MAGLRGolledge
ROBERT W. GOLLEDGE 1933-2005
- Masonic record unknown
- Grand Chaplain 1984-1988
MEMORIAL
Obituary from Union-Tribune, San Diego, June 5, 2005:
The Rev. Robert W. Golledge, the retired vicar of Old North Church in Boston, who welcomed hundreds of thousands of the curious and devout to his house of worship each year, died Monday at his home in Hampton, N.H. He was 72.
Christ Church in Boston, commonly known as Old North Church, is the site where the lanterns were hung that set Paul Revere galloping off on his famous ride. It is not only a house of worship, but a stop on the Freedom Trail visited each year by tourists from around the world. This presented unique demands and opportunities for Rev. Golledge. "I like to say Paul Revere was my original PR man," he said in a 1991 Globe article.
In addition to its religious services, the Episcopal church conducts tours for visitors, has a gift shop and has hosted a number of special observances, including memorial ceremonies for those who died on the original Patriots Day.
"We are the most visited tourist site in Boston – about half a million a year – and Bob was a very nice, warm guy who set the tone for the place and opened the doors to everyone," said the Rev. Stephen T. Ayres, who succeeded him as vicar.
"He considered Old North Church a house of prayer for all people," said his son Robert W. Golledge Jr. "One minute he'd be talking to school kids about the meaning of freedom; the next he'd be talking to foreign visitors about freedom of religion. He loved it."
During the country's bicentennial year of 1976, Rev. Golledge played host to separate events at which President Ford and Queen Elizabeth II were guests of honor at the church. "He was willing to take a chance," his son said. "He invited the queen and invited the president and then he said, 'Oh, no, what am I going to do?' "
Rev. Golledge received visitors warmly, but he never forgot he was in the business of saving souls.
"This place was 52 years old when the lanterns were placed in the steeple," he said in 1991, "and I'm proud that it's still in its original business – the business of being a church."
Rev. Golledge presided over many weddings and funerals. Many people seek to have candlelight wedding ceremonies in the 18th-century church.
He spoke out against racial discrimination and was particularly outspoken during the turmoil over court-ordered desegregation in Boston, when he was a member of a special biracial committee on hostility and violence.
Rev. Golledge addressed discrimination in 1976 when he was commencement speaker at Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass. "It will take you and me and everyone else to solve these problems through friendship," he said.
The son of a machinist, Rev. Golledge was raised in Springfield. He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass.
He was rector of the Church of Atonement in Westfield, Mass., and at the Church of the Messiah in Newton before spending 25 years as vicar of Christ Church. He retired in 1996.
Last fall, Rev. Golledge fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Egypt. "I told him maybe it wasn't the best of times to be visiting Egypt," his son said. "But he said: 'If I'm afraid, the terrorists win. I have hope. I don't have fear.' "
In addition to his son, Rev. Golledge is survived by his wife; daughter; another son; and seven grandchildren.
