Our parish family is growing! There are new faces at church each Sunday, so, for the next few months, Spotlight will try to help you get to know the new people. Ready or not, here we go:
Having finished the interview, it occurred to me that its beginning illustrated the thoughtful kindness of the McGraws. Your journalist was more than a little nervous to be at the business end of a pen after a break of more than a year. Jean and Stan came to my home and graciously agreed to be interviewed at the kitchen table (better light for me)…. As they sat down, Stan immediately remarked that he liked a picture, and Jean commented on the paintwork on the walls. A chance remark revealed that Jean is a keen fan of the home improvement shows. Yes, ladies, we have a new member of the St. Thomas sisterhood of HGTV! (Guys, you may roll your eyes all you like, but the decorating ladies in our church have saved you megabucks.) By the time Stan had groaned, & Jean had discovered a fellow fan, your journalist was at ease, and the interview began.
Jean is a native of Charleston, only child of Charles and Floyd Quarterman. Does the name Quarterman ring any bells? It should, Quarterman Park is named after Jean's grandfather, Homer. Homer was the gentleman who rooted all the Camellias and Azaleas around Park Circle. Jean's roots are just as firmly planted as the Azaleas, having grown up here, and gone to school first to North Charleston Elementary, then to North Charleston High, and to the College of Charleston where she majored in English.
Stan is the eldest of three children born to Ray and Willie McGraw, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. With one brother and one sister, he says he lived a normal family life. Educated at Spartanburg schools, then at Wofford, Stan went on to Seminary at Emery in Atlanta, finally to the Virginia Seminary. One of Stan's strong childhood memories is his love of the mountains. Growing up in the foothills, he enjoyed visiting the mountains as often as possible. Later in life, he was able to live in the mountains for several years.
In the Summer of '65, while a Methodist Seminarian, Stan met Jean, also raised in the Methodist faith, while she was organist for the Episcopal church across the street from her own church. The Episcopal church happened to be the Church of The Good Shepherd. If that doesn't ring bells it means you joined St. Thomas church after 1971, because, of course, Jean was our organist (by the way, Jack Beckwith was the rector). Stan began attending our church with Jean, and began to be interested in the Episcopal faith. He came to appreciate the liturgy, the broader scope which was more open to letting people think for themselves, and eventually transferred to, and became ordained in, the Episcopal Church.
Jean and Stan were married in Good Shepherd, with Father Jack officiating, in April 1967. They have three children: Scott, living in Virginia; Chris, living in Atlanta; and Diana, living in Boise, Idaho. They have two grandchildren, Scott's children.
Jean's career moves have, of course, coincided with Stan's ministry moves, so she has worked with the Dept. of Navy in D.C.; at Emery in Atlanta; and for the business side of a North Carolina law firm. When asked which place she most enjoyed, Jean answered D.C. Jean's career didn't squash her music ministry. Jean began taking piano lessons at age 6, continuing until she went to college, where she was a music student her freshman year, majoring in piano. Apart from her time with Good Shepherd, Jean has also played for the Unitarian Church in Charleston, Holy Comforter Church in Atlanta, and Christ Church in Sparta, North Carolina. Although Jean enjoys playing classical and church music, her appreciation covers a wider range.
Stan's ministry took him to Atlanta where he was on the Bishop's staff. During that time, he heard that a church in a poorer part of the Diocese was scheduled to be closed. The more affluent residents had moved away as the neighbourhood went downhill, leaving a church with poor attendance and little prospect of survival. Stan, persuading the Bishop to keep the church open, took on the ministry himself. He discovered that the area had many, many people with disabilities who found it difficult, or impossible to get to church. Stan organized transportation, offering an opportunity for much-needed ministry. The response was positive, those people became the congregation. Stan's reaching- out to an almost forgotten group of people enriched their lives and kept the church alive. His ministry lasted 13 years.
A community in Sparta, North Carolina, didn't have an Episcopal Church. A group of people got together and began meetings. On July 4th, 1999, Stan became their first rector, with the task of getting the church organized and into their own permanent building. Christ Church was granted full parish status at the Diocese of West Carolina, on November 9th, 2000. A new church was built, and became their permanent home Easter of 2002.
Jean's mother was getting frail and living in a nursing home, Jean and Stan decided to move back to Charleston in October of last year. Jean has moved her membership to our church, Stan is Canonically resident in the Diocese of Atlanta, which translates to the fact that priests do not move their membership unless they are called to serve in a new diocese. Stan is retired, currently enjoying the heady feeling of retirement, but not averse to considering some part-time ministry when the right opportunity appears. Jean is considering her employment options.
In the meantime, they have hobbies which they enjoy: Stan likes to read the more cerebral works of philosophy and comparitive religions. Comparative religions being his top choice at present. He likes an assortment of music, with classical and jazz being his top favourites. He's fairly content with his books, and didn't think there was anything much he still wanted to do, other than visit Scotland….right up until the moment he began talking of C. S. Lewis, at which point he said he would like to visit Oxford, in England.
Jean enjoys reading, gardening and tennis. She would like to: spend more time with her children and grandchildren; learn to sail; go snow skiing; create a nice garden; and she is eager for her piano to arrive from her other house.
Jean and Stan are very modest people, who don't talk about all the good work they have done, but I know from the fond memories of others that their list of kind deeds is long. Toward the close of the interview, they said that they felt they were 'dull'; however, consider this: when asked what work they were passionate about, Jean talked about her work with Hospice and how she had felt she had done something very worthwhile; Stan's face 'lit-up' as he talked about his ministry in the poorer community of the Atlanta Diocese. If these two people are 'dull', we should all strive to achieve 'dullness'.