Episcopal Historiographers Meet
Diocesan Press Service. July 21, 1975 [75252]
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- The National Conference of Episcopal Historiographers met for the first time on the West Coast at the Marylhurst Educational Center (nine miles south of Portland, Ore.) in Lake Oswego, Ore., on June 25-27, 1975. Some 37 were present from all over the country -- from Maine, from the Virgin Islands, from Los Angeles, from Washington (State) -- and from many dioceses in between.
Perhaps the high point of the three-day conference and seminar was the bicentennial program put on in the "Up-Stage" Theatre at Marylhurst by the Rev. and Mrs. John Rawlinson of San Leandre, Cal., together with the assistance of the Rev. Page Bigelow of the Bicentennial Commission of the Episcopal Church at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City. Their presentation was said to be preliminary and exploratory to what may be officially given at General Convention in Minneapolis, Minn., in September 1976. It was a running assembly of colored slides simultaneously on three screens, with audio background music, words, and dramatic interpretation.
On the first night of the conference Col. E.S. Peake, of Livermore Cal., gave a presentation entitled "The Bishop Kip Saga" of Kip's 40 years as the first Bishop of California. The Oregon Historical Society gave a video-tape presentation on Thursday morning about the "Preservation and Restoration of Historical Documents." The Rev. Canon Thomas E. Jessot, of Olympia gave an hour's review of early Anglicanism among the Indians of the Northwest (having to do especially with Chief Spokan Garry). On the last night Dr. Nelson Burr of Hartford, Conn., gave an illustrated slide lecture on "The Pioneer Church in the Northwest Territories " (being the Northwest Territories of the United States from Wisconsin to California to Alaska).
On Thursday morning at 7 in the Marylhurst Chapel the Rt. Rev. Matthew P. Bigliardi, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Oregon, celebrated a Eucharist for the assembled historiographers. He used an historic chalice marked " Loon Kerk, 1745," said to have been used by a Presbyterian Chaplain in George Washington's Army!
On Friday, the 27th of June, 31 out of the 37 went on an historic bus tour from Marylhurst to St. Mark's Church, Hood River (Diocese of Eastern Oregon). Then they went on to old St. Paul's Church, The Dalles, where the Rt. Rev. William B. Spofford, Jr., Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern Oregon celebrated the Eucharist, followed by luncheon in the new St. Paul's Church, on the hill above the city. On the return trip the bus load of historiographers returned as far as Hood River, then across the old Barlow Trail through Mt. Hood Meadows, then back around the southern slope of Mt. Hood to Portland.
The next national meeting of Episcopal Historiographers will be held in Princeton, N.J., on June 23-25, 1976.
The Rev. Louis L. Perkins was in charge of these western arrangements.