FPCG’s Oldest Member!
Meet Harriet Fell Kerr
Harriet Fell Kerr, who united with the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown in 1928, could just as easily have been a Quaker instead of a Presbyterian. After all, her father’s family had been Quakers since before 1680 when William Penn deeded property to them in Bucks County.
But Harriet’s Presbyterian mother prevailed, and Mr. Fell converted. By 1987, when First Church’s Session honored Harriet with a citation for nearly 60 years of service to the church, she had a master key to the buildings. Now this Rydal Park resident has been a member for 83 years.
She even met her husband, Don, in the hall in front of the Finney Room, named for the pastor who was serving the church when Harriet joined. Donald M. Kerr’s family had been members of the congregation since the 1880s.
She says,
“I could fill a book about recollection of the Rev. John Clark Finney, such as ones about Christian Endeavor Christmas services, carols, and toasting marshmallows in his Alden Park apartment. He married Don and me. I remember all former pastors. Sherm [the Rev. Sherman Skinner, 1936- 1947] and Reg [Dr. D. Reginald Thomas, 1955-1965] were close friends with whom I kept in touch until they and their wives died. I still see Aaron [Dr. Aaron E. Gast, 1967-1981] from time to time.”
Since the effects of the Great Depression were being felt among the church members during Dr. Finney’s years, he was called upon often to counsel those who were particularly suffering. He was also revered for his special attention to children
Harriet and Don Kerr are the parents of one son, Don, Jr., who attended Penn Charter. When the younger Kerr graduated and went to Cornell, his mother decided that she would devote all of her time to First Church, specifically to the women. “They, after all,” she says, “ran the church.’
[Today, Donald M. Kerr is Deputy Director of United States National Intelligence].
When Mrs. Kerr affiliated with the women, their membership was nearly 500 [of a church roll of over 2,000 congregants]. As the time for the 150th anniversary of the church approached in 1949, Harriet and Mrs. Jessie Duncan agreed to do the program on women’s work. Despite all the
extraordinary work the women did for that and many other events and committees, no women served as chair of special committees set up in the church. The idea of women elders was scorned by many. But, Mrs. Kerr observed, if women had stayed at home, the church would fail.
This very active lady served as a Sunday school teacher, president and treasurer of the Pastoral Aid Society, organizer of flower delivery for 30 years, and leader in sacrament preparation. Additionally, she was involved with “looking after” the choir during which time she became good friends with organist and choir director Robert Carwithen who still sends her poinsettias at Christmas and lilies at Easter. When her efforts to do away with “the dinky caps” the choir wore, “it was a happy day.”
Mrs. Kerr has not been able to attend worship for some time now, but she remembers with fondness and satisfaction her decades of membership in the church.