Louisiana AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Harold L. Rutledge

Dr. Harold Rutledge was the pastor of Homer Baptist Church from December of 1942 to December of 1945. He was born October 2, 1912 and grew up in Paris, Arkansas. He met his future wife, Mary Helen West, on the first day of sixth grade and always claimed he fell in love with her that day. He and his wife had two daughters, Kay Rutledge Lusk and Sue Rutledge Hanna. He received an A. B. degree from Ouachita College and a Th. M. from Southwestern Seminary while serving as a pastor for several country churches. Dr. Rutledge then attended New Orleans Baptist Seminary and earned a Th.D. He later received a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. After leaving Homer, Dr. Rutledge went to Winnfield, then to Rio Vista Baptist Church in New Orleans.

He served as chaplain of Southern Baptist Hospital while teaching part time at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. Soon he was asked to become a full time faculty member and taught psychology and counseling for many years. He was an active member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities and wrote many articles in Baptist publications as well as one book, To Be Mature.

His tenure in our church was during World War II and the families of service men remember fondly his special services and the flags displayed in the church in their honor. Dr. Rutledge was known as an excellent counselor and teacher as well as a caring pastor.

The hobby he loved above all was fishing of all sorts, especially deep sea fishing. He so enjoyed the sport that he built his own deep sea boat and spent many happy hours on it. Brother Rutledge was known for great emphasis on the importance of training children and youth and encouraged G.A.'s, R.A.'s and Sunbeam organizations as well as programs for youth. Under his leadership, many children and youth attended church camps and training programs. Betty Colvin Headrick, a retired foreign missionary reared in the church, was herself a young person during his tenure and credits the church emphasis on youth training as a primary factor in her career decision. 38

Biographical Sketches| Claiborne Parish | AHGP

Source: Author's Notice: I hereby give permission for the free dissemination of any and all material included within the book and permit any non profit use of that material. Should any agency wish to use the material in a profit context, permission must be secured from the church body of First Baptist Church, Homer, LA 71040.  By Barbara Smith, Homer, Louisiana.