Stump, Lawrence M. (1898–1988)

Lawrence Murphy Stump was an Adventist missionary, educator, and administrator for more than 40 years.

Early Life

Lawrence Murphy Stump was born November 27, 1898, in Falls City, Richardson County, Nebraska, U.S.A.¹ The second child of Washington Clement ‘Clem’ Stump (June 4, 1865-January 28, 1934) and Abigail Martin Stump (October 1866-January 3, 1917), he had four siblings: Francis Manley Stump (August 13, 1892-January 29, 1962), Jesse Patrick (Jess) Stump (August 2, 1900-July 18, 1990), Robert Mac Stump (May 30, 1902-February 17, 1989), and Alfred O. Stump (May 9, 1904-October 27, 1991).² Stump spent most of his early life in Falls City, Nebraska and Phoenix, Arizona.³ Raised in an Adventist home, he was baptized by Elder G. Wheeler in 1912 at Phoenix, Arizona.⁴

Education and Marriage

Lawrence studied for two years at Cartwright School, Phoenix, five years in the Phoenix Seventh-day Adventist school, two years at San Iemando Academy (1915-1917), and one year at Southwest Junior College (1919-1920). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pacific Union College in 1924.⁵ Later he earned a Masters of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1932.⁶

Lawrence married Irene Julianna Ljuitjens (January 20, 1903-November 1, 1992), a home economics teacher and a cook, on April 23, 1919, in Glendale, Arizona. The couple had two daughters, Lois Margarette Stump (September 24, 1921-October 29, 2017)⁷ and Betty Louise (September 8, 1924-November 22, 2008).⁸

Ministry

A many skilled individual, Lawrence had worked as a farmer, contractor, painter, and literature evangelist.⁹ He began his career as an educator at Arizona Academy where he served as a teacher, dean of men, and cafeteria and farm manager¹⁰ between 1920-1923.¹¹ After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pacific Union College in 1924,¹² he served as the principal of Humboldt Academy in Eureka, California 1925-1930.¹³ While at Humboldt Academy, a school where he had been a principal and manager since its establishment in 1925, Lawrence responded to a call to be a missionary in the Philippines. Stump, with his wife, Irene, and two daughters sailed on August 21, 1930, from San Francisco to the Philippines.¹⁴ There he became president of the Philippine Junior College in Manila, Philippines (now Adventist University of the Philippines). As enrolment grew steadily and the city became busier, church leaders in the Philippines and the Far Eastern Division felt a need to relocate the college to a site away from the city and moved it to Silang, Cavite. In the early part of 1931, Lawrence supervised the construction of the new school buildings on the new campus in Baesa, a then forested section of the town of Caloocan, Rizal.¹⁵

In 1932, the church upgraded Philippine Junior College to a senior college and renamed it Philippine Union College. In the same year, Lawrence received his Master of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines.¹⁶ In 1934, leadership ordained him as a minister in Manila.¹⁷ In 1935, through Lawrence’s efforts, Philippine Union College earned government recognition as an educational institution. In the same year, Philippine Union College conferred the first baccalaureate degrees to three graduates: O. A. Blake, an American citizen; L. L. Pan, a British citizen from Singapore; and R. R. Senson, a Filipino.¹⁸ During Lawrence’s tenure (1930-1936)¹⁹ the college experienced growth in terms of buildings and infrastructures as well as in enrolment.²⁰

His experience in the Philippines had its disappointments and hardships. During World War II, he suffered under the Japanese occupation at the Los Banos concentration camp,²¹ where he lost 55 pounds in weight and nearly starved to death.²² The paratroopers of the Eleventh Airborne Division rescued the interns of the Japanese camp in 1945.²³ After the liberation, Stump returned to the United States where he would complete his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona.²⁴

In 1946, Lawrence accepted a call to serve in the South American Division as the secretary of the education and Missionary Volunteer departments.²⁵ Four years later, he again returned to the United States as principal of Lodi Academy in Lodi, California.²⁶ Then in 1953 the board of trustees of Atlantic Union College (AUC) elected him president and business manager of Atlantic Union College.²⁷ During his tenure, AUC experienced great growth ²⁸ in enrolment,²⁹ infrastructure,³⁰ financial stability,³¹and faculty.³² After seven successful years in Atlantic Union College, he resigned at the annual college board of trusties meeting on March 6, 1960.³³

Lawrence then became principal of San Pasqual Academy in 1960.³⁴ The school enjoyed several developments during Lawrence’s tenure, including a new swimming pool, several new faculty homes, new chapels, redesigned and redecorated lobbies and parlors in the dormitories, a new sewerage system, and a new gymnasium.³⁵

Later Life and Contributions

Lawrence served at San Pasqual until his retirement in 1965.³⁶ He died on October 28, 1988, in Sonoma, California.³⁷

Lawrence had more than 40 years of denominational service. His administrative gift of increasing student enrolment in Adventist educational institutions was a blessing to the church. Recognizing his contribution and accomplishment as an educator, the editorial board of Who’s Who in America selected him to be in its twenty-seventh volume.³⁸ In addition to information about his life and family, Who’s Who mentioned that Lawrence had been a prisoner of war during the Japanese occupation of Manila and that he had received a special citation for bravery.³⁹

Sources

Biographical Information Blank of Lawrence Murphy Stump. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Archives, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A.

Blacker, W. J. “San Pasqual Academy Welcomes New Principal.” Pacific Union Recorder, August 1, 1960.

Campbell, G. A. “Evangelizing the Philippines.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, February 15, 1938.

Emerson, B. M. “Notes.” Pacific Union Recorder, September 4, 1930.

Figuhr, R. R. “Changes in Division Personnel.” South American Bulletin, July 1, 1946.

Ford, Herbert. “From Here to There.” Pacific Union Recorder, June 21, 1965.

Gardner, T. H. “President’s Report: Quadrennial Session, Atlantic Union Conference, March 14, 1955.” March 21, 1955.

Gardner, T. H. “A.U.C. Gains.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, September 28, 1953.

Gardner, T. H. “College Board Elects New President.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, July 13, 1953.

Kirk, Emma. “College Board Elects President.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, April 18, 1960.

Kirk, Emma. “Atlantic Union College News.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 14, 1960.

Kirk, Emma. “College Head Reports Progress.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 28, 1960.

“Lois Margarette Stump Henry.” https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/ca/angwin/lois-margarette-henry-6364953.

Nichol, Francis D. “Distribution of Labor.” ARH, July 23, 1950.

“Obituaries.” ARH, April 6, 1989.

Vistaunet, Steven. “At Rest.” The North Pacific Union Gleaner, April 1, 2009.

Wood, Kenneth H. “PUC’s Theological Seminary Receives Accreditation.” ARH, August 23, 1973.

Notes

1. Biographical Information Blank of Lawrence Murphy Stump, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Archives.↩

2. Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113466034, accessed February 2019,↩

3. Biographical Information Blank of Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

4. Ibid.↩

5. “Wherever He Goes, Dr. Stump,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 14.↩

6. Biographical Information Blank of Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

7. “Lois Margarette Stump Henry.” https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/ca/angwin/lois-margarette-henry-6364953, accessed April 18, 2022.↩

8. Steven Vistaunet, “At rest,” The North Pacific Union Gleaner, April 2009, 32.↩

9. Biographical Information Blank. Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

10. “Wherever He Goes, Dr. Stump,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 14.↩

11. Biographical Information Blank. Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

12. “Wherever He Goes, Dr. Stump,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 14.↩

13. Biographical Information Blank. Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

14. B. M Emerson, “Notes,” Pacific Union Recorder, September 1930, 2.↩

15. In this area, 26 hectares of land were bought at the end of the school year 1927 for Php 66,000, which then was approximately 33,000 USD. Kenneth H. Wood, “PUC’s Theological Seminary Receives Accreditation,” ARH, August 1973, 15.↩

16. “Wherever He Goes, Dr. Stump,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 14.↩

17. Biographical Information Blank. Lawrence Murphy Stump.↩

18. Ibid.↩

19. Ibid.↩

20. G.A. Campbell, “Evangelizing the Philippines,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, February 1938, 3.↩

21. R. R. Figuhr,” Changes in Division Personnel,” South American Bulletin, July 1946, 7.↩

22. T.H. Gardner, “College Board Elects New President,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, July 1953, 1.↩

23. “Wherever He Goes, Dr. Stump,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 14.↩

24. Ibid.↩

25. R. R. Figuhr, “Changes In Division Personnel,” South American Bulletin, July 1946, 7.↩

26. Francis D. Nichol, “Distribution of Labor,” ARH, July 1950, 5.↩

27. Emma Kirk, “College Board Elects President,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, April 1960, 1.↩

28. T. H. Gardner, “A.U.C. Gains,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, September 1953, 2.↩

29. Emma Kirk, “College Head Reports Progress,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 1960, 1.↩

30. T. H. Gardner, “ President’s Report: Quadrennial Session, Atlantic Union Conference, March 14, 1955,” March 1955, 3. accessed on April 6, 2022, https://adventistdigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/adl%3A335133/%3Fview_only%3Dtrue.↩

31. When Stump became president, Atlantic Union College was in debt but became debt free a few years after Lawrence’s presidency. Emma Airk, “College Board Elects President.” Atlantic Union Gleaner, April 18, 1960, 1↩

32. Emma Kirk, “Atlantic Union College News,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, March 1960, 12.↩

33. Ibid.↩

34. W. J. Blacker, “San Pasqual Academy Welcomes New Principal,” Pacific Union Recorder, August 1960, 4.↩

35. “Working with the Board,” San Pasqual Academy, Alape Yearbook, 1965, 15.↩

36. Herbert Ford, “From Here to There,” Pacific Union Recorder, June 1965, 6.↩

37. “Obituaries” ARH, April 6, 1989, 30.↩

38. T. B. Gardner, “President L. M. Stump Elected to Who's Who," Atlantic Union Gleaner, September 1953, 8.↩

39. T. B. Gardner, “A.U.C President Honored,” Atlantic Union Gleaner, April 1956, 8.↩