This collection contains original notes for sermons preached in the 1940s-1970s. The following biographical sketch was prepared by Rev. Stevenson's daughter, Mary Lucile Ameigh.

Linwood Jennings Stevenson Born January 16, 1920 in Baltimore, MD Died May 18, 2002

Linwood graduated from Emory and Henry College in Emory, Va in 1938. He graduated Duke Divinity in 1944. He married Ellen Proctor of Tallahassee, FL, Feb. 1,1945. His first assigned church was Powhatan, VA, either in late 1945 or 1946. His first son, Linwood P. Stevenson, was born in January, 1947 in Powhatan.

In June 1947, he was assigned to a Methodist Church in Huntington, Arkansas, just outside of Fort Smith. In June 1949, his newest assignment was to the Methodist Church in Evanston, Wyoming, and he also had an auxiliary church in Kemmerer, Wyoming. His second child, George Edward Stevenson, was lost shortly after birth in late 1949, and is buried in Evanston. His third child, Sharon Linell Stevenson (now Linell Rowland of Emory, VA) was born in October 1950 in Evanston (Actually she was born in The nearest hospital in Ogden, UT). In 1951, Linwood enlisted to serve in the U.S.Army, as there was a need for military chaplains, due to the outbreak of the Korean War. During his time in the Army he served on Army bases in California, New York, and was released from service in 1953 from Ft. Rucker, AL. Upon release from the Army, he elected to remain a Chaplain with the Army National Guard.

The Methodist conference, in the meantime, had assigned him to begin a new church in Dothan, Alabama, near his last active Army assignment. In June 1954, Linwood J. Stevenson was once again reassigned to the First United Methodist Church in Wheatland, Wyoming. This assignment only lasted one year, and his fourth child, Thomas Leo Stevenson, was born in Wheatland in March, 1955.

Once again, in June 1955, the Methodist conference assigned him to start a new UM church in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He was the founding pastor of Grace Methodist Church in Cheyenne and remained there until June 1958. While in Cheyenne, he used him military GI benefits to learn to fly, a skill that would serve him well in a few later assignments, and his travels for National Guard duties. In June 1958, the church conference reassigned him to the First Methodist Church in Sheridan, Wyoming. He remained in Sheridan until June 1961, and then transferred from the Wyoming Conference to the Colorado Conference.

His fifth child, Mary Lucile Stevenson, was born in March 1960 while in Sheridan. During his time in Wyoming he rose to be the Wyoming National Guards chief chaplain. June 1961 saw his arrival in Montrose, Colorado, where he stayed for the next four years. He had an assigned auxiliary church in Norwood, Colorado, which he serviced by commuting by piloting his own small aircraft back and forth on Sundays, and during the week when needed. June 1965 saw him reassigned once again to the First Methodist Church in Akron, Colorado, out on the eastern plains of the state. June 1969 saw his last reassignment to the Methodist Church in Oakland Park, Fla. which was his last assignment with the Methodist Church.

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Preferred citation for the digital version:

[Author, Identification of item], Linwood Jennings Stevenson Sermon Notes Digital Version. Duke Divinity School Library, Duke University. [Item URL].