Stucky, Harley J. (1920-2005)

Harley J. Stucky, ca. 1973.
Photo courtesy Mennonite Library & Archives #2019-0030

Harley J. Stucky: professor, author and minister, was born 26 July 1920 in rural McPherson County, Kansas, USA to Julius Stucky (13 April 1880-5 July 1962) and Olga Krehbiel Stucky (1 January 1889-1 August 1959). Harley was the second son and fourth child in a family of two daughters and three sons. Harley Stucky married Ruby Lorene Voth (8 October 1920-14 October 2011) on 14 March 1945; they had four children: Steven, Franklin, Nathan, and Rita. Harley Stucky died on 11 November 2005 at his home in North Newton, Kansas. Harley and Ruby Stucky are buried in the Hopefield Mennonite Church cemetery in Moundridge, Kansas.

He graduated from Moundridge High School in 1937 and Bethel College in 1941 before attending Garrett Evangelical Seminary and receiving a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1944, an MA at Northwestern University in 1947, and his PhD in political science from Northwestern in 1949. Stucky's MA thesis was titled, "Cultural interaction among the Mennonites since 1870," and his PhD dissertation was titled, "International control of atomic energy."

Harley Stucky taught history and political science at Bethel College from 1949 to 1959. From 1964 to 1974 he was Vice President for Academic Affairs at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. Between his work at Bethel and Friends, he taught at Bethany College, Tabor College, and Central State University in Edmund, Oklahoma. While at Bethel Stucky also coached debate and forensics, and he authored numerous books and articles in addition to being a frequent speaker at conferences.

Stucky’s interests outside academia were extensive. He served as president of the Kansas Authors Club, American Historical Association of Germans from Russia, and the Swiss Mennonite Historical Association. He was actively involved with Western District and General Conference Mennonite Church committees and youth leadership in the 1940s and 1950s. He played a primary role in organizing and promoting the numerous wheat and Mennonite centennial activities in 1974. Stucky was ordained and pastored the McKinley Park Methodist Church in Chicago while completing his graduate education. He purchased and worked to restore and protect the Bernhard Warkentin homestead in Halstead, Kansas.

Throughout his life, Harley Stucky was a passionately engaged person who worked to preserve the history of the Kansas Mennonite people.

Bibliography

"Former Bethel College professor dies." Mennonite Weekly Review (21 Novmember 2005): 10. Web. 17 January 2020. https://mla.bethelks.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Stucky,_Harley_J._(1920-2005).

GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 19-07 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2020: #297198.

"Harley J. Stucky." Newton Kansas (14 November 2005): 2. Web. 17 January 2020. https://mla.bethelks.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Stucky,_Harley_J._(1920-2005).

"Harley J. Stucky." Find a Grave #12342565. 14 November 2005. Web. 17 January 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12342565.

Juhnke, James and Delbert Goering. "Harley J. Stucky, July 26, 1920 – November 11, 2005.” The Swiss Mennonite Cultural & Historical Association. 2018? Web. 17 January 2020. http://swissmennonite.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/harley-j-stucky.pdf.

Archives

Harley J. Stucky Papers. MS.459, Mennonite Library and Archives, Bethel College, North Newton, Kansas. http://mac.libraryhost.com/?p=collections/controlcard&id=285.

Books authored and edited by Harley J. Stucky

Goertz, Helene Riesen and Harley J. Stucky. Our church-- past and present: a short history of the Bethel College Mennonite Church, North Newton, Kansas. North Newton, Kan.: Bethel College Mennonite Church, 1954.

Stucky, Harley J. The doctrine of love and nonresistance. North Newton, Kan.: Mennonite Press, 1955.

_____. August 6, 1945--the impact of atomic energy. New York: American Press, 1964.

_____. A century of Russian Mennonite history in America : a study of cultural interaction. North Newton, Kan.: Mennonite Press, 1973.

_____. The Swiss (Volhynian) Mennonite ship list, 1874, of the immigrants who came from Russia. North Newton, Kan.: Mennonite Press, 1974.

_____. The Swiss Mennonite memorial monument: is it inspirational art, symbolic expression or history? North Newton, Kan.: H. J. Stucky, 1999.

Schrag, Martin H. The European history (1525-1874) of the Swiss Mennonites from Volhynia, edited by Harley J. Stucky. 2nd ed. North Newton, Kan.: H. J. Stucky, et al, 1999.

Stucky, Harley J. Julius & Olga (Krehbiel) Stucky family. North Newton, Kan.: H. J. Stucky, 2001.

Author(s)	David A Haury
Date Published	January 2020

Cite This Article

MLA style

Haury, David A. "Stucky, Harley J. (1920-2005)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. January 2020. Web. 24 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Stucky,_Harley_J._(1920-2005)&oldid=166404.

APA style

Haury, David A. (January 2020). Stucky, Harley J. (1920-2005). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Stucky,_Harley_J._(1920-2005)&oldid=166404.

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