Union Seminary benefactor Josiah P. Rowe dies at 90
RICHMOND, Va. (November 8, 2018) – Josiah P. Rowe, a former newspaper publisher who championed Christian education teaching at Union Presbyterian Seminary, died Saturday. He was 90.
“Josiah Rowe was a dear friend to the Union Seminary community and the Presbyterian Church,” said seminary president Brian K. Blount. “As chair of the board of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (now Union Presbyterian Seminary), he helped shape the endeavor of Christian Education throughout the church. Through his family’s philanthropy, he helped shape the legacy of Christian education at Union. A gracious, generous spirit, he worked with three seminary presidents and numerous trustees to provide strategic guidance to the seminary’s work. His presence will be missed and his memory will be treasured.”
Rowe and his wife endowed the seminary’s Josiah P. and Anne Wilson Rowe Professor of Christian Education chair. The chair was formerly held by Dr. Jane Vann. It is currently occupied by Dr. Karen-Marie Yust.
“Josiah Rowe believed that Christian educators need to be constantly exploring new theories of teaching and learning so that they can help others engage in lifelong faith formation,” said Yust. “He was excited about the possibilities of digital culture for nurturing Christian spirituality and championed new avenues of research in the field that would help cultivate faithfulness among people of all ages.”
Rowe was a former publisher of The Freelance-Star newspaper, served two terms as mayor of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg.
The funeral service will be November 9 at 11 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church, with burial to follow in the Fredericksburg Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Union Presbyterian Seminary, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Fredericksburg Cemetery or Friends of the Rappahannock.
Top photo, from right, Josiah P. Rowe, Dr. Karen-Marie Yust, and Dr. Brian K. Blount at Yust’s installation ceremony at Union Presbyterian Seminary in 2015.
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Contact:
Mike Frontiero
Director of Communications
mfrontiero@upsem.edu
(804) 278-4279
