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Episcopal Church Receives $532,000 Bequest

Diocesan Press Service. October 28, 1974 [74292]

TEXARKANA, Tex. -- The Episcopal Church recently received a bequest of approximately $532,000, one of the largest single legacies ever left to the national church.

The benefactor was Mrs. Hiram (LaVerne) McCurry of Texarkana, Tex., who died in October, 1973, at the age of 87.

Mrs. McCurry also left $20,000 to her parish, St. James Episcopal Church in Texarkana, to pay her pledge in perpetuity; $10,000 to the Diocese of Dallas for theological education; and $2,500 to the Daughters of the King of which she was a member for more than 50 years.

According to Mrs. McCurry's will, the legacy to the national church will be used for domestic mission work.

According to close friends of Mrs. McCurry, she and her husband, who preceded her in death by several years, had agreed many years ago that the church would be the recipient of their entire estate. However, not even her rector, the Rev. Richard C. Allen, knew that their was their intention.

"She unquestionably denied herself bodily comforts in order to leave as much as possible to the church at her death," said Fr. Allen. "The McCurrys never owned a new car," he said. "They always bought a used car and drove its wheels off."

He said that "no one would have guessed that the McCurrys had amassed such a fortune, but no one is very surprised that the whole estate would go to the Episcopal Church."

"St. James Church sits almost on the state line between Texas and Arkansas, just on the Texas side," Fr. Allen said. "St. James and the local Roman Catholic Church are the only racially integrated churches in Texarkana," he said.

"In recent years," according to Fr. Allen, "life in St. James might be called 'risk.' Not only did the parish survive racial integration, but it was chosen as one of the original 12 parishes in the national Project Test Pattern, " he added.

"Ours is a story of an old parish willing to risk as it seeks to deepen its mission and willing to risk the use of management consultants to take a good look at itself, its clergy, its people and its life style as a Christian parish, " said Fr. Allen.

Her rector said that Mrs. McCurry was of the "old school," though she never expressed dismay or disapproval over the social changes occurring in her parish and community. There was a time, however, he said, "when she was disturbed as the parish changed from a Morning Prayer parish to a Eucharist centered parish some years ago."

Several years ago Mrs. McCurry wrote a History of St. James Church, which described the major events in the life of the parish during the rectorship of its 21 clergy. St. James will celebrate its centennial in 1976.

The McCurrys made their fortune in a credit association founded by Mrs. McCurry's father.

Oscar C. Carr, executive for development of the Executive Council staff, recently went to Texarkana to receive the check on behalf of the national church.