Stanley Bruce Mcwhorter

McWhorter, Professor Stanley Bruce, son of the late Stanley Virgil and Myrtie Alice McWhorter, passed away on February 20, 2011. Mr. McWhorter, born and reared in Kentucky, was the fourth of five children, the third son, whose education and career were both distinctive. Professor McWhorter graduated from Jamestown (KY) High School a year ahead of his class, and remained a consistent honor roll student throughout the formative high school years. His education was further enhanced by an AA degree from Lindsey Wilson College (Columbia, KY) and a BA in English from Transylvania University (Lexington, KY). After receiving the AA degree, he chaired the English Department at Jamestown High School and earned a life certificate to teach in Kentucky Schools. As he continued further graduate studies at the University of Kentucky (Lexington), he taught intermittently at these universities: West Virginia Wesleyan, University of South Carolina, Xavier University, and the University of Dayton from which he retired in 1995. In all of these positions, he taught and directed composition, World Masterpieces, British Novel, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, English Renaissance, and Modern Poetry. As a talented musician, he played (and performed) with the dulcimer, autoharp, guitar, accordion, and piano. A high point in his career was his appointment as Head of the National Folk Festival Council and Educational Coordinator of the National Association. His more notable publications include an "Annotated Bibliography of Wordsworth's Writings" and a book, "The Use of the Folk Ballad in the English Class." Professor McWhorter was preceded in death by his parents; by two brothers, Jasper and Kenneth McWhorter, and by Kenneth's wife Rachel. Survivors include two sisters, Ms. Marjorie Murray of Franklin, IN and Dr. Elizabeth Harden of Dayton OH; two nephews, Carl Murray, Jr. of Franklin, IN and Kenneth Ross McWhorter of Virginia Beach, VA; by a loving close friend, Arizona Frasure; and a host of close nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives. Viewing will be held at Grace Methodist Church, 1001 Harvard Blvd. (at Salem Ave.) Dayton, OH from 1:30-3:30 PM on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 followed by the funeral service at 3:30 PM with Rev. Sherry Gale officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.routsong.com. REFLECTIONS ON MY BROTHER - BY DR.ELIZABETH HARDEN Carol Burnett's signature song, "I'm so glad we had this time together," has recurred over and over in my memory since my brother, Stanley Bruce McWhorter, passed away on February 20. And although he was with us for some seventy years, that time seems unbelievably miniscule now. So I want to tell you about this remarkable man--my childhood hero, my adolescent mentor, and my adult role model. Bruce was the fourth of five children--the third son--who inherited traits from both my parents: from Mother, the tendency to be aggressive, outspoken, forceful, and dynamic; from Dad the tendency to be quiet, thoughtful, and restrained. The combined traits, I think, accounted for what was distinctive and unique about a remarkable brother. More specifically, what was distinctive and unique about Bruce? Those of you who met him or socialized with him or worked with him would probably agree that the traits inherited from Mother indeed dominated his personality: "aggressive, outspoken, forceful, and dynamic." Some might even regard him as self-centered or even egotistical; but as his sister, I realized he had been especially influenced by Mother's values; self-centeredness and even a bit of egotism were all a part of his self confidence, a belief in the values of hard work, courage, determination, and commitment. In his judgment, then, he had earned the right to speak out--even on the most controversial subjects--because he felt he was espousing the truth of his convictions. "Education" would describe the centerpiece of Bruce's life for he was a pupil, a high school student, a college student (both undergraduate and graduate) a professor, an author, and a talented musician. Let's examine these categories more closely. He was consistently an honor roll student in Jamestown, KY grade school and high school where he graduated a year ahead of his classmates. After receiving his AA degree from Lindsey Wilson College (in Columbia, KY), he chaired the English Department at Jamestown High School and earned a life certificate to teach in Kentucky schools. As he continued further graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, he taught intermittently at these universities: West Virginia Wesleyan, University of South Carolina, Xavier University, and the University of Dayton from which he took early retirement in 1995. In all of these positions, he taught and directed composition, World Masterpieces, British Novel, Restoration and Eighteenth Century, English Renaissance, and Modern Poetry. As a talented musician, he played (and performed) with the dulcimer, autoharp, guitar, accordion, and piano. A high point in his career was his appointment as Head of the National Folk Festival Council and Educational coordinator of the National Association. His more notable publications include an Annotated Bibliography of William Wordsworth's Writings and a book, "The Use of the Folk Ballad in the English Class." After all of these scholarly statistics, let's return to Bruce, the person. Quite notable was his great sense of humor, for he loved stories, basked in good jokes, puzzles, and proverbs about whatever was irregular and slightly off-color. Examples: You're getting marvelously mature when you sink your teeth into a steak--and they stay there; or your idea of weight lifting is standing up. Or, take "Signs of the Times:" Sign in a church: come in early and get a back seat; or a sign in a shoe store: come in and have a fit. Bruce was a people person who truly loved and savored human relationships--not only family and friends, but people in general. He rarely ever met a stranger, and if he did, the stranger did not remain "strange" for very long. Perhaps most important of all was his strong religious faith and his belief in the Christian tradition. He loved Grace Methodist Church, admired the pastor, loved the music, and relished the friendships of those he met here. I thank you for helping me celebrate the joys of a life well lived, a life of purpose--and a life of joy and happiness and goodness. As Longfellow would have it, "Nothing is left now but the majestic memory." -Elizabeth Harden

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429