Page 59 - 1950 VES Meteor

Volume
L YNCHBURG,
THE SCHOOL
VIRGINIA,
OCTOBER, 1950
XXXV
In Memoriam
Robert Carter Jett
of the souls committed to his care. Truly might one say of him in the words of St. Paul "The care of all the churches was upon him." It mattered not whether it was St. Paul's or St. John's, Lynchburg, or St. John's, Roanoke, or some small dusty weatherbeaten chapel in an outlying part of his diocese, the care of it rested always upon his heart; his interest and his affection were always there.
But in the greatness of his heart, he went beyond the Church itself into the homes, into the hearts of the individuals in the Church. The full story of the influence which he personally exerted upon the lives of individual men and women of every walk of life can not easily be told. He cared not who they were or where they came from; aII that mattered to him was an opportunity to render a service to others. He was firm and uncompromising where right and wrong were concerned; he had a penetrating but always chari- table insight into human nature and where there was sorrow or trouble of any kind, he was a constant and solicitous visitor and a helpful and understanding friend. N o t many people know that in 1941 he set him- self the task- h e called it a privilege and I have seen his face glow as he spoke of the privilege-he set himself the task of visiting every home in the Roanoke area in which a member of the household had laid down his life in the service and defense of our country. Thus to the end he would remain an humble and devoted ser- vant of that Master in whose service he labored with tireless energy and in whose footsteps he faithfully trod all the days of his life.
It is not enough to say that the death of such a man leaves the world poorer, for that is to underestimate his power and his influence. The mem- ory of his consecrated life and of his manifold kindnesses leaves us a heritage in the inspiration of his ex-
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ample. Surely, then, it is far truer to say that this world of ours is a finer, richer place because of the life of
ROBERT CARTER JETT
-G. L. B.
Former Chaplain Dies
The Rev. Appleton Grannis, D.O., a retired priest of the Diocese of Massachusetts and sometime Acting Chaplain of Virginia Episcopal School, died in Roanoke, Virginia, Tuesday, September 12, 1950. The remains were cremated and the ashes taken to Utica, N. Y. for interment.
Dr. Grannis was born in Utica and was a graduate of Columbia Uni- versity (B. A. 1893, M. A. 1898) and of G en era I Theological Seminary (1896). He was ordained deacon in
1896 and priest in 1897. A few years ago the American International Col- lege conferred upon him the degree of Doctor in Divinity.
He was rector of St. Pauls Ameri- can Church, Rome, Italy, 1939-1940. The second World War caused his return to this country, after which he served as rector of churches in r
ton and in Taunton, Mass.
After his retirement from activ duty he served from time to time os supply minister in the Dioceses of
North Carolina and Southwestern Virginia. In the fall of 1947 he was called to Virginia Episcopal School as Acting Chaplain and continued
in that work for the session 1947- 1948. He was a quiet but strong influence a m o n g both boys and masters. His kindliness, his sense of
humor and his genuine devotion to . the School gained for him the respect and affection of us all and it was with deep regret that we learned of his death.
Founder and First Rector of :Virginia Episcopal School
Wednesday evening, August tenth, one of the great souls of the Church, one who was a true spiritual descend- ant of that little band of Twelve whom Christ charged with the spread of His Gospel, fell asleep at his home in Roanoke, Virginia, only to awaken in that wider life which the Master has prepared for all who follow in His footsteps. For more than half a century he had been an ordained and consecrated servant of God and of His Church and throughout his long ministry he gave himself to his high calling with a singleness o f purpose and a selfless consecration
rarely to be found. He had served for two decades as a successful and much-loved parish priest when he became imbued with the belief that he was called to a different phase of Christ's work, a work for boys and young men. Abandoning his parish connection without a thought for his own future beyond his belief in his mission, he gave himself unstintedly to the foundation and direction of the School which now for more than thirty years has been a potent force in molding the lives of an ever-widen- ing group. It has been said that he loved every brick in the buildings at Virginia Episcopal School, every tree and shrub on its campus. Far better might it be said that he loved every boy who ever entered the doors of that School and that he kept them
in his thoughts and his prayers. Scarcely had he accomplished his purpose of founding the School and had served os its first head for a few years when he was called upon to assume the duties of a much higher and greater office. Thirty years ago
last spri ng he was consecrated first Bishop of Southwestern Virginia and for nearly two decades, until his retirement in 1938, he gave his all to this task of being chief shepherd
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