Steve P. Gaskins, Jr., 1910-2004

  Steve P. Gaskins, Jr., born June 29, 1910, in Greenville, Texas, grew up in Methodist parsonages of the old Gulf Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Oklahoma Conference of the Methodist Church in Oklahoma. He graduated from Oklahoma City University (1931), Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois, (1935) with additional study at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, Union Theological Seminary, and Columbia University, New York City.

  He began his ministry in the Burbank oil fields in the Osage Indian reservation of North Central Oklahoma. While serving his third appointment in Western Oklahoma, World War II broke out. Answering the call of the Methodist Church for young volunteers for the chaplaincy he was immediately mustered into active military service. He attained the rank of colonel in 22 years of ministry to his military congregations in Panama, Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Post war service took him to Fort Benning, Georgia; Governors Island, New York; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Japan; Office of the Chief of Chaplains in the Pentagon; Germany; and the Presidio of San Francisco. In 1962 he retired from military service from the United States Military Academy, West Point, to become a secretary of the American Bible Society in charge of the Bible Society’s distribution to chaplains of the Armed Forces and Executive Secretary of the Eastern Region Office of the American Bible Society in Washington, D.C.

  After location in the Washington area Chaplain Gaskins transferred to the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and became involved in its activities and ministry in Northern Virginia.

  At the end of 41 years of Methodist ministry, Chaplain Gaskins was retired with seven years having been spent in the civilian pastorate, 22 years in ministry to men and women of our defense forces, 13 years with the American Bible Society in promotion of use and distribution of Holy Scripture. In retirement, he and Mrs. Gaskins enjoyed their closing years as members of the Arlington Forest United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia.

  Chaplain Gaskins was married to Miss Geraldine Fenlon of Gurnee, Illinois, in 1934. To them were born four children: Elinor Reitz of Sammamish, Wash.: Katherine Cormany of Boones Mill, Va.: Steve P. Gaskins, III, of Springfield, Va. and now deceased Leo F. Gaskins of Fairfax, Va. Geraldine passed away in 2002.

  In 1960 his alma mater conferred upon Chaplain Gaskins the Doctor of Divinity degree and he was listed in Who’s Who in Methodism and Who’s Who in Religion.