Robert McGrady Blackburn
Encyclopedia
Robert McGrady Blackburn (12 September 1919 – 17 March 2002) was an American
Bishop
of the United Methodist Church
, elected in 1972.
, the son of the Rev. C. Fred and Effie Frances (Forsythe) Blackburn. Robert was the grandson of a Methodist minister, too. He married Mary Jeanne Everett 16 November 1943. They had three children: Jeanne Marie (Mrs. Ramon Cox), Robert McGrady, Jr., and Frances Lucile (Mrs. John Harwood). Robert, Jr. became the fourth generation of the family to enter Ordained Ministry.
Mary Jeanne died 22 May 1977 after a long illness. On 9 September 1978 Bishop Blackburn married Jewell Haddock of Jacksonville, whom he had known for several years. After the Bishop's retirement
, they moved to Jacksonville.
. He earned a B.A.
degree from Florida Southern College
, Lakeland, Florida
, in 1941. He earned a B.D.
degree from the Candler School of Theology
, Emory University
, Atlanta in 1943. He also received honorary degree
s from LaGrange College
, Florida Southern, North Carolina Wesleyan College
, and from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music
in Winchester, Virginia
. In 1973 Florida Southern presented him the school's Distinguished Alumnus Award.
(and ordained Elder in 1944). Rev. Blackburn was appointed to Boca Grande, Florida
. Subsequently, he served the following Methodist churches in the Florida
Annual Conference
: First Church, Orlando
(as Associate Pastor); Mount Dora
; Trinity, Deland
; First Church, Jacksonville; and again First Church, Orlando (as Senior Pastor). Altogether, he served as a Pastor
for twenty-nine years, a tenure interrupted only by his service as a U.S. Army Chaplain
during World War II
, 1944–46.
Rev. Blackburn was very active in conference affairs throughout his pastoral ministry, as well. He was considered an expert on financial matters. He was also elected a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences between 1964 and 1972.
Episcopal Area, where he served for eight years. In 1980 he was assigned to the Richmond
Area, where he served until retirement in 1988. During his final year of service (1987–88), under his leadership the Virginia
Annual Conference raised $19,400,000 for New Church Development. This was the largest sum ever raised by an Annual Conference in a one-year campaign to that date.
Bishop Blackburn also served on several U.M. General Church Agencies: the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Board of Church and Society, and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. He also served as a Trustee for more than a half-dozen U.M. institutions of higher education.
Bishop Blackburn also represented the United Methodist Church at the British
Methodist Conference in Sheffield, England in 1980. He represented the U.M. Council of Bishops at the Europe
an U.M. Conference in Austria
in 1984, as well.
from his 7 March open-heart surgery at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida
. He was eighty-two years of age. A funeral
service was held 19 March 2002 at 4:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 225 E. Duval St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations were received by the church.
, remembered Bishop Blackburn as one of the "unsung heroes of the [United Methodist] Church," a leader who was committed to serving his Episcopal Area
. Both men became Bishops in 1972 and forged a bond through that common experience:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, elected in 1972.
Birth and family
Robert was born in Bartow, FloridaBartow, Florida
Bartow is the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow the first brigade commander to die in combat during the American Civil War. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census, the city had a...
, the son of the Rev. C. Fred and Effie Frances (Forsythe) Blackburn. Robert was the grandson of a Methodist minister, too. He married Mary Jeanne Everett 16 November 1943. They had three children: Jeanne Marie (Mrs. Ramon Cox), Robert McGrady, Jr., and Frances Lucile (Mrs. John Harwood). Robert, Jr. became the fourth generation of the family to enter Ordained Ministry.
Mary Jeanne died 22 May 1977 after a long illness. On 9 September 1978 Bishop Blackburn married Jewell Haddock of Jacksonville, whom he had known for several years. After the Bishop's retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
, they moved to Jacksonville.
Education
Blackburn graduated high school in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
, Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, in 1941. He earned a B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree from the Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology, Emory University, is one of 13 seminaries of the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1914, the school was named after Warren Akin Candler, a former President and Chancellor of Emory University and a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Atlanta in 1943. He also received honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s from LaGrange College
LaGrange College
LaGrange College is the oldest private college in the U.S. state of Georgia. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is located in LaGrange, Georgia, with an enrollment of about 1,000 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1...
, Florida Southern, North Carolina Wesleyan College
North Carolina Wesleyan College
North Carolina Wesleyan College is a private four-year coeducational, liberal arts college, located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Founded in 1956, the school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers a number of preprofessional programs...
, and from Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music
Shenandoah University
Shenandoah University is a comprehensive private university located in Winchester, Virginia in the United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students across more than ninety programs in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah...
in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
. In 1973 Florida Southern presented him the school's Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Ordained ministry
Robert was ordained Deacon in 1943 by Bishop Arthur James MooreArthur James Moore
Arthur James Moore was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South , the Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1930.-Birth and family:...
(and ordained Elder in 1944). Rev. Blackburn was appointed to Boca Grande, Florida
Boca Grande, Florida
Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island, in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee Counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and some year-round residents, is entirely in the Lee County portion of...
. Subsequently, he served the following Methodist churches in the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
: First Church, Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
(as Associate Pastor); Mount Dora
Mount Dora, Florida
Mount Dora is a U.S. city in Lake County, Florida. As of July 1, 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the Mount Dora population at 11,564. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
; Trinity, Deland
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
; First Church, Jacksonville; and again First Church, Orlando (as Senior Pastor). Altogether, he served as a Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
for twenty-nine years, a tenure interrupted only by his service as a U.S. Army Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 1944–46.
Rev. Blackburn was very active in conference affairs throughout his pastoral ministry, as well. He was considered an expert on financial matters. He was also elected a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences between 1964 and 1972.
Episcopal ministry
The Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the U.M. Church elected Robert M. Blackburn to the Episcopacy in 1972. He was assigned to the RaleighRaleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
Episcopal Area, where he served for eight years. In 1980 he was assigned to the Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
Area, where he served until retirement in 1988. During his final year of service (1987–88), under his leadership the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Annual Conference raised $19,400,000 for New Church Development. This was the largest sum ever raised by an Annual Conference in a one-year campaign to that date.
Bishop Blackburn also served on several U.M. General Church Agencies: the General Council on Finance and Administration, the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the General Board of Church and Society, and the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women. He also served as a Trustee for more than a half-dozen U.M. institutions of higher education.
Bishop Blackburn also represented the United Methodist Church at the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Methodist Conference in Sheffield, England in 1980. He represented the U.M. Council of Bishops at the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an U.M. Conference in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1984, as well.
Death and funeral
Bishop Blackburn died 17 March 2002 following complicationsComplication (medicine)
Complication, in medicine, is an unfavorable evolution of a disease, a health condition or a medical treatment. The disease can become worse in its severity or show a higher number of signs, symptoms or new pathological changes, become widespread throughout the body or affect other organ systems. A...
from his 7 March open-heart surgery at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. He was eighty-two years of age. A funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
service was held 19 March 2002 at 4:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 225 E. Duval St., Jacksonville, FL 32202. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations were received by the church.
Episcopal remembrance
Bishop Joseph Yeakel of Smithsburg, MarylandSmithsburg, Maryland
Smithsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. Its population was 2,146 at the 2000 census and latest 2008 estimates are at 2,908. Smithsburg is close to Fort Ritchie army base and just west of the presidential retreat Camp David....
, remembered Bishop Blackburn as one of the "unsung heroes of the [United Methodist] Church," a leader who was committed to serving his Episcopal Area
Episcopal Area
An Episcopal Area in the United Methodist Church is a basic unit of this denomination. It is a region presided over by a resident bishop that is similar to a diocese in other Christian denominations. Each annual conference in the UMC is within a single episcopal area; some episcopal areas...
. Both men became Bishops in 1972 and forged a bond through that common experience:
- "I've always appreciated Bob's integrityIntegrityIntegrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...
...He was strong and a good leader and a friend. He really made his major contributions in the Area, and that's really what we're called to do."