Frank Shelby Groner

Frank Shelby Groner (1877–1943) was a lawyer, pastor of Baptist churches, chairman of the Southern Baptist Hospital Commission, executive secretary of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, director of fund-raising in Texas for the Southern Baptist Convention, founder of the Baptist Student Division and the Department of Evangelism, president of the College of Marshall, Texas (now East Texas Baptist University), and author of several religious books.

Early life

Frank Shelby Groner was born near the town of Weston, Texas^[1] in Collin County, Texas^[2] to William Christopher Groner (1845-1927)^[3] and Cleopatra Clementine Dunnegan (1855-1905)^[4] on January 7, 1877.^[5] His parents moved to Graham, Texas when he was three-years-old, where he started to preach by using a flat top trunk as a pulpit.^[1] Groner was the first-born of eight children, four boys and four girls.^[2] The family later removed to a farm in Jack County, Texas, where he attended school, where his father was the teacher, until he was fourteen.^[1]

He first attended North Texas Baptist College in Jacksboro, Texas from the age of fourteen where he was awarded a Master of Science degree in 1896. His graduating thesis was on the subject of "The Evidence of Christianity as shown in Profane History".^[1]

Adult life

School teacher

Groner taught school for three years after graduation, one year in Jack County and two years in Benjamin, Texas.^[1]

Law practice

Groner early settled on a career in law.^[6] Groner then studied at the University of Texas Law School. Groner was nominated as county attorney by the Jack County Democratic Society near the end of his second year in law school.^[1] He immediately took the bar exam.^[1] He passed the bar exam in 1900^[6] and was elected as county attorney.^[1]

Groner's served as county attorney of Jack County, Texas from 1900 to 1904.^[2][6] after which he entered private practice of law.^[1]

Baptist pastor

Groner then entered the Baptist ministry as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Stamford, Texas,^[7] where he was ordained in 1905 and was pastor for seven years.^[6] In the course of his pastorship, the existing church building became too small and a new building was built. The congregation increased in size from 147 to about 750 at the time of his departure.^[1]

Groner became the second pastor of the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church,^[8] in Waco, Texas in 1911, where he succeeded the Reverend R. G. Bowers,^[9] a position which he held until 1918, when he resigned to become Executive Secretary of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.^[2][6] The membership increased from less than 400 to nearly 1,200 during his ministry.^[1]

Baptist executive

Groner was selected to head the Southern Baptist Hospital Commission in 1916.^[6] He was able to raise sufficient funds to found Hillcrest Baptist Hospital in Waco, Texas and the Southern Baptist Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.^[2][6] In 1918, he was appointed executive secretary of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which caused him to resign as pastor of the Columbus Avenue Baptist Church and relocate to Dallas, Texas. He served as executive secretary until June 1928.^[2] He is reported to have served "wisely and well".^[10]

He also accepted the directorship for Texas of the Southern Baptist Convention's $75 million fundraising campaign in 1920. He raised $12 million in Texas despite the opposition of J. Frank Norris.^[6]

College president

Groner was chosen as president of the College of Marshall in Marshall, Texas in June 1928.^[2][6]

Groner used his financial skills to greatly enlarge the College of Marshall by acquiring additional property and buildings.^[6]

Groner served as president of the College of Marshall for fourteen years and stepped down in 1942 due to ill health at which time he was appointed president emeritus of the College of Marshall.^[2][6]

Author

Groner also found time in the course of his life to author several books on Christianity, including:

• The Witness of Great Minds to Christian Verities
• Christian Education
• Our Sainted Loved Ones^[6]

Honors

Howard Payne College and Baylor University granted honorary doctorates to Groner in recognition of his service to the College of Marshall.^[6]

Personal life

Groner met Miss Laura Virginia Wyatt while a student at North Texas Baptist College, where she also was a student.^[1] In 1903, Groner married Laura Virginia Wyatt^[11] of Cleveland County, Arkansas (1878–1951) She was the daughter of William Russell Wyatt and Cornelia Lawrence Callaway Wyatt.^[5][6]

They had seven children:

• Willie Lee Groner (1904–1991) married Clyde Moore Phillips (1904–1983) on August 26, 1930. They made their home in Wilmette, Illinois and had one daughter, Jo Ellyn Phillips (b. October 2, 1934).
• Edward "Dutch" Groner (1906–1962) married Mary Elizabeth O'Leary (1908–1995) at the Carrollton Avenue Presbyterian Church of New Orleans on December 12, 1931. They made their home in Metairie, Louisiana. He founded Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana in 1934,^[12] which was based on a prototype developed at Baylor University in 1929.^[13] Two children were born of the marriage: Ruth (b. September 12, 1932 and Jack Castellaw (b. May 31, 1938).

• Russell Wyatt Groner (1906–1907) twin to Edward, died young.
• Frank "Iggy" Shelby Groner, Jr. (1911–1994) Married Daisy A. McFearin (1915–2000). They made their home in New Orleans, Louisiana and later in Memphis, Tennessee. He was chief executive officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital of Memphis.^[14] No children were born of the marriage.

• Laura Virginia Groner (1914–1996), a graduate of Baylor University, married Orrin "Tiger" McKee Battle (1914–1972) in the First Baptist Church of Marshall, Texas on October 16, 1937. Dr. Groner officiated at the marriage of his daughter. They made their home at various times in New Orleans, Louisiana; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; and Pass Christian, Mississippi. Battle was instrumental in the formation of the Baton Rouge Hospital Service Association in 1938.^[15] They had three children.
• William Riley Groner (1915–1916) Died young.
• Pat Neff Groner (1920–2012) was a Marine Corps aviator in World War II. He married Louise Mary Rugg (b. 1920) of Essex Junction, Vermont on May 5, 1944. They made their home in Pensacola, Florida where he was chief executive officer of Baptist Hospital of Pensacola.^[16] They had two children.

Groner was a close friend of Patrick Morris Neff, president of Baylor University and Governor of Texas for whom he named his last child. He was a member of the Democratic Party and a Mason.^[6]

Death and burial

Groner died in hospital at Marshall on November 8, 1943 following a cerebral hemorrhage.^[2] A funeral service was held at Marshall, followed by a second funeral service at Waco, Texas. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery at Waco.^[5][6]

References