in Tucson, AZ; Wausau, WI; Fort Worth, TX; Kansas City, MO; and Brooklyn, NY. After a two-year “retirement” break, he resumed his interim work in Houston, TX, in Chandler and Green Valley, AZ, and finally in Little Rock, AR. The Rev’d Mr. Meek was named to emeritus status by two of his interim congregations: Green Valley in 2000 and Little Rock in 2004.

Scotty’s work for the wider UU movement was deep and broad—most significantly chairing the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee, plus long service as trustee and president for the Ferry Beach Park Association. Scotty was particularly proud, as late as 2014, of having attended his 53rd consecutive UU General Assembly, going back to 1962.

At his death Scotty was survived by his wife of 62 years, Dorothy, two children (Stevan and Sheralyn), and four grandchildren (Jordan, Mason, Sasha and Zoe). Memorial donations are encouraged to the Ferry Beach Park Association, Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Chandler, AZ, the UUA, or to a charity of one’s own choice.

The Reverend Dr. John Morgan—peace and civil rights activist, poet,
tenor chorister, and lifelong learner, who combined dedicated parish service with an academic and writing career—died on 23 June 2018, aged 99.

With work for peace going back to his college years, John’s community activity, wherever he lived and served, was guided by a hands-on theology of worldly engagement. He said that the church should always be answering the question, “What shall we do now with our world?” His commitment to peace and justice took him to Selma in 1965 and to the vice-presidency of the World Peace Council (1983–87), whose Joliet-Curie Gold Medal of Peace he was awarded in 1984. He had received the International Lenin Peace Prize the year before.

John Hanly Morgan was born on 28 November 1918 in New Albany, Indiana, to John Sidney and Vada Elizabeth (Dorn) Morgan. He earned his B.A. in Education from Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, IN (1943) and his ministerial degree from Harvard Divinity School (1946). He was forthwith ordained on 13 June 1946 by Waverly (MA) Unitarian Church, where he served until 1947.

Over the next 24 years, the Rev’d Mr. Morgan served churches in Charlotte (NC), Indianapolis, Flint (MI), South Bend (IN), and finally Toronto (ON), from which he took early retirement as minister emeritus in 1973. Meanwhile he taught philosophy at local colleges and, along the way, earned an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Michigan (1955). In 1979 he completed a Ph.D. dissertation in English Literature at University of South Florida. Over sixty years, starting at age 23, Mr. Morgan published eight books of poetry and prose, a history of the Toronto UU Church, and a memoir of his lifetime work for peace.

At his death, John was survived by his spouse Jeannette, children Lois Jean and David Hollis, nine grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

The Reverend Peri Murdock—Peace Corps volunteer and world traveler, who discovered Unitarian Universalism and its ministry only in her 50s but managed to serve for another 20 years —died quietly on 29 May 2018, aged 86.

Priscilla Traunstein was born on 17 December 1931 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to William and Ethel V. (Murdock) Traunstein. She was graduated by Suffolk University (MA) in 1954 with a B.A. in English and history and worked as a newspaper reporter, feature writer, and manuscript cataloguer. In 1962 Peri joined the Peace Corps and went to Manizales, Colombia. Back in the U.S. she earned an M.A. in English and American Literature in 1966 at Ohio Wesleyan Univ.

Over the years, Peri traveled to nearly 50 countries on five continents. She taught English and Spanish at international schools in Brussels, Belgium, and in Lahore, Pakistan, and in her spare time, she enjoyed drama, music, reading, history and travel.

By the early 1980s, she had moved to Wakefield, MA. She found her way to the local UU church and quickly became actively involved. Church members recognized ministerial qualities in her, and after encouragement from the Rev’d Nina Grey, Peri answered the call. She earned her M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological School in 1985. Around that time, she adopted her mother’s family name as her own, becoming Peri Murdock.

Ms. Murdock was ordained by her home church on 9 June 1985, and was first settled at the UU Meeting House of Pittsfield, ME (1985–90). After interim service at the UU Church in Reston, VA (1991–92), she went on to settlements at the First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati, OH (1992–1997), the UU Church of Stockton, IL (1997–2003), and St Paul’s Church (UU) in Palmer, MA (2003–2008).

Peri is survived by nieces Leslie Garner and Debra Gerlach, nephew Russ Traunstein, and many grand-nieces, nephews and cousins.

The Reverend Bob MacPherson—parish minister turned medical professional, advocate for criminal justice and women’s reproductive health, world traveller, thespian, singer, patron of the arts—died on 20 January 2018, aged 92.

A fifth generation Universalist, Bob was dedicated to UU institutions. He was president of the Universalist Youth Fellowship (1946–48) and as a young minister helped guide it toward merger with the American Unitarian Youth to form the Liberal Religious Youth, later recalling that “the youth led the way” to AUA and UCA consolidation (in 1961).

Robert Harold MacPherson was born on 9 February 1925 in Boston to Doris Hicks and Harold S. MacPherson and grew up in the West Somerville (MA) Universalist Church. Bob and his older brother David both studied at Tufts University and became ministers. Bob was ordained at his home church on 27 June 1948, but entered ministerial fellowship as a Unitarian minister and, until 1966, served parish ministries in Ohio, Maine, Mass. and NY.

Following a career turn, Bob earned a Ph.D. at Syracuse University, specializing in speech pathology. He started an audiology program at a Veterans Administration hospital in Asheville, NC, and eventually retired as Chief of Audiology and Speech Pathology there in 1993. All the while, Bob maintained associate fellowship with the UUA and would occasionally preach and conduct special services at UU churches.

Outside of his work in ministry and medicine, Bob was active with the Western Carolinians for Criminal justice, Planned Parenthood, Pisgah Legal Services, and as a singer and actor with the Asheville Community Theater. He also served on the Social Responsibility Committee of the UU congregation in Asheville.

At the time of Bob’s death, survivors included his son Ralph MacPherson, five grandchildren, three great- grandchildren, and his brother David MacPherson. His spouse, Ann Marie Haggerty MacPherson, died in 2015 and his son Robert Owen MacPherson in 2005.

The Reverend Berkley Moore—environmental engineer, musical scholar and hymnodist, settled and peripatetic preacher, and versatile polymath—died in Springfield, Illinois, on 4 January 2018, aged 85. Berkley was known for his scholarly curiosity and broad knowledge, from history to genetics to religion, and particularly music. He composed hymns and was an active member of the Illinois shape note singing community.

Berkley Leroy Moore was born on 7 August 1932 in Youngstown, Ohio, to James Berkley Moore and Lillian V.B. Moore. He earned a B.S. from Grove City College (PA) in 1954. After three years in chemical engineering research, he enrolled at Harvard Divinity School, earning an S.T.M. in 1960.

Mr. Moore was ordained by the All Souls Unitarian Church in Windsor, VT, on 14 April 1961. He continued serving that church along with the nearby First Universalist Church of Hartland until 1965, when he took another yoked call to Minnesota UU congregations in Virginia and Duluth.

Leaving full-time settled ministry, Berkley moved to Springfield, IL, in 1970, and began working as an engineer for the state’s Environmental Protection Agency. But he joined Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln UU Congregation and soon informally assumed many ministerial roles—preacher, pastor, and priest—until the church formally settled a new minister in 1981. The church remembers the Rev’d Mr. Moore’s arrival as a “turning point” in its history. After 25 years of such membership and service, the congregation named him Minister Emeritus.

At his death, Berkley was survived by his former wife Kathryn VanBuskirk, their sons James and Erik, his former wife and longtime friend Barbara Moore, and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life was held on 10 February 2018 at the Abraham Lincoln UU Congregation. 

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.

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).

Betty Carolyn Murdock died September 7, 2017, in Tulsa OK. The widow of the Reverend Dr. Virgil Murdock, she was 88 years old. Betty grew up in Hartshorne, OK where her parents, the late Elmer and Juanita Thrower, owned and published the Hartshorne Sun.

After high school, she attended Phillips University in Enid and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA degree in journalism. She worked as a reporter for The Daily Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times.

In 1955, she and her husband moved to Cambridge, MA where he attended Harvard Divinity School. They remained in Massachusetts, where he served a congregation for a few years, then became the Executive Director of the Benevolent Fraternity of Unitarian Churches. Betty was active in a number of charitable organizations in Massachusetts. After they retired to Tulsa in 1986, she was a Gillie at the Gilcrease Museum.

Survivors include her daughter, Lisa Carolyn Ake, and her husband Tracy Ake, of Bristow, VA; grandchildren, Hayley Ake, Hannah Ake, and Sam Ake; a sister, Janice Elliott of Nashville, TN; and a brother, Frank Thrower of Dallas, TX.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made in her name to All Souls Unitarian Church.

Messages of condolence may be sent to Lisa Murdock Ake, 9346 Angel Falls St., Bristow, VA  20136

The Reverend Dr. William R. Murry, Minister Emeritus of the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda, MD, and former President of Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, died July 6, 2017.

During his 17 year tenure at River Road, Bill Murry had a strong pulpit ministry with a major emphasis on social responsibility. The membership nearly doubled in size and their community service and social justice work increased considerably. In his seven years as President and Academic Dean of the Chicago seminary, Bill led in the growth and revitalization of that graduate professional school affiliated with the University of Chicago and the Unitarian Universalist Association. He appointed six new faculty members, expanded the curriculum and saw the student body increase from 60 to 115 students.

He was the author of numerous articles and three books including: A Faith for All Seasons: Liberal Religion and the Crises of Life, in which he presents liberal religious perspectives on the question of life’s meaning, the problems of pain and suffering, loss and grief, and death and Dying; Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the 21st Century, which articulates a humanism grounded in religious naturalism and responds to some criticisms of humanism; and Becoming More Fully Human: Religious Humanism as a Way of Life, which treats humanism as both a philosophy and a way of living with joy and responsibility.

His work for the Unitarian Universalist Association included serving three years as Chair of the planning committee of the National Social Justice Workshop, six years as Ministerial Settlement Representative for the Joseph Priestley District, and President of the Chesapeake chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association.

Bill was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1932. He held a B.A. from Oklahoma Baptist University, a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Theology and Culture from Drew University. He began his career as a Baptist pastor in Shelton, Connecticut, then accepted a joint appointment as University Minister at The Riverside Church and as the Campus Minister at Columbia University in New York City. Bill served from 1967 to 1970 as Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion at Goucher College in Towson, MD, and from 1970 to 1974 he was Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Bill became a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1977, and was called to the UU Church of Bloomington, Indiana, where he served on the Board of Planned Parenthood and helped to start hospice in that city. In 1980, he was called to the River Road Congregation in Bethesda where he also became active in affordable housing work. He was a founding member and first board chair of the Montgomery (County, MD) Housing Partnership, and also helped found the Unitarian Universalist Affordable Housing Corporation, which continues to serve the D.C. area. In 1995, he was recognized for his work in affordable housing by the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission.

After retiring from the Presidency of the Meadville Lombard seminary he continued his writing, speaking engagements and service as a board member of the UU Humanist Association. While living in Annapolis MD, he was a founding board member of the UU Legislative Ministry of Maryland and in 2012 was honored with the first “Creative Sage-ing Award” by the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association. More recently he co-edited the anthology Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism.

At the 2017 UU General Assembly in New Orleans, the UU Humanist Association honored him as the first recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award “for extraordinary contributions to Religious Humanism and Unitarian Universalism.” Bill Murry was an inspiring teacher and mentor to a great many members of the UU clergy as well as countless laypersons and professed humanists across the country. The influence of his powerful sermons, lectures and books will continue to enrich and enlighten many.

Phyllis M. McKeeman, widow of the Reverend Dr. Gordon B. McKeeman passed away peacefully on January 7, 2017 at the age of 93. She was born on August 7, 1923 in Swampscott, MA. to Charles F. and Edith (Pedrick) Bradstreet. Phyllis was a fourth-generation Universalist and met her future husband, Gordon B. McKeeman, at the Universalist Church youth group in Lynn, MA. She and Gordon were married in Lynn on Nov. 5, 1944. He became a Universalist minister, and then a Unitarian-Universalist (UU) minister and together they served four churches in Massachusetts and Ohio. From 1983 to 1988 they lived in California as Gordon served as President of Starr King School for the Ministry.

Phyllis fulfilled a variety of church roles wherever they happened to be living. She served on the merger committee for the Universalist and Unitarian Women’s organizations and on the first Board of the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation. She was office secretary and then coordinator of the Ohio-Meadville District of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) from 1965–1983. Part of that time she was also Chair of Region II for the UUA Annual Program Fund. Phyllis was awarded the UU Unsung Award by Ohio-Meadville District in 1976. She and Gordon were presented the UUA Award for Distinguished Service in 1993.

Although they raised three boys, Phyllis had grown up in Girl Scouting and became an active leader and trainer/consultant in the Girl Scouts and received the Thanks Badge award. She loved the outdoors and spent many years camping with the family. She also enjoyed knitting and playing cribbage.

She and Gordon retired to Charlottesville, VA in 1988 and moved to Rochester, MN in 2010. They were married for 69 years at the time of Gordon’s death in 2013.

Phyllis is survived by her three sons: Bruce, Glenn, and Randall; four grandchildren: Jennifer (Colin) Clark, Neil McKeeman, Alanna McKeeman, and Leland McKeeman; a great-grandchild, Sean Clark; and her sister-in law, Gloria King.

Memorials are suggested to the Unitarian Universalist Association; Girl Scouts of America; or the Alzheimer’s Association. Notes of condolence may be sent to Randall at his email address: rsmckeeman@hotmail.com