Stanford Memorial Church - History - Chaplains

Chaplains

Stanford Memorial Church, throughout its history, has been served by chaplains who have been influential amongst the Stanford University student body and community at large. R. Heber Newton, the first and last pastor of Stanford Memorial Church, resigned after four months in 1903 "because he disagreed with Mrs. Stanford on some aspects of church management". According to Stanford biographer Robert W. P. Cutler, "Newton's tenure had been a disappointment to Mrs. Stanford". Newton had been rector of All Souls' Church, New York City (1869–1902). He was a leader in the Social Gospel movement, a supporter of Higher Criticism of the Bible, and sought to unify Christian churches in the United States. David Charles Gardner, who replaced Newton and was the first chaplain of Stanford Memorial Church, served the church from 1903 to 1936. An Episcopal minister, Gardner was known as "the Padre" to his students at Stanford. He was born in England, immigrated to the U.S. when he was twenty-one years old, and attended seminary near San Francisco. Gardner taught courses in Biblical history and literature at Stanford. Edith Mirrielees, a student, professor, and Stanford historian, considered him "a preacher of only indifferent ability" but "a strength to the whole university". According to her he was the prime mover behind the creation of the Stanford Home for Convalescent Children, established in 1919, which eventually became the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

D. Elton Trueblood, a Quaker, was the church's chaplain from 1936 to 1946. Trueblood was also a professor of philosophy of religion at Stanford and wrote 33 books, including one about Abraham Lincoln. Trueblood and his wife hosted monthly Friends meetings in their home. He met weekly with Orthodox Jewish students in the vestry of Stanford Memorial Church. Trueblood left Stanford to go to Earlham College. George J. Hall was the interim chaplain between Trueblood and Robert "Rabb" M. Minto, who, except for a short break in his employment in 1949, worked at Stanford for almost twenty years, from 1947–1965. Ordained in the Church of Scotland, Minto was known for his handwritten marriage certificates. Paul C. Johnston filled in during Minto's break.

Stanford's next two chaplains, B. David Napier (1966–72) and Robert McAfee Brown (1972–73), were among the most politically active chaplains. Napier was an ordained Congregational minister. He was born in China to missionary parents, grew up in the American South, and went to seminary at Yale. He gained fame among Stanford students "for his efforts to relate Scripture to the turbulent political times of the late 1960s". Napier was a "charismatic biblical scholar ... a powerful critic of U.S. policy in Vietnam". Napier was also a "gifted" preacher and jazz pianist. Brown, the author of 29 books, became "an international leader in civil rights, ecumenical and social justice causes". He also protested U.S. involvement in Vietnam and taught religion and ethics in relation to contemporary life and literature.

Robert Hamerton-Kelly (1972–86), born in South Africa, was a United Methodist minister. He taught religion, classics, and Greek at Stanford. Thomas Ambrogi was the acting dean in 1986. He was a former Jesuit priest who was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto, and referred to himself as " a transdenominational Christian with roots in the Catholic tradition". Robert C. Gregg (1987–98), was born in Texas and ordained as an Episcopal minister. He was also Professor of Religious Studies. Kelly Denton-Borhaug (1999–2000), a Lutheran minister, came to Stanford in 1996 as an associate dean.