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Title
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Edwards, Ralph A.
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extracted text
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MINISTERIAL BIOGRAPHI CAL FORM
DETROIT CONFERENCE HISTORICAL SOCIETY FILE
16 October 1976
Date of Record
--------------------------
NAME
( l a.st)
BI RTH
A.
RALPH
ED\~ARDS
(first)
Kansas City , Kansas
(pla ce)
l / 17/20 ··
(date)
(middle)
PERSONAL APPEARANCE__~~~·-q~·~·~~--------~1~
4·5~~----~B~l~on~d~e~--~
blu_e~----(height)
(weight)
(hair)
(e yes)
FM1I LY BACKGROUND:
Fathert s name in full ·George Ernest Edwards
--------------------------------------------------Li·ve stock buyer
Occup a tion_ _ _ _ __
Da te · of birthl2/2l /9l
Mothe r t s Maiden Name
Dat e of birth 7/3/89
~
Na tiona lity
\~elsh
l
Verna Truesdale
Na tiona lity __A_m_e_r_ic_a_n________________________
Any no tabi e it em in f a mil;y hist ory ( Public Ser v ice , Authorship ,
Inventi on , Edu cat ion, Medi c i ne , et c .)
PERSONAL HISTORY : · 1.
Re ligio us Exper i ence and Chu rc h Wor k before enteri ng t he r·Un i s try
Active in church school from birth; member of Epworth League; conve~~ion experience in <Efie ·old fashioned Institute at I•Ie:Kem1I ee eollgge ,
2.
Cal l t o the Min istry_____________________________________________
J.
Education:
co llege
Sch ool s and Degrees--High Sch ool_______________________
McKendree
Seminary______________________________
_
Garrett
Post-Gr?duate
4.
----~--------------------------------------------
Admitted on Trial, 2nd Ordin3tions:
June 1945, Wi sconsin Conference, on trial and ordained deacon
.Ippe 1 947, Wisco~s\Il: ~~mt:er~nc~,
admitted in full, ordained elder
(over)
'.
2
l\t\RRIAGE :
6.
Place Dol ton 1 Illinois
Date 6/17/44
WIFE IS NAIDEN NPJ.ill.___B_e_t_ta...;J;...·e_a_n_N_a_ir_n_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
EDUCATION___________N_o_r_t_h_w_e_s_te_r_n__u_n_i_v_e_r_s_i_t_y_s_c_h_o_o_l__o_f__N_ur
__
s_in_g______________
7•
CHILDREN:
NAl'.m~B;o:oar~b-ar":"'!:a~E-l~r-·z_a_b_et_h_ _ _ _ _ _ _.DATE OF BIRTH 12/25/46
Priscilla Anne
""
--~r~;~z~s~/48~--------Cynthia Jean
6/10/53
Ge orge David Wesley ···· ·
8.
9/9/ 59
APPOINTf.'IENTS SERVED, WITH DATES:
~les ley Church
Bristol 1 Wisconsin, 1945-1947; North Prarae,, 1947-1948 ; Sheboygan 1 1948-1950;
-----~----------~-~--~~~~--~-----~-~-~--~-----~------------~-~-~~~-~Crandon,·-A:monne', ~9~0sl9$~ . . East Tawas-Tawas City, 1955-1963; Freeland, 1963-1967;
----~----------------~-----~----------------~-----------------------Newberry-Paradise , '1975-~-~--------------------~--~~--~~~-----~---~~-----------------~--~--
9.
-~---------~--------~~---~--~---------------~----------~-------~---~OFFICES HELD I N THE CONFERENCE, OR ON DISTRICT:
-------------------~----------------------------~---------~---~---~-~-~--------------------~~--~-------~-~--~----~---------------~--~---
10.
-------~~~----~----~--~-~----------------~-------~------------------PUBLIC OR CGr1MUNITY OFFICES:
-...................___.._-- -----·----;........ .................;..
~
~..;-~
______..:,_______..;_____ -------
-------------------~-~-~---~--~-----~---~~-------~----~------~----11.
SERVICE RECORD WITH U o S. ARMED FORCE!ff:
U. S .NavvAirCorns
4months
ln1'2 ... ...
·
....... .. ..
· ··
·
~ · ~·
-~------~------·-·-------~--~---~------------~-----------~----~---12.
tffiiTINGS- -ARTICLES OR BOOKS:
-~------~- ------~-----~~~~~----~w•------~ ------~ -------- ---- ----~--~-~
~~-----------~~--~-~ --~~-~~~~--~------ ------~~----~~----~-------- ---RECREATION, HOBBIES , ET C.
Hunt i ng , camping , swimmi ng , gardening, woodwor king, mus i c ,
_____........... ______
;,.·----~
.
. .
...-------~ ----------- - -- -- --------- - - ---- - ----------
----------------------=----.;..:..:.·-_.._____________. .________________________ _
-----------~------~--~----~---------------~-~----~---~-------------
·'
- 3 -
~14.
CLUBS AND FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS :
---~------~--~----~~-~---- -~---~----~--------~-~--------------~---~~
--~------------------~----------~~~--------------~--~~- --- - ---------
15.
List one or t wo it ems which you consid e r outsta nd lng in your !.Unistry ;
such a s a Building Program, an Eva ngelisti c Crus ade, a n exceptione.l
cls.ss of ne'-J members , some bit of community service, etc.
CL I P P I N GS
(a bout y ou per sona llY or your mi n is t r y )
Use reverse side of this page for a ny a dditiona l information you wish
to give.
If the subject of this sket ch is de ceas ed, p l ea se ent er:
DATE OF DEATH._________________________ PLACE________________________
PLACE OF BURIAL·------------------~---------------------------------
Co-··
-·---·itte8
Fer s onol Inf o r o~ ti c n Shee t
COHHIS SI ON ON PUBLIC riEL;.T::.ONS
ond METHODIST I NFO::Jivt;.TI ON
De tr oit Annual Cc nfe r e nc c ,
THE UNITED i·1ETHODIST CIWnC~I
ll. Nnoe
D:-. t ·
I.:'~.Jnti..fic 3.t i on
J'lu::;ber _
ED\VAJU>S. RALP H A UllR'EY - (T.,
Wis., 1945; F., 1947) 19-15 Bristol; 19-17
North
Prnir ie-Englc ;
195S
Sh ebon;~n ;
\\'cslcy: 1950 Crandon-A rgonne ; 19SG Dot.,
E.1s: Ta\\'a<; 196.3 Frcebncl ; 1967 Hnr pcr
\\". ods : Rc.~dccmcr. llo :u<': ~o.:.;z .Anita. P h.
SSI -.159S.
~4- 2Q.i5.
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cf. £/){4/d/Z/)~~
(os y ou wis h it us ed i n
Church: 20o71 \'e rnic r Rd.
Dirthdcte
pc~crs )
2.
Pr e s e nt po sitio n
Pre sent
4.
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The Rev. Ralph and Betta Jean Edwards
"Old ministers don't retire,
they just go out to pastor,''
observes the Rev. Ralph
Edwards.
Edwards and his wife, Betta
Jean of South Lyon, have done
just that. He was a UMC minister for 40 years before retiring, but he merely transferred
his enthusiasm to other fields
of endeavor.
The Edwards' volunteer
activities were reported, complete with pictures, in the
South Lyon Herald, April 28,
1994. As volunteers they have
made significant contributions. They received awards at
a CHEERS event Apr. 20, in
the South Lyon High School.
According to the story in the
Herald, it happened this way;
"A couple of years ago they attended a ceremony on the
grounds of the new high
school. A woman who was
working with special education
students in driver's training
was there. The woman was going to have to quit the job and
was looking for someone to
take her place.
"Betta Jean Edwards had
done some work with special
education some years back and
expressed an interest. Principal
Larry Jackson overheard the
whole conversation and latched onto her before she had a
chance to change her mind.
" Betta Jean started meeting
with a few students a couple of
days a week, but then as her
duties grew she took on some
more hours and eventually
drafted her husband for assistance. Ralph Edwards said
their job is an important one,
since the special" ed students
might not have much success
earning a driver's license without a little extra help."
When they received their
CHEERS award, they stood
before nearly 200 CHEERS
volunteers for the ceremony.
After retirement Edwards
served as part-time associate
for the Dexter U MC for a year
and a half, then in the South
Lyon UMC four years.
''When I retired from that
position, the SPPR committee
named me Pastor Emeritus so
they had justification for getting more service from me,''
Edwards said.
- Harriet Fields
Edwards, Ralph A.