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Title
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Fitch, Frank L.
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extracted text
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F R AN K
L
F I T CH
1 8 8 3
-oFrankL. Fitch, fourth of the six children of
Charles L. Fitch and Nancy Ann Rumbaugh, was born
on July 14, 1883, in Byron Center, Mi chi gan.
The
local ten- grade school supplied his ea rly education,
after which he taught for three years in the neighborhood rural schools.
I n September 1904, he en-
tered Albion College as a preparatory student.
This course was interrupted in the fall of 1905 for
another t eaching year, this time in the Byron Center
Schools a s Principal .
m a r~ed
The return to Albion in 1906
the be ginning of four years of self-help such
as servin g as boarding club steward, waiting on
table, washing dishes, sin ging in the choirs of the
Pres byterian and Baptist Churches of Albion, and a
senior year spent as student pastor of the Tom pkins
Meth odist Circuit of three churches in J a ckson
County.
This, supplemented by a f our years' tuition
scholarship and occasional help from the Student
Loa n Fund, enabled him to graduate in June 1910 with
an indebtedness of only three hundred and t wenty
dollars.
In add i tion to the de gree of A. B., he
2
also rec eived a Coll ege Teacher's Certificate, whi ch
was later ma de a l ife certificate by the State Board
of Educati on.
In colle ge, he was a member of the
erary Society, which combined with the
A~naeum
Si~1a
Lit-
Nu Fra-
ternity in 1909, substituted as an instructor in
American History in the College, served as first
tenor in the Coll ege Ma l e Quartette, and as son g
leader and soloist on various Gospel Te ams durin g
spring vacations.
In the summer of 1907, he accom-
panied Evange list David Reed as song leader in severaJ
tent meetings, during one of whi ch, at
Re~din g ,
Michi gan, he met his future wife, Re o Louise Buchanan,
a graduate that year of l he Thomas Normal Traini ng
School of Detroit.
The wedding took place on June
22nd, 19 10 , in Albion, with home-making i mmediately
afterward on his student circuit at East Springport,
Michi gan.
In September 1910, he was received into
the Michi gan Conference a t Jackson on trial.
Then followed t wo years at Concord, Jackson
County, includin g ordination as Deacon by Bishop
Cra nston at Big Rapids.
Then came a supernumerary
year with fi ve months of it spent in evangelistic
work wi th W. Leroy MacDiarmid, one of his teachers in
public school and lon gtime friend.
The desire to
3
return to the pastorate outweighed that of public
evangelism, and February 1914 found the Fitches in
Brown City, Sanilac County, where they completed the
conference year for a predecessor and then served
three additional years.
Notable among their events
were the razing of the outmoded structure and the
constructing of a commodious brick house of worship,
and the arrival of Reba Margaret, now a graduate
nurse in Br onson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo.
In September 1914, Frank was ordained Elder by
Bishop Burt at Sa ginaw and tr ansferred to the Detroit
Conference.
September 1917, found the f am ily settled in
Detroit and servin g the Jefferson Avenue Church
where they spent three years until Bishop Henderson
appointed him as one of the associate pastors of
Dr. Lynn Harold Hough at Central Church, Detroit.
Richard Harlan, now a Freshman in Albion College,
was born durin g the Jefferson Av enue pastorate.
The two years at Centr a l Church wer e made alternat ely
joyous and sad by the birth and early death of
Weldon Buchanan.
Then came the Dearborn pastorate
of four years as s uccessor to Dr. William Dawe.
The
old church prop erty on Jiil i chi gan Avenue was sold, the
parsonage moved to a new site and completely modern-
4
ized, and a fine new location secured for the erectior
·of an up-to-date cathedral type stone church which
was dedicated in November 1926.
Frank Russell, now
a second year Junior Highschooler, was born at
Dearborn.
Next there were three years a t the historic
First Church of Pontiac, and then four years in Saginaw at t he Jefferson Avenue Church. ·
From here, in
May 1932, he was sent as a Conference Delegate to the
Genera l Conference held in Atlantic City.
This was
an unusual opportunity which was shared by the whole
family with a deli ghtful month spent at the famous
resort.
The fall of 1933 moved the family to Royal
Oak with its enviable worship and educational p lant,
its distressing debt, and its courageous membership.
As soon as possible, a new financing plan was adopted,
and principal and interest payments were resumed.
This pastorate a lso saw the inauguration of a Wes tminster Choir program for the Church, which proceeded
to revolutionize th e music life of the community.
The Roya l Oak four years ended at the Marquette
Conference in 1937, with his e lection by ballot and
appointment to the superintendency of the Port Huron
District, of which one year has now been served
The Conference of 1938 h eld at Trinity Church,
(19 3~
5
Hi ghland Park, chose him one of the three dele gates
to represent the Detroit Conference at the Uniting
Conference to be held in April 1939.
This great
gathering will be confronted by the important task
of seeking to combine and harmonize the many Boards
and Societies of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
t,he Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the
Methodist Protestant Church, into what will be known
as The Methodist Church.
The foregoin g was written
at Port Sanilac, Michigan, September 1938.
BIOGRAPHICAL BLANK
FO~
DETTIOIT CONFEBENCE
- THE
----·----
HI8rORICP~
SOID1ETY
When filled in please return to J. A. Halmhuber, 13100 Wvcdward, Highland Park,
Mlc hi gan.
-
N&me in full:
Birth:
Frank L. Fit ch
Date
Place ----E~~~~c~~~~~be~--
yrgn ontor , Mieh .
Jul y 1 4 , 1 883
Personal Appearance
Height 5 - g 3.fiiei ght___lu;B;;uO.L--___Color of Hair Gray
Eyes
Blu e
Family Background:
1. Father's Nane in Full
t
Charles L . F i t ch
Date of Birth ....;1;;:;.8;:::;.5= 1----....:Place
p
_N. Y. Nat ionality
E n gl; s b
Nancy Ann ~um
~~
b~a~u~mn
~---------------------------
2. Mother's Maiden Name
Date of Birth:
Manliu s
185 0
Pla ce
Green Co . 0 ,
Nationality Penn
Dn tc h
Place ---~A~n
~t
.!:::.w
~
e~r...Jop'-l,a-..l0"'-"9 ---------------
3. Marriage of Pc.rents: Date 1 8 7 4
4. Places of residence _.....=:
B:...zy....:r~o~n
;!_C
.:...::::
e.!.;
n~t~e:'..:!r~,L.....:D
~~
u t~
t~ou.n~P;..._lM
!l.!.l
J....~.:.
C.u
hui...!:~;J;awnJ..._______________
5. Names of Brothe rs and Sister s
Ve r aFitch Vars ey ;
tlf
Gi lbe r t A : Fr ed D; Al b ert
T. ;
J enni e Fitch We bb , Flora F i t c h Co ope r,
6. Note distinguished s e r vices for which any br others or siste rs are known:
Albe rt L F itch, fr ofesso r Phy s ics Univ. of Maine
Al s o li s t e d i n Wh o 1 s Who I n Ame ric a.
?~
All available information concerning parents , race, nationality, education,
occupations, connections, services, death, etc.
!<'ath er b egab as a c oope r and fi nished as a farme r.
PERSONAL HISTORY
1. Education:
Schools, degr ees , e tc •. :fubl i c S c hoo l ; High S c hoo l; Al bi o n
Co llege A. B .
also D. D. from s ame
2. No t eworthy experiences or childhood an d youth -------------------------------
3 . Marriage :
•
Date
J une 22, 1910
4 . Wife's Maiden Name
~....Plac e --~A
;::.:.
lb
.O::..:::
i.¥
o.:.i
n~,......;;M~1~c...._.b
..,.._
• ______
~By Whom· __D
_
r...;;;
E_.--"-A;;..:•;.......;A.:;:r:;.:m
:.::.s=
t=r~
o.;:;,
nlil:;lg-.__ _
Heo Loui s e Buchanan
Schools
Readi
SnboQl
. ... n.. g High
..........
..
.
5. Names of chi ldr en , with date and pl ace of birth ----~R~e~b"a~MB
~.
r~g~aur~e~t~
,~
J~
, ,..,.
0~e~7~, 1 9 1 5
Ric h ard Har l an, May: 21., 1920; Frank Rus·se ll, De c . 1 4, 1 9 28 .
6 . Careers of chi ldren , wi t h PC?.S Hions, of f ic es··held·;· et·c .
.
R~ba .Marfjaret, Regist~r ed Nurse in Ic~.~~ng With Ai r · c a r ps .
';
.
?. Your religious experience and
Cht~ch
connections :
Con vert ed a t thi rteen y ea:t2s : T~ac~ins. S !--~~·=--~-~:~
SanA: in Cho irs. Member a t B:y:ron Gen t e r '-~l_icfii gan, until___.
enter ed ministry.
a.
Your call to the Christi an ministry
FeJt d efinit e ly c allee dur.i.l:l.g_.Iunior Yea r i n Col l eP-:e.
Beg~n pres c h ing as s t.ud e:'tlt pa..,stoT' i n s emd:or y eer c
--------------------------------------
9. When and where admitted on Trial and Ordinations:
?~~t emb e r 1910, r e ce ived on tri a l
~
1~n~M~1~cMl~
I1hg
~a
~n
~c~o~n·fT~e~
zn•e"r~
Ic"e
~
a t J a c:kson . orscrnnred Deacon a t; Bi g Rap ids ln 1912 by Bishop
CranstOn. OI'd!'f1ned Elder· at; Saginaw 1-.rr-1914· by Bi s hop 'Bat·L .
10. Military record -------------------------------------------------------11. Public offices
12. Favorite
Hold Tea cher ' s St a te Life Certificate in Mich .
-------------------------------------------------------Paint ing ,
recreations, hobbies, etc.
-------------------------------------
14. Author of what books and Publicat ions
~ardening .
---------
15. Member of What Clubs and Fr a terna1 Societ;i.es
Exchange Club, Monroe.
Sigma Nu Fraterni t y (College )
Student Appt : Pope and Griffith, 19091911; Concord , 1911-13; Supe rnumer a ry, 1913-14 ; Howe ver was
apnoint ed t o Br~~~Jan. 1914 an d continued t o Sept. 1917;
J~ff e rs on Ave. Detro it , 191'7-1920; Ce ntr a l , De trcdt, As~ociat-e
1 20-1922; Dearborn, 1922-1926; t<'tts t Chuncfi'~ .:t'onflao, 1926-1929;
11. CliV¢ri//~ii~ri~!tl/~~iiiAAi'l/
· · ··J eff erson Ave. ~inaw, l929-l933; Royal Oak, 1933 -1937; Dis 't .
· ·Sup 't . Port Huron District, 1937-1942 ; Monroe, l942-
16. Appointments served With da t es
18. 'Biogra-phical comments, expe riences ) epi sode s - - - - - - -- - -- - - - -
. .
----- ------------------.... ..
-----------------------·---~
· ..
.
19. Can you give on e. sepa r a t e pape r one or two or three ·dramati" :in'c iderlts ·
. ·: · .
·occurr i ng during your ministry wh.ich·.might b e published in a book :· v.ncl.~r' ~ch" ·
·e. 't 'itla as · "Highlights of Met hodist ·-Mind.sters 11.'(
•
.. . .
•.
~ ·· · · . .. .
s
• • •, .
1.
'
..
:· ". .·.. . , ...
20. Ir-·the ·subject of· t h is sketch is decea sed, please. give .
D
. .. . ......... . . ..... .
.
a
W
I
-
I
Scenes of 8ther crJays.l
!-·-- - -..~...L.~li.~-~
f
;Yo" , I ef ( 1 ~ 1
;til C A ,
A Welcome to the Fitches
J effcrson Avenue Methodist church,
Saginaw, held a reception in the church
parlors on Frid ay evening, Oct. 11 , in
honor of the new pastor, Rev. Frank L.
Fitch and fam ily.
The following welcome speech is expressive of the congregation 's delight in
their new pastor:
Greetings, Rev. and Mrs. Fitch and wee
Fitches three,
From each and cv'ry one in this community;
Our hearts o'erflow with welcome and
we wish you well
Throughout the course of time that you
may wi~' us dwell. ,
tJ r, ,.._,_ 1
We arc hoping to be your friend s in
name and deed;
How well we know that here below 'tis
parents. ~ ~~ 0 1 , }9c,
friends we need.
DR. FRANK L. FirCH, 80, retired
Many are the tidings we've had from far member of the Detroit Conference died
April 2 at his hom e, 905 Hills ide Court
and wide,
Rolling, rolling in as docs the ocean tide, Yps ilanti. He was bom in Byron Center'
J oyous tidings from th e north, south, cast Ju ly 14, 1883, the son of Cha l'les and
Nancy Rumbaugh Fitch. H e married
and west,
From acquaintances and friends who ~eo L. Buchanan June 22, 1910, in AlbiOn.
know you best.
Dr. Fitch g mduated from Albion ColTonight we happy a re, yes, happy as can
lege in 1910 and received an honorary
be
To 11ave with us Rev. and Mrs. a nd docto t· of divinity degree in 1942 from
the college. He was r eceived into the
• - · \.!Q;l.tl..J'.J:.:-"" 0
Michigan Conference on trial in 1910
and into fu ll mem bers hip in 1912,
DR. F R ANK L. FITCH s erving pastorates at Tompkins and Conervices for Dr. Fitch, a veteran 1
cot·d. Transferring to the Dett·oit Conethodist minister who served
fere nce in 1914, he held pastorates at
ma ny Detroit- area churches,
Brown City, Detroit Jefferson Avenue
will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the
Detroit Central a ssociate, Dearborn:
First Methodist Church, Ann
Arbor. Burial wlll be in MaJ?lePontine Firs t, Saginaw Jciferson Avewood Cemetery, Reading, Mtch.
Paul
Dr. Fitch, 80, died Thursday
nue, Royal Oak First, Monroe and De~t fi- in his home, 905 Hillside Court,
troit Grace. Dr. Fitch also served as
::oun- Ypsilanti.
superintendent of the Port Huron DisHe was superintendent or the
trict and closed hi s a ctive ministry in
J\ ~ Ann Arbor cllstrict of Method1954, retiring from the s uperintendency
!:'~ ist Churches prior to his retireof the Ann Arbor Dis trict. After retire"1.f~8 ment in 1954.
•
1
ment the Fitches moved to Yps ilanti.
~
A 1910 graduate of . Albton
• College, Dr. Fitch was gtven an
Surviving bes ides his wife are a son,
honora ry degree of doctor or
Rev. Richard H. Fitch of Haywood,
divinitY by Albion in 1942.
Ca lif.; a daug hte t·, Mrs . Philip Robinson
Dr. Fitch Is survived by his
of Yps ilanti; a brother, Dr. Albert Fitch
tet- wife, Reo: a son, the Rev.
of New Sharon, Me.; and seven grandRichard H .; a daughter, Mrs.
childre n. A son, Frank R., died in 1962.
Phl\ip Robinson ; a broth~r, Dr.
Albert, and seven g.r andchtldren.
Funeral services were held in First
Dr. F itch, a nattve o! Byron A
er
Center, Mich., w ill be at the A
Stevens & ,Bush Funeral Hom~, ec
1•
1 9 N. H amilton, Ypsilanti, until e
iB· 11 a.m. Monday.
fl
f
-
BENJAl\UN E. JAFFE
Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, April 6,
with Bis hop Marshall R. Reed g iving the
sermon. Other participating clergy-111en
were Hoover Rupert, Erland Wangdahl,
and Edwin Stricker. Burial took place
in Maplewood Cemetery, R eading.
MR. AND MRS. DAVID C. FITCH
and four children left Lansing for Bangkok, Thailand, on June 27. Mr. Fitch
has been employed by the Michigan E ducation Commission for the past several
years and has resigned to work with the
Public Administration Services of Chicago. The son of R ev. and Mrs. F. J.
Fitch of Muskegon, h e is a graduate of
the Scottville High School and MSU.
Mrs. Fitch, a registered nurse, is a graduate of Sparrow Hospital, Lansing. The
appointment to Ban~kok is for two
~ears.
"'/ _ ~ - r, ~
Ol
:;J.il
Dr. Frank L. Fitch
r
r
MRS. FRANK L. FITCH, w icio ,,· of the
late Dr. ·F rank L. Fitch, died suddenly
Decem ber 7, while attending the Ann
Arbor District Preacher s ' meeting in
Ply mouth. She was born in Reading,
April 4, 1888, the daughter of J. N . and
Myrtle Johns on Buchanan and m a rried
Dr. Fitch in Albion on June 22, 1910.
H e died April 2, 1964. Together they
served pastorates at Tompkins Corner
and Concord in the Michigan Conference.
Transferring to the Detroit Conference
in 1914, they served at Brown City, Det r oit Jefferson Ave., and as associate a t
Detroit Central, Dearborn F ir st, Pont iac
First, Saginaw Jefferson Ave., Royal
Oak First, Monroe, and Detroit Grace.
Dr. Fitch served in retirement for sh ort
periods at Dixboro, and West Side, Ann
Arbor. Through their guidance two
chur ches were bu ilt, the present ones at
Brown City and First Church, Dearborn.
Mrs. Fitch graduated f rom the Thomas
Normal Training S chool of Detroit in
1907, and taugh t home economics a short
time before returning to Albion College
for fu r ther study. S he is remembered
by her many friends as a very loyal,
under standing minister's wife and her
warm person ality and love of people
brought much help and council t o the
churches and work on the districts. She
was a member of First Church, Ann
Arbor, a nd t he Esther Circle. She was
g iven an honorary life membership and
pin in the W SCS.
S urviving are one son, Rev. Richard
H. Fitch, 1711 Highland Blvd., H ayward,
Calif. ; one daughter, Mrs. Philip W.
(Reba) R obinson, 907 Hillside Ct., Yps ilanti ; seven grandchildren; and one
brother, Ray Buchanan of Fort Wayne,
Indiana. A s on, Frank Russell, and a
sister, Edna Buchana n, preceded her in
death. Funeral ser vices were held in
Firs t Methodist Church, Ann Arb or,
Dec. 10, with Bishop Marshall R. R eed
officiating assisted by Dr. Hoover
Rupert and Rev. Burlin Main. The family has established a joint Memorial
Fund for both Dr. and Mrs. Fitch at
First Methodist Church, Ann Arbor.
MARCH 4, 1965
MRS. FltANK FITCH of Ypsilanti,
widow of the la te Dr. F ra nk Fitch of
the Detroit Conference, tli ed suddenly
December 7 at the din ner table in the
Plymouth church while attending the
Ann Arbor District meeting and Christmas party. H er husband died last April.
I 2./1 1/ 6./f
REBA MARGARET (FITCH)
ROBINSON died Nov. 21 at St.
Joseph Mercy Hospital following
a brief il lness. She was born June
7, 191 5, the daughter of the Rev.
Fran k - L and Reo Lou ise
i--.:.;,;_::::..:.!....:.F..:.it:.::,ch. On Dec. 27,
1946 she was
married
to
Philip W. Robininson. He preceded her in
death March 3,
1976. She was
an active member of Ann Arbor First UMC
and had been
actively involved in numerous
civic organizations in Ypsilanti
where she lived. During World
War ll _she served as a registered
nurse 1n the U.S. Army. Survivors
include three daughters, Judith L.
(George) Mott of Macungie, PA,
Beverly L. (Dennis) Gu iser of
Algonac, Ml and Christine R.
(Scott) Zimostrad of Midland Ml ·
eight grandchildren ; .one g'reat
grandson an~yey~ral nieces and
nephews. / / Jt; 'I~~
Fitch, Frank L.