MVUUC History Project

The MVUUC History Project

Researched and Written by Kathleen Reeves

 

Picture of Kathleen Jacobson
Kathleen Reeves
Rev Oscar Clute, First Minister, circa 1888
Rev Oscar Clute, First Minister, circa 1888

 

The Monte Vista Unitarian Universalist Congregation has a long and rich history with origins in the late nineteenth century. It was founded in 1888 as The “First Unitarian Society of Pomona” and has served as a prominent beacon of liberal religion in the Pomona Valley almost continuously since that time.  One of our active and talented members, Kathleen Reeves, began the process of collecting and compiling our congregations history in 2010 as a “labor of love”.  As a result, the “MVUUC History Project” was born  and published in a series of newsletter articles in 2012.  You can review those articles by clicking on the button, below.

In reading about our Congregation’s history one is reminded that, as we face the future, we are better prepared because we are standing on the shoulders of amazing past leaders.

Ministers Through the Years

Researched and Written by Kathleen Reeves

Oscar Clute 1888-1889

Edwin C.L. Browne 1889-1891

Leslie W. Sprague and Lila Frost Sprague 1891-1893

Ulysses G.B. Pierce 1893-1897

David Heap (interim) 1897-1898

Charles A. Livingston 1898-1900

N.M. Jones 1900-1901

Oscar Clute 1902

H.W. Knickerbocker 1902

Leo W. Fuller 1902-1903

Missing information 1903-1916

Francis Watry 1916-1928

Miss Buillony 1935

Earnest Whitesmith 1936

Richard Borst 1939-1940

Peter Samsom 1940-1943

Nine years between churches
Members continued meetings through women’s alliance

New church on Monte Vista Ave in Montclair CA

Pomona Valley Unitarian Fellowship 1952

Lealand Stewart 1952-1952


Fellowship granted Charter from AUA With official recognition became:
Pomona Valley Unitarian Society


Herring 1957-1961

Walton Cole 1961-1966

Ernie Howard 1966-1984

Vernon Curry (interim) 1984-1986

Ellen Livingston 1986-2005

Sonja Montana (interim) 2005-2006

Paul Sawyer (interim) 2006-2007

Ann Schranz 2007-

Student Ministers

Dennis Daniel

Linda Stowell 1988-1989

Walter Mattingly 1994-1996

Betty Stapleford 1996-1998

Monica Cummings 1998-2000

Tom Schmidt

Beth Johnson 2001-2003