Laurence A. Skinner by Dixie Plata, Pathfinder Historian
Elder Laurence Arthur Skinner was a man to look up to, a man of honesty, integrity, a true Christian and friend.
Laurence was born 11 September 1905 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada where his parents, George Howe and Clarissa Pringey Skinner, were missionaries serving in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba 1904 – 1924.
When Laurence was nine years old he heard Elder Milton E. Kern, who was the General Conference Missionary Volunteer Leader 1907-1928, speak. Kern had used Proverbs 3:25 as his text “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.” This made a big impression on the lad and he kept that goal in his mind all of his life.
Laurence graduated from high school in Winnipeg in 1922 and took a six months “Commercial Course” in Bookkeeping, Shorthand and the like and worked at Pacific Press in Winnipeg as a secretary in the shipping department before attending college in Hutchinson Minnesota at the Hutchinson Theology Seminary. He then went to Union College and that summer attended the Iowa Camp Meeting as a volunteer worker.
In 1925 the family moved to California where his father was a chaplain at Loma Linda Sanitarium and Hospital. It was here that Laurence made good, lasting friends including Harold Shryock. Together they took pre-med classes, chemistry, etc. Harold and Laurence attended Pacific Union College where Laurence worked in the college store. He graduated in 1926 as class president. He had majored in chemistry with a math minor and had prayerfully considered his future deciding to be a teacher. When his classmates received calls he was still jobless… a visiting counselor told him “we need ministers” Though it was not in his plans Laurence applied at three California Conferences and was called to be an associate helper for the Southeastern California Conference Evangelist. Laurence and a friend hitch-hiked to San Francisco thinking they may be able to work on a ship going to Los Angeles thus getting their way paid. Unable to find work on a ship they wandered the streets praying about their predicament. They met a group of their classmates and one of the ladies offered to pay their way to Los Angeles if they traveled with them. From there it was a short distance to his new job, in La Sierra. With his first wages he paid the young lady back.
He helped at summer camp and with a new program called Pathfinders which began in Southeastern California Conference in 1927-1928. In 1929 he married his special girl, Nola B. Wallack in Loma Linda, California.
In 1930 he became an associate in the Youth Department at Southeastern working with the Missionary Volunteer Leader Guy Mann. He became acquainted with a youth program that had begun in the Anaheim-Fullerton Church under the direction of John McKim and his wife Bertha. Mrs. Willa Steen, with support from her husband Dr. Claude Steen, was co-directing the club.
In 1932 a precious daughter Donna Rae was born to bless the Skinner home. Also that year Skinner became the Missionary Volunteer Leader for the Southeastern California Conference. It was a very busy year and due to the recession one with a very tight budget.
In 1934 the Southeastern California Conference closed down its Youth Department because of the recession and the Arizona Youth Director, who had more experience headed up Arizona and Southeastern Conferences. At that time Laurence accepted a call to be a Pastor/Missionary Volunteer Youth Director for the Hawaii Conference 1934-1936.
In 1935 a second daughter Jolene was born. What a proud father Laurence was of his two darling daughters. From 1936 to 1939 Elder Skinner was the Missionary Volunteer Youth Leader for Southern California Conference. In Southern he encouraged Progressive Classwork (Investiture Achievement) in schools and churches.
From 1940 – 1944 Laurence was associated with the Northern California Conference as Missionary Volunteer Leader where he encouraged teachers and churches to promote Missionary Volunteer Societies.
His efforts were noticed and appreciated and in 1944 Laurence was called to the North Pacific Union as the Missionary Volunteer Leader where he worked until 1946 when he was called to the General Conference as an associate Missionary Volunteer Leader. In this capacity he was able to encourage his former collages of the Pacific Union in their quest to offer a Christ centered program. In working with Elders Eldine W. Dunbar and Theodore E. Lucas the men decided that the time was ripe to make the Pathfinder Club official. They asked the MV Council of the Pacific Union to share materials that they were using that were working so well in their areas for grades 5 – 10.
In 1950 the General Conference adopted the Pathfinder program worldwide. As the first World Pathfinder Director, Elder Skinner visited many countries encouraging them to begin Pathfinder programs. As he traveled the globe Elder Skinner collected coins. In 1945 the Coin Honor had become one of the MV/JMV Pathfinder classes. He showed his collection to young people to encourage involvement in the various classes and honors.
Upon retiring from the General Conference work in 1963 he worked in the Washington Conference Trust Services Department, a position he held until 1968 when he and Nola moved to Southern California. He worked in the Trust Department for Southeastern California Conference 1972 to 1988.
Beginning in 1989 Elder Skinner was an active and important volunteer at the Loma Linda University Heritage Room at the Del Web Library in Loma Linda, California
Nola, his wife of 66 years died at age 92, following a lengthy illness in 1995. It was a lonely life without his precious wife but he did not give up. He kept his eyes straight ahead and continued forward.
Elder Skinner became a friend of ours (Arnold and Dixie Plata) and for years a prayerful supporter of the Pathfinder Travel Museum. Many items of the beginnings of the Pathfinder Club organization were given to us by our friend Elder Laurence Skinner. These items will be available in the Adventist Youth Ministries Museum once it is built in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Laurence Arthur Skinner died 10 July 2002 leaving not only his family but also a host of friends and colleagues in all corners of the earth who were richly blessed by his life and ministry. His favorite promises included 2 Timothy 4: 7-8, Matthew 25: 23 and Psalm 30:5
